I just realized that I would have to "Purge Unused" from the model as well to get rid of all the components...

I would assume that is easy to access via ruby as well....

That would be nice if you could do that....

However, simply exploding everything in the model should cause the DC's to lose all their attributes anyway...

As long as I can get rid of the hidden geometry, which shows itself when exploded, I would be good...

Removing the hidden ones just inside the DC's would be nice if the script could be that smart... Not necessary though... It could just delete all hidden geometry in the model...

Do you think there is a way to make a plugin that would strip DC's of all their "smartness"?

You've pretty much got it!

My hope is, after all the hidden geometry is deleted, that the DC's don't get whacky before they are exploded...

Wow! I was just looking to see if that was even possible, I didn't mean for you guys to go and do half the work for me! I really appreciate it though!!

Here is what I am trying to accomplish:

I have some custom DC's that I use to make models with... I want to be able to send these models out, but I don't want the people I am sending them to to have the DC's.........

I am basically trying to see if its possible to write a script that will delete all hidden geometry in the model (As there a lot of options in my DC's that hide, and unhide things) AND I would like the script to explode the entire model down to raw geometry (this part I already know is possible)

I would obviously do a SAVE AS right before I did this, so I could edit my original model... Perhaps Ruby could save the file for me.... (FILENAME_EXPLODED.SKP)

Being a bit of a rookie at Ruby, does anyone out there know if its possible to write a script that would select, and delete all hidden geometry from a model?

This sounds like a job for the ruby scripters! I would love to see something like this... I would be able to use this all the time. I just wish I had the time to learn ruby!

I am currently grappling with a DC challenge and I was wondering if anyone out there could give me a hand....

I am trying to have an attribute of a component behave differently in different instances.

Basically, I need an IF statement that can test for more then one thing.

I am trying to get an objects height to change size based on three different scenarios. IF its THIS height, do this, IF its this other height, do this, and if its a totally different height from the first two, do this.

Does that make sense? If so, how do I do it?

I posted this on another forum, but I thought I'd check here as well...

Partially correct, if you have a dimension in the scrapbook, you can sample off of it, and the dimension that you paste to will inherit the properties of the sampled dimensions. It will not inherit its "PaperSpaceNess" though. It will still be an "auto" dimension, if that makes any sense......

As I said in another thread, I have layers for everything, title block, notes, dimensions, model, etc.

The first thing I do when I send something to LayOut is setup the model view I want, and then lock that layer.

While turning the Auto Scale setting off will work, I don't think that is a good habit to get into....

When you hook those dimensions on Sketchup's geometry, (those little dots that you see when you double click on the dimension) That means that LayOut actually measures Sketchup's geometry.

If you pan, orbit, re-scale, or move your model in Layout, those dimensions will stay "hooked" (You might need to move where the numbers are, but they will stay hooked) Leaving those dimensions hooked to the sketchup model ensures that they will always be measuring the model.

Now, for you, you may not care that you unhook them and lose some functionality, but in the future, if they add automatically updating dimensions to LayOut (which we already have in Sketchup) you will have spent all that time learning what will now be a poor way to dimension.

I have a scrapbook I created for all different kinds of situations I run unto with dimension line extensions. When I run into that situation, I simply sample the dimension, and fill it on to my drawing. It takes seconds, and all my dimensions are hooked onto what they should be.

That is strange that you guys are reporting this.... I can snap to section cuts just fine...

The order of the layers is important, as bjanzen said. Typically I like to have a title block layer, a notes layer, a dimensions layer, and a model layer. One of the first things I do when I start a drawing in LayOut is to set the model up the way that I want the view, and then lock that layer. If I don't do that, I have found that I have accidentally slid the model around and messed everything up!

I think if you can make it so that it can report on the DC attributes, that would be huge. As DC's get used more and more, there are is going to be a lot of data that you can pull from them.

Sketchup's built in reporting function can pull all the data, but unless you are an excel whiz, its hard to make sense of it all....

Hey folks, I do a lot of kitchen design, and now that I can dimension in LayOut, it is really making my workflow so much better, as I don't need to use another CAD program to get dimensions, or do flips and twists to get the dimensions show properly in Sketchup.

I posted about it on my blog:

http://sketchuptraining.blogspot.com/2009/10/layout-21-not-one-way-street.html

If you go on there, you can see the document embedded on the page.

Is anyone else out there using LayOut for a similar thing? Perhaps in woodworking...

Al, I haven't tried this out yet, but is it able to report on attributes that are created from DC's?

That is a nice way to "Diagnose" layering issues...

I do a lot with layers, using them to show different options in my designs... Sometimes when you can't figure out what layer an object is on, making it yellow, or red can help you find it...

You could also use the freehand tool, depending on how complicated your picture is...

Don't forget dimensioning in LayOut! This is a HUGE feature for those of us that make construction drawings...

They really did a nice job with the dimension tool...

Me? I use it for kitchen design, and these days, I try to use it as little as possible....