[Plugin] SPGears

DingBEN

WIN 7 Pro, SketchUp Pro
Pardon my green-ness, but I installed 1.0 and realized there is now a 1.2
I installed 1.0 via some link here, NOT the ZIP!
I want to install 1.2

Where is the 1.2 download link? no download link on that page
or how to install from zip, since the 1.2 zip extracts an .rb file NOT an .rbz!?
It recommends to uninstall old versions!? HOW is that accomplished!?
I see nothing in the menus to uninstall extensions.
One thing I noticed on 1.0: the handle(cursor) does not want to latch on to the best inferred handle... it seems to snag around it and latch on to any other close point

Thank you.

jgrundman

@dingben said:

Where is the 1.2 download link? no download link on that page
or how to install from zip, since the 1.2 zip extracts an .rb file NOT an .rbz!?

The link for v1.2 is at the top of the first page of this thread. To install a .rb plugin, just copy the extracted file into your plugins folder (C:\Users*usernme*\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2016\SketchUp\Plugins). Restart Sketchup and the plugin should now be listed in "Extension" menu.

@dingben said:

It recommends to uninstall old versions!? HOW is that accomplished!?
I see nothing in the menus to uninstall extensions.

These earlier versions predate the extension managers, so they are installed & uninstalled manually. To remove the previous version, just open the plugins folder, as noted above, and move/delete the older version.

@dingben said:

One thing I noticed on 1.0: the handle(cursor) does not want to latch on to the best inferred handle... it seems to snag around it and latch on to any other close point

The plugin does not have any effect on the cursor, so the issue is most likely with Sketchup's limitations working with very small (< 1/64" or 0.39mm) measurements. While programmatically we can work with smaller distances, manual operations using the cursor will not always cooperate. The simplest solution is to scale the model up, make any changes, then scale it back down. It's only a rough workaround, so some geometry may behave unexpectedly when you scale back down.

Keep in mind that Sketchup is CAM (modeling) not CAD (design), so it has some limitations. This is one of them. Another that has frustrated new users is that objects are collections of edges and faces, so curves are not going to perfectly smooth. It's usually not a problem unless you 3D print a model because the curves will be a series of flat faces and edges, making mating surfaces a bit clunky.

Good luck and thanks for trying the SPGears plugin.

DingBEN

Thank you so much for the prompt answer.

YOU MAY WAN TO BE AWARE OF THIS:
Unless I keep a separate record(messy) I have no idea what version is running

Extensions Menu shows: SPGears_mjg(no version)

so I did this:

in Plugins folder
/// I renamed SPGears_mjg.rb to SPGears_mjg_v1.0.rb(may need to remove)
/// and I placed the SPGears_mjg_v1.2.rb
Extensions Menu still shows: SPGears_mjg
/// but the new ShatfDiameter options shows in the SPGears Parameters dialog
/// thus it is running the SPGears_mjg_v1.2.rb
/// tried the Shaft Diameter... creates no centered hole for the shaft at all ?

Also, creating 2 beveled gears of different radius.. 48 and 24 teeth
Number of Teeth: 48 24
Pressure Angle: 20 "
Pitch Radius: 10" 5
Face Width: 3" "
Helix Angle: 0.0 "
Bevel Angle: 45deg "
Shift Diameter: 0.5, or 0.375, or 0.3125 "

The teeth line up at the large(outside) face end, but fail to line up at the small(inside) face end

Is this due to incorrect/missing parameters?
(can you point to some instructions?)

DingBEN

REF:
/// previous msg, stated beveled gears fail to match on inside/small face

thus this line:
/// Beveled helicals are not very precise (yet), so getting them to line up with mating gears may not work

on page:
/// https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323%26amp;t=46319

...may explain this anomaly!?

...had read it initially, but did not remember... a 2nd visit, woke me up!

DingBEN

%(#FF0000)[HEY! I have added a few improvements to your list.
...and mind you, I even prioritized them]

Already planned improvements for next version:

- emboss gear with parameters used to create it(3D text): T-48, Rad-10", ...
- emboss gear with MSPversion used(3D text): MSPv[1.2, ...
OR surely those values could be in the entity!?]
- additional gear styles (rack, worm, and internal ring)
- improve calculations and accuracy
- web dialog UI (additional input params and auto-calculations)
- gear properties/specs dialog via context menu
- improved validation

jgrundman

@dingben said:

%(#FF0000)[HEY! I have added a few improvements to your list.
...and mind you, I even prioritized them]

Already planned improvements for next version:

- emboss gear with parameters used to create it(3D text): T-48, Rad-10", ...

- emboss gear with MSPversion used(3D text): MSPv[1.2, ...
OR surely those values could be in the entity!?]

additional gear styles (rack, worm, and internal ring)

improve calculations and accuracy

web dialog UI (additional input params and auto-calculations)

gear properties/specs dialog via context menu

improved validation

- Embossing is an interesting idea. Unfortunately, I'm still working through the "must have" list, so embossing will have to go on the "maybe" list.
- Rack, Worm, and Ring have already been added; just working out the kinks. I posted a "sneak peek" video earlier in this thread. Check it out.
- Calculations and accuracy are greatly improved and I've even added resolution options for speed (low & med res) vs. accuracy/smoothness (high & very high) to accommodate 3D printers.
- Web dialog is already planned and will include a few auto-calculations. I'm trying to keep the UI minimal, so it will only include a few details to help with dialing in the params.
- Spec dialog and entity properties are planned.
- Validation has been improved but increases in complexity with each user input. So, input params will be kept to a minimum.

