Turns out I don't need much persuading.

Attached is an Windows equation editor I slapped together.
It pumps the value into Sketchup via keyboard strokes.
Unzip and run the 'Setup.exe'. Create a shortcut to your Desktop.

It is setup to be a 'Top Most' window so it should float over SU.
It can handle a number of math functions and has a history dropdown. Values from history will be pasted into the equation when selected.

To use make sure your Measurement tool bar is ready to accept a value.
Press <ENTER> Once to resolve the equation. Press <ENTER> again to send the value to SU.

If you have problems running the calculator check the following.

1. Make sure the tools|options|Target Application is set for '- SketchUp'

2. Set the number of decimal places to 3. (Not sure why that affects things.) (Also under the tools menu.)

Let me know how it goes.

Windows Calculator for SU

@unknownuser said:

I think this is what you are looking for.

Thanks Hal,

Works for me. This is the Cadillac tool.

Still think I'll roll my own pure rotator without a web form.

It would be possible to create an external Windows Calculator program that pumped a value directly into the VCB as though it was typed from the keyboard. I would hesitate to do such a thing though because such programs work with zero feedback. They can also be broken by a new release of SU.

Much better to do it internally if at all possible.

If however there is an interest in such a program I might be persuaded to knock one out.

Indeed,

90 percent of a guitar is sculpted for feel.
The fingerboard frets and neck length are the only really dimensionally important aspects.

To the best of my knowledge Chris.

I find I need to create new geometry on non-existing planes. By not setting the Axis I can easily get my 2D sketch geometry off kilter. With the Axis aligned properly I get feedback.

See the attached pic. The original Axis was at the lower left corner of the block. Picking the odd face (Which is planar to the block face) does not give me the desired X,Y Axis. Sure it defines the plane surface but not the way I need it.

This is not the biggest issue though. The hardest one is where the Axis origin is in the correct position inside the part but I need to rotate it say.... about he Y axis.

The only work-around I've found is to hide the entire model move (rotate) my Axis then un-hide the model.

I don't eyeball my models I create to real world dimensions as best I can.

[Edit]Should have done a screen capture. Export removed the Axis from my sample. (It was aligned with the bottom of the extruded feature.)[/Edit]

Okay I think I can attempt my first Ruby plugin with a little help.

I'm thinking that if I can get two points selected on screen and get the vector between them I can adjust my code below to rotate the SU view to a rotation about screen z.

Can someone give me a hand?

` model = Sketchup.active_model
view = model.active_view

Nab existing eye and target objects

eye = view.camera.eye
target = view.camera.target

Define a new camera object

newCamera = Sketchup::Camera.new

up = newCamera.up

Redfine Up vector, ignoring z (Last array element)

This should rotate the view about the screen center

Values should range from -1.0 tp 1.0 each I would imagine

up[0] = 1.0
up[1] = 1.0
up[2] = 0.0

Set new camera components

newCamera.set eye, target, up

Apply new view

status = view.camera=newCamera`

I'm taking this discussion to the Ruby Discussion area as I think I can create what I want with a little help.

Crud.

@unknownuser said:

if you're in top view, you'd like to be able to rotate the red/green axis around the screen?

Yes Jeff, That is exactly what I mean.

The Cursor Selection Window is orthangonal to the screen and a Right to Left Windows selects all the way through your model line of sight.

The rotation wouldn't have to be exact. Just good enough to be able to grab what you want when you window select.

Another approach would use a rotated rectangular selection window (By picking three points. Similar to the Rectangle tool by @Last Software, Inc.(Which beats the standard SU rectangle tool hands down IMHO.))

Is there a tool to 2D rotate the current view about the center of the screen? I find I like to use the Right to left window selection mechanism but when the view is rotatated non-ortho in a custom view it is not easy to get what I want.

Another thing. I see a nice toolbar to select all standard views except the bottom view. Where can I get that?

Hello Everyone. I've been poking around this forum for a bit and like what I see. Growth and excitement.
Plenty of interesting topics. Nirvana.

My background is Software development and Mechanical Engineering. I have plenty of CAD experience dating back practically to the inception of the PC.

Even so Sketchup is the first Polygonal Surfacing package I have encountered though so I have a lot to learn.

Hope to get to know many of you.

Cheers!

