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    [Plugin] Work Plane

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    • sfto1S Offline
      sfto1
      last edited by

      Thanks TIG
      Cool plugin. I'll use some alternatives to preserve when needed.

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      • P Offline
        paulckruger
        last edited by

        Perhaps my couple of weeks of playing renders me to much a newbie to understand this plugin. 😞

        I found it when searching for a way to correct a model with two objects where in the process of building them they "went astray" of the original plane so that when I try to print them on my Printerbot they are askew.

        How can I use this plugin to align the bottom plane of both objects so they are flat on the new plane?

        I created a disk that lays flat on the XY axis and can clearly see the objects are not lying flat but are slightly tilted. I spend a lot of time trying to manually rotate to get things aligned on the xy axis but just cannot seem to get there.

        Is there a simple explanation or instruction on how to select a component and then make sure it's bottom face is aligned FLAT to the new disk? Then repeat for the second object so their bottom faces are both exactly on the same plane?

        This is a screen cap showing the edge-on of the new disk plane and the skew of the components relative to the disk.

        Be gentle with me...I am not yet familiar enough with Sketchup for someone to just assume I already know all the functions.

        Thanks in advance your your help guys ( and gals ) ☀

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        • Dave RD Offline
          Dave R
          last edited by

          Paul, you don't need a plugin of any sort to align the bottoms of the objects. You can do this with just the Move tool. Select the object you wish to move and get the Move tool. Grab the selection at a point along the bottom and start moving it in the blue direction. Press and hold Shift to lock the direction of the Move and then move the cursor to the bottom of the other object. You can also use the up or down cursor keys to lock the direction although I'm partial to using the Shift key because it's only one key for locking direction and it works on off axis moves, too.

          Etaoin Shrdlu

          %

          (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

          G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

          M30

          %

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          • mitcorbM Offline
            mitcorb
            last edited by

            I thought some of his components were skewed from the vertical?

            I take the slow, deliberate approach in my aimless wandering.

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            • Dave RD Offline
              Dave R
              last edited by

              They might be and of course that'll require other stuff. I didn't want to assmue, though.

              Etaoin Shrdlu

              %

              (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

              G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

              M30

              %

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              • T Offline
                tspco
                last edited by

                I installed this today, it might be more useful, if the units were not feet, perhaps some variables, feet, inches or feet+inches. Granted is is a simple matter to convert the units, but in the case of 16 inches, I feel 1'4" might be better that 1.33333.
                Just my 2¢ worth.

                SU make 2017, /Twilight Render Hobby
                Windows 10,64 bit,16GB ram, quad core Athlon 3.6 gHz proc. Anything else you want to know, ask me.

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                • BoxB Online
                  Box
                  last edited by

                  I think you will find it is using the units of the model. Try setting the model units to Fractional or whichever suits your model.

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                  • T Offline
                    tspco
                    last edited by

                    @box said:

                    I think you will find it is using the units of the model. Try setting the model units to Fractional or whichever suits your model.

                    I use feet and inches, I tried putting in 1'4" and got an error.

                    SU make 2017, /Twilight Render Hobby
                    Windows 10,64 bit,16GB ram, quad core Athlon 3.6 gHz proc. Anything else you want to know, ask me.

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                    • Dave RD Offline
                      Dave R
                      last edited by

                      @tspco said:

                      I use feet and inches, I tried putting in 1'4" and got an error.

                      You're kind of vague. What was the error message?

                      Where were you trying to enter your 1'4"? If you look at the first post of the thread you'll see that the default size of the grid is 50' x 50'. The instructions are given there for changing it.
                      thumb.png

                      Etaoin Shrdlu

                      %

                      (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

                      G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

                      M30

                      %

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                      • T Offline
                        tspco
                        last edited by

                        Screenshots...
                        When I try to change the work grid plane settings, I get the error. Bottom line is you cannot use anything but feet or decimals of feet in the plugins current state. For a 16" on center, I either use 16" or 1'4" not 1.3333 (feet).


                        2014-02-17_193253.jpg


                        2014-02-17_193241.jpg


                        2014-02-17_193201.jpg


                        2014-02-17_200322.jpg

                        SU make 2017, /Twilight Render Hobby
                        Windows 10,64 bit,16GB ram, quad core Athlon 3.6 gHz proc. Anything else you want to know, ask me.

