How Do I Change The Order Of Polygons? & Plugin Guides?
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Yes, I'm sorry for asking three questions in one day + making two topics, but I have other things I need help with instead.
Okay, so first, I need to know how to change the order of Polygons. Are there any plugins that can do that? Or is there an alternative method?
The model uses some Transparent Polygons. This model will also be used in a game, and in order for the Transparent Polygons to render correctly, I must have them as the last Polygons in the model. How can this be done?
Next, are there any guides for learning how to create a Sketchup Plugin? I'd really like to learn how to. Are there any guides/tutorials for Beginners?
Thank-you!
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About ruby maybe these 2 pages are for you
And aespecially the page 2 "Ruby Newbie's Guide to Getting Started" -
Could you post an image that shows "the order of polygons" so we can get a graphic view of what you are talking about?
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I guess he means something like stacking order in 2D applications.
Dan; if so, there is nothing like that in SU. It's a 3D app and this "order" should be done in the 3rd dimension i.e. modelled in reality.
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Csaba, that's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure that's what the OP was talking about.
Remember that in SketchUp you are working in 3D space so if you want one object; a polygon, if you like; to appear behind another, you simply set it farther back in the space. This works quite nicely and it's easy to do. I used that idea to create this animation. All the "things" in the model are flat but some are behind others. There's even a frame in front of some of the components. I used it to hide the ends of those components but its edges are hidden so it doesn't show.
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@dave r said:
Csaba, that's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure that's what the OP was talking about.
Remember that in SketchUp you are working in 3D space so if you want one object; a polygon, if you like; to appear behind another, you simply set it farther back in the space. This works quite nicely and it's easy to do. I used that idea to create this animation. All the "things" in the model are flat but some are behind others. There's even a frame in front of some of the components. I used it to hide the ends of those components but its edges are hidden so it doesn't show.
That's not what I mean.
Here's an example of the model in game:
Here's what I mean:
The the Sketchup file, there is an order in which Polygons appear.
Do you see the image? The Snowy hills do not appear behind the Transparent Polygon.
For the Snowy Hills to appear behind the Transparent Polygon, it must be the Last Polygon in the file.
For example, the transparent polygon in the picture above, the Snowy Gate. The Snowy Gate's Polygons appear before the Snow's, so you can see through it.
I want to know how I can change the Snowy Gate's Polygon to be behind the Snow's Polygons?
I'm not talking about the gate itself being Phisically behind the Snow's Polygons, I'm talking about the Order in which it is stored within the Sketchup File.
Like, it does it in Alphabetical Order I think...
Here's an example of this models Polygons when exported to Obj:
SnowModelCourseMain:Wall:AWallDirt
SnowModelCourseMain:Wall:GAte (The gate's Polygon)
SnowModelCourseMain:Wall:Trees:All
SnowModelCourseMain:Wall:ZSnow(The First "SnowModelCourseMain" Refers to it's model name, anything in the middle refers to it's Compent Name, and the last refers to it's texture's Name)
How can I ge the gate to be last in the Polygons Order?
This model is used with Tig's OBJ Exporter Plugin to work, if that can give you any info.
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Well, sorry then as I have no idea about these things.
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Wow! All that and it's not until the end that you mention the order in which the polygons are listed in the OBJ file is what you are really trying to control. It's no wonder we had no idea.
I would agree that it appears to be in alphabetical order. If that's the case, it would seem to me that giving the gate component a name such as ZzGate would put it at the bottom of the list.
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My OBJ exporter [and the Pro one as far as I know] simply exports the geometry and groups/instances-geometry in the order they are found in the SKP's entities context - this in turn is probably affected by the order in which they were placed into the model itself. There can be no control over the OBJ file's ordering.
As an OBJ file is basically a text file you could manually edit it with Notepad++ and reorder the hundreds of lines of code individual 'g' definition, but it'd be so easy to break it I wouldn't try.
Also we don't know how your third-party tool imports the parts anyway. If they are not in the order they are in the SKP but say alphabetical then as Dave says rename them !
You issue really isn't with Sketchup, perhaps it's with OBJ export, perhaps it about editing an OBJ file, perhaps it's about your other app - which you haven't given many clues about either
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