I'll post a few of mine. Although they are nothing SPECTACULAR, they are the best I'VE ever made, and I'm hoping my skills will keep improving.

The first is what started off as just a single Pergola segment with a couple benches. But then I added curved corners and a flat roof in the middle and before you knew it I had turned it into a Gazebo as well. A Perzebo maybe?

Then on a whim I took away the central roof and attached all the pergola beams together to make a vine trellised peak in the middle. And added plants to the flower boxes.

The second is is a Gazebo I made to practice structure building. Then I added a swing to it.

@gaieus said:

Also, while the paint bucket tool is active, you do not really need to change to Orbit or pan tools but use the middle mouse button to change views and when you release it, the Paint tool will be "re-activated" without the Material browser popping up again.

I don't use a mouse, I'm using a laptop and the fingerpad.

@unknownuser said:

Thanks gr8fzy1, I tend to agree with you. I am the same...I like to leave the green stuff alone if it is possible...knocking it down and paving it over is not something I would do. My version would remain much like the first...more like this....

That....that is....just......droooooooooools

@dave r said:

No! Progressbar.rb should be in the Plugins directory.

I know, I already fixed that.

@tig said:

OK!! now we have these errors it's clear that you haven't installed the tool properly when they were extracted from the zipped set.
When you install it you need its main file clf_shape_bender_loader.rb file in the Plugins folder.
You also need a subfolder within Plugins named 'clf_shape_bender', containing these files: [attachment=1:gu9q4ffr]<!-- ia1 -->Capture.PNG<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment:gu9q4ffr] You will also need progressbar.rb in Plugins - that is available from http://www.Smustard.com

The first time I ran it, it SAID that I needed the progressbar.rb, so I already downloaded that and installed it.

Well, after a little trial and error with the shape bender subfolder (I had put the loader.rb in there as well, so the shape bender wouldn't load. ^////^) I tried it out and it WORKED!

[attachment=0:gu9q4ffr]<!-- ia0 -->Shape Bender 4.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:gu9q4ffr]

Thank you for the help everyone! And you too TIG, for the clues on PURGING. I had some files that were almost 6MB that purged down to only 900K.

@tig said:

You select the group/component.
Run the tool.
Select the Line.
Select the Curve.
Adjust the start/end if desired
Enter to get the bent clone.

What other scripts do you have loading?

Run it with the Ruby Console open and report any error messages you get.

That's just it. I can do the first to steps no problem. But then when I get to the part to select the line, it won't let me....I can click on that line forever, but nothing will happen. Also, I don't have that horizontal line under my mouse cursor like it shows in the videos.

What do you mean by having other scripts loading? I'm only using Shape bender at the time, no others.

I ran it with the ruby window open and I get this message:
Error: #<TypeError: can't convert nil into String>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:161:in create_cursor' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:161:in make_cursors'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:131:in activate' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:1017:in select_tool'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:1017
Error: #<TypeError: no implicit conversion from nil to integer>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:168:in set_cursor' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:168:in onSetCursor'
Error: #<TypeError: no implicit conversion from nil to integer>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:168:in set_cursor' C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:168:in onSetCursor'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:176:in `onMouseMove'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/clf_shape_bender.rb:168

When ever I click on the line or move the mouse, it keeps repeating errors 2 and 3 over and over again.

@chris fullmer said:

Also, is there any chance you changed the model's axis, or the axis of the template so that it always loads skewed?

Try right clicking on the axis and if there is an option to "Reset" then click, it and that will set your axis back to the world axis, and shape bender only works on the world axis.

When I learned that the items were supposed to be drawn on the red axis, I DID rotate the model and the curve, but I didn't alter the axis. To be sure that that wasn't the problem, I made a new model drawn completely on the red axis, curve and all. No rotation. It's still not working. And don't worry TIG, I purged this one...:pNew model arch, from the ground up. Same results.

Beautiful work. I've always been a big fan of stone houses, and this is no exception! Although I am also a lover of plantlife, so while the revised versions are better and better, I find myself missing the rugged look and feel of the first version, with all the native greenery.

