Add update on the original problem with the speed import of Trusses into SU. I've done as TIG suggested making components of all pieces and plates that are the same even if there are in different trusses.
This has made a huge difference in speed as the number of groups has reduced. The import has gone from 55 secs to 4 secs.

Thanks for your help

I've tried these small changes but it still looks like the number of groups is causing the speed issue.
An example script with piece and plate groups defined take 55 sec to execute and 5 sec without these groups defined. This has the same number of faces etc just many more groups.

Thanks for your replies
Below is a example of one truss. This will run execute very quickly but I do have models with many trusses that take a while to execute.

I take your point about making the plates components as these are inventory type items but the truss beams/pieces are mostly unique with different lengths, cuts etc..

I did do a simple test with a script that just adds a few hundred empty groups. This also ran very slowly.

I've attached the script that creates this. Please excuse any bad coding practices this is my first attemp at SU and Ruby.

Thanks

Ruby script for Truss

Hi Everyone,

I'm Bill from the UK and new to Sketchup.

I'm currently a programmer for a truss rafter design program and started creating Ruby scripts from a .NET application that will create the truss geometry.It creates all the beams, nail plates etc that represent the truss in the model.

Currently the truss is added as a component definition containing beam and plate groups. So we have a separate group for each beam and plate in the truss. Typically there can be up to 20 unique beams and plates per truss component definition. With many trusses it will result in many groups perhaps hundreds.
The truss definitions may well be repeated as component instances in many locations throughout the model. With all these groups it has a dramatic effect on the execution on the script.

To increase the speed I have changed the script so that I don't create separate groups for all the beams and plates. This speeds up the import greatly and the result is the same visually but I now don't have the beams and plates as groups for BOM and solid information. Once loaded into SU the speed is fine.

As I am new to both SU and Ruby scripting is there anyway I can increase the speed of the script execution or is it just that I have so many groups defined. Any help greatly appreciated

Thanks very much.

Bill