Not really a tutorial, I've just posted an appendix to my otherwise outdated SU tutorial explaining how to convert roof thicknesses sliced perpendicular to the roof into the thickness sliced horizontally or vertically.

http://martinrinehart.com/models/tutorial/tutorial_rt.html

Hope posting here will help you find it when you need it.

For those of you who also do HTML, the formulas are made pretty with MathML (in Chrome, then screenshot so you can see them in IE, too). Commented out, but still in the page source.

Some years ago I wrote a plugin called VisMap (as in Visual Map) that made it easy to turn layers on and off. It no longer works. I'm told that is because it's Ruby 1 and needs updating for Ruby 2.

Well, as luck would have it I'm SketchingUp again and I need a tool like that. I want something where I can have an outline of my layers where you click "+" or "-" (arrows, whatever) to expand/contract sets of layers. (I'm working now on some models that are large and not nimble unless you look at just a small part.)

If anyone else wants such a tool, I'll need help with the Ruby portion. Not done any Ruby in almost a decade, I'm afraid. But I'm totally up-to-date with my JavaScript. Here's an example of my JS outline widget: http://martinrinehart.com

It's the widget near top-right, labelled "Home." Play with the title line buttons to see how it beats the Windows-standard outline widget.

@unknownuser said:

For the still-ruby-challenged,...

Start with Chapter 11 and continue through Chapter 17. You'll become Ruby-literate. It's not hard.

@unknownuser said:

1. what about using q to do rotations in an arbitrary direction not defined by the planes?

All my rotate stuff allows you to specify a plane ('rg', 'rb' or 'gb') or an axis. See my Leaning Tower of Pisa in the doc.

@unknownuser said:

2. I've got an existing model with several groups that need to move around in a related, but not quite identical, way.

That's where ruby literacy has to come in. Alternatively, some brilliant insight that shows me how to create a generic solution to things that move in a related but non-identical way. Brilliant insights are always welcome.

Martin

@jessejames said:

@martinrinehart said:

Ruby Console Pro

1. Can you combine the input and output windows into one window.

2. I noticed pressing tab does not insert a tab char into the text area, it just does the usual "tabbing" of focus though the widgets. Can this be overridden to insert a tab?

Missed this post. Sorry.

1. Yes, but don't want to. Arrange them how you like. They come up as you left them, next time.

2. Textareas are lame. Wish we had better. Many times I've enthusiastically started on a serious editor/ide, only to run into some insurmountable textarea roadblock.

You are very smart to have gotten that monitor. Easy to love, no?

@airbear58 said:

What I am building, in effect, is a empty picture frame.

Why do you want correct details inside the frame? These won't show in a finished model.

Assuming that you'll need to explode the parts (or otherwise show these details) begin by simplifying the problem. Start with three boards, each a group. Along the length of one, cut the female shape. Along the length of another cut the male shape. (Use FollowMe or just PushPull.) Qrotate (Q = keyboard shortcut) the male and female boards 45 degrees. Slide the shaped boards onto the unshaped board, picture frame style.

This is a nuisance, but you only do it once. Explode, Edit/Intersect/Intersect with Model. Delete the lines you don't want. Save!

Start with the correct width. Use the Scale tool along the length of the finished board to "cut" as many different lengths as you like.

Welcome, Bob.

You pose a challenging problem. This is not simple, beginner-friendly sketching up. You might want to practice sketching up something easier, such as a house. Don't start with a carefully drawn, Arc-based horseshoe. Start with something like my horseshoe. That said, here goes.

I'll illustrate a technique with a "horseshoe" that won't win any prizes. Draw yours a bit too long as we'll cut it back. I've used a 10% slope (and suggest that you start that way, too) as 3% is a bit too subtle. First you PushPull your horseshoe up into 3D, with straight sides. With the Scale tool (Google for a video tutorial) you expand just the top, 10%.

Draw a line to close the horseshoe and PushPull up the inside. Use the Scale tool again, this time to shrink the top of the inside by 10%.

Ctrl+A to select all, right click and Group. Draw a rectangle a bit larger than the horseshoe. PushPull it up. Triple-click the new box. Move it into your horseshoe enough to cut off the excess length. Leaving the box selected, right-click your horseshoe and explode it. Then Edit/Intersect/Intersect with Model.

Now it's time to clean up. Delete all the lines that aren't part of the finished horseshoe. DO NOT use the Eraser. Click a line to select it, scratch your head to decide if you really don't want it. Press Delete if it's not a keeper.

Connect the outside lines to the inside lines to get the shape you want. Delete the lines you don't need.

When you get here, you're ready to go back and sketch up a horseshoe that might win a championship. Good luck!

Oh !@#$.

I forgot what browser the PC user will get for a WebDialog. Be kind to Mac users!

@andreas said:

I would like to make a cutout in a wall (group) to insert a door or window.

Andreas

That is definitely possible. The group has an Entities collection.

Add a Rectangle to the groups Entities. Pushpull its face to the opposite side of the wall. Delete the face.

@thomthom said:

A "service"? That does that mean in Ruby world?

It puts "Hello, World!" to the console. It doubles the size of a ComponentInstance along an axis. It returns the value of pi to a ridiculous number of decimal places.