I think it's not an easy task to calculate finite elements and there's a lot of specialized software out there.
Maybe someday in the future there will be a SU plugin to do such calculations but I didn 't find any tool yet...

Hi,

with tools|axes you can define your own axes and save them in your scenes ...
I guess that's what your looking for ?

@ TIG,

that's just fantastic what you're doing here.
I face a problem an two minutes later it's been solved thanks to your script. Great

Hello,

I experimented a little with modules now and I think (hope) I now understand the use of them.

Despite all your great help it took me several hours till I found this:

@unknownuser said:

Like class methods, whenever you define a method in a module, you specify the module name followed by a dot and then the method name.

Before that I used the method name without the module name in front and nothing worked...

Matthias

@dan rathbun said:

@pvbuero said:

Where to find the variable with the time ?

    def get_shadow_time
>       model = Sketchup.active_model 
>       shadowinfo = model.shadow_info
>       shadtime = shadowinfo['ShadowTime']
>       # shadtime is a Time class object
>     end
> 

• Ruby Time class from the 'Pick-Axe' book.
• Time class in Ruby Core Docs.

I didn't mean in SU. I meant "variable with the time" in the javascript file ...
But I think that's to much new stuff at once.

Hi,

had to pause a little with ruby and watch the soccer match

@unknownuser said:

You never were clear on whether it was sliders and spinner controls that you desired, or just a plain ol' entry box. ??

It not necessarily needs to be a slider. I do this little project just for fun and to learn how to use ruby.
As I'm always nosy for new things I wanted to know how user interfaces can be made in SU.
Now I know something about the different approaches and I also know that it takes a lot more effort to understand and use webdialogs than just configuring little predefined parts...

For now I'm satisfied with Dan's script. Thank you for that...
Matthias

@thomthom said:

You'd have to make a webdialog. I'd recommend using a framework, like jQuery that make thing much easier. jQuery has UI plugin widgets that let you easily add the UI gadgets you need.

Sigh... I now know how sketchup functions can be called by a webdialog. I played a little with the example in chapter 13 of automatic sketchup...
But now back to my objective: I simply want to input a time with a webdialog. I googled timepicker jquery and found that.
But I've no idea how I can use that tool. Where to find the variable with the time ? where must the "window.location = 'skp:...." command be placed ? ...
Seems to me I have to learn jquery first, but therefore I need to learn javascript first
Well .. I didn't want to learn all languages available, I just want to input a time (and learn ruby for sketchup )

Is there a little tutorial or something to make the first step using jquery UI plugins a litte easier ?

As always .. thanks a lot for your help.
Matthias

@unknownuser said:

Oh! There I go again.. ranting on Namespaces. For more info from some of my other rants...

that's not ranting. Thats most valuable information for beginners like me, who don't see the wood for the trees...

Great help.

Matthias

it 's just an extract of the script with the part where the notes are added and where the pages are added with the corresponding note unhidden...
My script is far from perfect therefore I'didn't want to post it here.

If you keep in mind, that it's the work of a beginner you can see it here complete:

require 'sketchup'

Sketchup.send_action "showRubyPanel;"

class ShadowInformation
 @@shadowinfo = Sketchup.active_model.shadow_info
 def sunrisetxt
   @sunrisetext = @@shadowinfo["SunRise"].gmtime.strftime("Sonnenaufgang;  %H;%M Uhr")
 end

 def sunsettxt
   @sunsettext = @@shadowinfo["SunSet"].gmtime.strftime("Sonnenuntergang;  %H;%M Uhr")
 end
 def shadowdatetxt
  @shadowdatetxt = @@shadowinfo["ShadowTime"].gmtime.strftime("Tag des Jahres;  %d.%b")
 end

def shadowtimetxt
  @shadowtimetxt = @@shadowinfo["ShadowTime"].gmtime.strftime("Uhrzeit;  %H;%M")
 end
end


UI.menu("Plugins").add_item("Shadowanimation"){create_scenes}

def create_scenes

 shadInf = ShadowInformation.new
 #UI.messagebox shadInf.shadowtimetxt
 @xpos_shadowtime = 0.1
 @ypos_shadowtime = 0.2

 shadowinfo = Sketchup.active_model.shadow_info
 #Stunde des Sonnenauf- und Untergang ermitteln
 von_Stunde = (shadowinfo["SunRise"].gmtime.hour.to_s)
 bis_Stunde = ((shadowinfo["SunSet"].gmtime.hour + 1).to_s)


