@dingben said:

REF:
/// previous msg, stated beveled gears fail to match on inside/small face

thus this line:
/// Beveled helicals are not very precise (yet), so getting them to line up with mating gears may not work

on page:
/// https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323%26amp;t=46319

...may explain this anomaly!?

...had read it initially, but did not remember... a 2nd visit, woke me up!

Yeah, redoing the Spiral-bevels for the pending version was a big hurdle and still isn't perfect. Right now, I have to sneak up on the ideal helix angle to get a proper fit. By adjusting the target angle by 1-3 degs. I can usually clear up interference in the pair.

BTW, the pending version draws mated pairs, aligned and enmeshed. It makes the sneak-up process easier, but you still have to examine the tooth contact, close-up and from numerous angles. It needs more work, but I'm pretty sure I can solve it.

@dingben said:

%(#FF0000)[HEY! I have added a few improvements to your list.
...and mind you, I even prioritized them]

Already planned improvements for next version:

1. - emboss gear with parameters used to create it(3D text): T-48, Rad-10", ...

1. - emboss gear with MSPversion used(3D text): MSPv[1.2, ...
   OR surely those values could be in the entity!?]
2. • additional gear styles (rack, worm, and internal ring)
3. • improve calculations and accuracy
4. • web dialog UI (additional input params and auto-calculations)
5. • gear properties/specs dialog via context menu
6. • improved validation

• • Embossing is an interesting idea. Unfortunately, I'm still working through the "must have" list, so embossing will have to go on the "maybe" list.
• • Rack, Worm, and Ring have already been added; just working out the kinks. I posted a "sneak peek" video earlier in this thread. Check it out.
• • Calculations and accuracy are greatly improved and I've even added resolution options for speed (low & med res) vs. accuracy/smoothness (high & very high) to accommodate 3D printers.
• • Web dialog is already planned and will include a few auto-calculations. I'm trying to keep the UI minimal, so it will only include a few details to help with dialing in the params.
• • Spec dialog and entity properties are planned.
• • Validation has been improved but increases in complexity with each user input. So, input params will be kept to a minimum.

Thanks for the suggestions, and for prioritizing them. Sorry embossing was bumped to the end of the list, but it is still on there.

Just in case your next question is "when", the answer is still "soon", but I've had to put it aside for a bit to focus on other stuff. I was shooting for Summer, but now my hope is to get it out by Fall.

-J-

@dingben said:

1. Where is the 1.2 download link? no download link on that page
   or how to install from zip, since the 1.2 zip extracts an .rb file NOT an .rbz!?

The link for v1.2 is at the top of the first page of this thread. To install a .rb plugin, just copy the extracted file into your plugins folder (C:\Users*usernme*\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2016\SketchUp\Plugins). Restart Sketchup and the plugin should now be listed in "Extension" menu.

@dingben said:

2. It recommends to uninstall old versions!? HOW is that accomplished!?
   I see nothing in the menus to uninstall extensions.

These earlier versions predate the extension managers, so they are installed & uninstalled manually. To remove the previous version, just open the plugins folder, as noted above, and move/delete the older version.

@dingben said:

3. One thing I noticed on 1.0: the handle(cursor) does not want to latch on to the best inferred handle... it seems to snag around it and latch on to any other close point

The plugin does not have any effect on the cursor, so the issue is most likely with Sketchup's limitations working with very small (< 1/64" or 0.39mm) measurements. While programmatically we can work with smaller distances, manual operations using the cursor will not always cooperate. The simplest solution is to scale the model up, make any changes, then scale it back down. It's only a rough workaround, so some geometry may behave unexpectedly when you scale back down.

Keep in mind that Sketchup is CAM (modeling) not CAD (design), so it has some limitations. This is one of them. Another that has frustrated new users is that objects are collections of edges and faces, so curves are not going to perfectly smooth. It's usually not a problem unless you 3D print a model because the curves will be a series of flat faces and edges, making mating surfaces a bit clunky.

Good luck and thanks for trying the SPGears plugin.

@jonathonlt said:

MY FIRST POST ATTEMPT ..LONG TERM PROJECT FOR AUTO-MATED TRANSPORT REQUIRING ,GEAR RACK,, I SEE IN YOUR MAGIC LITTLE WINDOW ENTER GEAR DIAMETER or RACK LENGTH ,,AS YET UNABLE TO CREATE A RACK LITTLE TIME ON LINE HENCE ALL DONNA,S TO WIKI PIDIA AND THE KNOWLEDGE AT THE MOMENT JON

Jon,
Sorry, but I never got around to adding racks to this version, and it is not like to happen. BUT, there is good news. I am currently working on a "pro" version that will include both racks and worms, plus many other features and enhancements! I know folks have been waiting a long time for this, but the wait is almost over. I know I've stated before that I was "working on it" and had nothing to show for it, so here's a quick sneak peek...

Youtube Video

More detail to follow; very soon. Really.

