@unknownuser said:

funny thing - I did a Test.time_display 1000 on my quadcore and all 4 core are used by Sketchup process

But did you ever get SketchUp to use more than 25% of the total processor time? (with 4 cores)

I was just explaining to a client why SketchUp is slower on his new Quad machine than on his old single core machine. I'm sure I didn't have it right - but I assumed that each on of the 4 processors on the new machine is slower then the single processor on his old machine, and that SketchUp can only use one processor. Does that seem logical.

Here is the real question for this thread. If I use UI.timer to start new threads in Ruby, is it possible that I might be able to do things in SketchUp in parallel (under tightly controlled circumstances - such as having each of two fetch data from every-other entity in the drawing. Has anyone ever tried this?

It seems like if we could write some special multi-threading tools in Ruby we could help SketchUp survive in the multi-processor world??? (As a CAD developer I know there are many things you cannot do - such as having both threads change the drawing at the same time, but there are other things which might be possible - especially when searching or extracting data)

Thanks Todd.

When you forget a command, it can be very hard to find it again.

I want to start a new drawing with the same settings (mainly style) as the current drawing.

Has anyone every saved and reloaded styles from Ruby?

I guess I'll start looking for the commands to do that next.

I want to start a new model in Ruby, but keep the settings from the current model.

I can erase all the entities, but how can I mark the model new, or change its name to Untitled, so people will not save it over the previous, current, model by mistake.

If there is no way to do this, remind me how to start a new, untitled, model in SketchUp.

Thanks

Is there a way in Ruby to load a .SKM material from the disk and add it to the current model as a material?

If these are images placed directly on the wings, try raising them up a bit

Ah yes.

Our SketchUp tool lets you create text with colors and formatting, and save in on a SketchUp image for placement in a drawing.

I mention this for any other users who may be reading this thread, rather than the power users, because once you learn how to do this quickly with paintshop, and import, you don't need a special SketchUp tool. However, new users sometimes appreciate a "dont have to leave SketchUp" tool.

I guess one other advantage of the RpTools tool is that you can right click on the sign in SketchUp, reload and edit the text, and update the sign. (We save the .RTF format for the text on the SketchUp entity.)

At any rate, I hope you don't mind if we "borrow" your idea, and add an arrow option to our Sign tool to make pointers...

PSP ?

Are arrow labels a SKP feature, or do you just make them?

The RpTools "text / sign" feature is similar - it takes RTF text and places it as an image or on a sign component, but the arrow idea is a good one.

Yes - we are not able to place text or dimensioning.

For just a little labeling, you could place 3D text in the SketchUp model.

You could also place 3D text in the model like (#1) and have #1 refer to notes in the body of the PDF document.

Thanks for the try Todd, but I found it in our scripts which add edges to renderings and 3D PDFs

This is the color I was looking for - in the Styles menu.

It is stored in rendering_options["Foreground_Color"]

Is there a way, in Ruby, to get or set the edge color?

And/or is there a way to get the raster image for the sketchy edge style?

Thanks a lot Jim,

I still don't see it in the Ruby documentation.

I didn't think to simply print out all of the rendering and shadow options to see what is not documented.

For the record here are the shadow info and rendering options - undocumented in bold

Shadow Info:

City
Country
Dark
DayOfYear
DaylightSavings
DisplayNorth
DisplayOnAllFaces
DisplayOnGroundPlane
DisplayShadows
EdgesCastShadows
Latitude
Light
Longitude
NorthAngle
ShadowTime
ShadowTime_time_t
SunDirection
SunRise
SunRise_time_t
SunSet
SunSet_time_t
TZOffset
UseSunForAllShading

Rendering Options

BackgroundColor
BandColor
ConstructionColor
DepthQueWidth
DisplayColorByLayer
DisplayFog
DisplayInstanceAxes
DisplayWatermarks
DrawDepthQue
DrawGround
DrawHidden
DrawHorizon
DrawLineEnds
DrawProfilesOnly
DrawSilhouettes
DrawUnderground
EdgeColorMode
EdgeDisplayMode
EdgeType
ExtendLines
FaceBackColor
FaceColorMode
FaceFrontColor
FogColor
FogEndDist
FogStartDist
FogUseBkColor
ForegroundColor
GroundColor
GroundTransparency
HideConstructionGeometry
HighlightColor
HorizonColor
InactiveHidden
InstanceHidden
JitterEdges
LineEndWidth
LineExtension
LockedColor
MaterialTransparency
ModelTransparency
RenderMode
SectionActiveColor
SectionCutWidth
SectionDefaultCutColor
SectionInactiveColor
ShowViewName
SilhouetteWidth
SkyColor
Texture
TransparencySort

Does anyong know how to set "use sub for shading" from ruby?

I worked for hours last night to get this one right.
(For instance: How do you make an apple look realistic?)
(Oops! - I just saw a commercial on TV with apples - they are much more reflective )

As a programmer and not a graphics designer I really didn't know what "Caustics" meant until yesterday.

We have a separate project to automatically create dual-poly components.

It takes an existing component, places all of the existing geometry in the high-poly layer, then creates a new "always face camera", lo-poly layer and places the thumbnail of the component into it. Then the user can model with the, admittedly crude", lo-poly version and turn on high-poly when ready to render. (This was the project which started the thread about putting the existing geometry in a component into a group, and then adding new geometry as well)

We are writing this to support "instancing" in our rendering program. This will render with the hi-poly layer without ever having to turn it on inside SketchUp.

This routine, or something similar to it, may make your job easier.

Here is a sample page with an embedded 3D PDF.

You just drag the mouse across the embedded image to watch it spin.

Page not found – Render Plus Software

(www.renderplus.com)

I appreciate your trying to help, Susan, but I put this query in the ruby forum because I was soliciting help from other ruby programmers on how best to do this task.

It is easy in SketchUp itself, as you point out, although probably even easier than you suggest because you can probably:

1. Open the component for edit
2. Select all the geometry in the component
3. Right click and select Make group

and you have the group.

My problem is that this is much more difficult in Ruby, unless there is a ruby command for #1 and #3 (there is a one line command for #2)

Again, though, thanks for offering your help.

This .SKP contains 256 instances of a single dual-res plant. Download it and try it out. Switch display modes by turning of the LO-RES layer and turning on the HI-RES layer.
(I meant to call these LO-POLY and HI-POLY)

In LO-POLY mode, it is usable - it takes about a second to redraw the screen, and the Orbit tool is usable.

In HI-POLY mode, it almost brings the machine to a halt - it takes about 20 seconds to re-render the screen. However, the user only needs to switch to HI-POLY mode just before saving a rendering.

We could create a function to switch to HI-POLY MODE, export the 2D image - and switch back to LO-POLY mode so the user would not need to try to do much in HI-POLY mode.

Note the shadows appear in HI-POLY mode.

Model with 256 dual-res plants

Our initial tests show that the geometry in the HI-POLY layer, which is turned off, does not slow SketchUp down at all until you turn the HI-POLY layer on.

I'll create a sample for you of the Monkey Puzzle plant so you can try it out.