Thanks guys.

Your input has given me a better understanding now.
I'll have a go at making the components I need and see how I get on.

James.

Thanks very much, your example and explanation were very useful (I'm sure others will find it so as well.)

One point, your model is made up of four individual components and scaling had the same problem as mine.
However when I created a fifth component made up of the other four it worked as you suggested.

I guess this was because as individual components there was no 'parent' so the definition was not having any effect.

I will study your example a bit more and come back with any questions.

Thanks for your input.

I have been looking at the new option to create dynamic components.

I created the attached frame and restricted the sizes of the two sides to a set width and depth, and the top and bottom are restricted to a set height and depth.

This seems to work but there is a problem when the width of the frame is scaled.

As the width of the frame is scaled, the sides expand whilst scaling (which appears to be normal for SU), but when the mouse is released they return to the fixed width, which is correct.

However, the top and bottom rails are left in the positon they were in when the sides had expanded in width before returning to the controlled size.

The same error occurs with the sides if the height of the frame is scaled.

Am I missing something, or is this a bug/problem in SU.

frame.skp

Thanks Gaieus.
I never noticed the 'options' on the import dialogue box. I was assuming it would import using the default template settings.

I can send the drawings off now with with no worries.

Thanks again.

I exported a drawing to .dwg format this morning for the first time.
To test it, I re-imported it to SU and found the sizes were all different by a common factor of x304.8.

Is there a setting for exporting somewhere that I am missing?

Thanks Al.

Yous used the term 'Client License'

@unknownuser said:

(When you purchase RpReports you also purchase the Client Licenses for your users)

The pricing in the site uses the term 'User' eg

@unknownuser said:

5 user license

Are these the same thing?

In other words, if someone just wants to use the objects in a sketchup scene, do not want to alter them in any way - just get a report, do they need an RpReports 'User licence' or can they get the information in another way (using RPTools for example).

If I used RPReports to attach attributes to sketchup items (say for example I create a chair and give it a bill of material and price), then I send that model to someone else, what do they need to view the attributes?
Do they need a license for RPReports, or are there other ways they can view/extract the attribute information using another ruby script or add-on?

Nexus,

What script is that, and where did you get it? Or is it one you have done?

I think this is the same person that wrote the ruby OSCarcass.

I have sent him a message asking about availability of the script and will let you know his response.

If I may suggest 'Cutlist and Materials'.

Very useful for generating quantites/sizes/materials lists of all sorts of items for construction drawings(cabinets, bricks, wall panels, joists, and so on) and if combined with 'Select by layer' is very quick and easy to generate seperate lists of different items.

Also has a nice interface with options for output in a variety of formats.

Adam,

I'm sure you'll get it right

Signed up and waiting with eager anticipation.

Gee - such quick responses. Thanks guys - and even two ways of doing it

Todd:
tried this and it works ok

Didier:
Now I understand where the value was coming from - as you say, weird that SU defaults to inches in this instance and not the scene default measurements.
I think I understand your remark about using Instance variables, but I had a problem with it.
Firstly, in your script you had @hh the start of line 3, but @hhd at the end. I assume that the first part should have been @hhd as well. And using this the script returned the correct values (as expected) in the first input box.
However, the value returned in the second input box is still in inches, so it didn't seem to have the desired effect

I have just started to use Sketchup and have inherited some scripts written by a previous colleague. I have to now set about learning what Ruby is all about, but have an immediate issue which is rather irritating me as I have done some searches and so far not found an obvious answer.

I have a script which was designed to build some panels using input from an inputbox, but we now need to create a second input box to allow the changes of some dimensions.

For example, an input box has 3 inputs with default settings, the script looks like this:

@unknownuser said:

prompts = ["Width ", "Height ", "Depth", ]
values = [550.mm, 720.mm, 18.mm]

  results = inputbox prompts, values, "Default Size"

  return if not results
  xxd, hhd, yyd = results

  h1 = hhd-5.mm

This information is then used later in the script to create a panel. And that's all OK

What we now need is to recall the 3 dimensions to a new input box for verification or changes.

But this input box needs to show the initial values for xxd, and also yyd, BUT it also needs to show the MODIFIED value of 'hhd' which is now 'h1'.

This is where I am at a loss.
The script I have used is

@unknownuser said:

prompts = ["New Width ", "New Height ", "New Depth", ]
values = [xxd, h1, yyd]

  results = inputbox prompts, values, "New Size"
  return if not results
  xx, h2, yy = results

which returns the correct values for the width and depth, but for the height (h1) it returns an obscure value.
I have read through some of the articles on Ruby and think this has something to do with the way the value of 'h1' is generated from

h1 = hhd-5.mm

Although this value works in the script when creating the panel, the inputbox is seeing it differently.

