Posts made by Howard leslie

Does anybody know of a ruby that will mine down into all groups / components and then Unhide ALL - (especially edges) ???
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See attached file - a VERY small sample from a huge file.
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As you can see, all the edges are hidden.
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All geometry is inside groups / components - some groups / components are nested.
(although not in this small sample).
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What I would like to do is Unhide ALL edges - without having to edit each group / component manually one by one.
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Any help much appreciated
Regards
Howard L'

unhide_edges.skp

See attached.
Desk / Workstation for Office use.
c/w Wheelie Bins (Moveable Drawer Storage Units for end of Desk - 2 Sizes)
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Desks can be put together in a wide variety of different combinations
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Construction Layer contains linework to help move / position groups / components.
Turn off / delete this Layer as required
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Regards
Howard L'

Download Model

Bruce,
See attached.
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In your original file.
Turn all the layers on.
You can then see exactly what you've imported from your CAD program and what's happened to it.
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The problem you're experiencing in terms of zooming / moving is Su's Clipping Plane - a well documented problem.
This occurs when

1. You have a large (in terms of geographical area) model. and / or
2. You are a long way from the axis origin
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   To clean it up I've simply selected the geometry of interest, then done a Copy <Ctrl C>. Then File New - Paste in place.
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   General Top Tips.
3. Clean up CAD file in your CAD program eg AutoCAD before importing.
4. If you import CAD data into a blank file - first draw a scrap shape or line - anywhere. When you import CAD data it will then be grouped automatically. delete scrap line.
5. Group your geometry early and often and make use of components.
   Grouping stops geometry sticking together. Its very easy to explode groups / components if you need to.
   It looks like you've dragged or moved some geometry to their new position before grouping it.
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   Hope this helps

Howard L'

cleaned_up.skp

Edson,
See attached jpg
Mirror Script - definitely one of the most useful Scripts around.
(Thank you TIG).
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Usage:
Yes, you can use 1,2 or 3 points.
My Top Tip would be, always use 3 points.
(certainly until you get used to it).
That way results are more predictable.
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Just imagine where you would have to place a real mirror to get the desired result you want.
Then go and click on 3 corners of that Mirror and Voila, geometry is perfectly mirrored.
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You don't need to actually draw the mirror as I've shown in the example !!! - just click the 3 points.
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Hope this helps

Howard L'

Kristoff,
Check out the pdf files from the Scan 2 Cad Help menu
(as mentioned previously).
Go to Help Menu - Select Real World Guide and Hints and Tips
2 VERY useful PDF files.

You'll have to play around with the settings in the vectorizing program.
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Alternatively,
Scale scan up in CAD program (eg Autocad)
Draw over the top of the scan manually.
Use Dimensions you have where possible.

This may be quicker if you're having problems with the vectorizing program.
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Vectorizing can be like OCR software - sometimes it's just quicker to redo it from scratch if original is no good - or play around with the settings (if you have time).
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PS
If it's any consolation I'm doing a very similar task at the moment of an industrial building.
I'm using dimensions and drawing over the scan (by hand).
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Good Luck
Regards

Howard L'

Kristoff,
I can't seem to make the link to your dxf file work.
Can u attach the file instead ???
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If you are using Scan 2 Cad:
Go to Help Menu - Select Real World Guide and Hints and Tips
2 VERY useful PDF files
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See scanning tips 200 - 240 dpi sometimes good.
Make lines thicker (tool for this)
Remove holes / speckles (tool for this)
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You can force conversion to any angle eg 45 / 90 / 180 etc
Go to:
Type - Settings - Angle Optimisation
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Hope this helps
Howard L'

Kristoff,
All hardcopy paper drawings are distorted to some degree.
This is due to paper shrinkage / folding / method of storage / age of drawing etc etc.
Scanned images can also be distorted.
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Warping (Rubbersheeting) is a technique that can be used to help take out this distortion although it isn't always required as distortions in the hardcopy / scans may be minimal.
If scans / hardcopies are good, you won't need to do this.

It can though, be extremely useful (especially with old drawings) eg when walls or other detail known to be straight have a bend on them.

Rubbersheeting usually involves picking pairs of points.

