[Plugin] Layers Panel 1.2.1

Fri25 · 19 Jan 2015, 21:59

Bug in the program

Sometimes the layer order gets totally confused and can not be restored.
This happens when elements contained various layers are imported and these are not available or disabled in the current layer directory.

The whole work of the layer structure is destroyed. The purpose of the program is obsolete!

My system: Sketchup 2015 Windows 7

siim11s · 20 Jan 2015, 09:53

@fri25 said:

Bug in the program

Sometimes the layer order gets totally confused and can not be restored.
This happens when elements contained various layers are imported and these are not available or disabled in the current layer directory.

The whole work of the layer structure is destroyed...

I ran into the same problem yesterday. Layer groups disappeared from both source and destination model after import and the layer order was changed.

Fortunately I had kept my layer-naming convention and could manually reorder and regroup layers. Strangely, after I had fixed the layers in the source model, the destination model was automatically updated.

OSX 10.10
SU v15.0.9349

jiminy-billy-bob · 20 Jan 2015, 18:43

Sorry guys, but I won't have time to work on Layers Panel until a long time. All my spare time is now dedicated to my new plugin (which I plan to sell, hence the priority)

Sorry for the inconvenience. The code is on GitHub, so if you find a coder willing to try to find his way into this mess (it was my first plugin, so quite messy), he can freely modify it and send pull requests.

GitHub - thomas-hauchecorne/Layers-Panel

Contribute to thomas-hauchecorne/Layers-Panel development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHub (github.com)

siim11s · 23 Jan 2015, 09:19

@jiminy-billy-bob said:

Sorry guys, but I won't have time to work on Layers Panel until a long time. All my spare time is now dedicated to my new plugin (which I plan to sell, hence the priority)

I'm sure you have considered this but why don't you make this plugin commercial? I'd be happy to pay 5-10€ for this if it works properly. It seems to be pretty popular already..

It's entirely up to you what you want to work on though and I hope the SU team will pick up on your work soon.

jiminy-billy-bob · 23 Jan 2015, 09:31

Well, I thought about it. But I don't think that's the kind of plugin that fills a void. I mean, it does improve the layers workflow, but it doesn't create one. So I'm not sure there is really a market to sell this.

Plus, I realized that working with SU's default features and adding depth to them is risky. There are impredictable things, it's clunky.
It's kind of a mess, and Layers Panel has become like a big collection of workarounds. I'm not sure I could ever take it to a point where it's 100% working (even with a complete rewriting), I think there will always be bugs.
It has become really frustrating to work on this.

My new plugin (which has nothing to do with layers) creates new features entierly, it doesn't need to keep track of model changes or being in sync with SU all the time. And let me tell you, it's so much more fun!

JQL · 23 Jan 2015, 09:47

@jiminy-billy-bob said:

Well, I thought about it. But I don't think that's the kind of plugin that fills a void. I mean, it does improve the layers workflow, but it doesn't create one. So I'm not sure there is really a market to sell this.

Well Jiminy, I don't agree with you on this. It fits a void... updating layers on scenes has never been easier, finding layers has never been easier, changing colors (though not in bulk) has never been easier. They're not things that we couldn't have done before, but they're things we hated to do and now hate a little less...

however if
@jiminy-billy-bob said:

It has become really frustrating to work on this.
then the plugin it's more than good enough as it is. Maybe SU team could pick on your ideas, give you something back and implement them internally. I know they should!

Besides, we just want happy and creative developers
@jiminy-billy-bob said:

it's so much more fun!
so you can do your thing!

Thanks for Layers Panel and bring the next one on!

jiminy-billy-bob · 23 Jan 2015, 10:13

@jql said:

They're not things that we couldn't have done before

That's my point. I think people are willing to pay for something that they simply couldn't do before. And I mean enough people paying enough money for the time I would actually be spending on this.
I think one of the main reasons LP is popular is because it's free.

Let's do the math, and let's be really optimistic while doing it.
I know there are around 500 unique daily user. So maybe 3 times that amount using it regularly? That's perhaps 1500 people.
I said let's be really optimistic, so let's assume 1/4 of that amount would maybe be willing to pay like $5 for LP. That's ~400*5 = $2000. Convert it to euros, take back taxes, etc. I could be working a month on this (and lowering my current incomes). I think I would need much more than a month to rewrite it completly, test it toroughly to iron out every bug. Plus maintenance, support, marketing, etc.
And that's while being really optimistic.
Yeah, I'm not sure the furstration is worth it.

Apart from that, how would people react if suddenly LP was paid only?

@jql said:

Maybe SU team could pick on your ideas, give you something back and implement them internally.

