Posts made by twdant

The component I'm referencing is part of a much larger parent component, and when I popped it out to post it here, it behaved perfectly. So I reloaded the popped out version back into the parent component and it went back to misbehaving. I can still see the line where the second cut is supposed to be, but it won't actually cut. I've attached the child component for reference.

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PanelHalf.skp

Hello all,

I've got a model that has nested components with multiple section planes at different levels of the component structure, with no more than one section plane per level. I keep having an issue where only the innermost plane will actually cut, the others make lines on the geometry where the cuts should be, but don't actually cut and hide the material on the opposite side of the plane. It seems like this might be a bug because the material that should be hidden is not clickable. I've attached a screen dump picture for reference.

pcmoor, it's a little clunky, but it works. I'm trying to implement a drag and drop parent component, so I have to drag the wrapped child component into the open parent component, and explode the wrapper on the child and it works.

Is this a bug or are the DC's designed to overwrite formulas?

Here's a version with component options for width, length, and height. All options measurements are in centimeters, and the dimensions must be rounded to whole block intervals. When deciding the length, use whole block intervals plus 15 cm (for the width of the front wall).

One interesting thing I stumbled upon while working on this component: The length wall is a copy of the width wall, and the formula to determine length is the same as width, but minus the thickness of the front wall. So, for the LenX attribute of the length wall, I subtracted 15 from the user input option. For example, If the end length should be 93 cm, including the 15 cm thickness of the front wall, my length formula for the side wall is 93-15. I kept getting an extra copy of the whole block in all instances inside the side wall. The only fix I found was to change the format of the user inputs from cm to decimal numbers. I've never run into this problem before, but I usually model in inches. I wonder if Sketchup is written to use inches by default, and the conversion is a tad off.

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ConcBlkWall.skp

Will this wall be scaled in only whole- and half-block increments, or do you want the blocks to be cut at different lengths besides half-blocks?

I may have a lead. It seems any DC I create that contains subcomponents has this issue, parts of the component attribute set are missing when I save the component. Maybe this has something to do with instance/name/definition?

Hey all,

I've got a problem with a DC I'm working on. I'd like to import a child DC into parent DC and have it automatically sized and placed based on user-defined attributes in the parent component. I designed the child component inside the parent component and tested the formulas, everything was peachy. I saved the child and reimported into a resized parent component to see if it would automatically size and place, but it did not. I looked at the attributes in the child component, and several attributes have lost their formulas, and other attributes have been completely removed.

I've tried to remodel both components several times in several ways to fix it, but nothing works. I also can't make any of the problems replicate in any predictable way. Sketchup removes different formulas and attributes each time I remodel it.

The only hopeful I've seen is that once, after importing the broken child, I resized the parent (now containing the child) and the first copy of the child component was sized and placed properly, with all formulas intact. I tried saving that copy as a new child component and reimporting, but it still didn't work.

Also, it looks like importing the child breaks all but one copy. The copy 001 consistently contains the correct formulas after importing.

Any suggestions? Files attached.

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Parent.skp

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Child.skp

Maybe, but there are other components that apply the same attributes based on different inputs that aren't creating unique instances. I would think both would be affected if an attribute was the cause.

I've got a model that has several instances of linear arrays within it. All but one of those linear arrays has the same name under Component Definition in the Entity Info menu, except one array, which lists each member of the linear array as a unique definition, starting with the original and each copy being named "original#1, original#2, original#3, etc.". I'm attempting to use the CutList plugin to produce a cut list, and I need those components to be listed on the same quantity line. Unless the Component Definitions are the same, they are listed separately under the unique definitions. No matter what I try, I can't make it quit renaming the copies in the array, and I can't change the definition because SketchUp requires them to be unique. Is there any way to stop it from renaming the component copies?

Did you ever find a workaround?

Hey all, I've got another question:

Is there a way to refer to a specific copy in an array? I need to position the last copy in an array in relation to the previous copy. I'd like to able to refer to the X and Z values in the previous copy. I'd like to be able to use some value like COPY3!X. Does SketchUp allow for something along those lines?

I understand how to use the IF function, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to produce the required TRUE value for the first IF argument.

I need a formula that will return a TRUE value if the COPY attribute of a repeating subcomponent is equal to a certain number. Is there a function that will give me a TRUE value if two attributes are equivalent?

Hello all,

I'm working on a dynamic component and I need it to output the material type to the CutList plugin. My component is made of two subcomponents. I have each child component "Material" attribute set as "=Parent!Material". When I paint the parent component with a particular material texture, it appears correct, but when I open the Dynamic Attributes tab, both child component output boxes are blank. When I display formulas, both boxes read "=Parent!Material". Consequently, when I run the CutList plugin, the two child components material specifications read "not assigned".

I want to make it where I only have to paint the parent component and have both child components be automatically assigned the same material. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Absolutely. That problem is fixed and I've moved on to another problem with a different component. If you get a chance, take a look at my "Help close the gap" thread. I'd sure appreciate any help you might be able to offer.

Here's a slightly cleaner version:

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bowwip.skp

I've got a component I've been working on, and I'm close to having what I want, but there's still a little work left to do.

The purpose of the component is to be able to scale along the X-axis and retain the 14 degree angle on the rafter. The material also has to remain the same outside diameter, 2 1/4". I've got everything constrained and have formulas that output the correct lengths, but the angle of the joint in the peak changes with the scale. At 20' (measured from outside to outside of triangular pieces on the bottom), the peak joint is correct. Scaling up creates a gap at the bottom of the joint and scaling down creates an overlap. Is there a way to fix it?

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bowwip.skp

Jim, I could kiss you.

If I use the ceiling function on the 1' piece, it ouputs "1" when I lengthen the component to 16'. If I leave the formula blank, lengthen it, then input the ceiling formula, it works.

I guess the problem isn't so much with the formula as it is with the timing. Any time I input a correct formula on the 1' piece, it doesn't work on any length not divisible by 60".

EDIT: I think this problem is like an evolving virus.

I'm designing a linear building foundation that needs to space studs equally along the length at no greater than 5' on center. I've got it worked out for lengths divisible by 5', but at certain lengths I can't make it work out evenly. The hangup is in the "Copies" bit of my stud attributes. For example, when I try a 16' length, my copies formula outputs 3.2, and I need it to be 4. That would be easy if I had access to a roundup function, but it seems none exists. So I tried to workaround by changing the formula to "=1+FLOOR(rail!LenY/60,0)" where "rail" is the floorplate. In this case, the input for "rail!LenY" is 192" (16 feet). I know that 1+FLOOR(192/60) is 4, but for some reason when I view the plain data output of the "Copies" attribute, it says "1".

My parent component has a custom attribute called "spacing" to determine the y position of the studs. That formula is "=(rail!LenY/leg!copies)-2.25", where "rail is the floorplate, "leg" is the stud, and 2.25 is the thickness of the stud (I'm measuring 5' on center, and the spacing is asking for inside to inside measurements).

Now, the truly baffling part: The end goal is to save the component as a 1' section of floorplate to make it easy to scale (i.e., 1' scaled to 20 equals a 20' floorplate; 1' scaled to 68 equals a 68' floorplate). If I scale the 1' section to 16' with the "Copies" attribute blank, then insert the formula above, it works perfectly. What gives? Screenshots below:

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baserailwip.skp

I'd like to animate this door rolling up, where each piece disappears as it crosses the Z axis threshold at the drum, and the last foot of door sections stay visible after the door is raised. Right now, as soon as the onClick is triggered, the fascia z-axis value changes and all the pieces disappear.

Anybody got any bright ideas?

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RUD dyn.skp