[PlugIn] 3D Printers G-Code importer/Exporter Ver0.0.9

Dan Rathbun

In Ruby, everything is an object, and every object has a reference.

References that begin with a capital letter are constants. Module and Class references (names) are constants that are in title case (without underscore spacing, such as FileImporter).
Other constants are all capital characters (with underscore spacing, such as ROOT_PATH.)

Methods are also objects, and the method name is it's reference, which by convention is lower case (with underscore spacing, such as get_filament_component.)

The Ruby interpreter is designed to work fastest when we follow these conventions.

Dan Rathbun

When choosing a file to import... and clicking the "Options..." button (in the import file dialog,) I get an error:

Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method[]' for nil:NilClass>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Fishelzon/GcodeImporterVer0.0.3.rb:262:in units_dialog' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Fishelzon/GcodeImporterVer0.0.3.rb:102:in do_options'`

The error occurs on line 262 of the plugin file, viz:
cu = Sketchup.active_model.options["unitsOptions"]["LengthUnit"]

Reason: The Sketchup::OptionsManager instance method [] returns a valid Sketchup::OptionsProvider instance object IF the key is valid, otherwise it returns nil (the singleton instance of the NilClass class.)
Since the key is invalid, nil is returned, and since the NilClass class does not have a [] instance method, the NoMethodError exception is raised.

The valid key name to get a reference to the units options provider is "UnitsOptions"

NOW... there are ONLY TWO possible import units in a Gcode file.. inches (G20) and mm (G21), so can the plugin set mm as default, and then recognize the Gcodes G20 and G21, to change the import units "on-the-fly" as needed ?

This would actually make the import file options dialog unnecessary (at least when it comes to setting import units.)

Dan Rathbun

Key for saving defaults:

It is preferable to use underscore "" instead of spaces, and to prepend "Plugin" to the key, thus:

"Plugin_Fishelzon_GcodeImporter"

Davidfi1

OK Guys - Thank you.
I fixed the code according to your suggestions in the next version
I added a "last version" load to the loader and updated the version number.
Waiting for yor remarks befor moving on.

I am thinking about how to implement a "G-Code exporter"
I need to figure out a way to keep the unused G-Code lines.
The adding of these lines will enable the exporter to put these lines
back to the exported G-Code.

Didier Bur

Hi,
Call me stupid but how to launch the script ??

thomthom

@didier bur said:

Hi,
Call me stupid but how to launch the script ??

It's an importer, you find in the list of import formats. File > Import and in the file dialogue you pick the fileformat for G code.

Davidfi1

Uploaded vertion 0.0.5.
Include impruvment to speed and rendering

Please let me know if you like it

Dan Rathbun

Line 117:
if (Sketchup.version_number < 7)

should be:
if (Sketchup.version.to_i < 7)

Line 135:

# wait forever
while 1==1 do 
end # while 1

That is dangerous! It could lock up SketchUp if an error occurs, causing file handles to remain open.

Use a continue messagebox instead.

And you should return a numeric error code instead of 0 when an exception occurs.

Dan Rathbun

@davidfi1 said:

Uploaded vertion 0.0.5.
Include improvment to speed and rendering

Just so you know...

The native Ruby Console, is not actually a "true console interface".
It is really a dialog with a non-editable multi-line text control.
Writing output to the text control is VERY slow, and gets SLOWER the more that is written.

(*) Write only what you NEED to.
OR ...
Perhaps write output to a log file instead, and after the import, display the log file's text in a Webdialog frame. (The browser can display plain text files.)

Davidfi1

Dan.
Thank you, you are very helpfull.
I don't really know what to do with these errors in the G-Code I am getting.
It is not even correct to say they are errors at all.
I use the ruby console as a very simple "information console"
There is nothing to do with these "errors" just know about them...

If somone don't want to see these messages he could just close the console.

In the following versions I will not open the ruby console at all.

Thank you again.
David.

Davidfi1

@dan rathbun said:

Line 117:
Line 135:

# wait forever
> while 1==1 do 
> end # while 1
>

That is dangerous! It could lock up SketchUp if an error occurs, causing file handles to remain open.

will do.
Thank you.

Davidfi1

New Version 0.0.6 posted
Thank you.

antoninoion

I'm getting the following error in the ruby console every time I start SU and it doesn’t show the G-code file type in the import file types list:

GcodeImporterVer0.0.6.rb:38: warning: Object#type is deprecated; use Object#class

I installed the plugin through the "Preferences/Extensions/Install Extension" option. I have SU V8.0.16845 for Mac, any idea on what I should do?

Thanks
Antonio

Davidfi1

@antoninoion said:

I'm getting the following error in the ruby console every time I start SU and it doesn’t show the G-code file type in the import file types list:

GcodeImporterVer0.0.6.rb:38: warning: Object#type is deprecated; use Object#class

I installed the plugin through the "Preferences/Extensions/Install Extension" option. I have SU V8.0.16845 for Mac, any idea on what I should do?

Thanks
Antonio

I found the problem - fixing it soon.
change line 38 from:
if @ent.type == Sketchup::Edge
to:
if @ent.class == Sketchup::Edge

But wait for more testing - I will post a fix soon
Thank you.

Davidfi1

Version 0.0.7
Now we have a G-Code Exporter of the previously imported G-Code in the plugin menu.
So I changed the name to GcodeTools ... (please delete the old one)
The new exporter is a very simple assuming that in the next versions will be
adding all the needed features to make it usable

so please let me know what need's to be fixed!.

Davidfi1

Version 0.0.8
Added to the exporter the ability to connect "unconnected" components
so now if a component is deleted - the exporter will just put a link to the
first component of the disconnected chain

Davidfi1

Version 0.0.9
New in Importer:
Will put a Attribute with the value of speed from the imported G-Code in the
"filament" & "MotorMove" components
Change the Z scale of the "filament" component according to the amount of
extruded filament in the imported G-Code
New in Exporter:
Export to the G-Code the Attribute of speed as was imported by the importer.
Export the Extruded length according to the Z scale of the "filament" component

Davidfi1

What should the next feature be?
If you have an idea, I will be very happy to try implementing it.

Jim

@davidfi1 said:

What should the next feature be?
If you have an idea, I will be very happy to try implementing it.

Animate a model of a cnc machine from the gcode.

Davidfi1

@jim said:

@davidfi1 said:

What should the next feature be?
If you have an idea, I will be very happy to try implementing it.

Animate a model of a cnc machine from the gcode.

Did you try to import CNC G-Code?
Can you explain what was the problem?
Do you have an idea how it should work if it was working correctly?