[Plugin] Component Stringer UPDATED May 23, 2013

raineysky · 13 Jan 2012, 00:03

OK. Thank You very much Chris. I'll let you know how it turns out this weekend. Thanks again for your help and for the plugin.

raineysky · 15 Jan 2012, 09:43

I did it!!! Centered the axis like in the picture below and it works like a charm. Thank You very much Chris for your help and for a wonderful plugin.

panpanndundu · 25 Feb 2012, 07:30

Awesome tool, thank you chris fullmer ...

thegoodguy · 22 May 2012, 11:10

Brilliant plugin Just what I need. Thanks.

ivreich · 20 Jul 2012, 04:26

Any chance there could be a "stretch" modifier (like the stretch tool in FredoScale) when stringing components? Although i guess this would destroy the component definitions.

joel

kingsi · 5 Jan 2013, 12:58

Many thanks for the excellent pluggin

kingsi · 7 Jan 2013, 12:03

Wonderful plugin. Many Thanks Chris

Chris Fullmer · 7 Jan 2013, 12:09

You're welcome and you're welcome!

aaulestia · 8 Mar 2013, 16:02

Chris,

I've been trying to use this amazing tool to place a Tree component along some streets, but can't them to be separated as I need them to be(distance between each component). Do you have any ideas to fix this? I would really appreciated it!
Ana

Cisne · 26 Mar 2013, 18:17

This is what happens when I select the line with the component and choose the uniform. When I choose the mode none, the plugin puts only one component at the beginning of the line.

herrschnitzel · 25 May 2013, 22:43

Great Plugin I was searching for it.
I moved the plugin in my plugins folder but I cant find it in sketchup.

aurisgauris · 8 Jun 2013, 23:24

i cant install this plugin:( windows 8, sketchup 8

TIG · 9 Jun 2013, 11:01

@unknownuser said:

i cant install this plugin:( windows 8, sketchup 8
You'll need to give us a bit of help here
Help us to help you.
Fill in your User-Profile details so we can immediately know your OS, SketchUp version etc without having to read a post that might be several steps earlier by the time we resolve this issue...

This kind of problem has almost certainly been covered endlessly in other posts at SCF...

Here are a few ideas...
Do you install, and then always run SketchUp as an admin? [properties>compatibility check-box setting]
Do you have FULL permissions to the Plugins folder? [properties>security>edit] It should be set to FULL for every entry in the list.
Do you have a 'Compatibility Files' button/link on the Plugins folder's Windows Explorer window upper bars? This suggests a VirtualStore issue resulting from you having limited permissions when trying to install files into a folder.
Do you understand how to install a plugin from an RBZ archive?
Do you have the current version of v8? [you need >= v8M2] You need that to get the 'Install...' button in the Preferences > Extensions dialog. This allows you to auto-install files/subfolders of helper from an RBZ archive.
Do you understand that if you don't want to upgrade your earlier version then you can add .ZIP to the end of the .RBZ archive and extract its contents; then manually install the file[s] and subfolder[s] of files 'intact' into the Plugins folder... If in doubt about manually installing plugins then please read the help/tutorial section at SCF...
I assume you are getting the tool's RBZ file from the PluginStore? http://sketchucation.com/resources/pluginstore ?
If you have a suitable version v8 or v2013 that allows 'auto-install' then can I suggest you get and install the 'SketchUcation Plugin Store' tool which then allows you to browse all of the SCF plugins and Auto-Install them immediately, with no manual download etc on your side... http://sketchucation.com/resources/plugin-store-download

Hopefully one [or more] of the above will start you off in the right direction.
If you are still flummoxed ask again.

syonker · 19 Jul 2013, 16:55

Hi there...Has anyone else had the issue where you highlight your component and path, and hit the "Component Stringer" menu item, the path gets "Start/End", but nothing else happens? No dialog to continue?

-S

*UPDATE: This is 100% a function of rights. Ran SketchUp with Admin rights and it worked like it should! Thanks Chris - this is really nice to have!

-S*

syonker · 20 Jul 2013, 01:53

Ok, this is a truly awesome plugin...nicely done.

Now to solicit any hints and tips...for my application, what I am designing is an Asian pagoda with "ceramic tile roofing". The roof is a traditional shape with curves along the peaks, eaves, etc...there is a wire frame of curved lines that I was able to get the center tiles to span along nicely (see image below), but as I approach the sides, there is the start of a twist in the geometry. The problem comes in that when setting the axes in the tile component (which is actually four tiles, two-by-two) and spanning along the curve, it seems to apply the "turn along curve axis" starting at the wrong end of the disprove (so that the bottom side of the shingle chain lifts off rather than the top tapers toward the peak as it should). Tried switching the axes (just flips the shingles upside down) and drawing the curved line from the other end (no impact). Wondering if there would be a way to tell it at which end to start the zero rotation point...or if there would be a way to write it for a wireframe or surface propagation? Or honestly any recommendations or tutorial videos that might help with this or any general comments are all appreciated.

Shot of the top pagoda roof...one line of shingles...

Shot of the shingles themselves, and the component shingle...

Render of three rows of the shingles...

pilou · 20 Jul 2013, 07:41

Maybe Panelization by Sdmitch?
Components onto faces by Chris Fullmer?

syonker · 21 Jul 2013, 02:46

I checked out those two plugins and by all rights they are awesome (Chris's was a little easier to get working and was more, code solid - awesome work Chris). I realized while working with them that based on the architecture I am working with I really needed to go back to the component stringer. For any normal staggered shingles like slate, etc. the objects on surface plugins would work great, but in pagodas they follow a traditional linear format based on original builds being ceramic laced to bamboo...it's the "bamboo" that each of the rows follow. So a LOT of playing with axes, the weld plugin, object orientations, and curved lines, I got part of the roofing laid out (see images below). I have a long way to go for the tipped-up points and other curves but hey it's a labor of love this one...

Similar shot to above with shingles leading to peak:

Tilted shot showing the yin and yang symbols at the tips of the "bamboo" trusses:

spreadcore · 25 Sept 2013, 18:29

Okay what am I doing wrong? I'll assume it's my mistake.

I'm using the chain link in the demo video as a example of what keeps happening.

I made a link component and a arc and I followed each step and this is what happens:

The links don't line up right and are huge, also I don't get the words start and End at the ends of the arc.

I'm using
Sketchup 8 on Windows 7
Plugin: clf_component_stringer_1-3-1_0.rbz
Plus I went so far as to restall sketchup and only that plugin just to make sure there were no conflicts with other plugins.

Box · 25 Sept 2013, 19:32

The relationship of the components axis to the path is important. You need to change the components axis to follow the path you want. You also have a choice of sizes if I remember correctly, none, stretch and uniform, to suit.

Chris Fullmer · 25 Sept 2013, 19:44

Yup, its going to align the blue axis of your component to the edges of the curve. So you need to edit your component (double click to enter inside the component) and then rotate the geometry so that it aligns with the blue axis, in the manner that you want to string it.

Post the model here if you still need help aligning it.

Chris