Posts made by SpookyChick1013

Sorry to take so long getting back here. Was out of town and off grid for a few days.
Anyway, the errors only show up when I am actually running the script, after checking settings and clicking "CleanUp". I am using your latest library, and Sketchhup 7.1, as always. The error has occurred with every model to this point.

Late Edit: Something bitslapped said got me thinking, and so I UNchecked "Merge Identical Materials". When I ran CleanUp with MergeIdenticalMaterials NOT checked, Cleanup ran fine; So I am wondering at this point if the problem is with that part of the plugin.

Hi Thom.

For the past month or so, I've been getting a funny error from your Cleanup plugin. I have weeded through my plugins since then and so far haven't been able to find any solutions.

Anyway, here is the content of the error dialog:

undefined method `purge_unused' for [:Array

C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/tt_cleanup.rb:1074:in remove_materials' C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/tt_cleanup.rb:1037:in merge_similar_materials'
C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/tt_cleanup.rb:548:in cleanup!' C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/tt_cleanup.rb:488:in show_cleanup_ui'
C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/tt_cleanup.rb:487:in call' C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/TT_Lib2/inputbox.rb:161:in initialize'
C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/TT_Lib2/inputbox.rb:156:in call' C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/TT_Lib2/inputbox.rb:144:in close'
C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/TT_Lib2/inputbox.rb:144:in initialize' C:/PROGRA~1/Google/GOOGLE~3/Plugins/TT_Lib2/inputbox.rb:132:in call']

I have also checked to make sure I have this installed with the exact footprint you specified, and I do. I'm usually pretty careful about that, but at this point I'm double checking everything.

Thanks,
Cathryn

that's cool. Thanks, Tig.

Here we go with what may be another silly question...Is it feasible, or even theoretically possible for a plugin to be written which will automatically wrap some selected object like say, a flower stem, around a selected NON-cylindrical object, without the object being wrapped interpenetrating the object it is being wrapped around?

Thanks,
Cathryn

Thanks Marian. I usually try to avoid 3dwarehouse, mainly because I get tired of all the editing I have to do. In this case though, I think these will do the trick.

Cathryn

Has anyone seen, or does anyone have, a good dandelion model / component? Kind of an odd request, but with my spouse's birthday coming up, I'd like to do a render of her favorite flower, salad greens and winemaking resource.

Thanks,
Cathryn

Thank you TIG! I had forgotten that it's native and not necessarily activated in the preferences.

Cathryn

I know this is kind of a "duh" type question but could someone please direct me toward the plugin which contained the "smoove" tool?
I had an Extinction Level Event consisting of a persistent rootkit, and GPU chipset burnout (lit-erally) of my previous computer sometime back in like February; this necessitated complete replacement of my system, and unfortunately also meant the loss of some 250+ plugins as well as my login data for many of the websites, forums etc, that I routinely visited. (This is also why I disappeared for a few months.)
I don't mind the loss of the plugins (for the most part) because most of them were the kind of plugin where you say, "ooooo, neat!" download it, play with it for five minutes and never use it again. Some, on the other hand, were extremely useful, like whichever one had the "smoove" tool.
In the end though, Sketchy is running faster and cleaner, and the models I have had to rebuild are better than the originals, because I have learned so much since then. More importantly, I finally got to upgrade to a dual core 3.0 GHZ from a single core 3.0 GHZ processor, so I am at least a little closer to the SOTA. Not like it's a 16-core Xeon, or anything.
Anyway, thanks much

Yours,
Cathryn

@unknownuser said:

You are not giving the system any commands. Typing directory names is not enough - as the error message you get shows.

So you should type, followed by Enter (not the explanations I italicized)

cd\ (this navigates to the root directory of the current drive)

cd "c:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 8" (this navigates to the SU application folder, the quotes are compulsory here)
regsvr32 thumbsup.dll

Thank you SO much Anssi! I haven't used dos commands in so many years I had forgotten critical little points like those you mentioned, and was struggling with implementing that fix, until I read your post. Now, I will have my thumbnails back, thank the Force!

Cathryn

Thanks for posting the link. Useful, actually!
Cathryn

Thank you very much, Oli! These will be very helpful, especially if I can succeed in making skies with GIMP.

@Alan Fraser: Thank you also, Alan, for reminding me about Stellarium, which I too use frequently.

Cathryn

@solo said:

Will these work?

Diffuse
[attachment=2:1cb16zio]<!-- ia2 -->panel diffuse.jpg<!-- ia2 -->[/attachment:1cb16zio]

Bump
[attachment=1:1cb16zio]<!-- ia1 -->panel bump.jpg<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment:1cb16zio]

Reflection
[attachment=0:1cb16zio]<!-- ia0 -->panel reflection map.jpg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1cb16zio]

@Solo:Thanks, Pete. The diffuse map is pretty nice. Won't necessarily work for hull texturing, but it would be a GORGEOUS building wall panel, and with permission, I think I will adopt it for that.

