Problem with rotation in a Ruby script

[Ricardo]

Hi everybody,

I'm new in Ruby but have some experience in other programming languages. At the moment I'm working in a script to create planar sundials to simulate them in SU before making the final device. To do this I need to rotate the style by a certain angle (geographic latitude) that is passed by the user to the script. If I use the variable "incl" in the script nothing happens, but if the variable is replaced by a number (e.g. 45) it works perfectly.

Does anyone know what can be wrong? I searched in many different sites and foruns, but wasn't able to make it work.

def teste
  prompts = ["Inclination"]
  values = [0.0]
  results = inputbox prompts, values, "Specs"
  return if not results
  incl = results
  model = Sketchup.active_model
  model.start_operation "Draw"
  entities = model.active_entities
  group = entities.add_group
  entities = group.entities
  circle = entities.add_circle([0,0,0], Z_AXIS, 8.mm, 24)
  cyl_base = entities.add_face(circle)
  cyl_base.pushpull -100
  entities.transform_entities(Geom;;Transformation.rotation([0,0,0],[1,0,0],incl.degrees),group)
#entities.transform_entities(Geom;;Transformation.rotation([0,0,0],[1,0,0],45.degrees),group)
  model.commit_operation
end
if( not file_loaded?("teste.rb") )
  add_separator_to_menu("Draw")
  draw_menu = UI.menu("Draw")
  teste_menu = draw_menu.add_item("teste") { teste }
end
file_loaded("teste.rb")

Thanks for any tip.

Best regards,
Ricardo

[Jim]

inputbox returns an Array, so incl is an Array and there is no .degrees method for Array.

incl = results[0]

Smack - the sound of your palm hitting your forehead.

[Ricardo]

Jim,

Thanks for the fast response. I made the change and it works properly, but I'm still confused because the variable "incl" is displayed properly using the UI.messagebox without using the index of the array. The same happens with the variable "factor". If I make the product of "incl" and "factor" and use the result in the rotattion command it works fine as well (see code). Does this mean that only in certain methods (eg. rotation) the index of the matrix must be used?

def teste
  prompts = ["Inclination", "Factor"]
  values = [0.0, 0.0]
  results = inputbox prompts, values, "Specs"
  return if not results
  incl, factor = results

  UI.messagebox(incl.to_s)
  x = incl * 2
  UI.messagebox(x.to_s)

  model = Sketchup.active_model
  model.start_operation "Create Cylinder"
  entities = model.active_entities
  group = entities.add_group
  entities = group.entities

  circle = entities.add_circle([0,0,0], Z_AXIS, 2.mm, 24)
  cyl_base = entities.add_face(circle)
  cyl_base.pushpull -1000.mm

  entities.transform_entities(Geom;;Transformation.rotation([0,0,0],[1,0,0],x.degrees),group)
#entities.transform_entities(Geom;;Transformation.rotation([0,0,0],[1,0,0],45.degrees),group)
  model.commit_operation
end
if( not file_loaded?("teste.rb") )
  add_separator_to_menu("Draw")
  draw_menu = UI.menu("Draw")
  teste_menu = draw_menu.add_item("teste") { teste }
end
file_loaded("teste.rb")

Thank you,
Ricardo

[Didier Bur]

Hi,

Writing

incl, factor = results

does the same as that:

incl = results[0]
factor = results[1]

so you can use "results" as an array and incl and factor as strings

Hope this helps,

[Jim]

Didier is correct, incl and factor are no longer arrays.

[Ricardo]

Jim and Didier,

Thanks for the help.

BR,
Ricardo