I love what this does!

While it worked fine for me at first, now I'm having troubles. If anyone has fixes, let me know, I need this script!

-sometimes the script reverses the follow line. It starts from one side, but when I select the script it flips to the other.

-sometimes the script does not work, even after welding my follow lines religiously

-sometimes all the script does is place a 2" long construction line on the underside of the face, one segment's length away from the face.

-I just tried again. The first time, it didn't work. The second try, it placed the 2" construction line on the underside and reversed the path. The third try, it worked great, with the path coming from an offcenter construction point. The following five times, it shifted the path from the construction line to the center of the face and, other than that, worked.

-not a bug, but a feature request: as I posted earlier, scaling and rotation are per segment of the follow path, not over the whole length. It might be more intuitive and controllable if they were measured over the whole path.

Again I will repeat, I always weld my follow lines or use unexploded curves. I'm using FAR on a Mac and some posters feel it is Win only— Is this the issue? SU seems buggier as I use FAR, though this may be coincidence, or confusing the cause and effect.

Thanks for any assistance,

Jim

We need a better way to manage Rubys.

Rubys do so much to extend Sketchup. Users love them and the developers do too. So how about treating them like they are here to stay?

First off, installation. We now open them up and put all the components in the Plugins folder, mostly. But if something goes wrong or there is a conflict, how do you resolve it? Delete until it works. And how do you find all the pieces to the last Ruby, now that you have taken it out of its folder?

You can delete everything and start over. Or you could take make a database of what you downloaded, where it comes from, what you paid, download/unlock code, what the components were, and when you added it (does this seem like something a computer is better equipped to do than a human? Neither option seems exactly ideal, and as Sketchup develops and the SU community grows the problems will get worse. It's not that the process is difficult, it's that something so commonly done should be standardized in a more failsafe way, even automated.

How about a Ruby manager? Remember the Extensions Manager on the old Apple OS (pre-X). Load the Rubys as folders, named appropriately, and turn them on and off from a control panel. When they're off, they don't load and don't conflict, simplifying testing. A sets feature allows you to turn off the conflicts when you need to do something special. While you are at it, how about a control for where they show up— which topic in the menu bar, if they are in a contextual menu or have their own toolbar. Gray out the options if the Ruby is not written to handle them.

Behind this is the basic issue of maintaining the quality of Rubys and keeping developers on the same page about how to write a Ruby script. The posting on Ruby protocols lays out some of the issues and one hopes that developers follow them. But when a program relies on user generated scripts for functionality, you have the potential for a real mess. How about a Ruby Registry, maintained by SU even, listing Ruby links, known conflicts, reviews and troubleshooting? The forum pages are a start, but when SU relies so heavily on scripts it seems we need something more specific and direct.

SU is great as a free program—  much more than I would have expected. Thank you, Google and the whole SU team. As a pro version, I expect issues like this to be better resolved.

Best,

Jim

I use Canvas, though maybe not for long because it's no longer supported for Mac. The Windows version is still going strong, though. You can import PDF's and edit them, or convert them to DXF;s.

You minimize the convenience of this, but it means you don't have to trace anything. You don't have to scale anything. You don't even have to scan it in, you just measure directly. In Canvas, I click on a vector line and can read off the size.

Best,

JIm

It works on Macintosh running 10.5.6. Get the .zip file if you have trouble with the .rar.

Wow, this is a great plugin— thanks!!!!

It blows up on me if I scale up more than about 1.1. Looks like it scales once for every segment on the line— I was expecting it to scale over the whole length. This makes for a very sensitive scaling feature.

Wow, this is weird. I just tried it again and it worked, with one exception. The guide points are not laid out in proportion to the original. This might be because I rotated axes of this group at one point, and did not get them back the proper way.
There's more to the confusion than that, and re-orienting them does not help. Sometimes it's easiest to start over.

Thanks for your help,

Jim

When I Control-click, I get FFD. When I click that, I get three options, Lock Edges, Unlock Edges, and Make Patch. All of them unselect the object and nothing else.

Perhaps I missed the first line in the error console. I quote it again:

@unknownuser said:

Error: #<ArgumentError: wrong number of arguments (2 for 3)>
/Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65:in startFFD' /Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65 /Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65:in call'
/Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65
Error: #<ArgumentError: wrong number of arguments (2 for 3)>
/Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65:in startFFD' /Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65 /Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65:in call'
/Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65

I just reloaded the script, which I think I first got from Frenchy Pilou's site. I took the most recent copy from the forums at this address. Be sure to get the revised one, not the first one.
http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=6029&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=free+form+deformation

Best,

Jim

I'm new to FFD, and haven't been using SketchUp all that long either. FFD isn't working for me.

I downloaded FFD and placed it in my Plugins folder. I select an object or a group, control-click to get FFD, select Make Patch. The group unselects, that's it.

I tried it with the Ruby Console open and got this:

@unknownuser said:

SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65:in startFFD' /Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65 /Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65:in call'
/Users/jimbo/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 7/SketchUp/Plugins/SketchyFFD.rb:65

I don't know code, but it seems to me it's quitting pretty quickly.

I checked the script, and it starts with

@unknownuser said:

require 'sketchup.rb'

When I searched for sketchup.rb, I could not find it on my computer. Is it another script, or a part of Sketchup that enables Rubys, or what?

