[Plugin] Three Line Tools (Updated March 9th, 2009)
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@chris fullmer said:
No worries, that is free-form deformation.
Chris
sorry to keep going here, but. how did you manage to get a toolbar for it?
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I believe that it was bundled with the SCF power tools toolbar. I don't that is available right now, but will probably be coming back in time after some copyrights get worked out. It was provided by Cad Father. I believe he made the icons.
Chris
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thanks, sorry for the off topic, just curious.
it would be sweet if someone would write a snippet of code that someone like myself could use to make our own toolbar. we could just add buttons, and link them to the ruby's we have.
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Ahh, I see. Ok, I have some ideas how to set this up. It might just be a new tool altogether. Something like Perpendicular Face Tools.
Chris
EDIT: From this conversation, I have since made Perpendicular Face Tools
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Does it possible to have the "line" as a component in the native plug?
Like this any difficulty to replace it by anything!
PS a simple line can't make a component but if draw 2 lines, select both, make component
Then edit component, kill the second line, close component = you have a simple line as component!
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Yeah, its possible to make each line be a separate component. I think I could get all lines to be an instance of a single componeont too.
As for makeing a component of a single line - it still works if you use the keyboard shortcut. On my computer it is defaulted as g. Select a single line and hit g and it will become a component.
Chris
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@unknownuser said:
Yeah, its possible to make each line be a separate component. I think I could get all lines to be an instance of a single component too.
As you want
@unknownuser said:
As for makeing a component of a single line - it still works if you use the keyboard shortcut. On my computer it is defaulted as g. Select a single line and hit g and it will become a component
Yes there is 4 manners to make that! THX Gaieus!
- with the make component button in the Principal toolbar;
- from the Make component command from the Edit menu;
- through a shortcut (the default is G); (yours)
- finally from the context (right click) menu. That is don't work for a line or a curve !
Unfortunatly I just use the Right Click the only one that don't work!
It's my DuhDuh of my day
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Hi Chris, hi all. I’m new to this forum so be patient with me and with my english…
Thanks for this nice plugin. I have only a little question for you Chris.
I’ve noticed that the “vertical lines by elevation” command only works with the original 0,0 location as reference. It be possible to add an option that calculate the elevation from a surface that you click on?
I mean select “vertical line by elevation”, input the elevation and then click on a surface. The length of the line is now calculated from that surface (and not from the original 0,0 location) which becomes the new reference for the elevation of the other lines.
That would be very useful, for example, when you have to put a series of pillars of a bridge on a hilly terrain.
Thanks again.
Massimo -
Does anyone to know this tools
and then where I can download
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The Line Normal Tool reminds me of this guy
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HI Piyanan, that was the SCF Power toolbar. It took some of the more useful plugins and created icons for them. It is currently not available. But hopefully will be coming back in the near future. The icons and toolbar were made by CADFather.
Massimo, the tool is designed to work the way I think your describing. You should be able to click on an entity of any elevation and it should draw a vertical line to the specified elevation. I've included a video that shows it in action. Please let me know if it is not what you are expecting, or if your's is behaving differently.
[flash=510,495:23xflexj]http://www.chrisfullmer.com/forums/by_elevation_working.swf[/flash:23xflexj]
Chris
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@jcdb said:
The Line Normal Tool reminds me of this guy
See, he's not weird, he's merely trying to explain what on earth a "normal" is. And I thank him for it
Chris
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I meant that when I click on a surface that is, for example, at + 100 cm over the 0,0 original plane, and i type 200 cm for that line, the line will be long 100cm and not 200 cm, because the reference is the original plan and not the surface that I clicked on.
Massimo -
Hmm, yes the script is set up so that the groundplane is essentially sea level. If you want a line that goes to elevation 200cm, then you type in 200cm and it creates a line that endsw exactly at 200cm elevation.
If you want a line that is 200cm long, then use Lines by Height. And it will create a 200cm tall line from wherever you click.
I do not have a tool that allows you to specify a new 0,0 level. Is that what you are asking for?
Chris
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Exactly that, Chris. I had in mind something like “vertical lines by relative elevation” from a new 0,0 plane. I know that I can make a line by typing the length or by using “line by hight”, but if you have many lines to draw, all with different length, but with the same elevation from a new 0,0 plane that would be useful.
Massimo -
I know its not much consoloation, but if you figure out the total elevation you are going for, then it works just the same. If you know you want a line that is 200cm above a plane that is 400cm above the 0,0. Then make that first line go to an elevation of 600cm and it will be as long as you want and all subsequent lines will also go to the desired height.
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Thanks very much. The video explanations also help a great deal.
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first of all, thank you very much Chris, great tool!
I have two little suggestions:
1. use the select tool to select an object (e.g. terrain) then click one of the 'Three Line Tools' buttons. instead of clicking onto the terrain surface and manually placing lines you right-click the selected terrain and choose the option 'place line on each face'. now the plugin places a line on each face of the selected object
(important: if you work with a smoothed object make sure to enable 'view hidden geometry' to make sure that a line is placed on every face. otherwise the plugin will place lines only on those faces that are visibly divided).2. click one of the 'Three Line Tools' buttons to start the process of placing lines. but before you start, right-click and choose the option 'place components'. now the plugin places the same component instead of a line. the vertical axis of the component is aligned to the line within the component. if you worked with the 'elevation'-function, the component's height will be defined by the first one placed and all the others will be scaled.
this tool makes it very easy to later replace all these components with another one of your choice (trees, columns or needles, like in the above image).both these functions are disabled by default. so if you don't need them you can simply ignore them. but if they have been chosen once the settings will be remembered for this SketchUp session.
what do you think?
or 
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very interesting tool! many congrats (and thank you).
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Thanks!
@Plot, I'm thinking about it. Some of that functionality fits right in with some of Frenchy's wishes too. I just haven't had time to do it yet. If I get more time to work on this one again, those are good ideas.
Chris
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