Can't build anything with boxes and joints!!

HenkH

I have problems building something with animation in SetupSketchyPhysics 2. The models I downloaded work fine. The Box, all the joints and the solids with a joint build-in do not work properly. When pressing the Box button or the Box with Hinge button nothing happens, even a depressed-button symbol is not shown. The Wheel and Lift solids only create a Sphere without a joint. Trying to place a joint results in one or more squares without any 3rd dimension.

My operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, with Google SketchUp 6.4.112 and the SketchyPhysics2b1 plugin.

I have installed SketchUp 6 and SetupSketchyPhysics 2 in (virtual) Windows XP Pro SP2 and their all works fine (building and simulation). The 1st SketchyPhysics version gave no problems.

CPhillips

Check out this tutorial by Curbs. It covers all the basics.

http://curbs77.googlepages.com/sketchyphysics

HenkH

CPhillips, thanks for your reply, but the document doesn't help me with the problems I described. And I don't experience these problems in Win XP either. It's only in Win Vista where I can't build a working model. To explain the joint problem: the attached image shows what happens if I try to place a joint on a cylinder.
Regards, HenkH

CPhillips

@henkh said:

[attachment=0:cwr9r2ed]joint.jpg[/attachment:cwr9r2ed]
CPhillips, thanks for your reply, but the document doesn't help me with the problems I described. And I don't experience these problems in Win XP either. It's only in Win Vista where I can't build a working model. To explain the joint problem: the attached image shows what happens if I try to place a joint on a cylinder.
Regards, HenkH

Hmm. Looks like a bad install. My guess is the plugins\sketchyphysics\joints folder is missing or the contents are screwed. You should try reinstalling. Make sure it is going to the right directories.

If that doesnt work. Open the ruby console and try creating a joint. It should print some sort of error in the console. Cut and paste that error here.

HenkH

Hi, I reinstalled SP2 again on my Win Vista system, but no improvements. Next compared the installation with the one on my (virtual) Win XP Pro installation and both are completely equal.

The following are the Ruby console messages after trying to build a Box, next a Cylinder, a Slider joint (the data after "Making" comes with the 3rd click) and a Wheel primitive.

Clicked on the Box button, Ruby console message:
Error: #<ArgumentError: wrong number of arguments(1 for 0)>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\PrimsTool.rb:1085:in initialize' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\PrimsTool.rb:1085:in new'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\PrimsTool.rb:1085:in CreatePrim' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\PrimsTool.rb:959 C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\PrimsTool.rb:959:in call'

Clicked on the Cylinder button and build one, Ruby console meassage:
potentialParent

Clicked on the Slider joint button, Ruby console message:
Error: #<NameError: uninitialized constant Win32_VK_LCONTROL>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\JointTool.rb:57:in makePhysicsJoint' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\JointTool.rb:312:in increment_state'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\JointTool.rb:352:in `onLButtonDown'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\JointTool.rb:57
Making(375,064475cm, 148,589426cm, 94,248061cm)(375,064475cm, 148,589426cm, 183,348061cm)(375,064475cm, 176,628201cm, 183,348061cm)(375,064475cm, 176,628201cm, 94,248061cm)(375,064475cm, 148,589426cm, 94,248061cm)

Clicked on the Wheel w/ hinge button, Ruby console message:
potentialParent #Sketchup::Group:0x767fde0
Error: #<NameError: uninitialized constant Win32_VK_LCONTROL>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\JointTool.rb:57:in makePhysicsJoint' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics\PrimsTool.rb:805:in onLButtonDown'

I hope you can help me on this.

CPhillips

It looks like some of the files are not loading at startup. No idea why. Do you have super security turned on or something?

Try this.

Load Sketchup. Open ruby console and type this exactly:

LoadSketchyPhysics2()

Does it report any errors?

HenkH

Hi, ruby reports the following:

LoadSketchyPhysics2()
Error: #<NoMethodError: (eval):149: undefined method `LoadSketchyPhysics2' for main:Object>
(eval):149

CPhillips

@henkh said:

Hi, ruby reports the following:

LoadSketchyPhysics2()
Error: #<NoMethodError: (eval):149: undefined method `LoadSketchyPhysics2' for main:Object>
(eval):149

Ooops. its:

LoadSketchyPhysics()

I wonder if SP could be conflicting with another plugin. What other plugins do you have installed?

HenkH

Hi, the Ruby console reports now:

LoadSketchyPhysics()
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics/controlPanel.rb:69: warning: already initialized constant JointControllerStruct
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics/inspector.rb:96: warning: already initialized constant CurrentVersion
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics/inspector.rb:97: warning: already initialized constant VersionText
createSelectionObserver
PhysicsObjectInspector initialized
true

About other plugins: in Sketchup only the SketchyPhysics 2 plugin. I use no plugins at other tools, only what is normally installed together with the tools.

