[Plugin] Deck Builder (Updated 23-Jun-2015)

TIG · 31 Jul 2014, 09:59

The "user-friendly" way to have your script's loader setup its toolbar so that it opens when its first installed, and then subsequently so it only opens if the user had it open when they last exited SketchUp, is simply done thus:
cmd.tooltip="Deck Builder";tb.add_item cmd;tb.show **if tb.get_last_state.abs==1** #TB_VISIBLE/NEVER
This way, if the toolbar was switched off by the user when they exited SketchUp it will not get re-opened as the plugin loads next time...

sdmitch · 31 Jul 2014, 14:02

@tig said:

The "user-friendly" way to have your script's loader setup its toolbar so that it opens when its first installed, and then subsequently so it only opens if the user had it open when they last exited SketchUp, is simply done thus:
cmd.tooltip="Deck Builder";tb.add_item cmd;tb.show **if tb.get_last_state.abs==1** #TB_VISIBLE/NEVER
This way, if the toolbar was switched off by the user when they exited SketchUp it will not get re-opened as the plugin loads next time...

Thanks for the info. I still have so much to learn.

raymondmartin · 3 Sept 2014, 11:13

Nice tool for deck builders.

Marauderr · 11 Apr 2015, 16:57

I am new at this and this is my first plugin i try,

I can open the deck builder and select the options i want but i dont understand how to make it happen, there is no OK or Cancel Button to click on? so how to make it happen, what is the secret door i use to get there

LOL

Thank You
N.

Dave R · 12 Apr 2015, 11:32

Try having a look at the author's tutorial which you can find on the page he links at the bottom of his posts. Lots of other very useful plugins with tutorials to be found there, too.

eddie · 22 Apr 2015, 17:35

Great plugin! But why have the geometry be individual groups instead of components? Doesnt this bloat the file size and make revising cumbersome??

sdmitch · 23 Apr 2015, 00:24

@eddie said:

Great plugin! But why have the geometry be individual groups instead of components? Doesnt this bloat the file size and make revising cumbersome??

Based on my tests, there is little difference in the file size groups versus component instances. Since each deck is different, it only made sense to use components for the spindles and group everything else.

naivejoe · 18 Jun 2015, 13:15

Nice Plugin. It worked as advertised the first time I used it but then I tested the rotation feature and now it won't change back. All decks are drawn with the joists going parallel to the long direction of the face, the deck boards the short way. I've re-installed, restarted and purged IE.
Rotation stays set at 0 no matter which option is chosen, which is how it worked from first install.
Any help?

naivejoe · 18 Jun 2015, 13:42

Nice Plugin. It worked as advertised the first time I used it and then I decided to test the rotation feature and now it won't change back. All decks are drawn with the joists going parallel to the long direction of the face, the deck boards the short way. I've re-installed, restarted and purged IE.
Rotation stays set at 0 no matter which option is chosen, which is how it worked from first install.
Any help?

sdmitch · 23 Jun 2015, 14:25

@naivejoe said:

Nice Plugin. It worked as advertised the first time I used it and then I decided to test the rotation feature and now it won't change back. All decks are drawn with the joists going parallel to the long direction of the face, the deck boards the short way. I've re-installed, restarted and purged IE.
Rotation stays set at 0 no matter which option is chosen, which is how it worked from first install.
Any help?

Sorry about the delay in responding but I just found your post the morning. After looking at the plugin there was a problem with the Rotation section. It has been corrected and posted so you can download a new copy.

pilou · 23 Jun 2015, 15:36

Always magic!

sdmitch · 23 Jun 2015, 16:00

@pilou said:

Always magic!

[attachment=0:qjr36ocf]always_magic.jpg[/attachment:qjr36ocf]

An always the most bazaar shape.

Dave R · 31 Oct 2015, 17:31

You didn't actually install the extension. Mike, the file downloads with the extension .rbz. Since you have it downloaded, move it out of the Plugins folder and put it back in Downloads or where ever downloaded files are saved. Then open SketchUp, go to Window>Preferences>Extensions and click the Install Extension button. Navigate to the saved file, select it and choose Open. Click on the affirmative responses after that and close the Preferences file. It should then be available.

mikedd · 31 Oct 2015, 17:32

I downloaded your file and placed it in my plugins folder but it is not showing up in Sketchup anywhere. I have Sketchup 8 on windows 10.

Excuse me I did it been a long time since I used sketchup, time to give it a whirl.

pilou · 4 Nov 2016, 12:59

It's a pity that is not component!
We are obliged to make some acrobatic physic exploit for change something!

Here SU4 by SUForYou to Components who can apply a "component" (module on the left down) to a selection of faces with automatic scale!
The task is on the selection!
As it's only "Group" the module component must be inside the group
then selection of faces can begin!
something like this: parallal view - side view - XRay - selection left to right ...

Here the view (old conceptual image) is a little cheating! 4 faces was selected : I was speedy!
(visible on the first piece)

pilou · 17 Nov 2016, 01:11

Seems there is a glitch with the 2017!
(works fine in 2016)
Have happy coding!

dech2016.skp

sdmitch · 17 Nov 2016, 01:42

@pilou said:

Seems there is a glitch with the 2017!
(works fine in 2016)

Did they change Ruby version again? Or is it just a buggy 2017?

pilou · 17 Nov 2016, 02:06

it's not me that can answer to these questions!

TIG · 17 Nov 2016, 13:22

You might be falling foul of the v2017 changes to how references and id's work.
I'm currently rewriting my ExtrudeTools because of it.

Previously [<=v2016] you could get an array of the entities within a container [say ents=group.entities.to_a] and then when you used group.explode those references saved in 'ents' would still be valid in their new context [although you might need to trap for merged entities etc], but then their id's were 'transitory' between sessions.

But in v2017 now those saved references are found to be 'invalid' after the group.explosion, this is because during the explosion those entities are now deleted and replicated in their new context, but now using their same enduring id's across sessions.
The references now return as deleted entities 'invalid' !
This can be sidestepped by recoding, with say ents=group.explode - which gives 'ents' as an array of what results from the explosion.

pilou · 17 Nov 2016, 15:14

An hard work additionnal for the coders if that must be made for each script!