[Plugin] 2D Tools
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Is it possible to allow a line to cast shadows and apply styles such as extended lines with 2D tools?
The attached example arrow on the left was created manually and shows what I'd like to achieve after a line style is applied in order to produce urban design annotation with a sketchy hand drawn effect.
The arrow on the right was created with line styles but the faces do not cast shadows and effects such as extended edges and profiles don't appear to work on it. Each one of the dashes appears to be a face when I click on it but they don't cast a shadow.
If it isn't possible at the moment could it be made to behave in the way I've described?
Also could arrowhead styles be added to the settings?
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Your manually drawn version looks so much better
Because the 2dTools' styled-lines, text etc are intended for 'flat graphics', they have all if their edges hidden and they are also set not to cast/receive shadows.
To change this for an existing entity, switch View > Hidden Geometry ON, then Edit the 'group' and use 'Entity Info' to unhide selected edges, and change the shadow cast/receive settings of selected geometry/groups too as desired...
2d text etc is always made floating a mm or so above its base level, to avoid z-fighting with any surfaces, therefore its shadow casting is unset so it doesn't reveal that... but you choose...You can easily Move objects up in the Z [blue] so they cast shadows on surfaces/ground below them.
If you have Layout [i.e. Pro] then many of these 2dTools are often superfluous to your needs - as flat-2d-graphics are easily made in app ?
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TIG, thanks for the reply and explanation. It works fine now that I've changed the properties. With a bit of fiddling with the arrow head manually it should look very similar to the fully manually drawn version and will be a big time saver.
I do have Layout but I use Adobe Indesign for graphics but I'll maybe have another look at it as it's been some while since I've tried it.
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I cant find this plugin on the SketchUcation Plugin Store.
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If you click the 'Download' button in the first post of the thread it takes you directly to it.
If you search the PluginStore on SketchUcation, select Author TIG and 'Full list'... then it's the first one.
From within Sketchup - PluginStore again search TIG, 'Full list'... and again it's the first one.
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@tig said:
I think this is down to tiny geometry again.
SketchUp tolerance is ~1/1000"
3mm is approaching that for the tiny facet sizes and their end points being considered equivalent...
When the fillet tool rounds a corner like that there should be no residual lines anyway!
The faceted arc has a first/last section at such a shallow angle to the side that the point is confused.
If you delete the two edges and redraw them, being sure to snap to the ends of the fillet-arc, then they will be 3mm long and dimension correctly.
See the zoomed view attached...It is a plugin that changes the quantity (in selected groups of components, curves) segments in arcs and circles?
I could draw the segments set to 6 (R 1 mm arc are ok) and prior to export to DXF* change all the arcs ang circles for example S30.
Robert
- Free Plugin DXF export does not save arcs and circles as true arcs, only segments.
Robert
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You can only change the segmentation of arcs/circle that are '2d'.
That is an arc/circle that has no faces or is associated with only one face.
If you have made extrusions you cannot change the segmentation - because that curve now forms part of a 3d object.
You can select a '2d' arc/circle and use 'Entity Info' to change its number of segments.
If you have lots to process there is my Plugin available...
'ArcCurve_set_segments'...
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=ArcCurve_set_segments
http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=158903#p158903
It runs from a Plugins menu item or the Ruby Console...
It will change the segment count of all preselected arcs/circles IF it can... i.e. they are '2d'... -
@tig said:
If you have lots to do there is my Plugin available...
'ArcCurve_set_segments'...That's what I've been looking for.
Thank you!Robert
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I am having a problem with setting the Alignment for the 2D Text Tool. The only thing that seems to work is Center. It appears that maybe the ]" at the end of the work Right and the "[ at the beginning of the work Left are causing a problem.
If I try to right align text, it goes through the dialog just fine but does not create anything.
Also, on the Line Style, how do I create my own custom line style?
I am running SU 2014 on Windows 8.1
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@ntxdave said:
I am having a problem with setting the Alignment for the 2D Text Tool. The only thing that seems to work is Center. It appears that maybe the ]" at the end of the work Right and the "[ at the beginning of the work Left are causing a problem.
If I try to right align text, it goes through the dialog just fine but does not create anything.
Also, on the Line Style, how do I create my own custom line style?
I am running SU 2014 on Windows 8.1
Remember that the 'alignment' of 2d text [which is what 2d text is - just no extrusion and editable...] does NOT place the text-component's insertion point in different places, it's always bottom-left: the alignment affects how multi-line text is formatted - 'left' and the lines of text align to the left 'margin', right the lines of text align to the right 'margin', and 'center' will center the lines of text. You can of course alter the axes [aka insertion-point] of any component by selecting an instance and using the context-menu item to change it.BUT now I do have a suspicion about some Ruby v2014 compatibility error [your report of the ][ brackets] - watch for the update
The custom LineStyle is explained in the 2d Help docs...
Activate the LineStyle tool, right-click in empty space to call up the settings dialog, choose '<Custom Style>' from the end - in the next dialog enter a string - It must consist of<space> .(dot) only. Repeat it with a trailing <space(s)> to suit your needs...
