Dave R

Your workflow solution will work just fine i guess...

In the meantime I have been thinking about this and figure that there could still be use for a 'paste on layer' in much the same way that components are dropped on the 'current layer' when bringing them in from the component console...
That way we would get an object instance and layer change in one easy step. Could be good for bringing in CAD reference info into a model which is often multilayered....

Thanks for sharing the knowledge

Dave

Hi Didier

Thanks for the response... let me attempt to explain further...

I have a scene (1) in which i have placed some grouped text entities (textA) in a specific position relative to a model and on layerA. In a subsequent scene (2), i need to have the same number of text entities in the same positions but with different text values (textB).

A simple set up to achieve this would be:

Scene 1
LayerA (containing textA) - on
LayerB (containing textB) - off

Scene 2
LayerA (containing textA) - off
LayerB (containing textB) - on

The problem arises in creating this scene / layer permutation...
textB references textA's position so if you copy textA from scene1 and paste in place in scene 2, layerA has been switched off and once a copy of textA has been dropped, the bounding box (with no contained items visible) appears but disappears the second you try and change its layer to layerB

If one goes back to scene1 where layerA is visible, you now have to the copied instance of textA on top of the original making selection a bit irritating...

As mentioned my current work around is to paste in place into a new file, change layers using the 'put on layer tool' and then copy and paste in place back into scene 2

I appreciate that a two scene scenario might not present the degree of frustration in doing this but in a multi scene file with scene specific text all over the model, it would help if one could choose a destination layer before the paste event rather than after.

I also thought it would be nice if this could be done in the same instance of sketchup... hence a simple paste on layer option would do the trick...

Does that provide any more clarity?
Thanks for your help.

Dave

Hi there.

I require a function 'paste on layer' which would help in transferring objects from one scene to another in which the original layer of the copied objects has been hidden.

I'm imagining that it would work similar to the 'put on layer' script and allow one to choose a destination layer for the paste function.

At the moment, if i copy the objects and switch scenes, on pasting they are hidden by default and once dropped, dissappear and can't be edited / accessed. Obviously i can turn on the layer in question temporarily but then the copy gets pasted on top of the orignal and makes selecting it for editing difficult.

Currently the only workaround i have is to copy...open a new file... paste in place.... change layers and copy back to the original file...

If theres a plugin out there that already does this please point me to it... altenatively if someone might be able to offer a script for this that could be shortcutted for keyboard use, that would be great.

All help is most appreciated.

Cheers
Dave

Thanks for that dedmin...

I was going to ask for it to be isolated i.e not in a group of other tools but i see from tom's explanation that his toolbar can be customized, so this looks like the perfect thing!

Thanks

D

To all the script writing geniuses amoung us...

Could somone please write a script in which it might be possible to run the 'select component instances' process from the right mouse context menu or else allow one to create a keyboard short cut to do this...

At the moment, in a large model with loads of custom made and standard components, i'm finding it a bit time consuming to open up the component menu, trawl through my components 'in model' and do it from there...

If it could be put into the standard right mouse context menu, it would be great to have it near the existing component related items i.e. edit component, make unique, explode etc etc. I'm thinking one could simply choose a reference component and run the tool / shortcut to choose all other instances...

Judging by the other fantastic and mathmatically complex scripts out there, this one shouldn't be too difficult...
Alternatively, if anyone knows of an existing plugin that offers this function, please point me to it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dave

FYI for anyone who's following this feed and in particular Dave R, Chris has cracked it and written a script... It can be found on smustard http://www.smustard.com/script/RepeatCopy for a mere $6

There is a video explaining 'how to use' but i would just like to add, having given it a try that the insertion point can be customized by changing the component axes in the sample set of components before running the tool.

That way you can place the components by any reference point you wish.
This should keep you happy Dave R...

Thanks Chris for all the effort.

Later
Dave

hetauma... its intersting that you mention that a copy paste operation seemed to sort out the problem... I have experienced a similar 'roughening effect' of a smoothed mesh with vray bitmap texture assigned to it using the copy paste (to a different sketchup file) function before.

Would i be right in guessing that the surface which has tbe grass texture applied to it was in fact copied into the file from which you attempted to render the final image?... Are you still by any chance using vray 1.05.30?...If so, then this might point to a known bug in which texture info does not transfer across sketchup files too well... in my case for all intensive purposes the vray material properties and soften edge settigns were the same but one rendered smooth and the other rough...

I hear this has been sorted out in the new version... let hope you are not using the new version when this is occuring...

