Thomtom huge thank you!
2 things that would make this script a dream come true:

1. To be able to make the 'first eyedropper click' a multiple one (with control key)- to select a set of materials to be replaced.
2. To insert material editor into the picture. I mean ability to select materials (to be replaced\replacement candidate) both in model and mateditor.
   Almost forgot:

@thomthom said:

@rv1974 said:

It's sad but VRAYforSU is the oxymoron. Use original max version.

Getting a Max license - not a cheap solution...

And as for the semantics: can't say I see how one can define "V-Ray for Sketchup" as an oxymoron.

There are some good examples of oxymoron in english wiki that depict my statement qiute well: Serious Joke, Sweet sorrow, Happy depression...

It's sad but VRAYforSU is the oxymoron. Use original max version.

@tig said:

Since a SectionPlane is a DrawingElelment you should be able to do most things with it like Move, Rotate etc. You also have two extra methods to 'set' and 'get' a SectionPlane's 'plane'...
You can't make a SectionPlane - unfortunately there is not equivalent method to entities.add_section_plane(plane) - though the trick of importing an 'empty' component that contains only a SectionPlane and then exploding it works - you can get it's id and then change it's location/plane...
The BIG problem is that there is no entities.active_section_plane [returning a SectionPlane or nil if none is active] or entities.active_section_plane=SectionPlane [setting that active and all others not - equivalent to model.active_layers/= but entities based as there can be one active SectionPlane in each set], also SectionPlane.active? to see if a particular one is active and SectionPlane.deactivate to switch it 'off', would be good. Note that hiding/showing active/visible SectionPlanes can already be done though Display settings... and you can already search through an entities set and make an array of its SectionPlanes - though then you can't do that much to them...
If these simple methods were added to the Ruby API it would open up loads of possibilities...
It's beyond a mere scripter to hack into the SKP format and get/set the entities's active SectionPlane BUT it must be possible

Why does the green color lenses of your geek sunglasses shine like light at the tunnel's end?

@cadfather said:

well, i have full confidence in our ruby masters (while i open my prayer book..)

Me too. But if Thom is right, could it be a 3-stage script:

1. it'd hide entire model and creates 'face me' face say 100cm from the cameras point.
2. user sets sec plane manually and makes it active.
3. script continues: moves 101 cm to the camera, , unhides model, set 45 degeree shadows,deletes temp face, creates scene. Pervertive?

@thomthom said:

There is one snag here: we got virtually no control over section planes via the API:
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/sectionplane.html

We can only get and set the direction of the plane.

No way method to add one (though one can work around this by putting a section plane inside a component and store that in the plugin's folder - that can then be used to add a plane)

And there is no way to make a plane the active one. So we can get a nearly automatic process, but you'd have to set the active plane manually.

Oh nooo.. Sometimes SU make me sh!t bricks

Hi! Here is some ruby idea:
To fix shadow bug I use to add a section plane cutting the model via camera's point and facing the vista. But very often it's hard to add it manually.
So why TIG you may ask? Optionally I'd like to unite sec plane creation with TIG's elevation_45_shadow.rb (as if some plane on 'face me' component in front of camera was preselected).
P.S. And it should turn off 'view section plane'!
Many thanks in advance.

Thom and Jim thank you.

Hi!
Does anybody have a glue how would I convert focal length to SU FOV?
I have some background picture taken with Canon EOS 5D Mark II focal length 24 mm.
So my FOV=???
BTW is focal angle (the term in camera point of view\target.rb that I use) mean same that su field of view does?
Thank you in advance

must have tool for architects. Thank you Tig!

Your wicked links:
1/ Generally poor output quality (jump into vray)
2/ No perspective correcton
3/ People remind me "hot fuzz" movie.

This gray fade was extremely annoying. What a relief

Hi!
When I export SU model to max (via .3ds) it appears I can't match original SU scene\camera to max standard (not vray) camera (even though I put the the same FOV and output image size). Did anybody manage to exactly match SU to MAX output?
Thanks in advance

Are there any news about mental ray 2011?

@tig said:

@rv1974 said:

Super! Thank you TIG so much!
Though it skips segments in the very first try.

Without the skp to try I'm unsure what's up...
Are the curves continuous - it would help it they had the same number of segments [although that IS meant to be coped with].
Can you post [or PM me] a skp displaying this glitch ?

loft.skp

Super! Thank you TIG so much!
Though it skips segments in the very first try.

This script must change components axes to bottom center (+aligned to ground plane).
Otherwise it useless IMHO.

...being able to select edges where the angle between connected faces are larger than a given angle?..
-yes
...filters an existing selection?
-yes

Hi!
What I really missinng is option to select all edges bitween "90 degrees faces" (the exact degree number should be ajustable)

@Bob