I would love them to implement something like this without giving me something I mean, I didn't invent anything.

derei · 15 Feb 2015, 23:19

Feature request: Render Layers option compatible with Twilight Render

Suggestion:
-instead (or beside it) having that button "Move selection to the Highlighted Layer", it could be useful that right click on a certain layer to add this option. Why? - because it happened for me several times to accidentally have a different layer selected than the one I wanted to. But right clicking on a layer makes that 100% that is the wanted layer (because the user is ALREADY with the cursor on it).

domusdesignbuild · 21 Apr 2015, 18:28

Plugin installed successfully, but I get a pop-up telling me it needs to be debugged. However, when I click ‘continue’, the succeeding pop-up only lists in-model layers and says ‘no issues’. This happens with any model. [OS X 10.10.2]

JQL · 21 Apr 2015, 18:45

Do that debug in your template and save it as template and the template issue is no more.

Do that debug in any model and save it and that model's issue is no more.

This is most probably related to models you've developed when you had some prior "Layer's Panel" version installed.

BrooklynArch · 6 May 2015, 21:54

Hello,

This is my favorite plug-in for organizing my model.
But I am unable to get it to work in SU 2015 (Mac OS X Yosemite).

I have tried loading and unloading it several times. The layers panel open for only a split second and then disappears...I've never had this problem before and don't know when it started. only the 'layer state' panel stays open...

Can you tell me what I need to do to get this plugin to work properly?
Is it compatible with my system?
Do I need to delete older files?

Thank you!

siim11s · 7 May 2015, 10:43

@brooklynarch said:

Hello,

This is my favorite plug-in for organizing my model.
But I am unable to get it to work in SU 2015 (Mac OS X Yosemite).

I have tried loading and unloading it several times. The layers panel open for only a split second and then disappears...I've never had this problem before and don't know when it started. only the 'layer state' panel stays open...

Can you tell me what I need to do to get this plugin to work properly?
Is it compatible with my system?
Do I need to delete older files?

Thank you!

Hi,

Same problem - it worked before and I don't remember updating anything, might have installed a plugin or two though.
SU 2015, OS X Yosemite.

greatoe · 13 May 2015, 08:39

Pity to hear that this plug-in is discontinued developing. Would like to pay for it. It really speed up the workflow a lot.

jiminy-billy-bob · 13 May 2015, 08:48

@greatoe said:

Pity to hear that this plug-in is discontinued developing. Would like to pay for it. It really speed up the workflow a lot.

Sorry about that... But please understand that only few people are willing to pay for this, and not a lot of money.
I am curently developping another plugin that I will sell, so I can't take much time for Layers Panel.
I think LP is already pretty good as is. Although I will try my best to fix bugs.

BrooklynArch, did you try what we discussed by email?

siim11s · 18 May 2015, 07:09

@siim11s said:

@brooklynarch said:

Hello,

This is my favorite plug-in for organizing my model.
But I am unable to get it to work in SU 2015 (Mac OS X Yosemite).

I have tried loading and unloading it several times. The layers panel open for only a split second and then disappears...I've never had this problem before and don't know when it started. only the 'layer state' panel stays open...

Can you tell me what I need to do to get this plugin to work properly?
Is it compatible with my system?
Do I need to delete older files?

Thank you!

Hi,

Same problem - it worked before and I don't remember updating anything, might have installed a plugin or two though.
SU 2015, OS X Yosemite.

Uninstalled "CutList" plugin (inactivate did not help). LP now works again.

derei · 8 Jun 2015, 17:27

Great plugin ! Just started to use it. Please, please add Twilight Render support to it.
And second, automatic start with A LOT of layers crashes sketchup. Worth investigate.
Keep up the good work!

EDIT:
-too bad it doesn't have a sorting function by column (name, state).

Please continue developing it. It is a really good plugin (and I would pay for it, if that is the condition for you to continue development). Or at least, if you are not willing to, maybe someone else would take it to continue, if you will agree on that. Is so bad that an advanced layers manager goes to die.

EDIT2:
-In SU 2015, "Highlight Selection's Layer" doesn't seem to work.

ashscott · 12 Jun 2015, 05:13

Have been waiting to try this plugin out for some time and just taking it for a first run in conjunction with Layout - really impressed

jiminy-billy-bob · 12 Jun 2015, 09:30

@derei said:

Or at least, if you are not willing to, maybe someone else would take it to continue, if you will agree on that. Is so bad that an advanced layers manager goes to die.

The source is on GitHub, anyone can fork the project and push updates. I'd be glad to release them.

GitHub - thomas-hauchecorne/Layers-Panel

Contribute to thomas-hauchecorne/Layers-Panel development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHub (github.com)

derei · 4 Aug 2015, 08:54

I have a suspicion that Layers Panel is messing up with Scene settings. It won't keep the hidden/visible layers as set and something (couldn't figure what) makes certain scenes (the activated one) to update with the setting on that particular moment.

Eg: - i set some hidden/visible layers to a scene, then I update it. If I change something after that (add layer, hide layers, show more layers, etc), I will end up with a messed-up scene that won't keep the settings that i did to it in the first time.

This just renders the plugin mostly unusable.

Did this happened to others?

ashscott · 4 Aug 2015, 09:11

Have just dealt with this exact issue although I wouldn't say that it renders the plugin unuseable.

I simply scan through the scenes (50+ in current model) selecting/deselcting appropriate layers and updating the scenes as I go - takes a few minutes to overcome