Dear Gaieus,
Indeed, that is something to try, and I must confess that I almost never use the 'glue to any face feature'. Thanks for the suggestion.
Regards,
Bob
Dear Gaieus,
Indeed, that is something to try, and I must confess that I almost never use the 'glue to any face feature'. Thanks for the suggestion.
Regards,
Bob
I am partly answering my own question here, but a lot of the work has already been done by Didier Bur (surprise, surprise) with his align_tool. This tool allows one to select both position and orientation when aligning parts. This is done by defining a start_[origin, X,Y,Z axes] and finish_[origin, X,Y,Z axes]. However, it would be very nice if one could build in 'recognizable' alignment features (recognizable by an 'align' tool)into a component definition so that the alignment features become part of that definition.
I can work with the align_tool, but....
Regards,
Bob
I use Sketchup to mass model mechanical parts as I like the easy and smooth work flow offered by this program. What would be really useful would be a script for inserting alignment features to make assembling parts quick and easy. I currently use a line drawn along the centre-line of a component (such as a bolt) to act as an alignment feature (see the attached sketchup model). I also use construction points at the centres of circles, but these can be accidentally erased if the Delete Guides in invoked.
I imagine the work flow to be something like this:
select tool for inserting alignment features (typically lines along centre-lines of holes or fasteners)and place alignment features in model (alignment features assigned in pairs),
select the two alignment features to give position and direction of alignment, with the order of selection determining the movement,
click on something to align the part.
The framework in the attached file is made from Unistrut components. I have used Unistrut to build many support frames as it is very versatile and reusable. Does anyone else use this system? I ask because I have created a library of parts, and these might be useful to someone.
Regards,
Bob
Dear Jim,
Yes, the method could be made to work with only two adjacent line segments. The method would also be independent of the number of line segments making up the arc or circle provided that all the mid-point normals past through the same point in space.
Bob
Dear All,
The inferencing method to find the centre only works if the circle is unexploded, which is not always the case. Very often I need to find the centre of a circle that has somehow lost its circle entity status. Using weld.rb to rejoin all the segments doesn't work as the entity status changes from 'circle' to 'curve', and inferencing won't work. Usually, I draw two temporary diagonals and then place a construction point at the intersection.
Here is a suggestion for a ruby:
Has anyone come across such a ruby?
Regards,
Bob
Dear All,
You probably all know this, but just in case..
Absolute and relative positions can be keyed into the VCB. For example, suppose one wanted to draw a line from the origin so that the line's endpoint finished at x,y,z = 50,50,50. Start the line at the origin and then type [50,50,50] into the VCB (the square brackets are important). Relative positions (relative to the start point) are entered using <x,y,z>. To query existing geometry, use Tools>Utilities>Query Tool. If the Query Tool option doesn't appear under Tools, then go to Window>Preferences>Extensions and tick the box against Utilities; then restart Sketchup.
Regards,
Bob
Dear Fletch,
I am curious, and would like to know which bit of the message tickled you the most? Was it that 'an-already-overloaded-Didier' might have time to revise one of his old scripts? The last time I suggested a revision Didier did a superb job revising his Projections scripts. I have found the Transformer script useful from time to time, and simple to use, although I suppose I should try running SketchyPhysics with its many features.
Kind regards,
Bob
Dear TIG,
Once again, thanks for giving my enquiries your consideration.
Kind regards,
Bob
Dear TIG,
Its me again (bad penny and all that).
Okay, adding .txt works fine, except that for long text files I can only see what will fit on the screen (no vertical scroll bars). I note that .pdf files open with scroll bars and so viewing them is just fine. I also have a lot of .txt files in my plugin folder and so when I try to select a file I can only view/select those that are visible in the text window. It would be useful if your script could be made to work like the Plugin drop-down menu, viz. the window opens and stays open with a single click and then items on the list are accessed (if required) using up/down arrows. This might be a useful feature anyway as users are likely to accumulate lots of .pdf help files with time.
Kind regards,
Bob
Dear TIG,
I wrote before thinking (not unusual). I simply added "txt" to the list as I almost never load scripts using 'load "script.txt"' through the Ruby Console. This is a quick fix, although I should think about doing what you suggested in the future and loading little used scripts via the Ruby Console.
Kind regards.
.txt
Dear TIG,
Many thanks for your helpful suggestions. I will give it a go.
