Thanks for this, driven! You're a wizard!

Normally I'd agree that modding code myself IS the best way. However at the moment I'm recuperating from chemotherapy, which makes me pretty seriously brain-fogged. Consequently, many tasks that would normally be easy are difficult to impossible. I'd love to have your Cut List functionality, but realistically I probably won't be clear-headed enough to mod the code for a month or more. I'd sure appreciate it if you'd help me out by sharing your version -- PM me if you prefer to do it privately.

Any ideas on the alphabetization issue, anyone? Yes, I can cut-and-paste into TextWrangler and have it alphabetize the lines. But it would be easier to just have Cut List do the right thing if there's a simple fix.

Thank you, driven. Where can I find these window size/position tweaks?

I have attached my example file.

To generate the cut list shown, my Part Words field reads: gridbeam washer nut bolt panel

Where I wrote "There are no leading spaces on any of the list items" I meant the component descriptions, which Cut List 4 uses as part names.

Cut List 4 also alphabetizes parts lists incorrectly if the numbers are later in the file name. I have another test project where the parts list Cut List generates reads:

Part # Quantity Description
P-001   2   grid-beam-5ft
P-002   2   grid-beam-3ft
P-003   4   grid-beam-4ft
P-004   4   grid-beam-2ft
P-005   2   grid-beam-1ft
P-006   2   grid-beam-2in
P-007   1   2x4 panel, 2 notches long face
P-008   1   2x4 panel, 4 corners notched
P-009   1   1x4 panel, 2 notches long side
P-010   1   4x4 panel, thickness 1/8"

Here is the file for my first parts list:

Example project for cut list in my first post.

I'm using CutList 4.1.1 on a Mac, and having some issues with it.

1. Every time I open Cutlist, its window size is tiny (about 2" square) and I must resize it to see anything. Same with its output windows. That's a consistent time-waster. Is there a way to get Cutlist to remember window sizes?

2. Although the documentation says parts get listed in alphabetical order, here's what I actually get when I test it on a project. Notice that the items whose description begins with a number are consistently out of sequence:

Part # Quantity Description
P-001     2     3 foot x 1.5" aluminum gridbeam
P-002     2     5 foot x 1.5" aluminum gridbeam
P-003    4     2 foot x 1.5" aluminum gridbeam
P-004    3     1 foot x 1.5" aluminum gridbeam
P-005    3     3" x 1.5" aluminum gridbeam
P-006     1     panel 4x4 feet, thickness 1/8"
P-007     1     panel 2x4 feet, 2 notches long face
P-008     1     panel 2x4 feet, 4 corners notched
P-009     1     panel 1x4 feet, 2 notches long side
P-010     4     4 foot x 1.5" aluminum gridbeam
P-011     30     5/16 x 3.5" hex bolt, hex nut, and 2 washers

There are no leading spaces on any of the list items. Any idea what's going on or how to fix it?

Thanks,
Joy

Thank you so much TIG and Jim for explaining this. SketchUp's habit of making unique instances of identical components (but not ALL the time) was SO frustrating.

A big part of what I'm doing is using models to generate parts lists for projects. Since the otherwise-identical components "bolt", "bolt#1", and "bolt#2" list separately in my cutlist plugin, unwanted unique instances were causing me some real problems.

It seems to me that SketchUp's default behavior should be to make each instance of a component identical, so they can all be counted/edited as one. Make a component instance unique only if the user changes something about it. I'd at least like a setting for this, so I can force SketchUp to NOT make unique instances without the Move + x1 workaround.

I am using a dynamic component at various modular lengths (1 foot, 2 feet, 2.5 feet, etc.) to build projects. For each project, I want to generate a parts list, using a plugin such as Cut List. (I'm on a Mac, so I can only run some cut list plugins.)

What is best practice for naming components of the same material at various lengths to make a parts list that is easy to read and minimizes errors?

Thanks,
Joy

@jim said:

@gridbeam solutions said:

How do dynamic components work with parts list generators?

Several reporting scripts already exist, and it would be fairly trivial to write a script customized to your Components.

Thanks! I installed Cut List, tested it, and it did exactly what I wanted.

And thanks to the tips you gave Dave R, I now know how to get SketchUp to list only the parts I want counted.

@jim said:

@gridbeam solutions said:

is there a way to make the component so users can specify the length in feet an inches?

Yes, but it becomes more difficult if there need to be partial units. For example, using the 1.5" base unit, would the DC need to work for a length of 5"? If so, then a fractional-unit component would need to be introduced.

