[Plugin] Work Plane

tspco

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.

Box

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.

tspco

@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.

Dave R

@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.

tspco

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).

TIG

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...

tspco

Thanks Tig

TIG

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

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

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

kaas

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

TIG

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...

kaas

@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

TIG

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.

kaas

@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.

ken

TIG

I have downloaded the new version of Workplane. I can only set the plane in inches, no matter what my units are set too, the plane if always set in inches.

Ex.

Units, ft, set 200x200, I get a 200 inch workplane.

Units, m, set 200x200, I get the same 200 inch workplance.

Thanks in advance for you help.

Ken

Dave R

Ken, are you right clicking in space and setting the grid size and spacing as directed in the hints at the bottom of the screen? I just gave it a try and it picks up model units just fine.

TIG

The latest version of WorkPlane ought to now work in any input units.
So if your Model Units are inches, then 'plain numbers' are taken as inches.
Or if the Model Units are feet, then 'plain numbers are taken as feet etc...
BUT if you want something say in feet but the Model Units are inches yhen type 1' so it's read as one foot [12"], or say 1m so it ~40" [for the meter grid in an Inch-model] ?
So to use units different from the Model Units just add a suffix "/'/m/cm/mm ?

However, while checking I do see some inconsistencies in dialog's like 'Adjust' for changing grid-width etc, so I'm investigating...

Thanks for the feedback though.

TIG

Here's v2.6 in the PluginStore.
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=WorkPlane

A typo in the dialog to Set/Adjust Grid-width meant the grid-width always matched the grid-height !
Now it works properly again and the grid's width and height can be set separately.