Dave

I think he is refering to the fact that the copy (ctrl C) paste (ctrl v) route will always place the new copy by the bottom LH corner of the bounding box (as you have stated too) whereas picking a component from the component window will drop it relative to the component axis... the same is true for the move(copy) tool... you can drag one copy of a component or object from a desired reference point but not for more than one instance.

A scenario where this might be useful is say placing a series of circular columns (objects / components) by the centre of their bottom face... your method would default to the bottom LH corner of the bounding box and thus not allow successive placements by the centre...

hmmmm....

Thanks for this suggestion... this would appear to work... if you can live with the insertion point issue as you and thomthom have both mentioned...
although now with one hand glued to the keyboard and the other the mouse, i've lost my hand for drinking coffee / beer whilst performing monotonous tasks on my model...

There could still be scope for a plugin to lock the move(copy) command, that way you could specify the relevant reference point on the first copy and then continue to create copies from then on with placement at the same point. Currently this only works for one step...

Cheers
Dave

Thanks for your input, chrisjk, however this would involve numerous repetitive keyboard actions together with mouse placement... and say 50 mouse clicks with a 'locked' (move)copy would be a lot less hassle and a lot quicker...

Dave

Hi there...

Does anyone know of a plugin or way in which to lock the 'placement action' of a component or else lock the (move)copy tool so that one can place a number of the same component at once at various specific defined / undefined points in a model. I currently have to keep returning to the component window to reselect a component so that it sticks to my cursor for subsequent placement at positions which I determine at will. If you have to do this too many times it can be a bit frustrating.

I am using the component spray plugin for multiple placements on surfaces etc but at times this can be a bit too random for my liking and particularly with people, you get a few undesrable results (side on people walking into walls etc)

In fact the (move)copy, push pull and rotate(copy) tools could all do with the ability to be 'locked' in order to allow continued use of them without having to return to the toolbars or repeat key strokes.

Any workflow ideas, solutions or script would be most helpful...

Thanks

Dave

Hi peweuk

Not that i'm an expert at all on the scripting side but i have managed to solve your problem by creating a new 'blank container' component and then inserting the dynamic component into this component... in effect a nested dynamic component. From my experimenting, when one changes the dynamic component's colour options, all the instances of the dynamic component will change colour accordingly. Further still you can use the 'make unique' command on the 'blank container' component to isolate a number of those copies at a later stage if you would like to have two or more instances of colour.

I appreciate that this is easy if starting from scratch, but i guess you could manage to apply this to your existing model by replacing said dynamic components with a separately and newly created single instance of the container component, created as described above in a new file, and then use the 'reload' component command to bring the option of global colour change into your existing model.

I've attached a file to this post in which i was messing around with your request on a DC from the 3d warehouse with the built in option of colour change and it seems to work! Please note that i have two sets of the same DC in operation to demonstrate that you can have two colour options ('semi-global') at the same time.

So if a good samaritan doesn't answer your call to write a script you can always try this way!

Hope this helps...

Cheers
Dave

DC test.skp

fbo_bern, i'm assuming you're refering to a batch render process. This is what I have to offer on the subject...

Step 1

Window > model info > animation.

1.1. Enable scene transitions
1.2. Set scene transition to 1 second
1.3. Set scene delay to 0 seconds

Step 2

VRay for sketchup render options > Output

2.1 Pick preset or specify output size
2.2 Under the Render Output sub option, enable 'save file' and specify output directory and file type. (VRay can not render out a move file but rather a series of stills which can be combined into an animation in video software if required)
2.3 Under the Animation sub option tick the 'on' box and choose a 'Custom' frame rate specifying the FPS value as 1. This will effectively render out 1 frame per second which when combined with the sketchup settings from Step 1 above will produce 1 frame (still image) per sketchup scene

Hey presto! Batch rendering achieved.

The VRay specific switches could be saved as a visopt file for future quick call up...

Please note: This process has its limits as I have found out through trial and error that any layer visibility or object visibility switches set to occur between sketchup scenes are not effected when VRay works through the scene list whilst changes in sun settings are. This is important to remember if you plan to push a button and automate things overnight as you may come back next morning and be dissappointed.

Further still it seems that the active sketchup scene selected when starting the vray batch render process will set the precedent for the subsequent scenes rendered in terms of layer and object visibility. What this means is that if you start on a scene where an object/layer is hidden, in all subsequent scenes this object/layer will be hidden too and visca versa, despite the sketchup scene settings and switches being correct.

I suspect this is a VRay issue and hopefully is something that will be resolved in the pending new release!

If you don't have any tricky layer/object visibility changes between scenes then this works a treat!

Hope this helps.