It is named thus'MyStyle~.... .... '
The custom-pattern is saved with the model...However, the LineStyle dialog suffers from the same ][ brackets issue - I fix that too...
Watch for the update shortly...
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A update [v6.2] is available in the PluginStore.
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=2Dtools
it fixes some v2014 glitches with some drop-down lists in dialogs for 2dText & 2dLineStyle. -
@tig said:
@ntxdave said:
I am having a problem with setting the Alignment for the 2D Text Tool. The only thing that seems to work is Center. It appears that maybe the ]" at the end of the work Right and the "[ at the beginning of the work Left are causing a problem.
If I try to right align text, it goes through the dialog just fine but does not create anything.
Also, on the Line Style, how do I create my own custom line style?
I am running SU 2014 on Windows 8.1
Remember that the 'alignment' of 2d text [which is what 2d text is - just no extrusion and editable...] does NOT place the text-component's insertion point in different places, it's always bottom-left: the alignment affects how multi-line text is formatted - 'left' and the lines of text align to the left 'margin', right the lines of text align to the right 'margin', and 'center' will center the lines of text. You can of course alter the axes [aka insertion-point] of any component by selecting an instance and using the context-menu item to change it.Thanks for the reply. Clearly my fault. I some how missed the comment about applying to multi line text.
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@tig said:
A update [v6.2] is available in the PluginStore.
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=2Dtools
it fixes some v2014 glitches with some drop-down lists in dialogs for 2dText & 2dLineStyle.I updated to this version and yes the drop down lists work much smoother.
However, I am still seeing the brackets on the tools and when I select <custom style> for the line style tool, I do not get the window to draw my style.
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You don't 'draw it', you input it as spaces and dots in a second dialog...
It worked for me...
Something is up with the PluginStore version - it's not updated...I'll updated again please retry it in a moment...
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@tig said:
You don't 'draw it', you input it as spaces and dots in a second dialog...
It worked for me...
Something is up with the PluginStore version - it's not updated...I'll updated again please retry it in a moment...
Bad wording on my part.....I understand what you are saying about entering it. I just do not get the dialog box. Are dots/periods the only characters I can use in my style?
BTW: On the text tool with multi line text, it shows centered but the text was right aligned. I could not get left to work though.
Probably something about the Ruby 2.0 that may be causing some conflict. I really am using the tool a lot though and liking it. The only other thing I see is that if I apply a line style to a curve, it does not repeat the line pattern but I found a way to work with that
As I said, I like the tool and it is very useful for me. Now I need to figure out how to draw a regular line thicker and add an arrow head. Right now I go to LayOut to accomplish that.
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http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=2Dtools
Is v6.3
Hopefully this will work...
Feedback welcome............. -
@tig said:
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=2Dtools
Is v6.3
Hopefully this will work...
Feedback welcome.............Great job...all seems to be working well.
Now another question - is it possible to allow characters other than a . and a space?
The only place where I see any problem is when I apply a line style to a Fillet. I am attaching a file that will display show what I am talking about.
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No.
The <space> is the 'gap'.
The 'dot' is the 'solid'.
.. .. makes the solid twice as long as the gap.
. . makes the gap twice as long as the solid.
How else could you use another character.
The LineStyles all consist of gaps and solids.
The length of the gaps/solids is proportional to the line 'width'...A 'curve' is treated as a number of separate line segments.
If a line segment is very short compared the the styled 'width' then it will all be single solid - made from the first . and perhaps even shortened from a full 'dot' !You could manually delete every other styled-element to make the dots around a curve
The reason your 2d Text right aligned etc looks slightly odd is that you have a space with the newline \n, this shunts the words over by a space - don't end or start with a start next to the \n.
"THIS\nIS HOW\nTO DO IT"
But
"THIS \n IS NOT HOW\n TO DO IT"
depending on the alignment used... -
@tig said:
No.
The <space> is the 'gap'.
The 'dot' is the 'solid'.
.. .. makes the solid twice as long as the gap.
. . makes the gap twice as long as the solid.
How else could you use another character.
The LineStyles all consist of gaps and solids.
The length of the gaps/solids is proportional to the line 'width'...You could manually delete every other styled-element to make the dots around a curve
The reason your 2d Text right aligned etc looks slightly odd is that you have a space with the newline \n, this shunts the words over by a space - don't end or start with a start next to the \n.
"THIS\nIS HOW\nTO DO IT"
But
"THIS \n IS NOT HOW\n TO DO IT"
depending on the alignment used...OK - I understand. I was thinking about using characters like " - _ = + *" to build different patterns for different situations.
Yes, on my drawings, I deleted some of the style-elements on the curves and it came out pretty good. Kind of depends on how "sharp" the curve is.
Yes, I did put that space in there. I thought I had done it without the space and it did not work. Do not know what happened then. I just tried it and it worked just fine.
I highly recommend this tool.
Seems like almost every day I find another use for it.
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To all,
I recently downloaded this PLUG-IN & can confirm it works o.k. with SU-Pro-2014.
**** DASHED LINES---DASHED LINES---DASHED LINES ****
.....and only just discovered.....
you can draw dashed lines & custom these as well...
Over & out,
Clayton.
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