Dimensions Added as Objects Are Drawn - Feedback Please

Rick Haws

Hi All,

Firstly I would like to thank everyone for your continued interest in the dimensioning add-on.

To bring you up to date.....as it currently stands the SketchUp API does not provide enough access to dimension objects to facilitate the development of our application. Until recently I have been in discussions with the SketchUp folks about the possibility of gaining the required access. They have not been able to provide me with a time frame for doing so. When the opportunity becomes available we will develop it. I would ask that if it is of interest to you, drop SketchUp an email.

In the mean time please keep your suggestions coming and feel free to ask me any questions that might come to mind.

Thanks again,

Rick

xrok1

what about the functionality that already appears to be working in the video? is this real or staged?

if its real, maybe you could do something like soapskinbubble or sketchyphysics has done and release the script you have so far with an expiration date while you get the rest of your functionality worked out. to me from what i saw in the video this is already an invaluable script very much worthy of being used and evaluated by SK users. it looks like you may have solved one of the final needs i have to keep returning to Solidworks all the time for.

Baker518

I've been doing some searching for rubies that do anything of this nature and I came up with 2 so far.

GetDimensions.rb by CptainPanic (dimensions returned in a UI.messagebox)
dim_angle.rb by Didier Bur (dimension added to drawing)

Maybe I am thinking too simple but give this a thought and take a more simple direction.

Right click on a line, for instance, and return its value in a UI.messagebox.
Click the message box for option, "Add Dimension" and it would add a dimension parallel to the selected line. From there, the options may could be tailored to include some of the other options people are thinking about. It would be a very simple beginning, but at least a start.

I think this would be easier and maybe quicker than using the dimension tool already in SU but not as sweet as the auto-dimension tool of the future.

RickW

The video was an illustration of how the tool would work, if it could be created. Currently, there is no ruby access to the internal dimension objects. In fact, if you create a dimension object, select it, then run the following code in the ruby console, you'll see that the object isn't even reported as a Dimension, but simply as a "DrawingElement". The second line of code will return the methods for the object - again, nothing even close to what would be required for the creation of this tool. The third line of code shows the methods for the Entities. There is no "add_dimension" method available, and there is no Dimension object like there is Edge, ArcCurve, Group, etc.

#the following line will get the class of the selected object
Sketchup.active_model.selection.first.class

#the following line will show the methods of the selected object
Sketchup.active_model.selection.first.methods.sort

#the following line will show the absence of an add_dimension method for Entities
Sketchup.active_model.active_entities.methods.sort

Baker518

Rick W and TIG

Thanks for your response. I know what I suggested is simple on the outside. I only wished I had your experience so I could better understand what I am asking. I have read a lot on building rubies but it still alludes me. Thank you again for your thoughts.

Mike

TIG

However there is a complicated work round...

Make an external component of just a dimension at a given length - say 1 inch. Add it to the model and scale it in its length to suit two points you pick or are dictated by a script - that dim-compo then displays the distance between the points properly... You could also 'attach' the dimension component instance to the points (e.g. edge vertices) using attributes and observers that watch if the vertices change and alter the dim-compo's scaling and location to suit...

.

Rick Haws

Thanks again guys,

Keep the suggestions coming.

Rick

xrok1

maybe Whaat could take a crack at this! he seems to be able to bend Sketchup to his will.

What do you say Whaat?

RickW

@xrok1 said:

maybe Whaat could take a crack at this! he seems to be able to bend Sketchup to his will.

Conceptually, it's not a hard script to write - a couple of observers, a bit of code, and it's done. The issue is that Ruby does not have access to SU's dimension objects, either to create or modify them. That capability is essential to this project. That is, unless one invests an inordinate amount of time into workarounds.

xrok1

could one not communicate directly with the VCB, updating the dimension from there and visee versee?