Edit group by ruby-code instead of a right mouse click

Jim

You work directly with the Group's entities, just like you would the model's entities. Having an editing context is a useful concept for people when modeling, but is not necessary when editing geometry using the Ruby API.

This sample shows how you might get to a Group's entities.


all_groups = Sketchup.active_model.entities.find_all{|e| e.class == Sketchup;;Group}
my_group = all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "My Group"}
my_entities = group.entities
my_entities.add_face(...)

TIG

When you add geometry it goes into an entities collection.
You have:-
model.entities = everything that's placed in the model
group.entities = everything that's placed in the group
definition.entities = everything that's placed in the component's definition
there is also
model.active_entities = everything that is placed in the current context - so this could be equal to the model.entities, OR if the user starts your tool whilst he is editing a group it would become the group.entities automatically.
Example - this code snippet adds a new [empty] group into the model, then it adds a line 1" tall into that group, it then adds a second [empty] group inside the first group and adds a line 10" long at the first line's end but in that new group.

model=Sketchup.active_model
group1=model.entities.add_group()
group1.entities.add_line([0,0,0],[0,0,1])
group2=group1.entities.add_group()
group2.entities.add_line([0,0,1],[10,0,1])

Run it [copy/paste the into a file in Plugins and use load"file.txt" in the Ruby Console] and see the results...
Hopefully this is helpful...

Andreas

@jim said:

You work directly with the Group's entities, just like you would the model's entities. Having an editing context is a useful concept for people when modeling, but is not necessary when editing geometry using the Ruby API.

This sample shows how you might get to a Group's entities.


> all_groups = Sketchup.active_model.entities.find_all{|e| e.class == Sketchup;;Group}
> my_group = all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "My Group"}
> my_entities = group.entities
> my_entities.add_face(...)
>

my_entities = group.entities don´t works.
I think it must be:
my_entities = my_group.entities
but that don´t works too.

Can someone help me?

Thanks
Andreas

TIG

You first get a reference to the required group, then one to its entities, and then do stuff in that entities collection...
To see if each step is working add puts my_group etc after it's defined it should then print up the group-id in the ruby console or 'nil'!
It should be my_group in your code if you want to work inside that group.
Do you have a group with that specific name ?
Obviously the .add_face(...) needs expanding so the ... is a list of at least three coplanar points!!
It WILL work...
Why not test it using my method that adds a new group to model.active_entities with
my_group=model.active_entities.add_group()
NOW you are sure to have my_group... now add the face to my_group.entities

Andreas

@tig said:

You first get a reference to the required group, then one to its entities, and then do stuff in that entities collection...
To see if each step is working add puts my_group etc after it's defined it should then print up the group-id in the ruby console or 'nil'!
It should be my_group in your code if you want to work inside that group.
Do you have a group with that specific name ?
Obviously the .add_face(...) needs expanding so the ... is a list of at least three coplanar points!!
It WILL work...
Why not test it using my method that adds a new group to model.active_entities with
my_group=model.active_entities.add_group()
NOW you are sure to have my_group... now add the face to my_group.entities

Hello TIG,

I need access to an existing group to add a face. I would like to make a cutout in a wall (existing group) to insert a door or window.

Andreas

TIG

I only suggested the making a new group method so that you might understand how it works in a test...
Did you try my 'puts' methods to report if you are actually getting the 'group' etc using your methods ?
Assuming you corrected the group >> my_group it should work IF the names match...

Andreas

@tig said:

...Assuming you corrected the group >> my_group it should work IF the names match...

It does not work.

all_groups = Sketchup.active_model.entities.find_all{|e| e.class == Sketchup;;Group}
my_group = all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "G1"}
my_entities = my_group.entities

The result is:

all_groups = Sketchup.active_model.entities.find_all{|e| e.class == Sketchup::Group}
finds several groups
=> [#Sketchup::Group:0x80db350, #Sketchup::Group:0x80db320, #Sketchup::Group:0x80db2f0, #Sketchup::Group:0x80e6768]

my_group = all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "G1"}
picks one of the groups
=> [#Sketchup::Group:0x80e6768]

my_entities = my_group.entities
gives the following error
NoMethodError: (eval):1:in get_binding': undefined method entities' for [#Sketchup::Group:0x80e6768:Array]

I don`t understand that!!!

Is there anybody who can explain it to me?

thomthom

all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "G1"} returns an array with a group - not just the group itself.

Since this line is suppose to filter out a single group we assume there will be only one item in the array and therefore extract the first item in the array.

my_group = all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "G1"}.first

So the whole lot would be:


all_groups = Sketchup.active_model.entities.find_all{|e| e.class == Sketchup;;Group}
my_group = all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "G1"}.first
my_entities = my_group.entities

Andreas

@thomthom said:

my_group = all_groups.select{|g| g.name == "G1"}.first

Thanks - that´s exactly what I need!!!

kaas

@tig said:

You could simulate the 'edit group' command - set a shortcut e.g. ' Shift+Ctrl+Alt+G' to the 'edit group' menu item and then use ' win32ole.so' to run the key-stroke(s) to make that group active..

I'd like to dig up this old thread because I'm looking for a way (a tool started by a keypress) to drill down many nested groups up to the group with the face I picked, and have that group opened to start pushpulling / modifying etc.

Normally I use the outliner to get to the right group but sometimes it's not clear and I have to double click a few times on the target face to drill down the hierarchy. I'd like to skip that double clicking by firing a tool and just pick the face.

I tried making this into a small tool. With the pickhelper I can select the picked face but the group itself isn't opened.

I also tried TIG's suggestion above in a tool but I can't find the 'edit group' command in the shortcuts so can't bind it to a keypress.

Any suggestions??

edit: turns out the shortcut list is generated dynamically. If I select a group and then open the shortcut preferences, I do get the option to assign a key.

TIG

To set up a shortcut that is context-sensitive you must be in that selection-context.
So to shortcut 'Edit Group' you first need to select a group to get that possibility in the context-menu and you must then open SketchUp's Preferences > Shortcuts and filter for 'Group'... - then set up the shortcut on that tool's command... then of course you'll need to mimic some key-presses etc in some third party code executed by Ruby - all as outlined earlier [PC only]...

PS: This 'context' issue when making shortcuts applies to many selection-sensitive commands - like Reverse and Orient, which both need a face to be selected before they appear in the context-menu list...