Thanks for the suggestions, and for prioritizing them. Sorry embossing was bumped to the end of the list, but it is still on there.

Just in case your next question is "when", the answer is still "soon", but I've had to put it aside for a bit to focus on other stuff. I was shooting for Summer, but now my hope is to get it out by Fall.

-J-

jgrundman

@dingben said:

REF:
/// previous msg, stated beveled gears fail to match on inside/small face

thus this line:
/// Beveled helicals are not very precise (yet), so getting them to line up with mating gears may not work

on page:
/// https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323%26amp;t=46319

...may explain this anomaly!?

...had read it initially, but did not remember... a 2nd visit, woke me up!

Yeah, redoing the Spiral-bevels for the pending version was a big hurdle and still isn't perfect. Right now, I have to sneak up on the ideal helix angle to get a proper fit. By adjusting the target angle by 1-3 degs. I can usually clear up interference in the pair.

BTW, the pending version draws mated pairs, aligned and enmeshed. It makes the sneak-up process easier, but you still have to examine the tooth contact, close-up and from numerous angles. It needs more work, but I'm pretty sure I can solve it.

TIG

Why haven't you updated the RBZ version of your entry in the PluginStore ?

It's quite straightforward to edit it...
But if you need assistance PM me or Rich...

You should then add a link in the original post to its Download...

It would avoid any ongoing confusion.

carts

@mikaelgu said:

Found a small bug:
Regardless of the unit of measure of pitch radius, the face width is always measured in inches, makes it a little harder to make gears of certain widths when using the metric system.

open the plugin in notepad press ctrl+f or from Edit menu select Find... type "inch" (without quotes)and press find next button. You will see...

@@rad_pitch = 5.0.inch
@@face_width = 3.0

make it to

@@rad_pitch = 5.0.mm
@@face_width = 3.0.mm

then press again Find next and you will see...

number of teeth/inch

make it

number of teeth/mm

and press ctrl+s or from File menu select Save. That's it.

Plugin path is C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2019\SketchUp\Plugins

pacaeiro

Good afternoon and thank you for this wonderful plug-in.
My question is:
Is there an easy way to make different number of tooth gears with same teeth size?

Dave R

This extension will do that. The number of teeth will determine the diameter of the gear.

There are other gear-generating extensions that can do the same thing.

pacaeiro

Thank's Dave, but it's not the result I'm getting.
I made a gear with 36 teeth, if I made another with 18 teeth the diameter is the same and the teeth have duplicated the size.

Dave R

Hmmm.... I haven't looked at this one for a long time. Looks like you need to know the pitch radius of the gear and let it put in the right number of teeth. I generally prefer to model gears in a more manual way to make sure I get tooth profiles correct. It's not really difficult and I'm assured of getting what I really want.

pacaeiro

I would be cool if we have a Modulus and Number of teeth as both factors to construct the gear. That way all gears relate to each others.
Put it here as a suggestion.
Thank you!

TIG

New member PhilLeGall has done some work re-coding this toolset.
I've suggested to him that he first posts outline details here, with a view to perhaps publishing an updated version in due course...

Hopefully he'll post here soon...

He would like to contact the original author - but his out-bound PM abilities are initially curtailed.
Perhaps jgrundman could PM him, when he sees this ?

PhilLeGall

Good morning to all of you.
I'm trying to contact Mark Jason Grundman. I would like to present him with a version 2 of SPGear quite complete.
The new version offers the following services:
Bilingual (English, French), easily expandable for other languages.
Automatically adapts to the SketchUp type (mm or inch)
Draws, in addition to straight gears, helical, conical, helical conicals, chevron gears, hollow wheel gears and globic screws.
The new version performs calculations to correct deformations in the case of very steep propellers (screw cases)
The new version also proposes to draw the adapted satellite gears (calculated automatically) and then place them correctly on the leading gable.
The app filters the compatible settings for each requested case as much as possible.
The new version uses and generalizes mesh drawings (systematic use of add_faces_from_mesh methods)
The new version includes well on the setting of the boring, the size of the flap, the design or not of a rimmed/rim and the direction of rotation of the helical

Cyberdactyl

Any news on an update regarding this project? The last post was almost a year ago.

Dan Rathbun

UPDATED - NO NEW FEATURES

Other authors were creating derivative extensions without differencing in a namespace wrapper of their own. This can cause clashing Ruby objects, ie classes. So ...

The following version preserves MJ Grundman's edition within a namespace module of MJG's own. Some general cleanup, a fix for the inputbox and some error handling for the command. Also made sure that no undo operation is left open as that emits warnings now (if an exception occurs before the operation can be committed.)

Packed up as a RBZ extension archive.

Again, ... NO NEW FEATURES, but you can now switch it on and off via SketchUp's Extension Manager or the SketchUcation PluginStore interface.

NOTE: Remember to delete (or move) the old "SPGears_mjg_v1.2.rb" file from your "Plugins" folder when running the update version.

` # v1.3 : 2021-10-26 by Dan Rathbun

- Properly namespace wrapped and packaged as a RBZ extension archive.

- General cleanup of indents, extra long lines and empty space lines.

- Corrected inputbox validation loop in SPGear::dialog().

* Was calling the same method recursively and not restoring the

users previous inputs.

* Was using bad index to validate Bevel Angle results which did

not cause the inputbox to redisplay allowing error in later code

when the angle was out of range.`

.

MJGrundman_SPGears_v1.3.rbz

TIG

I've updated the version in the PluginStore to this one... v1.3
https://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=SPGears_mjg

TIG

Here's v1.4 RBZ, which fixes a tiny typo in a file-path setting up the extension...
https://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=SPGears_mjg