Posts made by chrisglasier

Under Ruby Forum topic "Select all delete"

@chrisglasier said:

But I would like to explain that what I am making (I call namesets) is more about collecting names and providing devices for manipulating them into models, schedules, messages and so on rather than linking models back to enterprise resource planning. I see namesets as one method for communities like this one to develop an object oriented way of working, from which society can further develop new commercial activities. This is similar to Google providing a free version of SketchUp, presumably with the idea of selling more Pro versions and to Smustard specialising in writing Ruby scripts some of which they sell.

Names of objects generally mean products; products need advertising; manufacturers could produce advertising suitable for reuse in their customers' work. Models are attractors; the higher quality of the model with the lowest weight the better; this could mean more Pro versions, more scripts, a new profession of nameset makers, animations in addition to bar charts ... what do you think?

@morisdov said:

I agree with your thinking.

if you expect financial rewards from the add-on's you develop for sketchup, you must touch base with furniture (and related) manufacturers as soon as possible, much before you are finished with your development.

for my projects sketchup is just a half way tool to google earth as the end platform.
I just automate 3D models manipulation and place em on google earth.
I have only modest familiarity with the main base of sketchup "manual" users.
Corporations controlling their assets in 3D in real time are motivated by a different logic.

Update us on your progress in a new forum thread hopefully soon.

So I start a new thread here, not so much to report progress but hopefully to start a discussion on what I believe is a new way of working for society generally - an alternative to paperwork influenced office suites and CAD, if you like.

I too see sketchup as a half way tool but I suspect not quite in the same way as you.

At the lowest level the names in namesets represent just the existence of something (devoid of any properties.) For example, you can book a restaurant table without knowing it has four legs. But the same table's manufacturer would need to know that and a nameset identifying each leg and other components would be useful to him - he could attach shape, dimensions and materials to each name's record. If truly object oriented the instructions to generate a sketchup model and to make the real thing are the same.

So names can stand alone or link to collections of related local or remote namesets. They can, over time and if useful, grow into interlinked networks of names and addresses, like a giant postal system that could generate views in Google Earth, Sketchup or (in the future perhaps) NanoLab. Each name exists to give to or receive data from anyone who has a legitimate interest in what it represents.

A sketchup model of a bathroom seems a good place to start to experiment, with the idea of convincing a local property developer to try out a new business plan - a registry that buys in namesets and devices, provides facilities for design, purchasing, planning, construction and QAQC departments, and charges manufacturers for models and advertising. An equity in such a business would be nice.

I have discovered other endeavours that involve Sketchup and Google Earth - for example, see http://onuma.com/forum/list.php?3 - but I feel these efforts are too introverted. Onuma's BIMStorms are certainly well intentioned and quite exciting, but I think there is great danger that, like a firework display, they will end up as just memories.

Hope this is not too heavy!

Che

@morisdov said:

I am also linking 3D models to a backoffice ERP system.

Thanks, morisdov, for the XML+webdialog reporter ruby ... haven't quite figured out the whys and wherefores yet; I think at my early stage the webdialog editor version might be too advanced.

But I would like to explain that what I am making (I call namesets) is more about collecting names and providing devices for manipulating them into models, schedules, messages and so on rather than linking models back to enterprise resource planning. I see namesets as one method for communities like this one to develop an object oriented way of working, from which society can further develop new commercial activities. This is similar to Google providing a free version of SketchUp, presumably with the idea of selling more Pro versions and to Smustard specialising in writing Ruby scripts some of which they sell.

Names of objects generally mean products; products need advertising; manufacturers could produce advertising suitable for reuse in their customers' work. Models are attractors; the higher quality of the model with the lowest weight the better; this could mean more Pro versions, more scripts, a new profession of nameset makers, animations in addition to bar charts ... what do you think?

Chris

As I wrote somewhere else in the forum, I am at GMT + 8 so I would like to look at your stuff tomorrow.

Right now I am pretty exhausted after trillions of selectAll deletes!

Chris

Thanks Jim. It also works of course and there is not so much typing!

Yes thanks it works just fine.

The reason is illustrated by the attached screen print. When the user selects a name in the webdialog a new model is generated from all the products that are related to that name. There can be many thousands of names as their cells are animated to reveal just those that needed for use with the devices in the top panel or for navigation.

The nameset html and javascripts are quite well advanced, but my Sketchup experiments have only just began ... hence the dumb questions.

Thanks again

Chris

---

Would anyone be kind enough to show me ruby code to clear the screen instead of the manual select all + delete? Thanks.

Chris

theX = Integer(a[3]).mm works.

I'm at GMT+8, so please accept delayed thank yous.

Chris

Yes that's very good (given the imp/metric debacle) but now I have a problem (because I'm new to this)adding .mm to the variable in the following code:

def self.start
@dlg = UI::WebDialog.new("Nameset")

  @dlg.set_size 300, 180

  @dlg.set_file File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), "openNames.html")
  
  @dlg.add_action_callback("find") {|d, p|
  a= p.split(",")
  subDir = a[0]+"/"+a[1]+"/"
  fileName = a[2]+".skp"
  theX = Integer(a[3])
  theY= 0
  theZ = 0
  
 point = Geom::Point3d.new theX,theY,theZ
 UI.messagebox(point)
  transform = Geom::Transformation.new point
  model = Sketchup.active_model
  entities = model.active_entities
  path = Sketchup.find_support_file fileName, subDir
  definitions = model.definitions
  componentdefinition = definitions.load path
  instance = entities.add_instance componentdefinition, transform
  view = model.active_view
  newview = view.zoom_extents
  }
  @dlg.show {}

I tried theX = Integer(a[3])+".mm" but no good.

Would be most grateful for more sagacity!

Chris

point = Geom::Point3d.new 50,0,0
UI.messagebox(point)

The messagebox states (1270mm,0mm,0mm)

Window Entity, Model and Preferences are all metric.

Can anyone help please?

Chris

---

Integer(a[3] ...) works just fine. Many thanks!

I can pass the project, subDir and file variables from this Javascript array and function

//test components

SUData = new Array()
SUData.push(new Array("Sanitaryware","P_toilet",100,100,100))
SUData.push(new Array("Sanitaryware","Sink_Counter_Triple",200,200,200))
SUData.push(new Array("Sanitaryware","Bathtub_60x32",300,300,300))
SUData.push(new Array("Sanitaryware","Shower_4x6",400,400,400))

function setModel(){
project = "NamesetComponents"

for(a=0; a<SUData.length; a++){
SUData[a].splice(0,0,project)
para = SUData[a].join(",")
window.location = 'skp:find@'+para }
//startSetUp()
}

to this callback

@dlg.add_action_callback("find") {|d, p|
a= p.split(",")
subDir = a[0]+"/"+a[1]+"/"
fileName = a[2]+".skp"
theX = a[3]
theY= a[4]
theZ = a[5]

  point = Geom::Point3d.new(theX,theY,theZ)
  transform = Geom::Transformation.new point
  model = Sketchup.active_model
  entities = model.active_entities
  path = Sketchup.find_support_file fileName, subDir
  definitions = model.definitions
  componentdefinition = definitions.load path
  instance = entities.add_instance componentdefinition, transform
  }
  
  but I cannot get the X, Y, Zs to work. Without them the entities settle nicely at 0,0,0.
  
  I am very new at this, so if there's an obvious answer I apologise but would be grateful to have it. Thanks

Chris