Kind regards,
.bob
Dear TIG,
Do you think you could modify your script to include simple text documents? I ask because when I install a plugin which isn't supplied with a help/readme document (more recently a .pdf file), I create my own help/readme document by making a simple text file and then cutting and pasting any explanation posted with the ruby script. I now have quite a few of these 'readme' files and it would be really useful if I could access them from the Help drop-down menu.
Many thanks,
Bob
Dear Tom,
Is your Veteran's Day the same as our Remembrance Day? My father served in WW2 as a Royal Marine Commando, from just being 18 years old in 1939 until 1946. He went in on Gold Beach on D-Day, and was lucky to survive. He died in 1993, but each year I honour the memory of his lost youth and good health, and the sacrifice of those who fought alongside him.
Many wars are unjust, and all are politically motivated (from natural resources to world domination), but we can still honour the memory of those who fell in the service of their country, even if misled and abandoned by their politicians.
There is a clip of the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Cenotaph Memorial in London. It may move you as it moves me.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7089225.stm
Kind regards,
Bob
Dear Didier,
Many thanks for a very useful script. The PDF file pops up with Sketchup in the background, making it easy to go back to working on one's model.
Is there any way that the Self-Paced Tutorials could be launched in a new window? By that I mean the area where model details are entered, with the surrounding tool-bars remaining unaltered. Then after reviewing a tutorial one could close the window and go back to working on one's model. As things stand, if one wants to review a tutorial one has to open a new instance of Sketchup.
Just a thought.
Kind regards,
Bob
Dear Pilou,
I'm sorry but you will have to ask Didier Bur as he wrote the script. Yes, the duration does not seem to connect to actual seconds of elapsed time, and so one has to experiment. Like all scripts it has a place in the grand scheme of things. It happily copes with rotation too, and so one can use it to rotate a door about its hinge.
Perhaps Didier could revise this script to give it more functionality. For example:
The script then stores the position/motion data and assigns that data to that component/group. To animate the component/group one would first click on the component/group and then a 'transform' icon. Three icons: initial-to-final, final-to-initial and loop. Other icons might be used to increase/decrease 'steps' and 'duration', with a final icon updating the motion constraints assigned to that component. The number of components/groups which could be animated in a model would probably have to be limited, but 5 to 10 would be a good start. Deleting a component would result in its position/motion data being deleted.
Did you manage to animate the bike?
Regards,
Bob
Dear Pilou,
I might be able to help. Download Transformer_beta.rb and put it in your Plugins folder.
Open up a new Sketchup instance and create a simple cube at the orgin. Make it a group or a component; it doesn't matter which. Select the group/component and then go to your Plugins drop-down menu. Select Transformer>Positions>Group Initial Position. Move the cube along the red axis, and then select Transformer>Positions>Group Final Position. To test your selection , select Transformer>Movements>Move component to its Initial Position. The cube should jump back to the origin. Now for the smooth motion. Select Transformer>Animation>Animation Settings, and set the Steps and Duration (try 50 and 20). Finally, select Transformer>Animation>Animation Initial->Final.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Bob
Dear Pilou,
A very interesting tutorial showing one use of section planes.
You might like to take a look at Didier Bur's transformer_beta.rb which you will find at http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/em_arc_page.htm
This script allows one to create the same motion described in your tutorial.
Didier might like to look at updating this script to include a tool bar and tutorial etc.
Kind regards,
Bob
Dear Prodigiua,
If you really want ideas then I suggest that you post some photos of the existing building (inside and out) and a simple floor plan as a sketchup file. It is hard to respond without knowing the physical constraints imposed by the existing building. Presumably, there will be customer toilets, a need to store consumables and a rest area for staff, so these should be included in your floorplan sketch. What about the cafe front? Does this need to be remodelled so that it blends well with the surrounding buildings. If so then post photographs of typical shop fronts.
As Jean would say, just ideas!
Regards,
Bob
Dear Richard,
Many thanks for the tutorial.
Regards,
Bob
Dear All,
Following on from a tip to put tutorials in the SelfPacedTutorials folder, wouldn't it be nice if one could open a tutorial in a new window? One could then review the tutorial, close the new window and then resume work. As it is one has to have a second SU file open if one wants to review tutorials while working.
I use AutoCAD's Inventor as well as SU, and that software allows one to open a number of windows and then to either cascade or tile the windows (typically 2 or 4). Each window can then be used to look at a different view of the work, while clicking inside a window makes it the active window for editing, with changes appearing in all windows. Zoom levels can be different for each window making detailed work easy. Would this facility be useful?
Kind regards,
Bob