@mitcorb said:

Dang! Now there is no excuse not to have pro

Maybe anybody knows some free SU8 free versions plugin for exporting SU files to dwg files?

@mitcorb said:

Hi:
I believe it is legal to use one license and port it around to each seat. However, you need to check with Trimble on their policy. One source:

http://www.sketchup.com/buy/licensing.html

There may be other information pages.

But it is allowed to work on one computer at the same time and for one person. I can pay 398 euros, but 2 x 398 = 796 euros, it is simply too much for our enterprise.

And can i use free version of sketchup in enterprise? it is legal?

Hello,

I work in very small company and we are 4 people who works on computer with SU and we need pro version. We can't work with single-user license and can't buy network license because we are too few. We can't aford 4 single-user licenses. Really only two of us draw in sketchup and 495$ is about my months salary (eastern europe). If i add a seat to SU it cost extra 790$! There is some solutions how to work legal and without overpaying, because money in other countries is with a differend value?

@unknownuser said:

I don't understand where can be an isolated cube except in the box packaging?
Seems on your building structures examples all pieces are connected ?
Maybe p190.190 ? But it's not structure!

I don't understand the first.
Yes, they are connected. p190.190 is panel 190x190x3. It is too conected between beams with groove. I only need defined faces and to know what connects them..

TIG, I see thet you made ComponentReporter in 2007, but there isn't something new - more complex? It gives out good information and is better then CutList for me, thanks, but if it only could gives out connected details too and there would be defined sides...

See picture! Sides meaning faces. If there is 8 faces then 8, i have cube,i need only six. If it gives out this information, then with excel i could make some algorithm.

If I tried to write plugin, then i can write it in notepad? If i read program i can understand something, but don't understand how it is linked to work, i don't know key words too.

@tig said:

But putting your programmer's hat on for moment, and assuming we only have one kind/length arm/beam [to at least remove the complexities of multiple lengths and cross-section types etc!] and you use a single 'blank' connector-cube 'node'...

I think you underestimate the difficulty of making a tool to do this, by a factor of several orders of magnitude.

If i could define some points on beam that could give answer what component connects it or in how big precisely area on beam there is connection and with IF functions it could be programed.

If all sides of cube where defined with codes and no matter how i change its dimensions then it could be done.

Maybe some electrical program could answer, because it feels if there is electrical current.

See and read on pictures..

@tig said:

I don't understand your logic, of how you model the assemblies, or how you then want to extract information from the model...
suggested the idea of color coding the connectors using layers within the components to let you toggle between the colored and plain versions: you can do that with the arms/beams too - there are probably fewer permutations for these because different lengths of the same cross-section can be the same color, you ought to be able to 'see' that an arm doesn't stretch between two connector 'nodes' ??

My logic is simple - i want just draw with one cube and different lenghts of beams, panels, wall panels etc. and all details counts automatically. If i connect specific detail in specific place then it renames to needed. There is nothing unlogical. I don't know if such program exsist, but also think that with the right approach it could help to many estimators. When i design i don't think about details, but later i need to count and mistakes happen or i change later something and didn't rename one detail and manufacturer has wrong count of details. I'm just looking solution for mankind mistakes with scientific calculation.

This plugin could be revolution too, because it would show if something is embed in detail if it is in right place where it needs it, for example, drillhole, bolts, grooves or something else and you get it written by codes you know. And if you know that you defined all correctly, then you can trust program and just draw with universal components and get report automaticaly.

With these arms flat and 3d that is interesting. I think that i need program that could export data with how many arms cube needs, somehow to define these arms.

How much it would cost to make that kind of plugin/program? I'm not programist, but i think that for specialist it is simply. I know that there is some kind of face count + ComponentReporter + defined hands for details + data changer >> I think it is answer!

With those color changed beams i tried for about week, but then i needed 33 colors, and there were real mess and my goal is to make counting automatic with as small number of components i can.

@dave r said:

I don't know of a plugin that will do what you want but if you can write the logic statements even in English, someone might be able to make it work.

My approach, which you've already turned down, would be to make the different connectors as components. You could make your beams as components, too. For the beams it sounds like you could manage with two; one without a groove and another with. Just edit the lengths as needed to make the various members. You could then generate a "cutlist" CSV file and in a spreadsheet take the lengths of the beams and use them to create the part numbers and counts for each beam length needed. The cut list would also be able to give you a count of each type of connector.

Sorry for my bad English (My third language)

For me ComponentReporter++ is better then Cut List, because it gives names too, because i name them manually for now. If i make different components then see picture how various i need them. I have grooves for panels and sliding doors or metal plate is glued to beams, and there can be mixed panels, doors and metals on each side, with various combinations and that is with lot of mistakes to do.

Maybe you know plugin that gives out name of component in SU when you drawing or looking around object (name is written on it or some bolt shows that it is there), because with entity info it is too slow - i need to click every component in single if they are not even. I could then just look around and check with eyes.

@dave r said:

Let me get this straight. You want a plugin that will change the name of a component based upon what components are next to it and how many there are?

Can you write the logic statement for that?

It seems to me that with a little bit of organization of properly made components you would have a pretty simple time of making up a model and getting a list of required parts with quantities.

Yes, you understand me right. Maybe plugin can define some places on components and if some component attaches to them then the name changes. See in the picture, about in that way. See on the floor cubes have foot (legs/stand), so they are CF-3 or CF-4, number depending on connections or versions how it connects, as you see C-3 and C-3.1. In the picture there are different beams too, as b-190 and bg1-190, b-190 is simply that long beam, but bg1-190 is beam with groove for panel. There are many more options.

If you know way to do it, please, say.

@dave r said:

Since you have several different types of connectors, are you using different components in your model or are you using the same one no matter how many beams connect to them?

I'm using the same one component for connector, because i have 9 types of connectors, but every standart lenght of beam has 33 different types, and there are other details, so it is messy to use component for every type of detail. In standarts I have about 800 different versions, i can't work with such a big component list.
Main is that that i want to make automatic component name change depending on what and where connects it. For now i do it manually - give name to every component and then export to excel, but it is slow, and still faulty. I tried to make every type of component too, but it was super slow and faulty too.

Inside i feel that it is not super extraordinary difficult, but i don't have a clue what program can do it and where i need to look after it?