How do we view methods, (And their Arguments) of a Class in SketchUp?
To start with say a compiled class that is 'Required'

'.Instance_methods' doesn't seem to work like I would think it should.

What would be the base object for re-defining the SketchUp Axis in Ruby?

I find I need to Rotate the Axis about its existing position but I cannot get to the 'Move Axis' tool as
the Axis is embedded inside the part.

I want to launch the Axis move tool from a ruby script or build a replacement.

@thomthom said:

@gruff said:

Have you studied the format? Or is it a guess?

I have written translators for several CAD file formats and a few simple converters for DXF. Most recently a DXF exporter for Solidworks to SigmaNest. (Creating additional geometry not in SW on export)

It is the nature of file formats to evolve to support more features and to crop structures that are no longer necessary for the latest version. If I recall correctly AutoCAD version 1.0 came out in 1982.
DXF was defined sometime thereafter... 1984 or so. Quarter of a century would be a long time to remain backward compatible for a privately held file format.

As I said earlier though. If all Jim is going to support is wireframe then it shouldn't be an issue.

Thank you Fredo. Sweet and complete. (I won't beg for variable radius fillets... Yet. )

It hanndles most of what I can throw at it cleanly.

Huge boost for SU.

~Gruff

@thomthom said:

hm... I could see the logic of that if you where writing DXF format. But we're talking about reading DXF format. I'd think that you'd want to be able to read recent formats.
Is the DXF format constructed in such a way that parsing a DXF file with the newest spec will allow it to read older versions?

No. Quite the reverse.

If we are only talking 2D/3D wireframe standard elements then I do not think it would be a problem. Getting into 3D Surfaces and Solids could very well be a version issue.

AutoCad typically allows you to save a DXF (or DWG) to 3 or 4 earlier versions of the file format.

If Jim's importer can only read 2010 DXF and I only have ACAD version 2004 then Jim's importer may be expecting data structures that simply do not exist in the 2004 version. I would not be able to use his utility.

If Jim writes his importer to read 2004 DXF files then someone with version 2010 of ACAD can always save his file to the older version for Jim's program.

Of course the smartest move would be to have his program read the version and use the appropriate version translator. But that is a tall order I think.

@unknownuser said:

<!-- ia0 -->Capture.JPG<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1ouv5aid]

I do not see that dialog anywhere in my 7.1 std SketchUp.
Is that a Pro feature?

@eric_erb said:

How do you guys think in script? I just don't seem to be retaining ruby like I did the others.

Not to worry Eric. The old adage "If you don't use it you lose it." applies big time to coding. I write VB Code for a living so I have to keep up on some things.

It is not a mystery to me that Ruby is hard to remember. I put it down to the strict case sensitivity and the lack of a comprehensive Integrated development environment.

@jim said:

I do not know how to get the dropped file name.

In Windows Forms programming the event returns a variable of type DataObject. The DataObject has (Among other things.) a Files collection property

-- VB Code--
Private Sub OnDragDrop(Data as DataObject, _
                       Effect as Long, _
                       Button as integer, _
                       X as single, _
                       Y as single

  If Data.Files.Count = 1 then
    sDroppedFileName = Data.Files(1)
  end if

End Sub

Perhaps there is a similar structure in Java?

Jeff,

I can see the faceting of curves in Sketchup as being a big issue. It is to me as well.
My background is mechanical engineering and I have used many different CAD systems over the years. All of them used true arc and circles so this was never an issue.

Of course they also had filleting (Corner Curves) which could easily solve your problem in one step. All could create a fillet between two lines, arc and line, or two arcs.
In your case it would be between the left arc and the horizontal line at the bottom right.

All that said I wonder about your need for accuracy in this case. In the real world everything has a tolerance and not suprisingly when you start to build things over 6 to 10 feet your measuring tools start to throw their own errors into the mix.
For instance how accruate do you think a tape measure is? Sag, flex, temperature, material and other factors add to the issue. This is why in building construction an error of 1/8 inch is an everyday occurance.

Aerospace is the only industry I know of that has addressed the problem with any success.
They are starting to use a new technology called indoor GPS.
This uses infraRed lasers mounted around the ceiling with the receiver in a hand held measuring tool. The user takes hits on the object to be measured and the 3D coordinate data gathered is uploaded and overlaid on the original CAD model. Boeing developed it.