@sketch3d.de said:

if you buy the upgrade to 2013 yet you'll get the 2014 for free

Norbert

Is Norbert's understanding correct?

@krisidious said:

It really depends on what type of modeling you're doing...

Mariyan,

Krisidous has a good point. It does depend on what type of modeling you do. Architecture, product design, wood working, gaming, sci-fi etc..

In general, it would be helpful if you expand the info on your profile. Your profile provides a good starting point to forum members and moderators as they ponder a reply.

Now, if you use it for architecture, which by the plugins you use now, you may or may not, you might find Instant Roof by Vali Architects and Profile Builder by Whaat very useful for your modeling and workflow.

Also, welcome to the forum.

For what it is worth....

I jumped in with a plus 1 to the idea of having some incremental steps for the intermediate level classification because I associated "beginner" with the skill sets identified in the SU beginner tutorials by Google. They are very basic and achievable, with practice, somewhat quickly. Then I have seen the work of those who have identified themselves as advanced here on this forum and I became quite inspired and humbled.

With beginner and advanced somewhat defined, I chose to categorize myself as an intermediate skill level SU/LO user. However, as I have spent more time in this forum, I have seen users who were quite more adept at modeling than I, who considered themselves intermediate in their skill level, and then I have noticed modelers who have generously marked themselves as advanced. I know I am not a beginner, but I also know that I have a long way to go before I consider myself advanced.

Something that I have wrestled with when I visit the WIP gallery is that many of those projects are co-mingled with rendering skills. So I try not to confuse my modeling with modeling and rendering. Or maybe I'm just kidding myself there... )

Somewhere between the beginner and advanced level is a vast and varied intermediate level. I am of the opinion that one does not make that particular transition in a quick and linear fashion, hence my support for a couple of levels for intermediate.)

It might seem like semantics to some or even ego stroking to others when it comes to identifying one's skill level, but I think it has some merit when seeking help. Consider that an answer to the same question posed by a kindergartner and a college graduate would be framed quite differently from someone who really is interested or able to answer the question.

I will be listing myself as intermediate for quite a while, because there are many aspects of this deceptively simple native program to master and manipulate.

I cheer those who have "begun" and to those that have truly made it to an advanced level, I salute you.

@box said:

I think there should be 3 levels in the intermediate section, allowing for more variation in people's abilities.

+1

Thanks TIG
Cool plugin. I'll use some alternatives to preserve when needed.

@rich o brien said:

Before you Edit > Delete Guides copy or cut the Grid to your clipboard. Then Edit > Delete Guides followed by Paste in Place

That works!

Thanks

Hello TIG,

Is there a way to keep the grid from being deleted when I use the native delete guides tool?

I started on this path with the SU teams's "Grid" plugin, and mitcorb suggested I try your work plane plugin v2.3. Am I doing something incorrectly that the work palane guides disappear when I use that native option?

BTW, really cool plugin

@mitcorb said:

Look at TIGs WorkPlane. generated as a locked object. I don't think it is subject to the Delete Guides command.

I checked out the work plane plugin by TIG. Impressive, but unless I'm doing something incorrectly, gridlines are still subject to a universal delete when the delete guides option is executed (even when locked. A face remains, which is locked, but no grid lines.

@ely862me
The grid plane is automatically grouped. I locked it and it was still subject to deletion. I hid the grid and still it would delete. So then I created a layer called grid, placed it on that layer, turned said layer off, and it was still deleted.

@mitcorb
I'll look into that, and report back

Thanks both for the replies

Does anyone know if there is a way to keep the grid that is created by the "Grid" tool (downloaded from Extension Warehouse) from being deleted when the delete guidelines tool is used? I like to work with grids, guidelines and points. There are times when deleting the lines and points are required to clean up the clutter, but the grid would still be handy if it could remain.

Thoughts?
Suggestions?

And I thought we had it bad here in West Central Wi. It was nothing compared to that.

I do have v3.8 and with your helpful explanation, I now realize that the cut face does not dynamically follow the section cut. It does in fact create the "glued" face when I switch to a different tool. I was not switching to a different tool.

Thanks for such a creative and useful tool.

TIG

This is the file I was practicing on. It is nothing special.

Thanks in advance for your interest in helping.

SFTO1

test skip.skp

I just installed the latest version of Section Cut Face and the Glue option is not working. I selected yes in the glue option yet when I move the section plane the cut face disappears and it looks like an ordinary section plane view.

What am I doing wrong?

P.S.
SU 8pro
This is on my laptop with limited graphics.
Installed thru plugin store.

I am hoping that the LO team understands that ortho views do not always flatten. And when it comes to perspective views, well, good luck with dimensioning. There are others beside me that have expressed their frustrations. So instead of just bitching about it, I forwarded the idea of a tool that could create a true orthographic projection of a SU scene regardless of whether it was a SU ortho or perspective view.

I do get the work-arounds and have used them, and they are useful for projects that are not susceptible to many changes. Those projects are few and far between for me.

I am perplexed at the relative silence and acceptance of LO users who find the package adequate for preparing construction documents. Many have developed very creative solutions to deal with the shortcomings of LO dimensioning. That's great but not ideal.

Please LO, be excellent, not adequate.

I have griped about LO dimensioning in the past because I want to love LO, but I can't go all in because of the work-arounds I need for dimensioning. So, here is a thought:

Create a function/tool that would make it possible to click on a view and make the equivalent of a group slice or true orthographic projection, which would be placed over the "parent" viewport. (similar to Sonder's technique, but automatic in LO) The group slice or ortho projection would be placed on its own layer automatically as well, and could be understood as a dimensioning plane. It would be a separate group, on a separate layer with a scale that matched that of the "parent" viewport. The dimension plane could exist entirely in LO and would not need to be created or reside in SU.

Then if the SU model changes, or the view changes, first update the view as you normally would and then a simple click could be used to update, what I am calling the dimension plane. Maybe this could be done with a dimension plane auto update toggle? Then whatever dimensions are pinned to the dimension plane could be adjusted manually. The dimension points which were no longer attached to a point on the dimensioning plane could be highlighted in some fashion to hint that there was an orphan point that needed to be changed. I am at this point willing to concede that automatically updating the dimensions would be impossible. I am OK with that.

A feature like this IMO would be a great benefit for sections, plans, and elevations. It could be a good bridge between maintaining the integrity of the 3D model link and the need to push for more 2D functionality in LO.

LO struggles with orthographic views and subsequent dimensioning. IMO it is a shortcoming, but knowing this , there are ways to work-around this. Instead of dimensioning from center to corner, do the dimension from center to edge. It is not the way you would do it in ACAD, but it will work. Maybe the SU/LO team will address this shortcoming in future versions

Working now.
Thanks Rich!

Help!

I can no longer access the sketchucation website with my laptop (Windows 7, Firefox and IE9, Mcaffee anti virus)

This is all of a sudden. Never had problems before.

Right now, I am using my desktop which is a windows 7 machine with Chrome and IE9, with Mcaffee anti virus to post this.

Any ideas?

Yes they should