[Plugin] Selection Toys

thomthom

Big speed improvement for most selection functions. Noticeable when dealing with large selections.
Some functions are yet not optimized. I need some more time to ensure they work as they should. These are mostly functions related to connected geometry.

thomthom

Quad-face Loop works as expected. I tried to illustrate it with that gif animation. It selects connected faces and edges in a row.

Can you illustrate your expected result?

(You're not confusing it with the new Face Loop feature I just added? The new feature is accessed from the Tools menu. See comment over the first illustration.)

NewOne

@thomthom said:

Quad-face Loop works as expected. I tried to illustrate it with that gif animation. It selects connected faces and edges in a row.

Can you illustrate your expected result?

(You're not confusing it with the new Face Loop feature I just added? The new feature is accessed from the Tools menu. See comment over the first illustration.)

Yes I did confused that two features! sorry. I like that feature. It saves me lots of clicks - and therefore it saves my mouse!

thomthom

Got any suggestions for better names?
They do have all too similar names - no wonder it leads to confusion.

Maybe the new one should be named Select Edge Loops ?

NewOne

@thomthom said:

Maybe the new one should be named Select Edge Loops ?

Yes, it's a better name. This one I think is a function that will be used very often, so why don't you make an icon for it instead of hiding it in Tools menu where is a little hard to find?

thomthom

Yea - I might add a toolbar for this now. Good idea.
Thinking it might be worth making a UI to choose what items to display in the menus and toolbars. This plugin has gained quite a few commands through it's lifespan.

NewOne

Is this normal? Select Quad-face loop doesn't mean to select closed loop edges that form a quad? Or I misunderstood ?
This is what happened:

BTW: I think you have an error on cursor code; Would you please take a look? ( as I know correct syntax is UI::create_cursor(cursor_path, x, y) )

hamster3

Thank you for contributing such a great tool!
Very helpful!

Ruturaj

Thanks.......
you are great man

I find "Boolean Tool" but i can not find full version
please help me

can you send me "boolean tool" please.

fossa

Great tool. Thank you for sharing with the community.

After reading Daniel Tal's book I was thinking that a tool like this would be very handy.

Have you given any thought to trying to select like Blenders ring/chain command.

thomthom

I've not used Blender - how does these functions work?

mitcorb

Please pardon the intrusion.
Fossa is talking about Blender's loop subdivide feature.
One can invoke a loop around the target geometry and, with the scroll wheel, increase or decrease the number of loops. This is usually used on narrow, elongated solids. The command first sets the initial loop at the midpoint of the target region, and then replicates/multiplies that loop as the scroll wheel is advanced or reversed. This is very similar to the Sketchup Divide command, which only works on edges.
After observing by using your Selection Toys and Fredo6's Tools on Surface plugins, I am guessing it's gonna be either you or he who will finally implement this in Sketchup. The clue may be in whatever SU is doing in the Divide command.
I believe there is a Blender video tutorial on loop subdivide at gryllus.net, though I haven't been there in a while.

xrok1

reat tool, thankyou.

would it be possible to select loops in the other direction, without faces (rings)?

thomthom

I have been looking into that - but I've found it hard to reliably select - determine the path for the edges to select.
Other applications which has this feature seem to operate with quads, but not SU.
Got some ideas I'll try out - but at the moment I'm working on V2.0 and I just recently managed to loose the work I did so I have to redo it all over again. Any attempts for the ring select will be after the V2.0 release.

mitcorb

Thomthom:
I am not sure if you were responding to me or xrok1, or both?

@unknownuser said:

I have been looking into that - but I've found it hard to reliably select - determine the path for the edges to select.

thomthom

I was replying to xrok1.
I'm still not 100% sure about the feature you requested. If it's subdividing geometry then it sounds like it's another plugin by its self.
I think that fossa's request was similar to xrok1's - a pure selection tool.

mitcorb

Ok.
Best wishes,
mitcorb

Fletch

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=22523#p189527

Thomthom,
Do you have a solution for this problem (like your select similar groups, but that selects consecutively named components and replaces them with just a single instance) it's a really unique need, so not sure if it's worth your time...

thomthom

Will have a look at it over the weekend. Right now I'm off to beer and poker!

thomthom

Whoop whoop! BIG update!


2.0.0 - 28.10.2009
      * Renamed "Face Loops" to "Select Edge Loops". Trying to avoid confusion with Quad-face loop.
      * Code refactoring to minimize duplicate code.
      * Uses Plugin Manager to allow customization of the UI.
      * Added support for polygon entities for SU7.1M1+.
      * Added toolbar.
      * Fixed issues when comparing floating values. Affected Area select.
      * Fixed group parent bug. (Again!)
      * Converting groups to components now transfer all but glued_to property and attributes.
      * Completed selection speed optimization.
      * Select Active Instances only selects hidden when View Hidden is on.
      * Improved Select Opposite Face.
      * Added selection filter Section Planes.