-J-

@sigskjel said:

Crossed helical gear - shaft angle off

Sig,
You should have tried fitting the "drawn" gears together to check fit beforeprinting. You would have seen that things don't line up properly. The problem is how the gears are drawn, so getting things to mesh correctly requires some trial and error. Sorry for the inconvenience. I've added it to the list of changes.
-J-

@chrisu02 said:

I like this plugin and using it for 3D printing long time, but now i need to make some hypoid gears but it seems that it won`t work

Chris,
You are partially correct, it will not make a TRUE hypoid gear. The problem is the helix angle sits at the outside diameter, not the pitch diameter where it is supposed to be. If you can calculate the desired helix angle at the mid-point (pitch diameter) based on the helix angle at the outside diameter, then you might be able to get very close to a true hypoid. Keep in mind that this was never intended for production accuracy (call me short-sighted, if you must) but should work well enough for Sketchy Physics animations. Version 2 is planned to be more accurate, but as noted in a recent post, I'm not making any commitments on when it would be available.

@chrisu02 said:

My problem is that the helix is straight then the bevel value is 0° but i needs to be curved

Try specifying a large bevel angle (70-80 deg.), a decent number of teeth (50-100+) and a medium helix angle (25-45 deg.). With a larger pitch diameter (10") and a smaller face width (3") you'll get a large gear that looks similar what you posted. The bevel angle of the pinion (small gear) is the the difference between the bevel of the large gear and the intersecting angle of the axis of both gears (90 deg. - 70 deg. = 20 deg.). The helix angle is also different on the pinion. I think it is a similar calculation (90 deg. - 35 deg. = 55 deg.), but I'm not positive; I haven't make a hypoid set in a long time. If that does not work, then I suggest looking for gear engineering reference information. That's what I did.

@chrisu02 said:

the next problem is to make them fit together, is it possible to make a different value (teethsize) as a fixed parameter so the rest of the gear may be calculated to this ?

In order to make a mating gear, it has to have the same diametral pitch [P] (arc length of one tooth and space). You can use gear formulas (via a web search) to figure out how to calculate the dimensions you need to specify a mating gear. Once you've got that figured out, getting them to mesh properly is a bit tricky. I think I had to tweak the helix angle on one of the mating gears to make them mesh better, but again, it's been a while.

@chrisu02 said:

im no programmer so i dont know if this would even be possible or home much work it would be. ?
[/quote]

Almost anything is possible, but I'm not a strong programmer or an engineer, so for me, it will be a lot of work, hence the uncertainty regarding the release of version 2. However, it (backlash) is on the growing list of changes intended in the revision.

@jumpjack said:

Has this plugin been updated? Does it support worms too now?
It would be also amazing if it supported Sketchy Physics...

Jumpjack:

Yes, this will work with Sketchy Physics (SP). That was the primary reason for making this plug-in, hence the "SP" in "SPGears". Specifically, it creates a (mostly) accurate collision mesh, which allows the gears to mesh with each other in SP animations. To make that happen, each tooth had to be a discrete group with its own collision mesh. The downside is that each gear becomes a relatively complex object and can bog down SU and Sketchy Physics.

Everyone:

Thanks for the great feedback and I'm sorry I have not been able to complete any updates. Life keeps getting in the way and I don't know when/if I will get back to it. Until then...
-J-

I'll try to fix that. Thanks for the heads-up.

@mikaelgu said:

Found a small bug:
Regardless of the unit of measure of pitch radius, the face width is always measured in inches, makes it a little harder to make gears of certain widths when using the metric system.

2Tricky,
I sent you a private message for additional information, but have since discovered the source of the issue you are having. The problem is not the plug-in, but a limitation within Sketchup. A Sketchup 'curve' is a collection of points and edges, not a true, continuous curve (as a mathematical function). The only way you could get a smoother curve would be to increase the number of segments (edges), but I doubt that would solve the problem you are having.
-J-

@2tricky said:

I am brand new to this Plugin and Sketchup. I had no problems in principle with this plugin - I'm using Win 7. My aim is to create gcode and so far I have played with the plugin gear.3.rb to make the gears and the Phlatboyz plugin for gcode. However, I was dissapointed to find that gear.3.rb uses all straightline segments which to cut a long story short, makes the code too long for our mill. I was hoping for arcs in this plugin but it too uses straight lines. I'd love arcs to be a feature of this plugin.

Cheers

@sdmitch said:

...what parameter values did you enter to achieve the various gears?

For the larger diameter samples, I used the default 10" radius and the smaller ones are between 5" and 7" radius (don't recall, exactly). The beveled and flat gears are different bevel angles of 45 and 90 degrees, respectively. The helicals are all 30 degrees, except the mate to the long pair which is -30 degrees. The bevel can be set to negative values, putting the teeth on the interior, but the results are less than satisfactory. I will be adding true "internal" gears in version 2. I also need to redo the beveled helical since the current params result in a semi-hypoid shape.