[Plugin] Solid Inspector

jgb

You can zoom INTO the object and see the problems defined in red or orange. It really does not matter which you tackle first. Put your cursor on one item and deselect the group/comp. Then select again and edit. The cursor is on the problem. 99% all you have to do is delete it.

You can also change to XRAY view (Wireframe will not show problem faces) In XRAY you can move the cursor right onto the problem from outside the object, then edit it.

Sometimes you may have a circle that seems to be well outside the object. SI found a line fragment within the groups bounding box but totally outside the object. Pan and zoom such that the circle is seen against BLANK background, ie open sky or ground. Place the cursor in the circle, then deselect and edit again. Make a sweeping right to left selection to catch the offender and delete.

Note: You cannot edit the object while SI is active. You cannot activate SI while in edit mode.

There is also a companion pluggin, Solid Solver that "fixes" these kinds of errors, BUT, it can also destroy (undoable, almost always) an object that has a lot of problems.

I once had an object that started with about 600 lines and ended up with about 30 when Solver finally got done, so it is a good idea to SAVE before trying to Solve a complex mess.

I also have had objects that were deemed by Solver as "Can NEVER be made solid" fixed with just a few missing lines added.

joepotato

This plugin saved me from countless hours of trial and error in correcting issues with my model. Thank you!!!

rbedoya

Hi Thom,

I installed the Solid Inspector into my mac, in the plugins, but when i launch SU i get the following

Error Loading File tt_solid_inspector-1.rb
no such file to load -- TT_Lib2/core.rb

what might be the problem?

Gaieus

Please, re-read (or at least read once) the installation instructions and download/install that library this plugin is dependent on.

rbedoya

I have installed the library required and i get that error.

rbedoya

Here is the library i have installed and the plugin

TT_Lib2%20-%202.7.1.rbz
tt_solid_inspector-1.rb

thomthom

@rbedoya said:

Here is the library i have installed and the plugin

TT_Lib2%20-%202.7.1.rbz
tt_solid_inspector-1.rb

Placing the RBZ file in the plugins folder doesn't work. It's a package that must be installed. Note there's a big difference between RB and RBZ files.

Follow the installation instructions linked in the red box near the Download button.

driven

@rbedoya said:

Error Loading File**tt_solid_inspector-1**.rb
no such file to load -- TT_Lib2/core.rb

what might be the problem?

is that a copy, or are there two versions?
on my mac it's **tt_solid_inspector.rb**,
if so does your TT_Lib2 also a copy i.e. TT_Lib2-1
if it is, SU won't find it...

john

Jim

Rather than implement this as a Tool, I wonder if it makes sense to apply a material to the offending edges and set the style to color by material. That way, I could exit the tool and explore the model at my leisure.

thomthom

@jim said:

Rather than implement this as a Tool, I wonder if it makes sense to apply a material to the offending edges and set the style to color by material. That way, I could exit the tool and explore the model at my leisure.

Could be added as an option. I'd still want to have an non-modifying inspection method.
I had originally planned to try to implement methods to fix various errors - but .. you know Time and all that.

xiombarg

Here's are two really handy tips for using this plugin, especially on complex models:

Set the solid inspector as a shortcut key so you don't have to keep using the drop down menu. You can waste half your life away using drop down menus to access frequently used tools.

and combined with this...

Use Jim's "Custom Toolbar" plugin and then go to the VIEW drop down menu, then go to TOOLBARS and choose "Options". Having these buttons (or setting shortcut keys) for "Show Hidden Geometry" and for "Hide Rest of Model" is indispensable for fixing complex models into solids. It will save you A LOT of time.

scott216

I'm having trouble using this plug-in. I can't get it to turn off most of the time. I'll go go the tools drop down menu and click on solid inspector to hoping to uncheck it, but it doesn't uncheck. How do I turn this off. I'm using sketchup 8.0.16845 on Mac 10.7.5

Dave R

You turn it off by picking another tool. Since the next thing you'll likely do is open the component/group for editing to fix the problem, you could hit the space bar to get the Select tool. You could also right click and choose Edit Component and then choose the tool you need which might be the Eraser or the Select tool. Just like any other tool in SketchUp, it is active until you choose another tool.

Jpac

Thom,
This is an excellent plugin and one that is a part of my 3D printing workflow. Thank you for the time and know-how you put into making it!

thomthom

guilherme1978

Very nice, thanks.

Exxos

This has saved me so much headache. I am using joint push pull on a very large ellipsoidal starship hull to make panel lines and now I can find the tiny holes quickly. Thank you.

kurtklingbeil

I am having trouble getting solid inspector going.
I noticed the message about needing TTlib2, and manually installed TTlib2.8.3
When Sketchup 8 starts, I get the following massages:

Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/bezier.rb
no such file to load -- C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/libraries/win32/TT_Geom_BezierError Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/gl_image.rb
no such file to load -- C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/libraries/win32/TT_Geom_BezierError Loading File tt_export.rb
no such file to load -- C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/libraries/win32/TT_Geom_BezierError Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/bezier.rb
no such file to load -- C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/libraries/win32/TT_Geom_BezierError Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/gl_image.rb
no such file to load -- C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/TT_Lib2/libraries/win32/TT_Geom_Bezier

There is also a LL_Lib2 not installed doo-dad offering to download TTlib2
version 2.8.0. WHen I let it do its thing, and install that version,
same thing.

In some brief poking around, I noticed something about core.rb
and when I open it it says it is compatible with sketchup 7 and untested
with other versions...

What is the scoop? Is SK8 OK? how about SK2013?
How is it that the uninstalled_downloader for 2.8.3 refers to 2.8.0?
What is the "most current" working version?
and like that...

THx

Dave R

The error messages indicate you've not installed TT_Lib2 correctly. How about showing us a screenshot of your Plugins folder.

This plugin and TT_Lib2 work just fin with SU8 and SU2013 when installed correctly.

tt_su

Sounds like you might have ended up affected by Windows UAC protection system and some files ended up in Virtual Store.

Navigate to the Plugins folder in Explorer and see if there then is a Compatibility Files button. If there is any files in Virtual Store you should clean them up.