sketchucation logo sketchucation
    • Login
    ℹ️ Licensed Extensions | FredoBatch, ElevationProfile, FredoSketch, LayOps, MatSim and Pic2Shape will require license from Sept 1st More Info

    {REQ} Perimeter Trace?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Plugins
    21 Posts 8 Posters 1.5k Views 8 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • soloS Offline
      solo
      last edited by

      That would be a handy one. +1 πŸ‘

      http://www.solos-art.com

      If you see a toilet in your dreams do not use it.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • pilouP Offline
        pilou
        last edited by

        Copy move the bases of Ground 0 : Intersect them
        then
        Select outer Edges by Chris Fullmer ?

        Frenchy Pilou
        Is beautiful that please without concept!
        My Little site :)

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • KrisidiousK Offline
          Krisidious
          last edited by

          slice and section both do this...

          By: Kristoff Rand
          Home DesignerUnique House Plans

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • TIGT Offline
            TIG Moderator
            last edited by

            Change to a side view [perspective off] select the bottom parts with fences + ctrl to add to selection, remove any unwanted upper parts by ctrl+shift and right-left fencing them.
            You can quickly assemble a selection of the bottom parts - don't initially worry about faces or a few extra pieces etc.
            Move+ctrl constrained vertically to make a copy.
            With the copy highlighted Group it.
            Edit the group and erase unwanted pieces, faces, inner edges etc.
            You then have the outline replicated in its own group below the original - if desire move it back, snapping into place...Capture.PNG

            TIG

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • EarthMoverE Offline
              EarthMover
              last edited by

              Guys....I'm talking about doing it to an entire model in one go. (the example I used was simplified to show the basic concept) I wouldn't want to start cutting up the geometry, exploding groups and intersecting. I understand how to do it manually, but was looking for a better way.

              Kris & Pilou, I'm not looking to flatten anything or glean a cross section, but rather to trace the perimeter while maintaining the lowest Z height.

              The challenge of the script would be to first define the outer bounds, similar to what TIG's silhouette to plane script does. Then perhaps if the silhouette border edges where placed below the model and projected upwards until they intersect with a perimeter edge. Perhaps a method may be to have the script place Cpoints along they silhouette perimeter and project (drape upwards) the Cpoints until they hit geometry (whether inside group or component), as a way of raytracing the border. I'm not sure. I just know something that would do this "automagically" would be a real time saver. If it's not possible, that fine too...I bill by the hour. πŸ’š πŸ˜†

              3D Artist at Clearstory 3D Imaging
              Guide Tool at Winning With Sketchup
              Content Creator at Skapeup

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • TIGT Offline
                TIG Moderator
                last edited by

                How about this way ?
                Use the silhouette-tool to project the outline onto a horizontal workplane that is located well below everything.
                Take that silhouette, select all of its edges and use EEbyEdgesByVectorToObject...
                Pick a vertically constrained vector from the silhouette up through the whole terrain and beyond.
                At this point you will have a group of vertically extruded faces that stop at the 'terrain' - edit that group and use the fence select tool [in a side elevation] to select all of the unwanted lower edges/faces and delete them.
                Now you have just the upper outline left that follows the terrain... πŸ˜„

                TIG

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • sdmitchS Offline
                  sdmitch
                  last edited by

                  earthmover, Here is my somewhat feable attempt at a plugin to generate the outlines you were looking for.


                  Create outline of structures

                  Nothing is worthless, it can always be used as a bad example.

                  http://sdmitch.blogspot.com/

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • TIGT Offline
                    TIG Moderator
                    last edited by

                    But doesn't this project it all flat to a plane an add faces -all of which he doesn't want ??
                    He wants just the bottom-most edges of the form on the 'terrain', with inner edges or faces - as my kludged up method provides...

                    TIG

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • sdmitchS Offline
                      sdmitch
                      last edited by

                      I must admit I'm not at all sure what he wants but given the examples furnished and "maintaining the lowest Z height" what else could it be?

                      Nothing is worthless, it can always be used as a bad example.

                      http://sdmitch.blogspot.com/

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • pilouP Offline
                        pilou
                        last edited by

                        This ?
                        this.jpg
                        or this?
                        this1.jpg
                        or other? πŸ˜„

                        Frenchy Pilou
                        Is beautiful that please without concept!
                        My Little site :)

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • pilouP Offline
                          pilou
                          last edited by

                          And using the sand box Drape on a big rectangular plan that is not possible? πŸ€“
                          Draw a big rectangle under all the project at any Z altitude
                          Select all your components groups etc
                          Launch the Drape sand box
                          Then double clic on the surface rectangle outside the projection, and deselect Surface's rectangle and perimeter's rectangle with 2 boxes selection right to left at near 2 oposite coins' rectangle πŸ˜„
                          You have your perimeter! 😎
                          All takes 2 seconds if your are not very well handy! πŸ˜„

                          Hum, I am not sure to understand the problem 😳

                          perimeter.jpg

                          Frenchy Pilou
                          Is beautiful that please without concept!
                          My Little site :)

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • K Offline
                            kyyu
                            last edited by

                            Here is a quick snippet of code. To run it type "ky_shell_bottom" in the ruby console. If you want only the perimeter edges, then uncomment the few lines of code at the end.
                            shell bottom.png
                            test_shell bottom.skp
                            ky_shell_bottom_snippit.rb

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • TIGT Offline
                              TIG Moderator
                              last edited by

                              I think he wants Pilou's first image...
                              You would get this using my method... where you project everything down to a much lower horizontal Workplane as a Silhouette, then project the silhouette edges up with EEbyVectorToObject through the terrain so it trims to its underside, finally you fence-select the flat silhouette, extruded-faces and their vertical-edges, so that you are left with an 'outline' of the footprints applied over the terrain, with little or no more effort required...

