[Plugin] Extrude Edges by Rails

TIG

hi TIG,
what is 'extrude by sweep' mentioned in the ruby text?
john

'ExtrudeEdgesBySweep' was a proto-tool that's now abandoned [I had hoped for results different from EEbyR but the new algorithms produced inconsistent results that were almost identical anyway, so I gave up on it] - all references to it should have been removed - they is now, and will be omitted in any updates... Sorry for the confusion...

driven

@tig said:

Sorry for the confusion...

no apology needed, most people don't read the rubies, and I just thought it was maybe yet another super-duper 'secret' tool that I'd missed and that it was maybe why I get a blank tool button. like this
However, now knowing that it's not and still not having the ability to use any of the EE tools from the plugin menu, I've been trying a few things to get that functionality back and I can't.

Basically
1: I have a 'spare' Button that does nothing if there is any single EE tool installed (so, I'll get 2,3 or 4 buttons, never one)
2: Plugin Menu function does not work with one or all EE tools installed (they are there) with or without #extrusionToolbar.rb.

I don't think it's a 'Mac' thing, your scripts never give me those sort of issues, and it's not an install issue either, although Mac's do Copy/Paste + Drag/Drop differently to PC's, I know that and have a fairly bullet proof procedure I use all the time.

TIG

@driven said:

@tig said:

Sorry for the confusion...

no apology needed, most people don't read the rubies, and I just thought it was maybe yet another super-duper 'secret' tool that I'd missed and that it was maybe why I get a blank tool button.[attachment=0:3504o1ud]BlankButton.jpg[/attachment:3504o1ud]
However, now knowing that it's not and still not having the ability to use any of the EE tools from the plugin menu, I've been trying a few things to get that functionality back and I can't.

Basically
1: I have a 'spare' Button that does nothing if there is any single EE tool installed (so, I'll get 2,3 or 4 buttons, never one)
2: Plugin Menu function does not work with one or all EE tools installed (they are there) with or without #extrusionToolbar.rb.

I don't think it's a 'Mac' thing, your scripts never give me those sort of issues, and it's not an install issue either, although Mac's do Copy/Paste + Drag/Drop differently to PC's, I know that and have a fairly bullet proof procedure I use all the time.

When you hover over the blank button what tooltip or VCB message do you get ?
In the Plugins Menu do you have duplicate EEby.. entries ?
I suspect you have two copies of something around somewhere... Are all your plugins in the a same folder ??

pilou

How many tools must have now the Extrude Bar tools?

Bob James

I get the two icons on the right (EEbR and EEbV), but what are the next two?

TIG

@unknownuser said:

How many tools must have now the Extrude Bar tools?

You can have 1, 2, 3 or 4 buttons, depending on which Plugins you have downloaded - which can be any of these - EEbyEdges, EEbyLathe, EEbyRails and EEbyVector... [EE=ExtrudeEdges - saves typing... damn I did it anyway ]
You also need #extrusionToolbar.rb which makes the toolbar when it loads [if any one of these other rb files is in the Plugins folder] - the other rubies then load and make a Plugins>Menu item and a 'Extrusion Tools' Toolbar button for themselves [if it finds the toolbar has been made beforehand] - if a button .png is missing [e.g. perhaps you have put it in the wrong place] you get a blank button but the tooltip and VCB texts should still work etc...

driven

@tig said:

When you hover over the blank button what tooltip or VCB message do you get ?
In the Plugins Menu do you have duplicate EEby.. entries ?
I suspect you have two copies of something around somewhere... Are all your plugins in the a same folder ??

No tooltip message, but it does toggle grey [on/off], effects nothing

No duplicates, even took out lath.rb, just in case

All my plugins are in same folder

#extrusionToolbar.rb is at top of list

TIG

I know Fredo has had problems with files being copied into duplicate Plugins folders in different places ? Any cahce of this ?
Any other Mac users getting similar problems with these tools ?
Any Mac users getting NO problems with these tools ?
Help appreciated...

driven

and this one

TIGtools combined

TIG

@driven said:

and this one

That's right...
But what is the exact full path to your Mac's Plugins folder ? As I said some users seem to end up with 2...

Bob James

Is there a new version of #extrusionToolbar.rb that shows the fourth icon?
Mine is dated 1/19/2010.

I have:
extrudeEdgesByVector.rb
extrudeEdgesByRails.rb
extrudeEdgesByEdges.rb
extrudeEdgesByLathe.rb

TIG

@bob james said:

Is there a new version of #extrusionToolbar.rb that shows the fourth icon?
Mine is dated 1/19/2010.
I have:
extrudeEdgesByVector.rb
extrudeEdgesByRails.rb
extrudeEdgesByEdges.rb
extrudeEdgesByLathe.rb

#extrusionToolbar.rb was last modified on that date and is still at v1.0 - it's a very simple file that checks for any of these four main rubies and if any are found it makes the toolbar.
The main rubies then load in alphanumric order and make their menu item and check for the toolbar, and if that's found they add their button to it.
If they can't find the png images you'll get the blank button...

