Hi,

I'm the developer for PieceTracer. It's designed for this sort of thing so I recommend that you try it out. You can download a free trial here: http://piecetracer.com/download. Check out the demo videos for instructions.

As for filling in the pieces at the edges, that's functionality I am considering for the next version of PieceTracer, as described here: http://piecetracer.com/fillandshear. Your comments on that functionality would be much appreciated.

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Your input is much appreciated!

Thanks, mitcorb. It would have logic to ensure that sheared pieces of the same shape are instances of the same component definition. Assuming there is a regularity to the pattern (which there normally is), the tool would create only a few new component definitions in each operation. Creating many copies of the same component definition has a limited effect on file size: a file with 1500 shingles (of 4 shapes and sizes) and 2900 bricks (of 3 shapes and sizes) is under 600 KB, for example.

I have an idea for a new PieceTracer tool that would make it much easier to fill surfaces with pieces: Fill-and-Shear. I wanted to see what people thought of it. Is this something you might use?

First you place a piece on a surface, and click on it with the tool. That creates a copy of the piece, which you position into place before clicking again.

Now a second copy of the piece is created, and you position it into place before clicking a third time.

The location of the two copies determines the horizontal and vertical spacing between the pieces (in this case there is no spacing), the horizontal axis, and the transverse motion of the pieces as they move in the vertical axis.

The result is shown here: the entire face is instantly filled with the pieces. Pieces are sheared off at the edges to ensure that the entire surface is filled.

As usual with PieceTracer, the pieces carve into the surface, so you can immediately start working on the next surface down.

PieceTracer is excited to announce the release of v1.0, now available for just $20 USD. Download a 30-day trial here: http://www.piecetracer.com/download.

We have resolved the issue of the "no such file to load" error message. If you have already downloaded PieceTracer and experienced this problem please go here http://piecetracer.com/extend and enter your passcode to download the latest version. Or just re-enter your information in the download page: http://piecetracer.com/download.

I checked with my users and fixing #2 above fixed the problem. schorradt, just create a .rb file in your subdirectory with one line: "Sketchup::require " and then the name of your scrambled file. Then load that .rb file out of your loader file using SketchupExtension. That will fix the loading problem for your users who have it.

@bdbox said:

@thomthom said:

Henry:
mx_hiddenmanager = SketchupExtension.new "Hidden Manager", File.join ("mx_hidemanager","mx_hidemanager.rbs")

This can confuse Ruby - you have space after the method name and the brackets. ( File.join ) On top of that you have that as one of the argument of another method call ( SketchupExtension.new ) where you don't use brackets.

To avoid potential errors, always use brackets. But most important of all, never leave a space between the method name and the brackets.

It's a bit odd that a SU7 user should report this error, because SU8's ruby is more strict. Regardless, this should work:
mx_hiddenmanager = SketchupExtension.new( "Hidden Manager", File.join("mx_hidemanager","mx_hidemanager.rbs") )

i got this error:

No such file to load -- mx_hidemanager/mx_hidemanager.rbsError Loading File mx_hidemanager_loader.rb
No such file to load -- mx_hidemanager/mx_hidemanager.rbs

Some of my users of the PieceTracer tool have reported the same mysterious "No such file to load" error, as you can see here:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=34492

A couple of similarities between Hidden Manager and PieceTracer:

1. Both have an underscore in both the directory name and the file name, as most plugins do not.
2. Both load the scrambled ruby file directly out of the loader file instead of using a second unscrambled file inside the sub-directory that loads the scrambled file using a 'require' statement or similar, as many plugins do.

Could these similarities point to a solution to the problem? Could be worth creating a test version with these things fixed to see if that solves the loading problem for those users who have it.

Hi Ken,

Would it be possible for you to submit your phone # and some good times to call at http://piecetracer.com/contact and we will call you as soon as possible to try to resolve?

Announcing the PieceTracer tools for Google SketchUp
Download the beta and watch the full demo at http://www.piecetracer.com?tp=10

Please provide feedback on this forum!

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