                              TIG

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • sdmitchS Offline
                                sdmitch
                                last edited by

                                EarthMover, Let me see if I have this straight. You want to create a face which is the outline of a selected surface structure. This face is located at or slightly below the lowest elevation of the selected structure. Then you want faces created that connect the outline to the structure that can be used to intersect with the surface. If so I offer FootPrint.rb version 2.

                                There is one requirement and that is that the bottom faces of the structure have a normal.z < 0.


                                Before and after model


                                Create footprint of structure

                                Nothing is worthless, it can always be used as a bad example.

                                http://sdmitch.blogspot.com/

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • EarthMoverE Offline
                                  EarthMover
                                  last edited by

                                  Thanks for the help everyone. I tried both plugins posted, but neither did the trick. KYYU's was close, but it didn't work with groups which had nested groups within it.

                                  TIG's method and tools worked perfectly and while it would be nice to have a single click procedure, the Silhouette to Plane combined with Extrude Edges by Vector to Object is a solid workflow for gleaning perimeter edges.

                                  Here's a video of the process. I show it with an un-nested group and a nested set of groups. I also had issues if the Workplane overlapped the Silhouette before Extruding the Edges. Other than that, it accomplished what I needed. Thanks again.

                                  [flash=800,600:3v7yphiu]http://www.youtube.com/v/kp0sB_sjSEk[/flash:3v7yphiu]


                                  Perimeter Trace Test.skp

                                  3D Artist at Clearstory 3D Imaging
                                  Guide Tool at Winning With Sketchup
                                  Content Creator at Skapeup

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • J Offline
                                    jorge2011
                                    last edited by

                                    hello sir EarthMover.
                                    can you tell me what is plugin uvproyection> planar is seen in the video?
                                    thanks

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • EarthMoverE Offline
                                      EarthMover
                                      last edited by

                                      Sure Jorge, it's here - http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=34552

                                      3D Artist at Clearstory 3D Imaging
                                      Guide Tool at Winning With Sketchup
                                      Content Creator at Skapeup

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • J Offline
                                        jorge2011
                                        last edited by

                                        thanks

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • TIGT Offline
                                          TIG Moderator
                                          last edited by

                                          Glad my tools [WorkPlane/Silhouette/EEbyVectorToObject] used in sequence helped...
                                          I hadn't tried it... but it seemed the obvious solution... πŸ˜„

                                          It could be automated into one script BUT how often do you need to do it? πŸ€“

                                          TIG

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • EarthMoverE Offline
                                            EarthMover
                                            last edited by

                                            Previously I was hand tracing the perimeter within a group. I need to do this on every project as a means to combine the home and newly designed structural elements with the imported geolocation terrain. An automated process would be a huge time saver. πŸ‘

                                            The current method involves (shown in the video I posted) -

                                            Gleaning the Perimeter Outline via -
                                            1 Selecting and grouping the model
                                            2. Moving the model upward on the Z
                                            3. Creating a WorkPlane on the ground http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=31204
                                            4. Processing Silhouette to Plane - http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=31204
                                            5 Deleting the work Plane
                                            6. Exploding the Silhouette to Plane Group
                                            7. Running EEbyVtoObject - http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=37515
                                            8. Deleting all but the top edges

                                            Merging it into the Terrain
                                            9. Moving to the Google Earth Terrain
                                            10. Cut/copy the Perimeter Trace
                                            11. Opening the GE terrain group
                                            12. Pasting in Place the Perimeter Trace
                                            13. Selecting the Grouped perimeter and the terrain together
                                            14 Running Instant Site Grader Pro - http://www.valiarchitects.com/sketchup_scripts

                                            (Perimeter Trace can have NO truly vertical edges, or the Site Grader plugin won't work)

                                            If at least the first 8 steps could be cut down by combining some snippets of existing code, that would be awesome. If it's a hassle....I'm more than grateful for the tools you've already created that make this possible in the first place! .....and it's still a lot faster than tracing it by hand! πŸ˜„

                                            Also, I think Instant Site Grader is great, but I don't like the linear fashion in which it grades the terrain into the perimeter trace. It seems it takes the footprint and offsets it by the user input, does some intersecting and deleting and then performs a "from contours" type operation to skin it back together. Perhaps using the perimeter trace to do the first part manually and then using Extrude Edges by Rails, would grade the terrain in a way it can still be sculpted. (just thinking out loud) Perhaps Bezier Patch will also be available soon. πŸ˜‰

                                            3D Artist at Clearstory 3D Imaging
                                            Guide Tool at Winning With Sketchup
                                            Content Creator at Skapeup

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • 1
                                            • 2
                                            • 2 / 2
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            Buy SketchPlus
                                            Buy SUbD
                                            Buy WrapR
                                            Buy eBook
                                            Buy Modelur
                                            Buy Vertex Tools
                                            Buy SketchCuisine
                                            Buy FormFonts

                                            Advertisement