Schematic Designer tool
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Hey folks... perhaps I need to request this from the Smustard boys?
I am often given an Excel spreadsheet with a program showing spaces and their areas.
I usually draw rectangles in ACAD, with the names of the spaces and their square footages, then bring them into SU and pop them up in 3D... but this could easily be automated...I am wondering if a tool exists already, or if I need to request it that would read the excel spreadsheet and create schematic design cubes or blocks or whatever you want to call them that I can use in a SketchUp puzzle-piece way?
I have ideas for how this should specifically work, but I'm wondering if something's already been started I'm completely unaware of. I'm sure this is able to be done w/ ruby.
sorry in advance if this has been discussed at length and I'm just a million miles behind the ball...
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Hi,
It could be done quite easily I think.
A CSV file could be taken as input and faces would be drawn and push-pulled.
CSV file structure, for instance: Start point X;Start point Y;Length;Width;HeightGive me an Excel Spreadsheet do you use and i'll see what I can do
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... or you work with Win32Api and a Excel program instance.
azuby
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ok... so it's possible... now I just need to find someone willing to do it.
I'm sure many many architects would be willing to pay$$$ for this tool... (my firm included
)I am not a programmer, and have no time, but I figured after looking at how the cloud tool worked this tool would be fairly easy to create.
Didier, where can I get the linetool.rb? I d/l'd the parking.rb ruby from your site yesterday, but cannot locate this one. thx.
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I've actually created this for my own use. I could adapt it for you.
EDIT: linetool.rb should be in your Plugins/Examples subfolder
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It would make the programming a bit more complicated, if you need rotation. If no need, I also would go the way with CSV file Didier mentioned, because this way the import also could be done on a Mac and without having Excel installed. And it's less complicated too instead of using Win32Api which needs to be installed (and only is available für -> Win).
azuby
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Because of a really boring evening I also tried to solve the problem, but maybe I've misunderstood it (description in German would be much better
). See attachment. Hope, there isn't already a tool called "Blocks"...azuby
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Thanks Azuby and Rick!
I will give it a shot, Azuby, hope you gave good instructions in that zip 'cause I'm kinda slow sometimes...
and I will reply to your email, Rick.
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OK Azuby... Ich spreche kein Deutsch... ok I can't even spell it.
Thanks for your efforts - this is a good first step
Now I only need a program that will allow me to easily convert my Excel spreadsheet (it's an office standard format around the world) into the csv... or .txt file... because if I were to do it by hand, I could more quickly build the building in SketchUp myself!
I need a tool that, perhaps, is HTML dialog based for SU... but it needs to be something very simple for any architect to use (this will make it popular and perhaps its creator $ome money)
If it were written in a simple-to-use way... an "SpreadsheetFile-link" ruby, say,
%(#0000FF)[1-"Load/Link Spreadsheet" button,
2-then the ruby analyzes the info
3-then lets the person specify rows or colums to the various attributes of the spaces to be generated, or vice-versa,
4-then the ruby would have a default height, but something one could perhaps specify if they want to change that (could be handy)...
5-then it would build the space:
A) Coloring them differently by category (Naming the colors after the Category!)
B) Naming Each component the correct name (and perhaps even putting some easy-to-read text in it with the name so one doesn't have a hundred useless colored Jell-o cube blocks and no idea which space is which)
6- and ideally, if one were to change the Building's program spreadsheet info(add more spaces, delete spaces, renames spaces or categories, move one space from one category to the next, change the size of a space) in the Excel file, the ruby would be able have an 'update/relink' function to go update names and/or re-size those spaces it created!!! (ok, that may be stretching my idea beyond ruby, I don't know.)]I will be deeply astounded if anyone actually read all that.
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The first part is easy - Excel can save a file as various text formats - when you "Save As ..." there's a CSV option in the Save as Type box under the Filename.
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Fletch, you want more than just a Kinder Surprise
- more than three wishes. As mozzie already mentioned, you can convert it on your own with specifying several options like separator and so on (';' is the regular one). For the "Read Excel file" version there would be the need to write an own Excel file parser - and hey! it's a Microsoft file format 
, evil! EVIL! Or the extension would become a Windows-only extension, if it has to read from Excel program.azuby
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This is interesting. I'll have a try with FileMaker Pro. I can make it calculate nice squares or even cubes out of the required area data. I'm all for using a text file format like CSV, it can be written in many ways, in emergency even by hand with Notepad.
Anssi
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