Profile Builder API?
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A very long time ago, someone suggested that I release an API for Profile Builder. Is there anyone who would be interested in this? It would probably not be too hard to put something together. There are a few advantages for plugin developers for using such an API:
- Compatibility and synergies with a commonly used parametric plugin (PB2)
- Cross-promotional opportunities and potentially wider acceptance of your plugin.
- Eliminate the need to write code that Profile Builder already implements (You can focus on the cool features that makes your plugin unique rather than duplicating code, tools, and features that are already present in Profile Builder such as extrusion, editing tools, and reporting)
Possible API methods:
Add a Profile Member (PM) to the model
Set/Get the profile of a PM
Set/Get the orientation / attributes of a PM (axis rotation, x offset, y offset, scale, layer, etc.)
Set/Get the path of a PM
Modify the length of a PM (extend)
Split a PM
Set/Get the material of a PM (with automated UV mapping)
Get the start or end face of a PM
Trim a PM to an arbitrary plane
Trim a PM to a solid objectWould this be of any benefit to the SU Extension development community?
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Sorry Dale, I'm no developer, but what about the reporting features? I'd see extensions like Estimator taking huge benefit of integrating their estimator with PB2...
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@whaat said:
Would this be of any benefit to the SU Extension development community?
Possibilities of synergy between plugins is always a good thing.
Even though for now I can't think of how I could use it with my plugins, I really encourage you to release this API
BTW, you might be interested in this : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zajtstNXtxj9pJFc-6xOBeC4WienBdgXpDySSM6Mxk8/edit
This is what I use with Skatter to send data to the render engines, bypassing Sketchup. Maybe you could add that option for users creating very big PB setups? -
@jql said:
Sorry Dale, I'm no developer, but what about the reporting features? I'd see extensions like Estimator taking huge benefit of integrating their estimator with PB2...
The reporting and estimating features of PB2 are currently being greatly expanded.
One idea is that other plugin authors could create entities that are compatible with Profile Builder and then PB2 can include these entities in various reports.
For example, if someone makes a plugin that automatically generates 2x6s, if they were to use the API, then these entities could be included in a PB2 report that does a take-off of all the 2x6s.
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What about the other way around? PB2 is used as the modelling tool of choice, but the reports it creates on profiles and assemblies are sent to some reporting plugin? In the case above, estimator?
I think they might be interested in it, though I haven't talked with them, because they have a link to PB2 site on their own site...
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Whaat, It would be amazing to have an API.
Could you also perhaps include a callback system when a profile member or assembly is created/edited, so that other plugins could do their magic? On the information side of things, it could be things like updating a "price" attribute, which is based on the volume of the profile output, for instance. For such a callback, the useful variables would be:
- the geometry representing the path of a PM
- the group for the outputted member
- the face of the profile / components that make up the assembly.
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