Can someone enlighten me.

Thanks for any advice that may be forthcoming.

I am using CutListAndMaterials.rb to produce a cutting list.

This script works on 'selected' items only.

All the cabinets are in different layers called 'Base Units'/'Wall Units' etc.

I want to simplify the process of selecting the items and came across this 'script' which supposedly allows you to choose a layer from the layers in the scene and then selects everything on that layer

#This example adds a menu item to select things in the model 
# based on Layer or Material.  The also demonstrate putting a popup list
# in an input box

def select_by_layer
    # First get a list of all of the layers in the model
    model = Sketchup.active_model
    layers = model.layers
    names = layers.collect {|l| l.name}
    
    # Display a dialog to pick the layer to select
    prompts = ["Layer"]
    values = [names[0]]
    enums = [names.join("|")]
    results = inputbox prompts, values, enums, "Select By Layer"
    return if not results
    
    # Now select everything on the selected layer
    layername = results[0]
    do_select {|e| e.layer.name == layername}
end

I have no experience of Ruby Script and wondered if anyone could assist me by explaining how I could add this to the Cutlist script so that it produced the cutting list for all the items chosen in a selected layer without having to go through separate procedures to get there.

I was going to ask the author of CutListAndMaterials.rb if he was prepared to do it, but cannot find any way of contacting him.

Thanks in advance for any offers of assistance.

@unknownuser said:

This is a Kitchen design plugin,

Thanks Jim -That looks interesting.

At first site it appears to be one solution for creating cabinets, but difficult to say how useful it may be as it is all in German. I will sure investigate though.

Jon,

Some questions/thoughts.

Questions:

• Do you use these plans to show to customers? If so, how do they react?
• Do you use them to represent a particular make of kitchen, or are they for units you make yourself?
• How long does it take to create the plan then propagate it with 3D?
• If you have to order/make the kitchen, how do you do that, how long does it take?

Thoughts:
Yes you are right about Squareclock. If the demo is the full extent of the programme (which I am sure it is not) then it needs some serious work to make it usable for anything other than 'box' shaped rooms.
Their concept is that the 'catalogs' will be real Manufacturers products, so the wall sizes in the demo must be an exact match for the combined lengths of the cabinets they are using - lucky for them .

What is possible with SU is to have a 3D 'component' library of cabinets which could be designed as replications of 'Manufacturers' cabinets, with the correct sizes and even their codes. Then the walls, cabinets, windows and doors could be placed onto a 2D plan very quickly, accurately and easily using Ruby Scripts.

It would also be possible for a list of cabinets in the plan to be output to a text or .csv file (with codes and prices) to be available for producing a quote for the customer.

The same principle could be used for custom cabinets, but output could be a cutting list instead of cabinet codes.

This is all do-able with Ruby Script (I have seen various scripts that do some of this to a greater or lesser degree), but having no knowledge of Ruby I would not know where to start.

(NOTE: I'd be interested in hearing from anyone capable of writing Ruby who may be interested in the possibility of developing/modifying scripts to achieve a slick version of the above concept..)

RPTools 'sort of' has a feature that autosnaps components to each other, but I have not used it extensively and think that maybe it would need some development to give the sort of results this video is demonstrating.

SU would also need some other scripts to make it even better (such as the ability to change the materials for all or some components on a specific 'layer' to be changed with one 'click')

I have been involved in the Kitchen market for some years and I, for one, would be most interested in knowing if someone is interested in doing something like this. I also think that if someone can develop this type of facility for SU there would be a great demand for it - not just for Kitchens, but for anything cabinet related (bathroom, bedroom, home study, commercial office layout etc).

Forgive me, I know nothing about developing Ruby Scripts, but I have been looking at both of these scripts and although they are both very useful, there are slight changes which would make one or other, or both, more useful for cabinetmakers who use SU.

CutListAndMaterials gives a nice breakdown of the cutting list for parts 'SELECTED' in a model. What would be nice is if there was a facility to give a complete cutlist from 'ALL' of the components in a given 'LAYER'.
For example when modelling a room, all the cabinets could be placed in a layer called 'Cabinets' and everything else in the model could be put in the default layer or layers of their own. The cutlist could then be applied to 'ALL' models in the 'Cabinets' layer and nothing else.

On the other hand, ComponentReporter could be used instead of Cutlistandmaterials (as it itemises the Layers and the output could be filtered by Layer afterwards) except for the fact that for some reason (which I don't profess to understand) the dimensions of the component are shown totally differently to the dimensions for the same cabinet in Cutlistandmaterials.

I don't know how difficult a task it would be to modify ComponentReporter to change the method of reporting size so it does it the way Cutlistandmaterials does, and whether it would be possible to possibly restrict the report to specific 'Layers' - can anyone advise?