Hello Guys,
Following users requests i updated the plugin to version 1.10
Have fun, Moris
Thank you guys for the support.
here is a link to a new 1.09 version.
http://sites.google.com/site/morisdov/proper_animation_1.09.zip
I modified error handling and exceptions bubbling, to better behave on a mac.
on a maconly the 'animation attributes map' dialog should open in show_modal - Johns request (to mimic the behavior on windows ?).
Let me know if its better on a macand does not crush even when there no scenes in a model, and the ruby console is not open.
(the previous version 1.08 seemed to be working fine on a mac - if you have at leaset one scene, and the ruby console is open)
Thanks, Moris
Hello Chuck and other mac users,
I believe there is a mac specific problem, only on the newsketchup version 8 M1 release,
I dont have access to a mac machine. Chucks crush dump does not provide insight to resolve this.
Whoever can assist in resolving this, if you open the "ruby console" on the "window" menu - and send me all the messagesdisplayed there, just beforesketchup crushes, afterthe first get position and beforethe second attempt crushes sketchup - this is the only way to get a clue, where is the problem.
Thank you, Moris
@gzekko said:
repeating step - context menu add position x - when reopening saved models
the very latest 1.08 beta download from my site (17/11/2010) will 'load' the number of positions for the context menu - on models created/extended using the latest 1.08 version.
@unknownuser said:
to insert a new position anywhere between two old positions
Cheers, moris
Hello Flecht and Ladies and Gentleman,
download latest version 1.08 beta - with easing support, from -
http://sites.google.com/site/morisdov/
Please experiment and provide feedback if you find bugs.
If i disable google update service and hide associated exe, i am experiencing noticable delay on closing sketchup or opening a new model.
First i thought i had AppObservr bugs.
Even though i try to code defensively against exceptions and presume surprises.
@unknownuser said:
2 - Am I Missing the Easing Parameter choice?
Verify you have only a single"proper animation 1.xx.rbs" file in plugins folder.
The "About" dialog window should report 1.08 beta.
Hello Guys,
This is a new plugin that seems stable enough for a public announcement.
I hope it will help many of you, by linking your 3D models to Google docs on-line Spreadsheets.
3D models represent objects that might have lots of complex details and data attributes associated with them.
Through the objects life cycle, these attributes need to be updated, manipulated and referenced many times for countless reasons.
Google Docs online spreadsheets offer flexible options for data manipulation, referencing and even linking to back office ERP systems.
The 'General Locator' Plugin extends those abilities linking 3D model entity names and 3D model entity attribute dictionary keys to spreadsheet columns.
download the latest releases from http://sites.google.com/site/morisdov/
follow the detailed instructions in the PDF tutorial, included in the download.
test a small sample skp and its associated spreadsheet, included in the download.
watch youtube demo on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox81IuP2eGk
also check out related "Museum/Gallery HTML Reference" Plugin.
as always - start small, advance in steps - follow the PDF tutorial !
This was initially developed for an archeologist but should be good for general use - let me know about must fixes and nice to have additions.
Moris
Hello Leonardo,
I created a few for customers.
Using visual studio create a new project type of a windows class library. In your dll expose public methods to be accessed from sketchup.
download from the web win32api.so and copy it into Sketchups Plugins folder. follow the examples on http://ruby-doc.org/docs/ProgrammingRuby/html/lib_windows.html
Start slowly and advance in steps.
Moris
Hello Morgan,
Although you can hack a solution that will work in your lab network, because of NAT and firewall rules this connectivity solution will be more trouble than its worth at customers sites.
%(#0000BF)[In any case sketchups native UI.messagbox and UI.inputbox are not sufficient for a reasonable user interface so you must use sketchups Webdialog anyway.
During the developent of the plugin you will need a "debug" interface from which you can manually send data either way and monitor results, so you must pass "complex" data structures to and from the webdialog !]
If the assumptions above are indeed relevant to your case, use javascript ajax in sketchups webdialog to connect to the other data computer.
Use Base64 encoding to pass complex data stuctures from Ruby to Javascript and on to the data computer and back. I also save Base64 encoded data structures in sketchups attribute dictionaries, to never worry about escaping illegal characters and binary data structures etc.
I also use webdialog textboxes for monitoring sent and received data and manually injecting test data.
Note the 2 KiloByte limit of each call from webdialog javascript to sketchup ruby - split longer data.
Hi Javier, I cant guess which faces in your 3D model should have the ability to reorient themselves towards anything.
The "archeological site construction" which is the only 3D model is frozen by history and must be locked for any changes whatsoever.
you should place in that 3D model many Skethcup "cameras" and orient only them to face certain directions towards the sky at a certain date and time point. (like the sky of the longest day of year 500 BC or 1492).
You can ANIMATEvia sketchups standard view animation features to "look" form the cameras - this will be your demonstration of this whole idea.
You may add lines from the cameras to the cameras target point(star in the sky) to emphesize and "prove" and "explore" that the archeological site was indeed constructed in ancient times in accordance and perspective related to stars positions of specific dates and times.