Either the Mac has a different way of making 'empty' toolbars and adds a blank button from #extrusionToolbar.rb even before the others get made - which explains why it's first in the list, or something else is adrift...

Other users' feedback is needed... There are hundreds of you

driven

I have a shortcut folder shown in the earlier image, but it is an alias for this path

looking at script changes , I wondered if this may be a problem for mac's it's not how you use to do it?

cmd=UI::Command.new(textstring){extrudeEdgesByRails()}
UI.menu("Plugins").add_item(textstring){cmd}
cmd.status_bar_text=textstring+instructions
if $extrusionToolbar
  cmd.tooltip=textstring
  cmd.small_icon="TIGtools/extrudeEdgesByRails16x16.png"
  cmd.large_icon="TIGtools/extrudeEdgesByRails24x24.png"
  $extrusionToolbar.add_item(cmd)
end#if

TIG

@driven said:

looking at script changes , I wondered if this may be a problem for mac's it's not how you use to do it?
cmd=UI::Command.new(textstring){extrudeEdgesByRails()}
UI.menu("Plugins").add_item(textstring){cmd}
cmd.status_bar_text=textstring+instructions
if $extrusionToolbar
cmd.tooltip=textstring
cmd.small_icon="TIGtools/extrudeEdgesByRails16x16.png"
cmd.large_icon="TIGtools/extrudeEdgesByRails24x24.png"
$extrusionToolbar.add_item(cmd)
end#if

This method makes a $global variable pointing at the toolbar - that way a pre-existing toolbar can get extra buttons added as a ruby loads... Works fine on a PC - I'm wondering if Macs are so different...
We need to hear from Mac users - if it's only happening to you then... if it's happening to all of them then...

driven

@tig said:

Either the Mac has a different way of making 'empty' toolbars and adds a blank button from #extrusionToolbar.rb even before the others get made - which explains why it's first in the list, or something else is adrift...

Other users' feedback is needed... There are hundreds of you :enlight:

#extrusionToolbar.rb only gave one(1)tool image with EEbyR_V2.1 so this is only sinceV2.2 and the other updated EEtools

and YEAH- where are the other Mac users.....

cmoreink

Hi TIG, much respect for your contribution to to this awesome community.
QUESTION: for this plugin to work correctly I need to instal v1.0 (where the tool bar is), after that instal v2.2 of each (rail, vector, lathe and edges), is that right?
thanks

mitcorb

TIG:
I have updated the Extrude Suite and activated the Toolbar Icons, which seem to work fine. I think it has already been mentioned once here that the selections in the Plugins drop down do not work if the icons are installed. I can confirm that on my home machine in SU6, for your information.

TIG

@cmoreink said:

Hi TIG, much respect for your contribution to to this awesome community.
QUESTION: for this plugin to work correctly I need to instal v1.0 (where the tool bar is), after that instal v2.2 of each (rail, vector, lathe and edges), is that right?
thanks

There's no particualr order of installing them. They load in alphanumerical order anyway...
You do need the #extrusionToolbat.rb to make the toolbars.
This loads first [because it starts with #] and if there's any other EEby... ruby in the Plugins folder then it makes a Extrusion Tools toolbar.
If you have any of the four EEby.. rubies in the Plugins folder then they'll load, and if there's a toolbar made [i.e. you have #extrusionToolbat.rb and it's loaded etc] the EEby.. it adds a button for itself...
It should also make a Plugins Menu item for itself - however, there's been some reports of problems with this - a fix if needed is on its way...

driven

Morning TIG,

UPDATE on the Mac extra button...

I just did a complete brand new instal of SU7.1 + SU (standard issue) rubies on my wife MacBook (she left it at home, not me),

I then downloaded into and unzipped all 4 EEby folder into the SU /Plugins/Examples folder, then copy/pasted 1 x #ex...;1 x deB...;1 x TIGGtools and 1 of each EEby...

I then opened the other /Plugins/Example/EEby.../TIGtools folders one at a time and copy/pasted the contents into /Plugins/TIGtools and said yes replace duplicates

I then trashed the zips and folders in Examples and fired up SU for the first time ever on that machine

The upshot is I only have the four[4] correct buttons, hooray, however the plugin menu functionality is still missing.

So the extra button must be a clash on my setup, so I'll remove DrivingDimensions and Kirril's rubies (as I've had global setting problems related to them before) and see if that sort's out my extra button issue.

BTW... there all fantastic tools and I'm only trying to be helpful, so tell me if it's not.

TIG

driven

No, you are most helpful !

I think you are not getting anything in the Plugins Menu on a Mac
On my PC I am getting the Plugins Menu items BUT they do nothing - and give no errors !

Looking at a fix soonest...