Gridbeam doesn't need partial units. The beam lengths are always multiples of the beam width -- usually, but not always, even multiples.

Thus for 1.5" beam, lengths might be 1.5", 3", 4.5", 6", 4.5 feet, 8 feet, etc. For a beam 2" wide, lengths are always multiples of 2".

Same for metric: If a beam is 40 mm wide, the beam lengths will be multiples of 40 mm -- again, usually even multiples.

Newbie here -- Bolt Builder is a GREAT concept, but I'm having some problems with it (SketchUp 8 free; Mac).

I did figure out that for US Standard bolts, I need to change the file's measurements to Fractional in order to input measurements in inches.

However, if I enter a material thickness of 3", BB lists the shaft length as 5.071" -- NOT the correct 3.5".

Also, if I enter a shaft diameter of, say, 5/16", BB converts that to 5" (!). Yes, 5 INCHES wide. If I enter the number as a decimal (e.g. .25" instead of 1/4"), BB acts correctly.

BB also specifies a very narrow washer, whereas my application requires wider washers. Yes I can go in and change the washers manually... but it would be nice to have the option to type in a value in BB and override the calculated default.

Hopefully I'll get to be enough of a SketchUp expert at some point to build on your excellent work and make dynamic component Bolt Builders for more types of hardware. Thanks for posting this!

Another newbie question: How do dynamic components work with parts list generators? I'd like to be able to generate a parts list for a project -- NOT a cutlist, as I want to list the component sizes -- something like this:

3 count 1.5-inch aluminum gridbeam 4 feet long
4 count 1.5-inch aluminum gridbeam 2.5 feet long
4 count 1.5-inch aluminum gridbeam 2 feet long

How might I do that using dynamic components? (I'm on a Mac, so not all parts list plugins work for me.)

@jim said:

@gridbeam solutions said:

I don't have SketchUp Pro; would someone be willing to make this from the sub-components in the attached file?

Here's the DC. I could not keep the quote marks in the Component names - I got an error when trying to edit Components that used them, so I had to remove them. Let me know if you'd like it modified in some way.

Thank you, Jim! This is GREAT! I just tried it out and it is SO EASY!

I have modified the component name to "1.5-inch aluminum gridbeam", as the beam width and hole spacing are important to users. (There are other sizes and materials of gridbeam.)

I notice that this component's "length" parameter operates in multiples of the base unit, rather than actual measurements. If I want to make a beam 1 foot long, I must specify a length of 8, rather than 12" or 1'. I don't know much about dynamic components -- is there a way to make the component so users can specify the length in feet an inches? Making the length specification more straightforward will make the component easier to build with, which will make it more accessible.

Again, thank you VERY much, Jim, for creating this gem!

Dave R: I did as you suggested. This version has 5-segment outer arcs, 3-segment inner arcs, and 16-segment holes, for a grand total of 446 faces. That reduced the file size from 176 to 104 KB for the 2-hole component (made of 2 instances of the 1-hole block, plus 1 each of 2 end caps).

The holes in the 1-hole block are 4 separate holes that I pushed through. Would using a hole component instead make a significant difference in file size?

Gaieus, the time savings of not having to manually punch 4800 holes to make this batch of punched tubes (not to mention 7200 holes in my next batch of tubes) makes the duplication-of-segments methods VERY much worth doing. So I'm VERY glad the guys suggested it.

Jim is right: a dynamic component for gridbeam sticks would be terrific! I don't have SketchUp Pro; would someone be willing to make this from the sub-components in the attached file?

The component, which is made from a duplicated tube body unit plus 2 end caps.

VERY helpful, TIG -- thank you!

Two more questions:

1. How does file size of a punched hole differ, if at all, from file size of a manually pushed hole? (As you know from Best practice for drilling multiple holes?, so you know I'm making components with zillions of holes in them, where small size differences add up.)

2. The default punched hole shows segments. How do I get it to show a smooth hole like SketchUp creates when I Push/Pull a circle?

Thanks so much -- Hole Punching Tool is a wonderful plugin, and the more I use it, the better I like it!

Joy

Thank you, thank you, Box and Dave R! That WORKED, and it's SO easy to build! A zillion times easier than making repeating holes, even with the nifty plugin Gaeius suggested.

Basically your idea is that I make all my components from the same repeating components: 1 tube unit, and 2 ends (one flipped 180 degrees so all sides of the object are "out"). I was wondering whether SketchUp could do something like this... I imagine that will keep file sizes small, even though rendering might take awhile with all those holes.

