Automating Sketchup from Excel

filcole · 6 Mar 2010, 14:57

Hi All,

I'm wondering if anyone has managed to automate Sketchup from Excel. I have a list of components and dimensions thereof in Excel, and I want to click a button in Excel and start Sketchup automatically where a new model is created that inserts dynamic components with the correct dimensions as specified in MS Excel.

I've automated Excel from Sketchup (with Win32OLE), but not managed find a way to automate Sketchup from Excel. Is this possible?

Phil

p.s. Ideally I'd like to avoid the user having to start Sketchup (and run a ruby where they have to pick the Excel file which is then interrogated from a Sketchup ruby)

todd burch · 6 Mar 2010, 15:19

I've done what you've done, created excel sheets from Ruby based on contents of the model.

I suspect you could do what you want to do through VBA. If VBA can kick off a process, then it could kick off SU, and a plugin could be implemented that communicates with your VBA code. Not sure how that would work, perhaps through a pipe.

filcole · 8 Mar 2010, 01:45

OK. This is what I've come up with:

Export a file to the users profile (c:\documents and settings) with a standard name.
Start Sketchup via VBA
Sketchup has an ruby that checks for the existence of the file created in step 1.
Create dynamic components according to the contents of the file
Delete the file so that it's not re-processed next time sketchup is opened.

It's a bit annoying in that the users has to run a further ruby script inside Sketchup because the $dc_observers variable is not setup with the dynamic components are being inserted in step 4.

chrisglasier · 8 Mar 2010, 02:54

I have a wip that can pick up plain text lists (including Excel .csv files) and open them in a Sketchup model. It can also inspect an existing model and assemble entity names in automated hierarchies, each linking to its data. If interested have a look at the flyer linked below and let me know me what think.

Dan Rathbun · 25 Jul 2010, 02:01

@filcole said:

It's a bit annoying in that the users has to run a further ruby script inside Sketchup because the $dc_observers variable is not setup with the dynamic components are being inserted in step 4.

Your file in step 3/4 should have at the top:
require( 'dynamiccomponents' )
to be sure the DC extension is loaded before your script tries to use or create dynamic components.

Dan Rathbun · 25 Jul 2010, 02:29

Here's another forum link along these lines:

Excel to SU ( 29/7/08 version ) [has code for download]