[Plugin] SmartDrop Beta

pilou

Use the cool Thomthom RayTracer!
Object must be in a box with an horizontal base : Drop by Bounds
So will work with your example!
careful than an inclined object yet droped don't block next following

by Thomthom

mlefevre

I'm trying to drop a solar array onto a surface using this plugin and having some issues. The panels are touching end to end, and when I drop them to the surface, either individually or all together, some of the components will turn up on end and others will lay plat on the surface. Any thoughts?

I'm using SU 8 Pro.

Thanks!

Mra

Thanks for the plugin. But it changes the angle of objects?

So if I have a pole, I drop it to the surface but this plugin in makes it no longer vertical. Is there an option to change this?

pelikan21

Thanks for plugin. But I have some problem while adding this plugin from extension part of windows. I can't see anything related with smart drop while selecting some component in SketchUp.

TIG

Did you use Preferences > Extensions > Install... or the SketchUcation PluginStore dialog's AutoInstall button to install the RBZ version ?
Is the appropriate smartdrop.RB file in your Plugins folder ?
Is it listed in the SketchUcation Plugins Manager ?
If you select one or more component instances that are located above a surface you should get a right-click context-menu item... which then does the 'drop' to any intersection with a surface below the instance[s]...
Remember that the surface front face should be 'up'...

thomthom

The current version 1.5 is modifying the SketchUp Ruby API:


class Sketchup;;Group 
        def definition # make it so you can use group.definition 
                return(entities[0].parent) 
        end 
end

Which isn't good - as it overrides the Group.definition method implemented in SU2015.
Also, the method is bugged - it will raise an error is the group is empty. Can we get a new version please that doesn't modify the Ruby API namespace?

TIG

I have fixed the issue with the group.definition method...
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=smartdrop

juju

thanks for the consistent hard work to the coders

any idea when this is moving out of beta?

TIG

@juju said:

thanks for the consistent hard work to the coders
any idea when this is moving out of beta?
I suspect never !
The author seems to no longer support it.
But like so many plugins using beta in their title it could simply be retitled with no coding changes - calling it 'beta' is just the author's way of warning you it might not be 100% reliable - but then some 'full-release' plugins are less reliable that others' beta-releases...

tt_su

@tig said:

I have fixed the issue with the group.definition method...

duanekemp

I'm trying this with grass proxy groups and nothing I do gets them to fall on any surface in a large quantity. Has anyone found the limits or explanation as to why hundreds and hundreds of proxies won't fall?

Box

I can't tell you why but I just tried 500+ and it failed with Smart Drop but worked with Throw to.
But be aware they align to the surface differently.
Throw to on the left stays upright while Smart Drop follows the contour.

Throw to smart drop.JPG

duanekemp

I definitely need the smart part of this drop. Is this an issue of it not working with SU 2015?

Or is there an even more significant problem trying to drop components that are overlapping, such as grass proxy groups?

Krisidious

there's a plugin to remove overlaps... would that help?

Box

Create a second folder called Pluginstest next to the original plugins folder. Place a copy of any plugins that you want to test, and their subfolders and helper files, in the test folder.
When you want to test, close SU and change the name of the Plugins folder to PluginsFull and remove Test from the name of the other.
Now when you start SU it will use that folder. Change the name back and restart to return to your full setup.
This is assuming you don't have any stray plugin folders that you or other installers have created. Twilight for example creates a plugins folder in the Program data tree.

If you are using the Sketchucation tools plugin you can create sets. Create a full set and create an empty testing set. Using the testing set you can enable individual plugins to see if they function correctly.

psylo

I have a problem with this plugin. Apparently it does not work if the component has already been rotated.

I often drop my components (cars) on a mesh with this plugin, then change the mesh and have to reproject my cars properly. If I just move again my cars above my mesh and use again SmartDrop, the result is not good anymore. I had to reset the rotation of every component before calling the plugin for good result.

Did someone is able to modify the plugin to correct this problem? Or have you a solution to quickly reset the rotation of a component ?

Thank you!

duanekemp

I am still having a devil of a time trying to get this to work. I would like to set o set up an SU 2015 (B folder) for just testing plugins without effecting my current Su 2015. Anyone know how to do this?