[req]Model Scrambler
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Question: How do 'they' know what the model should be like ?
If they haven't seen it then you could send them any old model containing assorted rubbish...
If they've seen some images of it then send them any old model containing assorted old rubbish but with the same images inserted into it...
If they've received a draft of the model re-send that (perhaps with the later version images inserted).
Who are 'they' that 'they' can demand this model from ? If they 'own it', or have a claim on it in some way, you must give it to them - otherwise they can sue you... You should only ever agree to provide images unless they specifically are paying for the 3D model...
A contract in law is 'an offer' and 'an acceptance' - however, it usually consists of three basic bits 'a time/cost', 'a date' and 'a handshake': i.e. how long it'll take or how much it'll cost [the "lead-in time" and/or "the total cost" of the service/goods - often the same because "time is money"] + when it'll be ready [the "programme to delivery"] + what it is that's to be done [the "specification"]... Anything else is extra window dressing - what happens if xyz etc...
Who offered what to whom. Technically no 'consideration' is necessary (payment), but it does strengthen the case if something is paid for something that's not been received...
I say - don't give'em "it" unless they have a serious threat... By the way - the questions around scrambling / password-protecting models has been around since almost the start of Sketchup BUT it has never been sorted...
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To be honest i havent thought a lot about the applications/implications of such a script.
The only real use i had in mind was if you wanted to send someone a file for visual inspection but didnt want them to be able to modify it.
I think it could be pretty useful in this context, as it makes it feasible to provide models for inspection by a client without risking them being able to use it. I imagine youd have to be quite careful using it in this context, though, as the potential for pissing of your client is pretty big.
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I'd say password protection would be best. I know that there are ways to fix "messed up" models, but a password would be foolproof.
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Ahh nice, that saves about 20 lines of code
I find I'm not very concise in my coding. I use a lot of lines to get stuff done. But its easier for me to read later when I'm checking over my code. -
Ok!
I test our codes, and yours is really, really faster than mine!!
100 times faster than mine...
IMO yours is faster because you don't enter into components to find sub components. You stay in model.
Great test! Thank you Chris! -
FWIW, if you really don't want them to get their hands on your model, then you need to convert the model to another form which simply does not contain the primary content (so it cant be recovered).
So, perhaps convert it into a movie, an interactive sequence of images of the model rotated (a la 3dwarehouse) , etc etc.
Adding degenerates / zero-area geometry / component-per-face simply degrades their experience of your work.. which probably isn't good for business!
Adam
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@unknownuser said:
Who are 'they' that 'they' can demand this model from ? If they 'own it', or have a claim on it in some way, you must give it to them - otherwise they can sue you... You should only ever agree to provide images unless they specifically are paying for the 3D model...
This is a good point. If you are being paid purely as a visualiser, there should be no need to give them the model. But now I find some clients do know a little Sketchup or are interested in it, so they sometimes ask for the models because they are interested in seeing if they can learn from it. I think that is fair enough - if they have paid in full first.
@unknownuser said:
So, perhaps convert it into a movie, an interactive sequence of images of the model rotated (a la 3dwarehouse) , etc etc.
I agree, I think this is always preferable and much sleeker than giving a client the raw file.
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Hi chris!
Just one thing with your piece of code: To explode all components.groups I do like that:l=[] Sketchup.active_model.definitions.each{|e|l=l+e.instances} l.each{|elt|elt.explode}
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You could:
- Use Chris Fullmer's random scale and rotate to mess everything up with only really tiny rotations (no scaling)
- Explode everything afterwards (how about using smustard's "bomb"?)
- Random push-pull everything with tiny values. I guess you could use Chris Fullmer's greeble script for this.
- Select everything and use TIG's random select to select a random 20% of everything and copy it (Ctrl+C)
- Select everything remaining, make it a group, paste in place what you copied before, make it another group, and
- Use Chris Fullmer's random scale and rotate again with really tiny rotations (no scaling) to mess up everything
- Again, explode everything
Be prepared to be declared a slobbish 3D modeler after they try to edit that file.
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Make a script that randomly bugsplats the Su file when someone wants to edit it.....
Oh wait a minute, Sketchup does that by default.... -
@kwistenbiebel said:
Make a script that randomly bugsplats the Su file when someone wants to edit it.....
Oh wait a minute, Sketchup does that by default....Many a true word spoken in jest... the tool put everything onto Layer0 and explodes everything to bare geometry, the tool then groups the whole model into one giant group/compo, we do 'something' to the group that causes a bugsplat if you try to edit it - otherwise the model remains orbitable, viewable etc...
Good candidates for 'something' would be some humongous hidden geometry causing GL to fall over, or a definition that includes itself ?
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@remus said:
I was wondering if it would be possible to make a script that:
- Exploded all groups/components in the model
- Purged the model
- Exploded all curves
- Unhid/unsmooth all geometry
- Hid a random selections of lines
- Rotated the whole model very slightly off axis in every direction
- Created lots of new layers and moved random pieces of geometry to the new layers
- Made components of random selections of geometry
And anything else that you can think of that would make it very hard/impossible to work on the file.
Sounds like some the architects where I work... ...with exception of point 2.
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As some has said, I dont think giving the client a crippled SU file would be good for business.
Either give them a movie or still images. The good thing about that is that you can deside what they should be looking at. With just the SU file they could start commenting irrelevant things that you quickly fly past in an animation.
Also many clients (at least where I live) are not very good with computers and they would either loose themselves trying to navigate SU or just be getting a less experience of your work navigating SU themselves. -
@solo said:
How difficult would it be to make a script that renders the model uneditable?, making it a locked component that cannot be unlocked without a password?
Don't think that's possible, since it probably needs a .rb file to work [password data]. You could ask the receiving party to first install the .rb and then open the model and hope they fall for that
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Is it possible for a ruby to go in and tweak something in the .skp file that makes it appear un-openable to SU? But the ruby could be installed on another computer and the user could start the ruby, then select a file to open and the ruby could then re-tweak the file back to normal if the correct PW was given? the PW would also be stored in the .skp file.
Is that possible?
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Another possibility: the ruby performs a series of transformations to mess up the model but records all the transformations. You then put in a password and it magically undoes all the transformations to give you a working model. (i'd guess this is easier said than done, though.)
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One last idea: you type in a password and the ruby works out a transformation based on the password. You then type the password in at the other end, the ruby script works out what transformation was performed and does it in reverse.
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Model Scrambler you could also have it run in an endless cycle to arrange models randomly (evolve); evolve based on a basic floor plan layout, volume, materials, components. For when your having one of those dysfunctional modelling days.
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I think this is all do-able and I've got some ideas....
Chris
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I' liking this so far. I really need to fix the bug where its not scrambling everything in one try...thats annoying.
Guess what this one is...
password is 'remus'
Chris
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