Top 3 SU plugins

tfdesign

Chris, why is that so important/ invaluable?

Dave R

Edson, the plugin Chris refers to does move all geometry whether it is loose or in a component/group to the Default layer as he wrote. It is very handy for cleaning up models. I end up using it once in awhile on models others send me but I have adopted a practice in which I never set any layer other than the default as active.

jeff hammond

BezierSpline
Curviloft
ExtrudeEdges Suite
JPP

(weld is a given. 100% should not be a ruby)

(Curviloft and EEbyX might seem redundant but I use lathe a lot as well as extrude vector.. I still skin with it as well in certain instances. )

Dave R

I should have added Purge All.

Like Jeff, I find both Curviloft and EEbyX useful. Sometimes I find one will do something the other won't.

jeff hammond

powerhouses aside, i use these daily (if it's a drawing day )

arc: center + 2pts. (didier)
select curve (thomthom)
selection toys (tt)
exploded arc centerpoint (c.fullmer)
work plane (tig)
cline (jimF)
fillet.rb (ohYeahCad)
fredoscale (fredo)
tangent tools (tig)
skindigo (whaat)
slice face horizontally (via 1001bit) (goh)
3pt rectangle (google). Recently found it but something I've always wished for:)

and it's great to have these when needed:

perp. face tools (c.fullmer)
vertex tools (tt)
mirror (tig)
SDS (whaat)
profile builder (whaat)
curve maker (drawMetal.com)
shape bender (c.fullmer)
selection memory (jimF)
round corner (fredo)
tools on surface (fredo)
unfold (jimF)
solid inspector (tt)
1001bit's followme (goh)

i have double+ that amount installed but these are the ones that have floated to the top as far as my technique is concerned.

Edson

I forgot to mention good old add hidden layer, invaluable when you have many acenes already set up and decide to create a new layer.

tfdesign

My 3rd plugin may have to be Thom's UV Toolkit, which I'm still brewing the beer to give to Thom for!

Let's face it (face those surfaces ), They don't and won't look right without a tool like this

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=18992

Chris Fullmer

@dave r said:

I end up using it once in awhile on models others send me but I have adopted a practice in which I never set any layer other than the default as active.

Same here, but if you explode a group/component that was on a different layer, its entities will get moved onto the layer the group was on - thereby taking them off layer 0. So that has caused me some pain in the past.

Chris

Dave R

Chris, that's a good point and one I forgot about. I so rarely explode components (and don't use groups at all) in the first place and by the time I get to the stage in my modeling where I am making layers, the components are all pretty well fixed and I don't explode them at all, then. Interesting how a workflow can inadvertently bypass a behavior or is that a feature?

tfdesign

@chris fullmer said:

@dave r said:

I end up using it once in awhile on models others send me but I have adopted a practice in which I never set any layer other than the default as active.

Same here, but if you explode a group/component that was on a different layer, its entities will get moved onto the layer the group was on - thereby taking them off layer 0. So that has caused me some pain in the past.

Ahh! Someone else who also feels my pain!

So you are saying that this plug relieves that?

thomthom

That plugin ensures that all edges and faces are located on Layer0

TIG

@chris fullmer said:

@dave r said:

I end up using it once in awhile on models others send me but I have adopted a practice in which I never set any layer other than the default as active.

Same here, but if you explode a group/component that was on a different layer, its entities will get moved onto the layer the group was on - thereby taking them off layer 0. So that has caused me some pain in the past.
Chris

This http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=282640#p282640 puts exploded group's entities on the layers that they were on inside the group...

jason_maranto

I had a hard time deciding but I set for myself the criteria of only selecting 3 free plugins that almost any user would benefit from having.

SketchyFFD: Massively useful and simple to free form distort geometry.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=25801&start=0

RoundCorner: Simple but powerful tool for rounding and beveling geometry.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=20485&hilit=Round+Corner

JointPushPull: Amazing upgrade to Sketchups native push/pull concept.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=6708

Best,
Jason.

Bertier

Center of Gravity & it's repoter, thank you TIG
Cutlist, thank you Steve
Default Scene, thank you Pout

EarthMover

I have a lot of "favorite" plugins that do really cool stuff, but if there were a tracker on my PC that logged which plugins I used most often, it would probably be -

Selection Toys
Joint Push Pull
Edge Tools (Divide Face)

Although Purge All, Weld, Make Faces and Fredo Scale are probably also in the running for top 3 most used plugins in my arsenal.

mozzie

Put on Layer (most used)!
Points cloud v6 (relocatable origin version) - merci, Didier!
Curviloft (most extraordinary, and irreplaceable)

Also, Tools on surface, Pipe along Path, Weld, and Cleanup are wonderful.

urgen

....Unfortunately, the three major plug-in is not enough for me ... I often use in the same proportion in the 10-12

Bob James

I've just downloaded "Default Layer Geometry": I really need that and it will undoubtedly become one of my frequently used plugins (I just must keep everything on layer 0 until everything is built!)

I have many of the complex plugins that are indispensable when I need them (curviloft, vertex tools, Tools on Surface, Extrude Along....,etc.), but

For every day general use:
Nudge (Doesn't anyone use this: I'd be lost without it.)
Options
JSAlign
Layer Tools and Layer Manager
Edge Styles
1001bit Tools

And, somewhat less often, but still a lot:
Round Corner
Profile Builder
BZ Toolbar
Weld
Extrude Lines
Arc Centerpoint Finder
Tube along path

For final tuning:
Repaint and Cleanup

And, of course, when the model is ready:
Thea Exporter

Pixero

@bob james said:

For every day general use:
...
JSAlign
...

Wow, I made it on the list. Thanks.

Prisoner

For me it's

round corner (using it all the time)
Fredo Scale (dito)
1001bit tools (they speed up so many things for me)

Oh, and never go without Purge; couldn't survive without it, since I hate poly/texture size/whatever counting.

A great UV toolset would instantly appear on my list... hint hint.