 # Hier werden die Parameter für die Verschattungsanimation abgefragt
 prompts = ["von-Stunde", "bis-Stunde"]
 defaults = [von_Stunde,bis_Stunde]
 list = ["1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|","12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24"]
 input = UI.inputbox prompts, defaults, list, "Verschattungsanimation Voreinstellungen"

 sunrise = input[0].to_i
 sunset = input[1].to_i
 minute = 00
 day = shadowinfo["ShadowTime"].gmtime.day
 month = shadowinfo["ShadowTime"].gmtime.month

 shadowtime_on_screen = [sunrise..sunset]

 for hour in sunrise..sunset
  time = Time.gm(2010,month,day,hour,minute,00)
  shadowinfo["ShadowTime"]= time
  shadowinfo["DisplayShadows"]= true 
  shadowtime_on_screen[hour] = Sketchup.active_model.add_note (shadInf.shadowtimetxt,0.1,0.2)
  shadowtime_on_screen[hour].hidden = true
 end
  for hour in sunrise..sunset
  time = Time.gm(2010,month,day,hour,minute,00)
  shadowinfo["ShadowTime"]= time
  shadowtime_on_screen[hour].hidden = false
  page = Sketchup.active_model.pages.add time.strftime("%d %b %H;%M Uhr")
  shadowtime_on_screen[hour].hidden = true
  page.delay_time= 0
  page.transition_time= 3
 end
Sketchup.active_model.add_note (shadInf.sunrisetxt,0.1,0.05)
Sketchup.active_model.add_note (shadInf.sunsettxt,0.1,0.1)
Sketchup.active_model.add_note (shadInf.shadowdatetxt,0.1,0.15)
end

The idea is, that you can choose the starting- and the end-hour and that sunrise-hour and sunset-hour are the default values...

The next step would be the input of a start- and a end-time (instead of only the hour) and a that the time between the scenes could be choosen free. (instead of one hour steps).

Matthias

Hi Dan,

thank's a lot for your help.

@unknownuser said:

Interesting! I just noticed that you have your time set to display the 24 hour clock.

I think that's because I use the german SU Version and we usually use a 24 hour clock here.

I 'll try to understand your code as an exercise but I' ve already begun to read the webdialogs chapter in Automatic SketchUp... I'm curious where that leads me to.

Matthias

@danbig said:

Call me unambitious, but I'm back to the strategy of placing the screen note on each scene, and hiding it on all the others. It would work for my workflow, and it seems digestible for me.
I could then use the standard "export to animation" function to either jpg or avi, and (I think) it would come out as expected.

I made it that way and it works:

 
shadowtime_on_screen = [sunrise..sunset]

 for hour in sunrise..sunset
  time = Time.gm(2010,month,day,hour,minute,00)
  shadowinfo["ShadowTime"]= time
  shadowinfo["DisplayShadows"]= true 
  shadowtime_on_screen[hour] = Sketchup.active_model.add_note (shadInf.shadowtimetxt,0.1,0.2)
  shadowtime_on_screen[hour].hidden = true
 end
  for hour in sunrise..sunset
   time = Time.gm(2010,month,day,hour,minute,00)
   shadowinfo["ShadowTime"]= time
   shadowtime_on_screen[hour].hidden = false
   page = Sketchup.active_model.pages.add time.strftime("%d %b %H;%M Uhr")
   shadowtime_on_screen[hour].hidden = true
   page.delay_time= 0
   page.transition_time= 3
 end

First I create all the notes on the screen and hide them, then I unhide one by one and create the corresponding pages.

My next step will be to allow steps which are different from one hour... and as I learnd here I have to deal with jquery (sigh) to enter the start and the end time...

Matthias

Hello,

I' d like to input a time into my script formated as it's made in the shadowinfo dialog in SU. Is there a way to configure the inputbox to achieve that or how can I make such a dialog ?

Thanks for your help
Matthias

@chris fullmer said:

It really is not all that difficult to make your script export a series of jpgs
Chris

Chris,

can I also export directly into an avi file somehow ?
To make it a bit easier for the user ...

Matthias

@danbig said:

I, for one, have decided that I have a knack for attempting the most complicated tasks as my "test project" in a new area.

danbig,
It's dawning on me that this might be true for me too

I try the approach with one note per page. Hopefully this will be more successful

Matthias

Adam,

I tried it. It is very close to what I need.
I give you a PM with further details.

Matthias

Hello,

it's a pity that I read this post just now, when I finished my little plugin using the shadowinfo_observer to achieve exactly what danbig described. Display the Shadowtime for different shading situations.
My Plugin works perfectly. I was proud of it until I tried an animation export
Is this problem solved by now?
It seems not very sophisticated to me, to write notes on every page which are hidden when another page is displayed...
is there no other way ?

Matthias

@wind-borne said:

LightUp shows similar to your example. here's example I posted awhile back.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=226729#p226729

Hello,
I checked Lightup sometimes ago but there were to many functions I don't need and I wasn't able to figure out how I could create a diagramm as it's shown above. I usually don't need rendering software. I only need the solar simulation part ...
Is there a tutorial somewhere how to do that with Lightup ?

I will also take a look at open studio...

Thanks to all of you
Matthias

Thanks a lot Thomas.

Hello,

I added a note on the screen with the code below:

Sketchup.active_model.add_note("some text")

trouble is, when I delete the last entity (for example Sang if he 's the only one on the screen) the note also disappears. When I put something back on the screen my note comes back.

Is there a way to avoid that ?

Thanks
Matthias

David,
what I' m looking for is a tool to create something like it's shown in this diagramm.

.. is there any Sketchup Plugin to achieve this ?

Best Matthias