[Plugin] Mirror

TIG

Bug or natural behavior?

-when I mirror a component that cuts opening, it mirrors fine, the mirrored cuts its opening too. But, if I mirror two (or more) instances of that component, at the same time, the instances won't cut opening. Neither the mirrored ones, nor the original instances.

Is it a bug, can be fixed, or is just how it works?
Not been reported before...
If you select one cutting instance it's mirrored/copied without recourse to temporary grouping, so the cutting is retained. If you select more than the one cutting-instance then the selection is grouped copied/mirrored/exploded.
So the original gluing instance is unglued from its face and then it and the exploded copy versions aren't told where to glue to...
There are several 'reglue' tools available... I suggest my HolePunch tool which has a simple one - you select the now unglued instance[s] and select Reglue off the context-menu, the face[s] below the instance[s] [if any] are found and the instance[s] are glued onto it, thereby cutting holes in the face[s] too if they are 'cutting-components' - they don't need to be any special 'hole-punching' instances, it will work on any gluing instance - even ones that don't then 'cut' - however if they do 'cut' and you also want them to then 'punch' a hole through any inner face[s] then they can, once they are each glued to an initial face ! ...

derei

Hmm, I can't see any "reglue" option in my context menu where should it be?
I also have Thomthom's Superglue... but it doesn't work for those particular components. I mirrored them one by one.
Is it possible to make the plugin to mirror each element one by one, instead of grouping them prior mirroring? In this way, the "cut hole" property would still be present.

TIG

No, because you might mess up by including other geometry in the selection, AND how is the mirrored object to know the face it ought to be glued onto ?
It's too complex... but simply selecting the mirrored / prior instances and re-gluing fixes the issue...
This is the context-menu... IF you have an instance selected that could be 're-glued' the item is active... Your context-menu won't look exactly like my customized one... BUT the 'Hole Punching' part will be exactly the same ! [You do need to install my HolePunch tool ]

derei

Ohh, sorry. I thought that Reglue is a SketchUp's default action.
Thank you for clarifying.

TIG

@unknownuser said:

Ohh, sorry. I thought that Reglue is a SketchUp's default action.
Thank you for clarifying.
The 'UNglue' IS a context-menu option allowing you to detach a selected component-instance from its companion face [also available for a group or an image that's glued when made/added] - BUT the action 'REglue' needs a script...

TIG

Here's v3.7 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=276512#p276512
Mirroring gluing component-instances will now glue them into any same context faces they might then be placed onto, and/or it re-glues mirrored/original gluing component-instances onto their previous faces as appropriate.
[This resulting from some constructive nagging from dereeei ]

Mental

Hi. Forgive me for possibly a stupid question but which advantages does this plugin bring compared to good old scale x -1. Probably I'm missing something.
Thanks

TIG

The native 'flip' tools in the context-menu and/or Scale -1 only work 'axially' - RGB / XYZ.
They also affect the original objects.

The Mirror Tool, however, mirrors just the selected objects [temporarily grouping them to avoid geometry clashes], about any picked point or line from two picked points, or [more usually] a 'plane' you define by any three picked points - therefore the mirroring need not be 'axial' / orthogonal [but of course it can be if you so wish, since picking the points has all of the usual inferences/snaps/locking etc of native tools].

The other advantage of the Mirror Tool is that it initially mirrors a temporarily grouped copy of the objects and leaves the original objects in place, a closing dialog asks if you want to erase the originals - when Yes removes them and No leaves them in place, both options leaving the mirrored copy where it was required, with the temporary grouping exploded.
So as well as doing a simple Mirror it can also Copy the objects at the same time if desired - whereas using native tools this would be a much more intensive operation as you'd need to copy objects off to the side, perhaps grouping objects to avoid geometry clashes, scale -1 [ignoring the steps needed for resetting axes etc if the mirroring-plane were non-orthogonal] and moving back the mirrored objects back into place and exploding any temporary groups...

Mental

@tig said:

The native 'flip' tools in the context-menu and/or Scale -1 only work 'axially' - RGB / XYZ.
They also affect the original objects.

The Mirror Tool, however, mirrors just the selected objects [temporarily grouping them to avoid geometry clashes], about any picked point or line from two picked points, or [more usually] a 'plane' you define by any three picked points - therefore the mirroring need not be 'axial' / orthogonal [but of course it can be if you so wish, since picking the points has all of the usual inferences/snaps/locking etc of native tools].

The other advantage of the Mirror Tool is that it initially mirrors a temporarily grouped copy of the objects and leaves the original objects in place, a closing dialog asks if you want to erase the originals - when Yes removes them and No leaves them in place, both options leaving the mirrored copy where it was required, with the temporary grouping exploded.
So as well as doing a simple Mirror it can also Copy the objects at the same time if desired - whereas using native tools this would be a much more intensive operation as you'd need to copy objects off to the side, perhaps grouping objects to avoid geometry clashes, scale -1 [ignoring the steps needed for resetting axes etc if the mirroring-plane were non-orthogonal] and moving back the mirrored objects back into place and exploding any temporary groups...

Thanks for detailed reply. My area of Sketchup Application is architectural concepts so in my case I work in various axis orientations anyway (and reset if required to go back to original one). So having to create a custom axis for mirroring is never a big deal. But I'll definitely give your plugin a go if I find that my scale -1 tool doesn't give me what I'm after. Thanks!

Elibjr

Thank You TIG. You have some of the most reliable plugins in the forum! You have changed my view of SketchUp forever!

JGA

Thanks for keeping on the development of this tool; it's the first one I loaded years ago that made SKUP more familiar to an AutoCAD user.

bmike

TIG,

Seems that Mirror doesn't honor Locked Components...

[flash=640,480:hycafqxq]http://www.youtube.com/v/AQrNxCOZZuQ[/flash:hycafqxq]

bmike

@mental said:

Hi. Forgive me for possibly a stupid question but which advantages does this plugin bring compared to good old scale x -1. Probably I'm missing something.
Thanks

Much quicker, using the plugin, especially when dealing with off axis objects - compound roof rafters, sloping parts of stairs, etc. etc. No need to create an extra plane or line to include in the -1 Scale Operation to get the axis right...

And it auto copies things for you, about any axis you choose, to dropping an identical assembly or rafter or whatever, exactly where you want it, is much easier.

TIG

Here's v3.8
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=276512#p276512
It now honors any selected 'locked' components or groups, and does not mirror them.
I've also included some minor 'behind the scenes' code tweaks...

bmike

@tig said:

Here's v3.8
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=276512#p276512
It now honors any selected 'locked' components or groups, and does not mirror them.
I've also included some minor 'behind the scenes' code tweaks...

Thanks TIG!
Sorry to call it out, but this is how I noticed the lock glitch!

TIG

This something to do with Sketchup itself.
If the arc/curve is grouped/mirrored with other connected-geometry [that borders a face] then the arc gets exploded !
If you replicate the arc+other_geometry_around_face > group, copy, scale -1, explode... you will find that native Sketchup breaks the arcs too...

jim smith

TIG, thank you for the update

pilou

@unknownuser said:

Sketchup breaks the arcs too...

It's a pity!

pilou

So solution is to group the rectangle first!

With that all the mirrors of the arcs will keep the arcs not explosed!

TIG

Yes - it's just the same in Sketchup when it's done manually...