@sawduster said:

This may be a real DUH tip for many, but . . .

I detailed furniture modeling I often find myself having to make modifications to component parts after they are installed into the piece. Even with layering and the ability to disappear stuff to get to other stuff, it is often a tight squeeze. What works best for me is to do a move/copy of the component and drag it out into the open spaces, open the copy to edit, make the mod which is duplicated on the piece in place, then delete the copy.

There is a built in function to do this less painfully...
Start to edit the component and then select
Menu > View > Component Edit > Hide Rest of Model [toggles on/off]
This will make only that component's parts visible during the edit. When you exit to end editing the component everything else reappears automatically. I have a shortcut key Ctrl+Alt+H that toggles this on/off...

Here's v1.3. It fixes some more problems: gable material glitches, spurious non-rectangular face error messages and second-gable overhang weirdness.

The Roof.rb script attached is v1.3, The .zip file contains both this version of the script and the .mht help file that goes into the Plugins folder with it. You only need the help file reloading if you haven't had an earlier version of the script, since the help file is the same as in v1.0 to v1.2...

I hope this now addresses many of your problems. But keep the feedback coming...

Roof-v1-3.zip

Roof.rb

Joined: Sat May 12, 2007 6:11 am
Posts: 175
Location: UK Here's v1.2. There's now a slight tolerance in checking if the face to make a gable or pyramid roof is rectangular. If the sides are out by less than ~0.2mm in 1000mm it'll still work. However, in that case you might get gables not lining perfectly with the block below.

The Roof.rb script attached is v1.2, The .zip file contains both this version of the script and the .mht help file that goes into the Plugins folder with it. You only need the help file reloading if you haven't had an earlier version of the script, since the help file is the same as in v1.0 and v1.1...

I hope this now addresses a few problems. Keep the feedback coming...

Roof-v1-2.zip

Roof.rb

Here's v1.1, it's adjusted to resolve ratio (A:B) issues if a certain other script was not loaded (RickW's array_to.rb) - now the required array method is built into Roof.rb too...

Please replace the current version with this one.

At least that error report is fixed. Now for some other errors...

Edit: For new users: get the zip file - it also contains the help file that goes in the folder with the script. However, the help file in v1.1 is the same as v1.0 so you only need to get Roof.rb if you've downloaded it before...

Roof-v1-1.zip

Roof.rb

Some problems reported with the Help combined image and text file (mht) so here's a pdf if it, that you can open manually till I get a better handle on the problem...

RoofHelp.pdf

This is v1 of Roof.rb. It's new script I have created to make several types of roof from a selected face or face+edge.

In the zip file there are two files Roof.rb and RoofHelp.mht, put both of these into your SketchUp Plugins folder.

Read the help file for an overview...

Please try and feedback...

Roof.zip

Sorry for some bad news... Sketchup.send_action("viewZoomToSelection:") has zoomed the selection for some time !

Also if you select something and right-click there is a context-menu for this called "Zoom Extents" (Should be called Zoom Selection but lazy bug fixers !)

You can also shortcut key it to Z (I do already) by selecting something and then opening the Preferences Window and Shortcut option, filter for 'Zoom Ex' and you'll get Edit/Item/Zoom Extents - set the Z key to that...

Don't feel bad I have reinvented several inbuilt functions in my time !

@unknownuser said:

tig,

the usage text may seem self-explanatory to you, but i do not get it. a couple of illustrations would help a lot.

regards.

edson

I don't have time for a full tut... Try this...

Draw a flat 2d face and subdivide it with lines/arcs that 'face'. These line represent the centre lines if your 'lattice'. A lattice can be a latticework screen or with infill panes it's a window.

Group the lot, select the group and pick Lattice-izer off the menu or right-click context menu.

Fill in the dialog. You can specify size/depth of lattice frame (about the centrelines). Material for the frame and panes. The available materials in the model are listed and <default> and <no-pane> = open space between lattice framework. You can also keep the centrelines if needed (but why?).

OK makes the lattice/window...

If you want a window of a fixed size and you know that the frame will be 100mm make the outer rim/face and offset it by 50mm to get the centres of the edges: erase the outer parts, draw you subdivisions and group: then when the window lattice is made the size is as required...

I wrote a random pushpull script ages ago - it's still available free on Didier's site and elsewhere...

IF you make the max. and min. variation in the 'range' then it push/pulls the selected faces by the same amount in one go...

Its function with a range and allowing random or stepped amounts of push/pulling gives similar results to the 'Grebble' script that's under discussion in other threads...

If you create a faced shape like a circle or rectangle at 'zero' [on the ground] if faces down - it's the default - I expect this is because the programmers expect you will want to PushPull it up, so then it would correctly be the bottom of a 3D object facing downwards. If you make similar faced shapes 'higher' up they face upwards. If you have some faces the wrong way pick a connected face that's the right way and right-click context menu and 'Orient faces' they'll all match the selected one. Alternatively select all of the 'wrong-way-round' faces [hold down Shift or Ctrl to add to the selection you are picking] and then use the right-click context-menu option 'Reverse', and they'll all flip over. You can make of shortcut key for this, select a face and then Window > Preferences > Shortcuts, filter for Reverse and assign it a shortcut - I use Q as other 'R' based shortcuts are already used like Rotate, Alt+Rectangle etc... Another tip: to select faces 'on the fly' use the PushPull tool (or other tools that also do this) and when you hover over a face it's momentarily highlighted, if you then press Q it flips...

Here's a fix BUT don't ask why... I stumbled upon it. Edit the Block that contains the doors. Select the doors and make a Group of them... and they'll all turn the same lighter colour. Explode the Group and they'll stay fixed... BUT strangely if you undo right back to before you did anything at all the colour stays fixed !

TIG

@glenn said:

I need to add a sign to a retail center I'm designing.
How do I make the text follow a curve?
It's flat on the wall with the letters following an arc?
Is this possible with 3d text?
I thought about doing it in PS then importing png?
Thanks,
Glenn

Make the text as a image (png/jpg) in PS etc, import it as a texture and wrap it around the curved face - there are examples in Help about wine bottle labels etc...
You could make individual 3D letters [as groups] and then place and rotate each one individually about a fixed centre point...

TIG

@krisidious said:

as well you shouldn't get used to our imperial system... is archaic and irrational. 10 units of 1 and 0 that is the universal language, that... when and if ever we meet another life form, from another place, will be the language they know.

UNLESS they have 16 fingers ? Then it'd be in Hexadecimal... But it's true that on/off 1/0 binary is the simplest of all... Of course base 12 like feet/inches does have it's advantages - 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 2/3 and 3/4 are all whole numbers - unlike metric/decimal where only 1/2 and assorted 1/10ths work... That's why long a go some one put 12 hours into the day and night and 360 degrees in a circle - 360 is a multiple of 12 and subdivides into lots of whole numbers - unlike gradians and radians...