I have to say that I'm on a recent Mac, and I find the search functions pretty weird— I can't always find things that I know for certain are there. In this case, I hand searched the Plugins folder and I can say for sure it's either not there or invisible. But if this is something I"m supposed to have, I don't know why it wouldn't be there either.

Any light on this situation is appreciated.

Jim

For a more complex take on it, try the ruby, k_tools/graphs/screwing of lines about the z-axis.

This allows you to draw your own form (that is, a section of the thread) in the proper relation to the z axis, then screw it around once while advancing it a set amount. It generates one turn of the worm around the z axis.

You can find it in the Ruby Depot:
http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/EM/k_tools_50.rb

Best,

Jim

I select Circle tool, type "12" for 12 sides. It shows up as Sides 12 in the lower right. I draw the circle, it has 24 sides.

Likewise, when using the BezierCurve ruby, it starts with 30 points as default. If I'm trying to cut the poly count and type another number, I still get 30 control points.

Best,

Jim

I'm working on a big job with many parts and I've just started using components, so my workflow is a little shaky. I'm having issues with the Components Manager and could use some suggestions.

I started a new components folder for this job. Question— when you folks work on something like this, where do you keep the components? With the job? As a subfolder in the Components folder? Or how?

I've had to rename some components. With some, the name changes in the Components Manager after I reload the job's Components Folder. Others keep the original name in the Components Manager after I've renamed the file in the job's Components Folder, then reloaded it into the Components Manager.

Any clues?

Thanks,

JIm

I checked about 6 times and could not find a gap. Finally I tried looking for endpoints with the Line tool. Still didn't find a gap, but when I reconnected any two segments of the outline it filled in.

Damn, it's always the simple stuff.

Thanks, Gai!

I'm modeling a bench. Using the BezierCurve Ruby, I've made some curves, connected with straight lines, to outline the end. Now I want to pull the outline into a block to make the actual end. However, there's no surface to grab hold of to pull.

I've zoomed in as best I can and the joints between line segments all seem to meet (after a point, the zoom goes through the lines & I can't look any closer).

I checked for flatness by filling it in with triangles, which each made a plane surface, then erasing the divisions between them. The plane surface held, meaning the curves are flat and everything is planar.

What else can I do to force a plane surface? Anything short of outlining each curve point by point?

Thanks,

Jim

Pew End.skp

I think it just might work, plot-paris. Thanks for the suggestion, I will give it a try.

Best,

Jim

It's easy enough to stop the rubber banding with Line Command (finishing one line starts the next at the close point) by hitting escape. However, when stitching curves the lines don't continue once a face closes. You can spend all afternoon double clicking Line on a complex model.

Could the rubber banding be toggled, like Duplicate/Move, so we can choose on the fly? It's a pain when it isn't there and you need it, and just as frustrating when you don't want it and it happens anyway.

Thanks,

Jim

Thanks, Gaius, that's exactly what I was doing.

I'm guessing the grouping thing is some sort of funk on my computer, if others can't duplicate it with this file.

Best,

Jim

Pardon the dross-posting to Features Requests, as I'm not sure where this properly belongs.

I'd like to see an extension of the scaling mechanism.

Simple objects are no problem, I can select part of them and scale it and the rest follows. Complex objects can't be tapered this way.

Could there be another modifier key to use with Scale? We use Option/Alt to scale about center and Shift to toggle Uniform Scale. Maybe Command to scale just an end or side of the object?

I think of this working by scaling across the side of the grid of scaling handles, rather than through the center as Scale works now. I've made a simple file that shows what I mean.

Taper Illustration.skp

I'd like to see an extension of the scaling mechanism.

Simple objects are no problem, I can select part of them and scale it and the rest follows. Complex objects can't be tapered this way.

Could there be another modifier key to use with Scale? We use Option/Alt to scale about center and Shift to toggle Uniform Scale. Maybe Command to scale just an end or side of the object?

I think of this working by scaling across the side of the grid of scaling handles, rather than through the center as Scale works now. I've made a simple file that shows what I mean.

I'm cross-posting this in the Ruby Forums as well.

Thanks,

Jim

Taper Illustration.skp

Oh, I was taking this a different way. I'd like to see the physical size of an object SOMEWHERE, in Object Info, , Component Browser, the bottom of the screen, or something. Sometimes I make something or see something and it takes a bit of work to find out how big it is physically.

Thanks,

Jim

In the example I attached, the only edges I did NOT select were around the bottom of the rectangular solid. After I posted, I went back and tried selecting them also, and it did not matter, same reaction.

Best,

Jim

I have intermittent problems with both components and groups. The problems are similar and may or not be related. Since they are two ways of grouping I will describe them together.

Groups— sometimes when I make a group, then come back and click on one element in that group, it highlights. It seems to me that the group has not formed. So I select everything again and go to the menu, and "Make Group" is still dark. I do it again, and again, until I lose patience. The group never forms.
Other times I can make a group no problem, and when I click on it the whole thing selects.

Components— Sometimes when I select objects, then click "Make Component," the same thing happens. I can click on one element separately. I'm attaching a file where this occurred. Note that the Components Manager shows the component, and I can add more components, but that the one I added, the rectangular slab, does not select as a component.
Other times I can make a component, click on it and the whole thing selects.

I'm not in edit group/component mode here, it's normal times. I had this problem with Groups in SU 6 as well.

I'm using Freebie 7 on a MacBook Pro with a Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card and 2 G of memory, running System 10.5.5

Thanks for any suggestions,

Jim

Presiders Chair.skp