Typically an image source point eg Building Corner or Grid Line for example is matched to the corresponding Building Corner or Grid Line in the Vector (CAD) data. Several points are selected.

You need to have some detail in your CAD file eg drawn from Dimensions shown on the source material (hardcopy drawings) for this eg Add a few Building Corners / Grid Lines etc
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Regards
Howard L'

Kristoff,
Try using Scan 2 Cad. (Standalone program)
http://www.softcover.com/
I've used this program in the past.
Vector conversion is good.
Warping of images could be improved but this may not be important to you.
Recommended.
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Trial version available.
Website also has links to some good Tutorials and Top Tips.
Very good support from the Company also.
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Rolls Royce solution for Raster to Vector conversion is probably using GTX - an add on for Autocad - but £££ ($$$).
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Autocad also have an add-on - Autocad Raster Design.
(again £££).
Good for warping images but Raster to Vector is manually driven (semi-automatic). This has pluses and minuses.
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Hope this helps
Howard L'

TIG,
If you have time, could you please modify your VolumeCalculator Script ???
(to create a version 2).
Requests:

1. It would be good to be able to have the option to name the layer(s)
   eg from the default VOLS-nnnnnnnn to say VOLS-MasonryWall for example.
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2. Of less importance it would also be good to have the OPTION to show or hide the edges of the slices.
   (Currently they are hidden)
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3. Also option to change slice colours
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   2 and 3 not so important but 1 would be really handy.
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   Anything you can do would be hugely appreciated.
   Regards
   Howard L'

Paul,
If it's not bust don't fix it !!!
Your DoorMaker script is really good now - doesn't really need to be touched.
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If you've got creative energies to spare...
What would be really good would be a WindowMaker script that works in a similar way to your DoorMaker script.
I'm aware of the Windowizer script which is pretty good.
However, the window geometry is only correct when viewed from one side and needs to be finished off manually from the unfinished side. (Still quicker than creating a window from scratch).
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Regards
Howard L'

PS
My favourite episode is the one with the visiting bishop who hates rabbits !!!

Eric / Paul,
I can't believe somebody saw this post and answered so quickly !!!
Thank you both very much.
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I've also found like you Eric, that it appears to be the large physical size of the model
(in geographic area terms not file size) that seems to be having an effect on the clipping plain.

I'd also started cutting pieces of the model away into new files and working on seperate smaller chunks as a workaround.

I just didn't know if I'd done something incorrect in the model or hit some setting by mistake (hence my post).

(Hopefully this will be addressed in future versions ???)
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Thanks to you both once again for your assistance.

Regards
Howard Leslie

See attached.
I'm not really a newbie (and should know better) but I think this is the best place for this question / problem.
On zooming in, su geometry is cut away in the view, even though I'm still quite a long way from it.
I've never come across this before.
It's making life really awkward as I can't zoom in to detail the model.
Any help much appreciated.

Rick,
Looks good, we'd be very interested in this.
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Ideally ALL SU Dims should have this ability (to adjust / resize the model) as shown in your demo movie file.
ie ALL DIMS ARE SMART DIMS - regardless of which tool was used to create them. (either your code or native SU).
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If some Dims are Smart (produced with your code) and some Dims are Dumb (produced with native SU) we need a QUICK VISUAL way to differentiate the two different types (eg a toggle button to highlight all the Smart Dims Red for instance), that way we know which ones can be edited to adjust the model.
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All previous comments regarding layers I'd agree with also.
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Are you planning to adopt all current SU Dim features eg ability to change font, size, hide when fore shortened etc ???

Regards
Howard L'

Perk,
I've added a Tutorial to the Forum for you here:
http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1076
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Hopefully this will help you / give you some ideas.
Good luck with the competition.
Your model looks great.
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Regards
Howard L'

What about this approach for a 2d drafting ruby - disabling an axis, as opposed to changing perspectives and cameras etc ...
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A ruby (eg connected to command buttons) that only allows drafting in 2 axes (ie DISABLES one axis).

That way, you could draw in 2d - safe in the knowledge that your geometry wouldn't be wandering off in the blue (z) direction for instance.

The buttons would allow you to draw in ANY 2 axes but not a third - would be VERY useful.

