[Plugin] Groups to Components

TIG

You use model.definitions to get all of the group.instances [?] and then swap them out for the new component's definition, even if they are outside of the active_entities...

Just as you could if you were swapping all definition1.instances for definition2 with
definition1.instances.each{|ins|ins.definition=definition2} - which ignores 'context'

thomthom

That's the thing - ignore the working context or not... ?

TIG

IF you are to replace all instances of a group with a component surely you'd [usually] should do it across the whole model.
Perhaps if there are 'other-context' instances of a group [which is easily checked by getting all instances and comparing their parents against the current context parent ?] then a simple dialog along the lines of "There are Instances of Group 'xxx' outside 'active_entities'\n Make a Component of these too ?" Yes/No - which would allow the user to choose to leave some unfixed or fix all...........

thomthom

I'm wondering if this isn't a feature fit for this plugin after all.

mac1

There is a plug in Make_components by Matt66 I think is the author. It will change groups to single or one overall. Is there any diff here??

thomthom

@mac1 said:

There is a plug in Make_components by Matt66 I think is the author. It will change groups to single or one overall. Is there any diff here??

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=17590

@matt666 said:

Make a group of just one entity (right click or menu plugins/Make group)

Make a component instance of just one entity (right click or menu plugins/Make component)

Convert each entity in the selection in a single group (right click or menu plugins/Convert on single groups)

Convert each entity in the selection in a single component (right click or menu plugins/Convert on single components)

Convert the selected component into a group (right click or menu plugins/Make group)

I don't see any Group -> Component feature there... no?

thomthom

Might be partly duplicate functions - but a key feature in this script was the naming: the definition inherited the group's name, not the instance.

@mac1 said:

I use it very often to convert single groups to components especially in models where some one has used a number of identical groups.

Does SketchUp still consider them copies of each other? If you select one and open Entity Info - does it say "Group (3 in model)" ?
If so, Selection Toys can convert them into components in one operation.

mac1

I use it very often to convert single groups to components especially in models where some one has used a number of identical groups. Then you can use the component browser function of replace selected to replace all these converted groups with one component. Caution there is a quirk with the program. You also have to include in your selection a line also. http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=28395

mac1

@thomthom said:

Might be partly duplicate functions - but a key feature in this script was the naming: the definition inherited the group's name, not the instance.

@mac1 said:

I use it very often to convert single groups to components especially in models where some one has used a number of identical groups.

Does SketchUp still consider them copies of each other? If you select one and open Entity Info - does it say "Group (3 in model)" ?
If so, Selection Toys can convert them into components in one operation.

Don't remember but you can take say 50 groups and then convert them to a single component or individual components (50) If my memory is correct it did use the same name for the component as the group number but what I don't like is how it moves around in the outliner and in a large model you have to then search to find the ones converted to replace as noted above

mac1

Here is a good test case for you if you want to go crazy. http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/sketchup/thread?tid=0a9b7b20ecc8e1bf&hl=en The model uses a number of identical groups and those should be reduced to a single definition

thomthom

I did not see any model to download... where about in the thread is it?

mac1

@thomthom said:

I did not see any model to download... where about in the thread is it?

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B37CGPyQd3oiMWE1NDJlMWEtYTdmMC00MzYwLWIzMzMtYTAwMGE3NjM2NTRh&hl=en_GB

DIEGO-RODRIGUEZ

thom hello.
thanks for the new plugins.
a question:
what is the difference with the "Group copies> Convert Into components" of your plugins SELECTION TOY 2.0.

thomthom

@diego-rodriguez said:

thom hello.
thanks for the new plugins.
a question:
what is the difference with the "Group copies> Convert Into components" of your plugins SELECTION TOY 2.0.

This one converts each group instance into a component instance. (plus it transfers the name to the definition)

Selection Toys will convert all instances of a group into instances of one component definition.

CadFather

Matts plugin is still buggy, he has been very busy and not able to update many of his scripts - on the other hand Fredo's scale tools include a group to component command, so Thom you don't really need the extra effort for this plugin - but perhaps a CTRL toggle between the wider context and not could be handy...

mac1

@cadfather said:

Matts plugin is still buggy, he has been very busy and not able to update many of his scripts - on the other hand Fredo's scale tools include a group to component command, so Thom you don't really need the extra effort for this plugin - but perhaps a CTRL toggle between the wider context and not could be handy...

Ref Matt's tool is Buggy but I can work around by just including a line I draw in my selection and has worked Ok for me that way

JClements

Thank you, Thomas!

Might I suggest this plugin could stand as it isand another be created to deal with the issues mentioned above where there are identical instances of a group and rename this plugin"Groups to UniqueComponents" or something similar to describe what it does ... a quick and dirty conversion.

autarchos

i'm looking for a method to simplify an xfrog tree using perhaps this plugin, or matt's, but i'm running into problems with the component axes.

the idea is:

make each leaf (1.5"x1" rectangles) into a component.
in the component window, i replace the selected unique leaf components with a single leaf component.

the glitch comes with the fact that each leaf is tilted to a different angle, but component creation scripts seem to set the axes identical to that of the world axes (see pics below). thus when i replace the selected components with one single component they all end up angled to the exact same direction. so is there a way that i can do this and maintain the orientation of each individual component? ie. can an option be included in this script to set all component axes exactly the same relative to each 'unique' component?

good if axes of each leaf is the same, maybe here:

bad if axes of each leaf component is different relative to comp.:

thanks!

thomthom

That is a good question. I got X-Frog trees myself - have it on my todo list somewhere to find a way to optimize them.

thomthom

Maybe my component dropper plugin will work for this...?