As an unrelated side note - i recommend exploring when "perspective" was first "invented" in each cultures paintings 
Cheers, Moris
Hello Javier,
I would start tackling this initiative with the following steps:
1) Model a very rough 3D sample archeological site using standard Sketchup tools
2) Place few Sketchup cameras inside this 3D model, pointing to assumed prpoer orientations towards the sky
Many Sketchup plugins can assist in this step, you may also take a look at my "Museum/Gallery Plugin" for Sketchup
3) Place a Dome above this model to represent the sky
4) Place on the Dome a JPEG picture texture (Sketchup "material") of the Sky of one specific point in time
5) Adjust Cameras properties looking towards the dome
6) If satisfied get additional "Sky Pictures" of more points in time to be placed on the dome
You can have many "Domes" all hidden, except one - or you can go with switching single domes texture, standard Sketchup features
7) The last step is to work out best method of generating and switching the domes texture.
There are many "visualization" tools (also available from google) to generate "pictures" out of "mathematics", i guess one that represents the sky might already be available.
8) Only if the "Dome" solution proves to be lacking must features, you may need to represent the "stars" of the sky as real 3D Sketchup objects. On this task 90% + of a programmers time
will be probably spent on understanding the mathematics and experimenting with very high precission mathematics in Sketchups scripting language "Ruby".
I believe this is the only real challenge, but first you shoud get to this step.
Cheers, Moris P.
( post links of your sites )
Hello Bradley,
As noted in the documentation and previous posts on this thread, Sketchup can not export the animations in the "standard" way.
You have two options:
Dont layers work for you to control objects visibility ?
they can be associated with scenes
@unknownuser said:
Because your maximum "live" frame-rate is coincidentally about 25 fps?
I have implemented a high resolution javascript timer via webdialog, wrapped in a ruby class.
The problem is RACE CONDITIONS. After quite some time on workarounds I think its best to stay with the native API timer with its limitation of firing every one second, or 0 seconds if you specify a value smaller than 1 - ie almost immediatly, depending on your CPU speed and model complexity - roughly 80 to 20 times a second.
As replieed to me, the "rough" animationts in "proper animation" plugin seem to satisfy the "quick to result" sketchers using it.
The general direction of reasoning for plugin design seems to me should be of whats the most bare basic minimal functionality required for a plugin to carry its name, whats the next basic feature to add .... etc
Developing a fair plugin takes quite a few hours and with support and refining goes up to tens of hours easyly, gross.
For a really nice rounded animation solution, or any other nice plugin, you will go up to hundreds of hours gross total invested - and the next day your investment can become irrelevant by forces you dont control.
I have grown to become a big believer in using the right tool for the job - dont be fanatically limited to sketchup, use it as a sketcher 
and enjoy todays sketchy animation plugins
Hello Ladies and Gentleman,
I claim no artistic skills or abilities of 3D model design hence prefer to spend my time on other pursuits.
I am looking for a small 3D modelwith an accompanying description text document, to demo a new SketchUp plugin I developed called “Museum/Gallery HTML Reference”.
It enables a two way linking between a 3D model and an external HTML document.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=24943
If you can share a relevant pair of files, I will convert the text to an HTML format and link it to the 3D model, and share both together with the plugin as examples of its use. Your authoring credits will be preserved of course.
Thanks in advance
Make your 3D models more valuable by linking them –
Camera views, Layers visibility, animation states, and Scene selections…
from and to an external HTML reference document.
HTML enables rich text annotation and incorporates images and videos,
making HTML the best format today for documenting and creating guides and knowledge bases.
Linking 3D models to rich HTML references will make the 3D models much more valuable
once they can be peeled, dissected, investigated, explored, animated, etc ..
and should make worthwhile the time and design intelligence invested by model builders.
http://morisdov.googlepages.com/gallery_reference_1.06.zip
the post below motivated me to find the time to advance this plugin into current beta state -
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=24770
with your feedback i hope to find any bugs to advance to released state,
more features are considered for the release ....
for animation you need [plugin] proper animation version_1.06
please start with simplest html file and move on one small step at a time
please post your demo design examples : skp + html pairs and valuable feedbackMuseum-Gallery Reference Tutorial.pdf
Hello Fredrick,
Check out Chris Fullmers Camera Recorder -
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=23517
Its quite close to what you asking.
might require some leg work but should get the job done.
I also have been working on a Museum plugin for a while, hope to find time to finish it already.
Myne is definitely not what you are looking for but might be useful for a project like yours - check back in some time.
Great initiative you have taken on this project
Cheers
more features for version 1.05 beta of Proper Animation
http://morisdov.googlepages.com/proper_animation.1.05.beta.zip
Since this plugin still has a significant demand i have added an interface to easyly clear position settings.
version 1.05 beta of Proper Animation can be downloaded on the following link
http://morisdov.googlepages.com/proper_animation.1.05.beta.zip
Its beta so if you find problems reply with screenshots