@tig said:

The 'line' you are asked to pick initially needs to be parallel to the Red axis and it should not touch anything else. BUT YOU HAVE IT TOUCHING THE VERY OBJECT THAT YOU WANT TO BEND! It might 'work'... but it will/might give unpredictable results, with no preview before bending!
Your supplied SKP has two lines parallel to the Red axis; ONE of these touches nothing, so it will work! USE THAT.
The length of the 'line' and the 'arc', and the location of them relative to the object that's to be bent will affect the 'bending' - experiment with some different settings...
IT WORKS FOR ME.[attachment=1:gywgvp4p]<!-- ia1 -->Capture.PNG<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment:gywgvp4p]

See, THAT'S what I don't get. In I did it just like he did in the video. I drew the line right from one end of the component to the other: Just like he did on his demonstration ramp. But here you are telling me to use the dummy line I created?

I've tried doing it like you suggested. I select the component, click the shape bender Icon, and it asks me to "Please select a single line that lies on the Red Axis". But then it won't let me click on the separate line. And then when I try to select them like he did in the video (Select the line, Select the component, click Shape bender) I get this error message:

[attachment=0:gywgvp4p]<!-- ia0 -->Shape Bender 3.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:gywgvp4p]

Perhaps it is clashing with another plug in...should I provide a screen shot with my plugins list?

@tig said:

gr8fzy1
Incidentally, please 'purge' SKPs before attaching them.
Model Info > Statistics > Purge Unused... OR my Purge-Tool
The original in 2.55Mb but purged it's only 28kb !
You must have had some complex components and materials unused?
Here's what was not needed in the posted SKP:

C:/Users/TIG/Desktop/Shape Bender test-PurgeLog.txt

Purged Unused...

Components: 8
Component#3
Component#2
light-point-2
ivyleaf_3
ivyleaf_2
ivyleaf_1
Component#1
Susan

Layers: 0

Materials: 12
black
<Beige>1
Color_B24
<LightGray>
0135_DarkGray
96,96,96
jean blue
<Charcoal>
efeu1
Color_F12#1
Ivy2d#1
Ivy_stem

Styles: 0

#EOF

And as for purging my SKP, I have no idea where those textures and such came from! I didn't import any components or even USE the bucket tool. Just rectangle, pencil, arch and push/pull! SKP is now purged.

How do you get that purge log?

@tig said:

The 'line' you are asked to pick initially needs to be parallel to the Red axis and it cannot touch anything else.
Your supplied SKP only has two lines parallel to the Red axis; BUT both of these touch a line drawn on the Green axis, so they won't work!
Erase the connected line and then the Lines parallel to the Red axis will be available and the tool should work.
Note that the length of the 'line' and the 'arc', and the location of them relative to the object that's to be bent will affect the 'bending' - experiment with some different settings...

Can you explain this a little bit more clearly, because I'm having the same problem as saj33.

I have the component all set, so I draw a line on the red axis. I then select the component and it asks me to select the line. But no matter how many times I click on it, it won't let me select the line.

This is the test file I made to test the plug in.

Thank you Rich, I've downloaded both and will be trying them out when I have a few minutes.

This is probably a dumb question, but can Sketchup 8 Pro IMPORT .obj files or only export them?

I get extremely annoyed by the Materials window constantly opening every time I select the bucket tool. I have already chosen the material I want to use, so I double click the window to collapse it and move it out of the way. When I've finished paint all the parts currently in my view with the selected material, I rotate the camera to a new spot, switch back to the bucket, and BOOM! It un-collapses and gets in my way...again...

Grrrrr....

How do you access it when offline? I have it supposedly installed but can't find where I have to go to start it up.

I had an older version that was working for me in SketchUp 7, can't remember what version it was, but I recently downloaded the newest version for my SketchUp 8 Pro (fur_en_15, I think it was called) and it's not functioning right. I get green dots instead of grass or fur. I'll post some screenshots for you.

Older fur maker in SKUP 7:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f42/gr8fzy1/FurInSKUP7.png

Fur_en_15 in SKUP 8 Pro:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f42/gr8fzy1/FurProblemsSKUP8.png

In the meantime, I've copy/pasted the older furmaker into SKUP 8 and THAT is working, it's just growing the grass upside down.