CPhillips

Well it looks like it is loading ok. But it doesnt make any sense. The error is
Error: #<NameError: uninitialized constant Win32_VK_LCONTROL>

That means the value Win32_VK_LCONTROL isnt defined. But it is defined at the top of SketchyPhysics\ClearConsole.rb. If that file is loading then I don't see how that can be an error.

Try manualy loading that file and see if there are any errors

load 'SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb'

HenkH

Hi, I think the problem is solved. I did what you proposed and the ruby result was:

load 'SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb'
true

Again I compared the virtual WinXP and the Vista setup, but found that they were equal. Then I decided to reinstall SketchUp on another location and here is the new ruby result:

load 'SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb'
C:/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb:4: warning: already initialized constant Win32_VK_LSHIFT
C:/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb:5: warning: already initialized constant Win32_VK_LCONTROL
true

And indeed the Box and the Joints worked. Probably there is something wrong with the protection of my Vista setup and I will try to find out later.

CPhillips, thanks for all your effort to resolve the problem and thanks also for your fine package.

CPhillips

@henkh said:

Hi, I think the problem is solved. I did what you proposed and the ruby result was:

load 'SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb'
true

Again I compared the virtual WinXP and the Vista setup, but found that they were equal. Then I decided to reinstall SketchUp on another location and here is the new ruby result:

load 'SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb'
C:/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb:4: warning: already initialized constant Win32_VK_LSHIFT
C:/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/SketchyPhysics/clearconsole.rb:5: warning: already initialized constant Win32_VK_LCONTROL
true

And indeed the Box and the Joints worked. Probably there is something wrong with the protection of my Vista setup and I will try to find out later.

CPhillips, thanks for all your effort to resolve the problem and thanks also for your fine package.

It looks like ClearConsole is not being loaded at startup. The first time you did the load it worked succesfully. The second load just reports that the constants were being redefined in the second load.

It sounds like you might have a bad SketchyPhysics.rb. That is the file that loads clear console. Could you look in your Plugins\SketchyPhysics.rb and see if the line "Load 'SketchyPhysics/ClearConsole.rb' is in it?

HenkH

Hi, to answer your question, yes, the line "Load 'SketchyPhysics/ClearConsole.rb' is in it. Of the rb scripts the following are being loaded during SketchUp startup:
sketchyphysicstool.rb
sketchyphysicsutil.rb
JointTool.rb
SketchyReplay.rb
JointConnectionTool.rb
controlPanel.rb
inspector.rb
PrimsTool.rb

The following scripts are NOT loaded, not even manually:
attributes.rb
clearConsole.rb
BoxPrimTool.rb

For all clarity, this occurs only when SP has been installed in "C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/". Installed in "C:/Google/Google SketchUp 6/Plugins/" all scripts are being loaded during startup.

CPhillips

ClearConsole is or isn't loaded? If not than that is your problem.
SketchyPhysics.rb should contain this:


def LoadSketchyPhysics
	load "SketchyPhysics\\sketchyphysicstool.rb"
	load "SketchyPhysics\\sketchyphysicsutil.rb"
	load "SketchyPhysics\\JointTool.rb"	
	load "SketchyPhysics\\SketchyReplay.rb"	
	load "SketchyPhysics\\attributes.rb"	
	load "SketchyPhysics\\clearConsole.rb"	
    load "SketchyPhysics\\JointConnectionTool.rb"
    load ("SketchyPhysics/controlPanel.rb") 
    load ("SketchyPhysics/inspector.rb") 
	#load "SketchyPhysics\\SolidCamera.rb"	
end

if( not file_loaded?("SketchyPhysics.rb") )
	#result = Sketchup.send_action "showRubyPanel;"
	
	LoadSketchyPhysics()
end		
file_loaded("SketchyPhysics.rb")

Attributes.rb may not be used anymore. And BoxPrimTool.rb is loaded by SketchySolids.rb

HenkH

Hi, as I wrote last friday, may 16, 3 scripts are not installed at SketchUp startup: attributes.rb, clearConsole.rb and BoxPrimTool.rb.

I found out that the folder SketchyPhysics is the problem. I placed these scripts directly in the Plugins folder (after removal from SketchyPhysics.rb and SketchySolids.rb) and the sripts were loaded without any problem.

(SketchyPhysics.rb and SketchySolids.rb are installed by the installer together with the rest of SketchPhysics. Any reason why these files should not be up to date? By the way: SketchyPhysics.rb has a statement to load attributes.rb. If no longer needed than this statement could/should be removed, right?)

CPhillips

It sounds like your install is messed up beyond belief. I am starting to think you may be hitting the problem they talk about in this thread.

301 Moved Permanently

(www.sketchucation.com)

Its seems Vista has a problem with keeping old versions of files around. It might be the fix to another Vista problem reported by mc101.

You should look and see of you have any files in the directory mentioned in the post.

Chris

HenkH

Chris, problem solved! Indeed I found the 3 scripts giving me problems in the VirtualStore (don't understand why only these 3?). After deleting the "Google" folder all problems were gone. Thanks!