Topics created by T.M

@chris fullmer said:

Thom gave a great example with some if loops I think that let you blend the entire rainbow smoothly from red to pink to purple to blue to cyan to green to yellow then orange and back to red. I'd have to search a ways back to think where that was posted though.

I couldn't find the example I posted earlier either, so here it is again:

<span class="syntaxdefault"><br /></span><span class="syntaxcomment"># Soft Selection Colour Map<br /># Colours to translate to. First is max, last is bottom.<br /></span><span class="syntaxkeyword">@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[]<br />@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr </span><span class="syntaxkeyword"><<</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">Color</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.new(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">255</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxcomment"># 100%<br /></span><span class="syntaxkeyword">@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr </span><span class="syntaxkeyword"><<</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">Color</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.new(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">255</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">255</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxcomment">#  75%<br /></span><span class="syntaxkeyword">@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr </span><span class="syntaxkeyword"><<</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">Color</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.new(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">255</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxcomment">#  50%<br /></span><span class="syntaxkeyword">@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr </span><span class="syntaxkeyword"><<</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">Color</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.new(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">255</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">255</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxcomment">#  25%<br /></span><span class="syntaxkeyword">@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr </span><span class="syntaxkeyword"><<</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">Color</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.new(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">  0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault">255</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxcomment">#   0%<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">def self</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> end </span><span class="syntaxcomment"># Accessor<br /># (?) Should this be done by CExt?<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">def self</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">value_to_color</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">value </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> 0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> max </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> 100</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> min </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> 0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> clr </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">@</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">  </span><span class="syntaxcomment"># Cap value to range.<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">  value </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">min</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> value</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">].</span><span class="syntaxdefault">max<br />  value </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">max</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> value</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">].</span><span class="syntaxdefault">min<br />  </span><span class="syntaxcomment"># Calculate what colours to blend between and the blending ratio.<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">  n </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">value</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">-</span><span class="syntaxdefault">min</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">/</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">max</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">-</span><span class="syntaxdefault">min</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">/</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">length</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">-</span><span class="syntaxdefault">1.0</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">  index1 </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> n</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">to_i<br />  index2 </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">index1</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">+</span><span class="syntaxdefault">1</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> clr</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">length</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">-</span><span class="syntaxdefault">1</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">].</span><span class="syntaxdefault">min<br />  ratio </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> n </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">-</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> index1<br />  return clr</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">index2</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">].</span><span class="syntaxdefault">blend</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">clr</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">index1</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">],</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> ratio</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">end<br /></span>

That's the method I use in Vertex Tools to colour the soft selection:
clr.png

Thanks for you responses!

And yes you are right, I need to organize my scripts better, you've been of great advice!

@tig said:

comparing strings is probably slower

It is. Much slower! At all times avoid string comparisons if possible.

Yes Type validation would (as TIG showed,) is usually the norm for public libraries.
If it's a private library and you are the only one calling it's methods, you will know the rules (arg types,) and such validation can be left out to speed things up.

That said.. I put the nil test in as the API doc refers to "a plane if successful" but does not really say what the return value is, if the call is not successful. And as there is no "real" Plane class we cannot do a type check based on that, but if it's an array with 4 elements.
Comment it out if you feel it's unnecessary. (I won't feel bad.)