Here is a screen shot along with my first successful drilled beam model. What do you suggest to further reduce the file size? Bear in mind that a single gridbeam project might have 24 or more of these beams in various lengths, plus panels and hardware.

(FYI, the holes currently have 24 sides, the corner radii 12.)

Thanks,
Joy

My first gridbeam piece, made from 2 instances of the body component, and 2 separate end caps.

Cool tool -- thanks for creating and posting it, TIG! The more I experiment with it, the more impressed I become.

As a SketchUp newbie and a Mac user, I request that TIG please add the description of the correct Mac plugin folder location to the install instructions in the main post. I initially put my install in the wrong place. The menu items still showed, though I couldn't get them to work. (That may be because of my inexperience, rather than a limitation of the plugin.)

It took a bit of experimentation before I achieved components that punched through. I'm sure TIG's instructions are clear to people who know SketchUp better than I do. For the benefit of other newbies, here's how creating a punchable component seems to work in its simplest form:

1. Use any drawing tool(s) to create a surface (circle, rectangle, doodle...). You can do this on the object you wish to punch, or elsewhere.
2. Select the surface and delete it. This will leave you with a set of bounding lines.
3. Select the bounding lines. (On a Mac, use the Select tool and double-click one of the lines. Unless you deleted a line and created a gap, this will select them all.)
4. Select Make Component.
5. In the dialog box, change the "Glue to:" selection from None to another option.
6. Check the "Cut opening" checkbox.
7. Make sure "Replace selection with component" is checked.
8. Optional: give your component a descriptive name.
9. Click "Create."
10. If necessary, position your component using the Move tool.
11. Select the component and right-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) to pop up a contextual menu.
12. In the contextual menu, select Hole Punching... > Punch

If the bounding lines of your surface would be hard to select separately from the object you are punching (for instance, if you created a rectangle that shares an edge with the object you want to punch), make a component from your surface and its bounding lines by skipping Step 2 above. After creating your component, edit it by double-clicking it with the Select tool. Click the surface to select it, delete it, then close your component. You are now ready to punch a hole.

If you don't remove the surface from your component, the plugin WILL punch the hole... but you won't see it because the surface will hide it. Orbit to the other side of the object to see your hole.

Did I get that right, TIG?

Wall thickness IS desirable, as the components will (a) look much more realistic, and (b) correctly interface with other components that slide inside the tubes and rest against the inner walls.

Fewer radii for the rounded corners is a great idea, one I hadn't considered.

Fewer segments for the holes is also a good idea. I will do both.

What do you suggest as best practice to make multiples holes through tubes that DO have wall thickness?

Thanks,
Joy

Thanks for the tips and clarifications, folks! Very helpful.

What I'm really looking for is a way to make the inference grid default to my increment of choice -- in this case, 1.5" Is there any way to set THAT interval?

Joy

I am a SketchUp newbie (SketchUp 8, Mac) who wants to make a "builder's kit" of components made from hollow square (metal) tubes perforated on all 4 sides. My builder's kit will be similar to this one: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ed3353734d84dcc9d21686f8696ab14f&prevstart=0, but using tubes of different dimensions and hole spacing.

The tubes are be whole-foot and half-foot lengths (1 foot, 1.5 feet, 2 feet, 8 feet...) with holes every 1.5 inches (measured center-to-center) on all 4 faces. The faces are flat; the corners are radiused inside and outside.

What is best practice for making the holes quickly and accurately, while keeping the file size small?

Thanks,
Joy Livingwell

@gaieus said:

Under your Window > Model info Units panel you can turn off length snapping. This works like an invisible grid if it is on.

Thanks for the tip, Gaieus! I turned "Enable length snapping" ON, set the length to 1.5", and SketchUp now aligns my parts more or less where I want them. Woo hoo!

I say "more or less where I want them" because SketchUp still doesn't JUST snap to the 1.5" increments I want, but also to smaller ones. Setting "precision" as large as I can (1/2") helped. I just wish I could type in 1.5" there so my components would ONLY snap at 1.5" increments.

As I suspected, the "snap" feature helped me build my project MUCH faster. Thank you!

SketchUp acts like it has an invisible 3D grid that points, edges, and objects snap to. Is there a way to change the grid spacing?

For many of my projects, it would be useful to set the grid spacing at 1.5" while I build the project frame, then 0.75" as I add bolts. This would virtually eliminate my use of guidelines, which would be a huge time-saver.

Thanks for your help,
Joy Livingwell
Gridbeam Solutions