[Plugin] Shape Bender Beta
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Name: Shape Bender
Version: 0.55 Beta
Description: This script will bend an existing group to match a curved line or series of connected lines.
Usage: See videos below
Older versions require: Progressbar.rbSketchUp Compatibility: Its not compatible with version 5 or earlier - best with v8 or newer.
Here is a list of known bugs and planned improvements:
- The first and last angles of the bend curve are actually not accurate. Its not very noticeable, but it is inaccurate.
- Every once in a while the grids don't display.
- Every once in a while I notice small deviations in the bending that are incorrect.
The video is a little bit outdated. I need to remake it with the new features.
[flash=696,601:3h2azf9p]http://www.chrisfullmer.com/forums/shape_bender_beta1.swf[/flash:3h2azf9p]Video #2
[flash=696,601:3h2azf9p]http://www.chrisfullmer.com/chrisfullmer/forums/shape_bender_double_bend.swf[/flash:3h2azf9p]A new video Dec-03-2009
[flash=790,600:3h2azf9p]http://www.youtube.com/v/tGHTIOMm_34&hd=1&fs=1[/flash:3h2azf9p]Thanks for checking it out!
Also, please check out my newest script Repeat Copy at smustard.com.
NEW! Shape bender en Francais, thanks to c.plaissais (Christophe). Download it HERE!
Chris
5856,1184
PLEASE GET THE LATEST VERSION AS AN RBZ FROM THE PLUGINSTORE
Note that the newer versions of this tool do NOT now need 'progressbar.rb'...
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=clf_shape_bender_v055
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I'll certainly will keep eye on this.
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I add the 2nd video showing how to do a double bend to the first post. I didn't really explain it very well, so hopefully it makes sense what I did. It seems logical to me, but I've been playing with the thing for a while now.
Chris
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Chris, I can hardly keep up with your wonderful scripts. Most importantly though, you are very much appreciated for your kindness to the SU community.
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Just have to thank you again.
Unbelievable!
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Thxs Chris
Really usefull plugin.
you are getting really good at programing. -
Well well well
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excellent thankyou.
i guess i will make the first suggestion. when i hit the up arrow i think maybe just the path should reverse but the object should stay with the same offset on the same side of the curve. the way it is now the path is reversed but also the object switches from one side of the curve to the other. it makes it confusing it i want to reverse the path the way it is now, i think i would have to first move the object to the opposite side of the straight line then run the script??
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Very, very good - well done.
After you bend the group's contents couldn't you re-group all of the bits and give this new group the same name/description/material/layer etc as the original ? That way it'd look like you "just moved and bent the original group"...
It's also quite easy to run it on a component-instance - simply make a group of the instance [ groupp=model.active_entities-add_group(instance) ], later you'll explode it, you might also want to mine through the group's entities for any other groups or instances and explode them back to basics. Now you'll have a group of the geometry just as you do with your 'group-only' version... After bending etc you can re-group bits as outlined above - you could even make that group back into a new component instance (ins=group.to_component) and give it the same defname(made- unique >>#2)/name/description/materials/layer etc as the original instance, so then it looks like you simply bent the instance and made it unique. See my ComponentInstance-add_entities.rb for some ideas on how easy it is to do that...
You've done the difficult geometry/transformation stuff etc - it just needs a little tidying up so that it appears to do its stuff effortlessly in a twinkling of an eye, as if by magic...
Well done...
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1 more thing chris i was wondering if you couldn't group the line before exploding the group to be bent, then you could avoid the sticking while allowing the object to be placed directly in contact with the straight guide.
also i noticed that construction lines don't stick to geometry so maybe you could convert it to constuction lines as another option. -
Chris,
I am really impressed by what you achieved. This is a master transformation
I played a little bit with it, and I think you got the essentials. The rest is just about adjustments in UI and options. And indeed to extend it to embedded components.
Well done!
Fredo
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Ditto from all said above, Chris!!!! This is fantasitc!!!
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Supercalafragelisticexpialadocious
That's one cool plugin...you are making a legacy for you children to follow.
Maybe you should change your last name to "SU"llmer...hehe.
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@daniel s said:
Chris:
I attach my first .skp test using shape bender.
Thank you!!!Daniel S
My plugin did that? Was that in ultiple pieces??
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Yes, your plugin do that... but not works everytime... it depends where you put the first line. It`s easy to have unexpected results.
Here i attach a working example. Just select the text, run your plugin, select firt line and then the helix. It takes some time but it works.And i attach an example to make a double bend... In your video you make a lot of operations to get the result when you can apply directly on a 3d curve (you don´t get the exactly same result). In the model you will see that i have to move the 3d curve because you can´t use it if the endline is directly into the surface (here using Fredo´s Arc On Surface).
Daniel S
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Chris, this is a very impressive and useful new tool to your already impressive line of tools. Thanks for all the hard work, dedication and generosity...again!
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Chris, this is way cool!
One thing that may be a bug (and perhaps you know about it already) is some softening of edges at one end of the bent geometry. I did a few simple tests with a long rectangular box and a curved line for the result. The start end gets softened. Easily fixed by just tracing over the lines but maybe it shouldn't do it?
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@dave r said:
Chris, this is way cool!
One thing that may be a bug (and perhaps you know about it already) is some softening of edges at one end of the bent geometry. I did a few simple tests with a long rectangular box and a curved line for the result. The start end gets softened. Easily fixed by just tracing over the lines but maybe it shouldn't do it?
yeah dave, i noticed that too.. one workaround for now is to make your straight line a little bit shorter than the object you're trying to bend (ie - if you're trying to bend a 24' long wall, make the straight line 23' with 6" in on both sides)
that's probably not the best workaround but in the little amount of time i've spent with the ruby so far, that's what i came up with to stop the edge from collapsing.
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