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    [Plugin] Shape Bender Beta

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    • TIGT Offline
      TIG Moderator
      last edited by

      Progressbar.rb is the helper that adds a progress-bar to the status-bar when you are using ShapeBender plugin.
      That 'script' doesn't 'appear' anywhere else otherwise...

      You haven't completed your User-profile details so we don't know your OS or SUp version...

      If you can see the ShapeBender plugin's Extension and check it, then it should add the Toolbar option to the View > Toolbars list
      Unless perhaps you have somehow mis-installed the plugin's files and moved some of them from their subfolder into the main Plugins folder?
      How did you install the plugin?
      There are several 'foolproof' ways of doing this - with 'AutoInstallers' etc...
      Manual installs are prone to have problems...
      Do you have FULL security permissions to your Plugins folder?
      Is there a 'Compatibility Files...' link/button on the Explorer window's top bars - a sure sign of limited rights...
      Fix the permissions to be FULL for all users etc...

      TIG

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      • V Offline
        Vic12
        last edited by

        Help-

        I've downloaded and installed both progressbar.rb and shape bender - progressbar is in my plug-in folder and shape bender shows up as checked in my extensions -
        but I cannot find it in my toolbar anywhere
        what am I doing wrong-
        what am I not activating?

        thanks

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        • V Offline
          Vic12
          last edited by

          Hi TIG - sorry missed your first post-

          I installed both shape bender and progressbar manually
          library - applications support - sketchup 8 - plugins

          but I think I might have moved the shape bender rb out of the folder it came in - when it first wasn't showing up -

          maybe that's the problem- just moved back in and I'll restart and see if that helps?

          I'm on MAC OS 10.7.5 and running SU 8

          or do I need to uninstall and re-install?

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          • V Offline
            Vic12
            last edited by

            when I unzip the file - I get a folder
            clf_shape_bender_v055
            inside the folder is another folder w/ clf_shape_bender and the ruby script clf_shape_bender_loader.rb
            I took the ruby out of the folder and placed it in my plugins folder
            HD-library-applications support-google8-SU-plugins
            then shape bender showed up in my extensions - checked-

            but nowhere in my toolbar -

            when I put the rb back in the folder it came in then the extension went away-

            thanks - Victoria


            Screen Shot 2013-07-13 at 9.25.20 AM.png

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            • Dave RD Offline
              Dave R
              last edited by

              Victoria, your screen shot shows you haven't installed Shape Bender correctly. Move the two files in the far right column into the Plugins folder directly. Then restart SketchUp. If you installed it with the SCF Plugin Store you wouldn't have this problem.

              Etaoin Shrdlu

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              (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

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              • V Offline
                Vic12
                last edited by

                got it working thanks - but it hasn't solved my problem like I thought it would

                I'm trying to create a curved ramp and cannot solve the complex curve

                I'm uploading the file - with the desired curve - and the desired ramp
                I'm thinking there's a drape tool?
                or??

                thanks

                (macos su8)


                complex curved ramp.skp

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                • TIGT Offline
                  TIG Moderator
                  last edited by

                  This is not the plugin for that as the starting form. 😞

                  There are several other approaches... πŸ˜„

                  Look at Fredo's CurviLoft to extrude the profile along the paths
                  Or say my Extrude tool's EEbyRails.
                  Or FredoScale on a simple PushPulled slab?

                  It's an 'extrusion of a bent form' issue, not really a 'bending of an extruded form' issue...
                  [mod=:160kk3hv]EDIT: TIG
                  I see you have posted this in another thread and got similar answers from others.
                  Use their examples...[/mod:160kk3hv]

                  TIG

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                  • BurkhardB Offline
                    Burkhard
                    last edited by

                    You can simple do it with shape bender.
                    For better results, you' need some better preparations.


                    complex curved ramp.skp

                    [http://www.ia-plus.de(http://www.ia-plus.de)]

