Hi Thom

I've been using your plugin and am loving it...

One small thing I have noticed is that a 'blank background' behind a 'glass' material is still interpreted as a complete transparency in the png exported file and if you're trying to slide in a sky behind say a glazed building, this can look a bit unrealistic.

Would there be anyway to alter the plugin to recognize a transparent sketchup material and produce a semi transparent section over these areas in the resulting png much like the alpha maps generated by Vray that accompany jpg exports where black represents 100% transparent, white 100% opaque and shades of grey somewhere in between...? I'm not asking for a true alpha map file like Vray, merely that the coloured png export takes cogniscence of the transparent materials...

Thanks

Dave

Thanks Gaieus

Working just fine now...
Even Medium seems to do the trick...
Thanks

I have an issue with overlaping png images.

Basically these are trees mapped onto a surface with the intention of mutiple copies being used to create background vegetation behind a building...
The png's have got a 'crisp' alpha masks..

In some instances, when overlaping, they display correctly with no issues (attached image 01). From other angles, the overlap produces an additional transparent zone or 'halo' around the images which subsequently 'eclipses' the image behind it. (Images 02 & 03)

If the skp view is exported as an image, this 'glitch' is evident...

Interestingly, if one cycles through objects, selecting them one at the time, the display issue is temporarily resolved on the object directly behind that selected!.....???

Has anyone experienced this? Could it be a graphics card issue? Do you know a trick to correct it?

Thanks in advance...

Dave

Yup...

Maybe Magneto is in the area...

Hi Thom

I am getting a few weird results with the drop component option...
I thought I would try an test with a series of cars on a slope to simulate a parking lot scenrio.

??? There are some non conformers

Test file attached.

Cheers

Dave

DROP COMPONENTS.skp

Awesome....

Thanks!

Hi there...

Could one of you accomplished ruby scripters knock up a plugin which I call 'gravity' allowing a series of components laid out in plan to be dropped onto a surface such that they are auto moved so their component axes intersect with the surface.

The scenario I need this for is for say placing a series of trees on a site. I have the plan layout of such planting but am having to manually drag each one down into position...

I can see an application for something like this in other scenarios too...

If there is already soemthing like this out there then please point me to it... I am aware of Didier Bur's 'component spray' but this is only good for random arrangements and i need something for a more structured placement...

Thanks in advance...

Dave

Thanks for the info TIG

Unfortunately its not always possible to find an existing thread where someone is experiencing the same issue as you...

Either way I believe my test matrix has covered when this will cause an issue... and like i mentioned it would appear best to create components in a non-geolocated file... As I am in architecture and the geolocation controls the sun, this is not my default workspace... but I have now learned my lesson!

It would help if the developers would issue such a warning though and at least build in the option into the component settings which I understand from the thread you pointed to, was something that actually existed in v7.

I discovered this whilst trying to make a library of new people and almost blamed your image trimmer!

Cheers

Dave

COMPONENT TEST MATRIX

Further to my last message, I have drawn up a test matrix for the component bug...
I also attach my test components with geo location as follows:

No Geo location - N/A

Accurate geo location - choose Durban, South Africa (my local area) and grab whatever comes up (co ords should read: 29.85.7886S & 31.027581E)

Manual Geo location - set up Durban, South Africa 30.000000S & 30.000000E

I am very interested to know if any of you find the same.

I don't know what this means for those people who have created libraries of components for re-use from a accurately or manually geo located or file as it would seem that the safest bet is to do so from in a non geo located skp world!

IMO the developers should change things, so that there is at least a swith option in the component setting allowing the choice of geolocation or not rather than having the user remember to clear geolocation or use a non-geolocated template file when wanting to save out components for re-use as part of a library...

Dave

ACCURATE_GEO COMP.skp

MANUAL_GEO COMP.skp

NO_GEO COMP.skp

Okay I think I have discovered why this is happening...

I had a go at isolating the plugins folder as Dave R suggested (in our PM conversations) but did not have any luck... so its not a plugin conflict!

I then tried to think back to what I had changed in skp since it last worked okay and remebered me setting the Geo location (manually) in my template file so that I would not have to set up the sun / time zone etc on every project and EUREKA! that seems to be it....

Basically every component that has been made using the template file with Geo location set and then loaded from a library as described earlier gets auto dropped in miles from the default world origin...

The issue was repeated on my new desktop pc as well as i used the same template file!"

I have also done a component test matrix which I will post shortly....

I have a simple one...

Please allow the hidden edges to be given a thickness in the style settings as with the profile lines.
When exporting large images the thin default setting and small dash scale given to the hidden edges makes them almost invisible...

That's all for now...

The axis is 'local' both when you try and edit the component in another project or open the component file in isolation...

This is happening on two seperate machines with different OS's... hence me thinking its tied to the the sketchup version...

I'm stumped?