Even drawing in this proposed 2d drawing mode I can still see that it would be VERY useful to have the ability to be able to have a perspective view on an object eg drawing detail on the gable end of a building etc

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You could also use this feature then for drawing in plan mode with perspective off if required - leaving it up to the user to change cameras, perspectives etc as needed.
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It would be a ruby that could lock both the red and green axes (for example) - AT THE SAME TIME.
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Regards
Howard L'

Modelhead,
You asked about what you can do with this script.
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Increasingly clients ask for information and data related to a model - not just a pretty picture of the actually geometry / 3D views etc.
Producing a model is really just the start, not the end point in many instances.
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Currently SU is very limited in what attributes you can attach to elements (groups / components) in a model:
Layer,Definition Name,Instance Name,Material
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In SU you could give a Steelwork Member for example the following attributes:
Layer = 7F (7th Floor)
Definition = RSJ_10x4x25 (Component Name for Steel Beam for Example)
Instance = 1234 (Beam ID No.)
Material = Steelwork
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Draw entire model using all your pre-drawn Steelwork Components
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Run TIGs Script
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Now you can query the CSV (XLS) Table in many ways eg
Filter by Floor Level - All Steelwork will be listed out (used to calc floor loadings)
How many Beams / Columns of a particular size does a building have ???
etc etc
You can now also run calcs and statistics on the components as you have a count of quantities.
TIGs script allows you to select and report by area so you can restrict the report to a given area / floor level etc.
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Equally valid for working out quantities for regular domestic buildings / constructions
(depending upon how you draw / set your model up).
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Material field can also be used to define contents eg pipeline contents:
water (green)
crude oil (grey)
steam (blue)
(ie not really material at all)
etc
etc
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What would be extremely useful for SU V7 and would be top of my personal wish list (although I'm probably in a minority):
Ability to View Outliner as a Table.
Ability to Link a Field in this Outliner Table (ie an ID number of a component) to an external Database / Table and Run Querys back to the Model.
MASSIVE POTENTIAL.
(I'd definitely put this above rendering ability - but its a purely personal view).
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Currently, unless you purchase expensive GIS software its not possible to do this with SU models.
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Hope this gives you something to think about / answers your question.
Regards
Howard L'

TIG,
ComponentReporter+ V 1.5
Outstanding script.
The parentage / outliner type report - very useful addition also.
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The deep mining ability seems to work well after an initial (tough) trial:

42 MB Model (this includes 2 x Xref'd models)
Layers 30
Component Definitions 921
Component Instances 7650
Groups 3410
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V 1.5 went to work - 30 seconds in total to produce all reports (ie very quick).
So far the script looks really good and appears to be working well.
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A Massive Thank You for all your hard work in producing this script.
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Regards
Howard Leslie

TIG / Jim,
Thanks very much for all your hard work and time spent on writing these scripts.
They are both very useful
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TIG,
ComponentReporter+

V 1.1
I'm finding that this runs no problem. (but no mining ability).

V 1.2
I'm not sure what the V1.2 error message refers to either, as I did not have any existing *.csv file open when I ran the script - that was actually the first thing I checked.
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V 1.3
I'm finding that this runs OK. NO error messages.
I'm finding that it mines down into the Model - 1 Level of nesting.
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The ultimate version of this script would mine down to drag out all components from the whole model - however deep they are nested inside groups / other components. Is this possible ??? - it would be brilliant if you could implement this.
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I'm using the V 1.1 of the script until then as the model I'm working on has been exploded down somewhat and the script runs really well.
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Thanks once again to both of you.
Regards
Howard Leslie

TIG,
Thanks for putting this mining ability into the Reporting Tool.
However, I'm also getting a similar error message to the one described by gata
(see attached)
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Regards
Howard L'

TIG,
V 1.1 really is excellent.
It's extremely useful being able to run this script on a selection from a model.
I think many people will find this script useful
For an example see:
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=3429
(your script could now be in Siberia !!!)
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Currently I'm running the script on a model containing many components.
Originally some of these components were contained within other components (nested) others were grouped together.
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I found that the script does not drill down into nested components or grouped components.
Not a huge problem as a workaround is to explode the larger components and groups.
However, would it ever be possible to have the script drill down into more complex (nested) components and groups to get at the buried ones ???
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Thanks once again for all your help
Regards
Howard Leslie