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                    • S Offline
                      smganeles
                      last edited by

                      after using the shape bender plugin to bend a fairly complex shape to a specified curve, some random edges of the rendering were left out and dissapeared
                      otherwise it seemed to work fine (besides making sketchup not respond for a while because i am on a slow and old computer)
                      these were not in the original rendering before the object was bent
                      what could have gone wrong and is there any way to fix this
                      pictures of both before and after the bending are attached


                      before


                      before


                      after


                      after

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                      • TIGT Offline
                        TIG Moderator
                        last edited by

                        SketchUp [and OpenGL] have problems creating facets if they are very very tiny.
                        Your steel-beam has some very small segments to its rounded edges.
                        You could probably make a much simpler version with far fewer facets.
                        When ShapeBender [or other tools like FollowMe etc] try to 'extrude' these tiny facets they can fail to form some faces simply because they are now so very tiny.
                        To overcome this...
                        Scale the steel/curve/line x100.
                        Do the ShapeBending etc...
                        Then Scale down x0.01.
                        These tiny facets can exist, BUT it's the creating them that is an issue...
                        This is the known problem and it's fix.
                        Depending on the facets' "tininess" you can scale x10, x100 or x1000 and then back...

                        TIG

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                        • S Offline
                          smganeles
                          last edited by

                          thank u
                          i will try this

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                          • D Offline
                            draftprint3d
                            last edited by

                            When I am bending a shape, it goes a lot faster when Netflix is playing fullscreen in front. I have no explanation but that is what I observe.

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                            • thomthomT Offline
                              thomthom
                              last edited by

                              Odd... but it might be that the full screen app in front disable UI functions in SketchUp that would otherwise slow things down.

                              Thomas Thomassen β€” SketchUp Monkey & Coding addict
                              List of my plugins and link to the CookieWare fund

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                              • Z Offline
                                Z Donk
                                last edited by

                                Hey, I just loaded this up and am trying to use it for the first time. Got it in my Plugin folder etc.. I'm trying to do exactly what chris did in his first example video and running into a wall: Once i have the simple group selected, as commanded, the "select a single line on the red axis" is the next command. Try as I might, I can't get the selection to take. It highlights blue, It's on the red axis, its a single line. The next command for selecting a curve does not come.... Tried it as a group, as an exploded group, etc. -The line is selected then the grid doesn't show and the commands stop there.. Bear in mind, I'm an intermediate sketchup user but even recreating Chris's simple example I hit a wall.

                                (Ultimately, I'm trying to bend a 3d geometric rectangle plate along 3 different angles)


                                2.png

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                                • Z Offline
                                  Z Donk
                                  last edited by

                                  Hi moderator, I found the problem, I didn't know I had to have the entire file in my plugins folder.. Off and running.

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                                  • Dave RD Offline
                                    Dave R
                                    last edited by

                                    @z donk said:

                                    Hi moderator, I found the problem, I didn't know I had to have the entire file in my plugins folder.. Off and running.

                                    So we can put your problem down to incorrect installation? That seems to be the most common reason plugins don't work for folks. It's one of the reasons for the Sketchucation Plugin Store. If you haven't got it and installed it, you should.

                                    Etaoin Shrdlu

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                                    • P Offline
                                      PabloNCS
                                      last edited by

                                      Hi everyone,

                                      I don't know what am I doing wrong, but the text I am trying to bend does not mantein its original size and it kind of stretches out.

                                      Anyone can give a hint?

                                      Thanks.


                                      Shape.png

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                                      • Dave RD Offline
                                        Dave R
                                        last edited by

                                        The length of the arc is longer than the length of the original text and the original line so of course the text would get stretched. Make the straight line the same length as the text and the arc the length of the straight line and it works better. The letters will still get a bit distorted but that's to be expected. You might even make the arc a little shorter than the straight line in the case of your text.


                                        shape.png

                                        Etaoin Shrdlu

                                        %

                                        (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

                                        G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

                                        M30

                                        %

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                                        • P Offline
                                          PabloNCS
                                          last edited by

                                          Thanks for the tip. It worked better that way.

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                                          • A Offline
                                            archipenti
                                            last edited by

                                            Hello

                                            Seems we can not use custom axes for the "red axis"

                                            is there any update or solutions for this little bug?

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