I am suddenly having issues with inserting newly saved components into a new file.
Basically the component is dropped automatically a long distance from the user origin and does not allow placement by the user as before...

My process in detail...

1. component made in sketchup (current version)
2. more instances of this component can be successfully placed in the current project by clicking on the component under the 'in model' section of the component window.
3. component is saved to a folder for future use (in another file) from the component window using the 'save as' function.
4. new file started.
5. component library containing new component loaded from the 'open location' command in component window.
   5)attempt made to place new component in current 'blank' project.
6. component automatically inserted a long way away from the world axis with the usually flickering occuring if an orbit is attempted. If this is done in a new blank project you are lucky to find the component as the window zooms to the extent of the component. If you try and insert into a exisiting model, the window zooms out to the extents of the existing model + component (inserted miles away) and its so far out that everything seems to 'disappear'...

Interestingly any component modelled in earlier versions of skp don't seem to do this and are inserted normally...

Can anyone shed light on this? Is this a version bug?
Please help asap as its driving me crazy...

Thanks in advance

Dave

Speaking of animated figures in sketchup, TIG has produced some interesting plugins along these lines which could be applied to a series of pics of a person walking / moving... at least in 2d...

See these threads:

Image animator
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=33310

GIF extractor
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=33359

It might be worth something to you guys wanting to develop this...

Cheers

Dave

TIG...

That's it... working just fine now... !
Incidently, my java settings were the same as yours so i don't think that is to blame. And...before I read your post, as a further test to using the main admin account, I created a new user (with administrator rights)and logged in and everything worked just fine.
So i'm guessing that somewhere in my normal account some access rights are messed up preventing the writing of temp files and it would just be a matter of finding out where to switch things... but i haven't got the time or patience for that.

If i follow your advice about setting the shortcut to run as an admistrator, things trim just fine... I had to reactivate my 1001bit tools but that was easy... so i think i'm just going to leave it running as such for now and one day if i ever to an OS reinstall I'll correct the problem properly.

unclebim, you may have success using the same 'patch'... at least it will be an end to your switching users...

Thanks again... have a good weekend

Dave

unclebim

You are indeed correct. This works fine from the master administrator account but for some reason, not from my account in which I am in fact specified as an administrator... ?
I am also listed as having full control of the SKMtools folder.

For some reason the 'full' rights are not being given to me.
There are a number of write ups about this on the net... I have followed a few tips on gain full ownership of the OS but no success as yet...

If anyone has any bright ideas on how to solve this please step up.... I am not sure that I would be able to live with having to switch users to have to use a plugin...

Dave

TIG

Forgive me but i am no expert in these matters.
I have checked and got the latest java and it is enabled so far as I can see.
As far as permissions are concerned, I have little experience in setting specific tags for particular apps but as i mentioned before, the other installed plugin in winxp worked straight out the 'box' and required no additional changes so i'm not sure where to even start switching things in the new windows 7 OS....

Is there anyone out there who has got this working on win7 pro 64bit and skp 8? Did you have to do anything fancy to get it to work?
Maybe they can help point me in the right direction.

Java is currently installed in the x86 directory so as far as i know this is the 32bit version... might it help to get the 64bit version?

Dave

Hi TIG

I have migrated my version of skp to a new pc running windows 7 (former pc running winxp) and my image trimmer is not working at all.

The tool does appear to start to run on an imported png file (as image) but won't progress to the first prompt to stand up the component etc. It simply stops and allows you to go back to using the skp tools.

Ruby console report is below:

Error: #<Errno::ENOENT: No such file or directory - C:\Users\Apache\Documents\TrimmedImages\Untitled-1[Edges].dat>
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:232:in readlines' C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:232:in make_edges'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:185:in process_image' C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:162:in initialize'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:759:in `new'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:759

This is a strange error about not being able to find a file...
This runs just fine on my laptop with xp using the same file so i'm guessing that this is operating system based?
Also when migrating the plugins, i did a simple copy and paste into the skp directory on the new machine... don'tknow if any files should be elsewhere given that you use a bit of java on this one.

Any help will be much appreciated....
Thanks

Dave

Okay... so by a process of elimination I am thinking that its file related.
Attached two pics: one from a 'problem' file... I then copied and pasted in place into a new skp file and imported the same view across and no clipping!

Incidently I have saved the problem file back to v7 and opened it up in my older version of skp and it still clips, further confirming that it is probably file related...

Now I just need to determine if its something I am doing as part of my workflow to cause the 'bug'.

Will keep trying to isolate the issue.

Standby...

Dave

Frederik

As i'm sure you know... setting the field of view closer to zero brings things closer to parallel so i guess that is why it works..... this doesn't help with my architectural modelling when perspective matters... field of view set from 30-60deg
I'm trying to isolate exactly when this happens as it seems to be related to components or groups somehow...

I will post a trouble file if i can get it to 'behave badly' in isolation...

In the meantime lets keep scratching our heads