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                        • TIGT Offline
                          TIG Moderator
                          last edited by

                          My WorkPlane currently takes input as a float number and converts it into a length.
                          You cannot input fractional inches etc.
                          However, I'll look at updating it as things have moved on and it's easy enough to enable now...

                          TIG

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                          • T Offline
                            tspco
                            last edited by

                            Thanks Tig

                            SU make 2017, /Twilight Render Hobby
                            Windows 10,64 bit,16GB ram, quad core Athlon 3.6 gHz proc. Anything else you want to know, ask me.

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                            • TIGT Offline
                              TIG Moderator
                              last edited by

                              I now have a working version that takes each and every units format input [5' 6 1/2" etc !]
                              I'll publish it later when I get some time to encrypt it etc for the PluginStore...

                              TIG

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                              • TIGT Offline
                                TIG Moderator
                                last edited by

                                Here's v2.4 http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=274345#p274345

                                It has been Module-ized.

                                Inputs can now be in any units/format:
                                1'6", 1 1/2", 1000mm, 100cm, 10m, 1234.5 etc...

                                There is also some more 'future-proofing' behind the scenes...

                                Get the latest version from the PluginStore... http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=WorkPlane

                                TIG

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                                • TIGT Offline
                                  TIG Moderator
                                  last edited by

                                  Here's v2.5 http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=274345#p274345

                                  It has some minor cosmetic tweaks.
                                  As recently updated, inputs can now be in any units/format:
                                  1'6", 1 1/2", 1000mm, 100cm, 10m, 1234.5 etc...

                                  Get the latest version from the PluginStore... http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=WorkPlane

                                  TIG

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                                  • K Offline
                                    kaas
                                    last edited by

                                    Hello TIG,

                                    I'm trying out Workplane in SU2014. I think it isn't always working as intended. For instance when drawing a rectangle and sometimes even simple lines on a angular workplane - they are drawn on the world-xy plane instead.

                                    greetings, Max

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                                    • TIGT Offline
                                      TIG Moderator
                                      last edited by

                                      Do you make the WorkPlane big enough to draw onto ?
                                      It does NOT constrain the input points from other tools onto the plane, if they are OUTSIDE of the WorkPlane's perimeter... 😕

                                      TIG

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                                      • K Offline
                                        kaas
                                        last edited by

                                        @tig said:

                                        Do you make the WorkPlane big enough to draw onto ?
                                        It does NOT constrain the input points from other tools onto the plane, if they are OUTSIDE of the WorkPlane's perimeter... 😕
                                        Workplane is big enough indeed. See attached file.


                                        workplane.skp


                                        workplane.jpg

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                                        • TIGT Offline
                                          TIG Moderator
                                          last edited by

                                          When drawing onto a WorkPlane you need to watch the cursor's inferencing tooltips...
                                          If it says 'On Face', 'Intersection', 'EndPoint' etc then its on the WorkPlane or probably inferencing the grid or other geometry you have just added onto it.
                                          If you pull the cursor away from the WorkPlane, or accept an axial inference etc, then chances are the new line you make will NOT be on the WorkPlane.

                                          You get exactly the same effects drawing onto a sloping standard Face in your model.

                                          All a WorkPlane is, is a large transparent face with a guide-line grid, locked into place, to assist you in drawing in that plane - useful when you do not have faces or other geometry etc to inference onto.
                                          If does not magically 'constrain' the cursor [unlike my 2dTools which limit geometry to a flat plane with a specified Z].
                                          You can draw 'away' from a WorkPlane at any time - as you have found. 🤓

                                          TIG

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                                          • K Offline
                                            kaas
                                            last edited by

                                            @tig said:

                                            All a WorkPlane is, is a large transparent face with a guide-line grid, locked into place, to assist you in drawing in that plane - useful when you do not have faces or other geometry etc to inference onto.
                                            If does not magically 'constrain' the cursor [unlike my 2dTools which limit geometry to a flat plane with a specified Z].
                                            You can draw 'away' from a WorkPlane at any time - as you have found.

                                            Thanks for your reply TIG. I was mistaken and was wrongly expecting the workplane would magically 'constrain' the cursor like in your 2dTools. My fault.

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