@Rclub24: Yeah, that's actually the structural design path I follow for aerospace craft and such. Visual texture of the individual panels is where I've been having to rethink everything with an eye toward finding a balance between "Ooooh! That looks really kewl!!!" and "Realistic enough, but boring...."
Good reminder though!

Bolshoyeh Spasebaw, both of you!
Cathryn

@rspierenburg said:

What about a tiled steel sheets with rivets around it. Might be a little cliche but who knows. Other than that many Sci-fi shows I've seen seem to want a clean 'Hospital' look with shiny white walls.

just my suggestion is all.

Rob

Tiled metal sheet with rivets (fasteners of some sort anyway) with no rust.
Yeah, that's the direction logic is taking me at the moment. Shiny white walls are nice in some areas, but get boring quickly. I am also very partial to the grungy post-industrial cyberpunk look for city stuff, but I don't feel it has anyplace on a spacecraft.
I mean, how do spaceships even rust in vaccuum?

Tiled panels with visible weld lines is something else I am exploring at the moment

Woops! cross posted with you there. NO need to delete. It might help someone else as much as it has just helped me!
A very sincere Thank You Jim!!

Thanks, Jim. Not quite what I was looking for, though. I was looking more for a discussion of design principles and perhaps some ideas / guidelines to follow in coming up with a texture that does not look like the above example. More of a discussion of artistic styles than anything else.
I have about 10 MB of textures like the ones I saw on filterforge, all of which really don't fit what I'm looking for anymore.
Thanks for taking the time to make the suggestion though.

Edit: Ok. I retract what I said a few minutes ago, because I hadn't read far enough on the website. I did not realize this had standalone functionality, or that it was a fully functional trial. That said, it will take some of the slogging out of this process. Thank you very much Jim!

ANyone who would like to discuss the artistic elements of things is still welcome to provide input, though.

@thomthom said:

If you should come across such a model again send it to me so I can inspect it.

Something that cleanup tears apart? Sure. Doubtful that it will be anytime soon, as cleanup seems to be doing fine for the last few months.

Once again, thanks for all the hard work, and generosity.
Cathryn

PS: I will send you a beer once it gets done rendering...

...on a good style for "sci-fi" wall panels and/or hull textures for models. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

![This is what I have been using so far. Recently realized, it is too "Manga" for what I am trying to do.](/uploads/imported_attachments/8BLE_649ShipHull7.jpg "This is what I have been using so far. Recently realized, it is too "Manga" for what I am trying to do.")

I am not looking for a source of downloadable textures. Already got those, and have already tired of the dearth of anything but Manga style hull-plating, mainly because after awhile I realized they all looked so fake. IRL, nobody would plate a ships hull that way. It would be wasteful, heavy and expensive.
I am actually looking for a discussion of various directions I should explore in my efforts to create my own new hull plating / wall plating textures. I have spent time examining images of RL spacecraft and aircraft, and while I have to admire the efficiency of the designs, they really are not much for visual texture. Subsequently, I have come to the conclusionthat I must strike a balance between visual excitement, and dull, boring, humdrum reality.
To that end, I am embarking on a project to design a bunch of my own hull textures for use in SU and Twilight, which I will be happy to make freely available to everyone here, once I am done drawing them.
So, any ideas or recommendations for visual patterning?
Cathryn

@thomthom said:

Hard to say anything without having any samples models, but it should not erase faces at all. Though models with very small edges pose a problem, possibly you had them.

The model scrambler should not affect it AFIK. Could it also be that you where using an older version of CleanUp when it occurred? Or even possibly an SU version prior to SU7.1?

Yeah, it was an older version of cleanup, so that probably was the problem.
and it may very well have been the small edge issue. Some of the warehouse models are like that.
As far as scramblers effect on things; well, I'm not a programmer by any stretch of the imagination, so I have no idea exactly what is going on within it, but i have seen that plugin do some truly bizarre things to models. It was my first suspect because the models I've seen it used on wound up looking pretty garbagey (if that's a word).

I am pretty sure this was with SU 7.1, because I updated to 7.1 practically as soon as it came out.

Sweeeet! Thank you! I have been using curve maker for a while now. Unfortunately, I could not remember where I got it or who wrote it, since I apparently DL'ed it on one of those latenight sessions I get into when my other half is out of town on business.
I love the additions. These will be so handy, especially the caternary curve.

once again, Thank You!
Cathryn

I've had similar problems with your plugin in the past thom, but the problem seems to have had something to do hidden/softened edges. However, I never mentioned this because I finally figured out the commonality that I was only having this happen with models I got from the 3d warehouse, and never with my own work.
I stopped using anything from the warehouse, and stopped having any problems with your plugin.
One thing that occurs to me; is it possible that this is normal behavior for this plugin when dealing with a scrambled model? I am referring of course to models which have had the "scramble" plugin used on them, which seems to be the case with many of the 3dwarehouse models . Of course, that is yet another reason why I don't bother with 3dw anymore.
Anyway, just thought I would offer up my tuppence worth.
Also, in case I haven't said so lately, thank you so much for all your hard work and the kindness and generosity you have repeatedly shown on here.

Cathryn