@fredo6 said:

......I this is of interest I can later derive a more advanced version with choice of units and interactive selection, similar to what I did for areas with FredoTools::ReportLabelArea.Fredo

It would be nice to be able to make your own selection of multiple solids to obtain the sum of volumes. And with unit of choice! And without differences in volume due to location!

Although I do believe that solids with all back faces outwards should be considered as negative. (also see previous post by TIG).
A mixture of front and back faces in a single shell should result in a warning.

@tig said:

...The Entity Info will report the volumes for the two slightly differently.
...

Got it: 1000000000 mm³ vs 999999999,999898 mm³

The differences in SRX's original model were significantly larger (in percentage) due to bad geometry.
But yes, that doesn't mean these same two simple solids should report same volumes.

@tig said:

....But the mis-reported volume depending on the object's location occurs in all SKP's not just that one.
Here's an example of a new SKP with a 1m cube.
It displays two different volumes depending on where the group is located relative to the Origin.
Admittedly the variance is small, but it is still there.

TIG, could you share the file itself?
I can't get any differences is volume results and would like to see why, which settings.

@wo3dan said:

....bad geometry that needs to be fixed first.
I suspect that SketchUp will then act as expected: displaying the same volume for all copies.

See attached file with explanation. If your geometry is fixed you might optain the same volume.
Even one isolated solid group can act weird like you observed.

Corrected solid acts as expected.

@srx said:

You got me with that nutty line. But Maybe it was my intention to make it not ortho... It is still a solid, not bad geometry, and has nothing to do with the problem mentioned. I think what TIG has found also has nothing to do with bad geometry. The exact same copy has different volume on different places on UCS... Regarding the negative volume,it is not "physically correct", so I think it could be useful for many people to fix the way SU calculates the volume of reversed faces solids inside the group.

Your composed group has at least two blocks with ugly/=bad geometry that needs to be fixed first.
I suspect that SketchUp will then act as expected: displaying the same volume for all copies.

@dschlic1 said:

.... When I place a text in the project with a leader to an object in that project and then modify the text to hide the leader, the text also hides! .... Can some help me out?

I don't see that problem. How do you hide the leader? you didn't say.

In 'Entity Info' don't check the 'Hidden' check box beneath 'Leader'.
On the right of 'Leader' you see three options: View based / Pushpin / Hidden. It's this one you need to select. Does this work for you.

@flayman said:

...... I really wish there was a reliable way to create a non-destructive edit on a component. .....

You might try following to your advantage:
Create the component A and its mirrored brother B.
Position a section plane on A and group it together with A.
Position a section plane on B (pointing opposite direction) and group it together with B.

You still have one component that you can work on but each instance has an extra level wrapped around it containing its own that section plane (and the component instance). It works rather well but you do need to position and rotate two section planes instead of just one.

(added) see attached file:

beam A and mirrored beam instance B

@flayman said:

......This is easy to duplicate. Just create a component and put a section plane through it, then make a copy and flip it. I just think the section plane behaviour is weird. Has nobody ever noticed this? Why should the cutting direction reverse when you flip it in a way that keeps the arrows going in the same direction? There are some other weird things I've noticed when using section planes this way. The hidden piece seems to cast a shadow for instance. Thanks for your help.

Yes, I have noticed and reported this weird behaviour before, in previous SU versions.
The only thing I could advise you at this point is: avoid section planes inside mirrored groups and components. Once you close the editing context the visible part becommes invisible (yet selectable) and the invisible part becomes visible (yet unselectable). And arrows point in the wrong direction.
With groups you may be able to work your way around this buggy behaviour (if you don't drink too much and still think straight) but with components you just can't.
Groups and also mirrored groups each have their own section plane(s). Components don't.

Hunt in Texas

nr3: Osijek

@calstock said:

....
http://archiseek.com/2010/1866-bignell-house-chesterton-oxfordshire/
......Best thing of course would be a visit to the property.

Either this image or the floor plan above seems to be mirrored.

(Right now one only seems to match the other's mirrored version)

@budlat31 said:

Newbie here. But I've spent most of the weekend trying to use Match Photo. Tracing lines of a house. Almost NEVER will the tracing of a surface create a "face". I've read on the forums and tutorials. Issue is often that the points traced are not co-planar. I get that, but how do I MAKE them co-planar and thus solve the problem? I haven't, so far, found instruction on how to deal with this. I found out how to confirm that the points are not co-planar - so now that I know that, what do I do about it? Any help much appreciated. I love these forums.

New situation: when drawing a new edges from one corner of an existing face into open space:

• click on the corner to start the edge
• hover the tool cursor over the face till 'On Face' pops up
• press and hold down [Shift] to constrain drawing coplanar and click on target to end drawing the edge. (this procedure may vary slightly, depending on your preferences in drawing, also see menu Window > Preferences > Drawing > Click Style 1/2/3)

Correcting existing situation:

• right click on the desired face (more or less to set the plane to use) and select 'Align Axes' in the context menu (blue becomes the normal/perpendicular axis)
• with nothing selected but the 'Move' tool, grab an "out of plane" endpoint, move it and hit [Arrow Up] to constrain to blue, and position the tool cursor on the face and click. The moved endpoint moves up to the current red/green plane, the plane of the face.
  Note that if the endpoint was just slightly out of plane, you may need to move it further from plane, and then in a second step move it into plane.

@epd gaffney said:

..............
Please help me before SketchUp makes me insane. Thank you.

If there were only an example with (all) the glitches, it would be easier to see what is going on.

@sdmitch said:

Great, I'm glad that it proved to be of some use. The version you have doesn't remove the edge and always just gives you the the first component in the definitions list. I have sent you, by Personal Message, a version that truly replaces the edge with the component as well as giving you a drop down list of all the components in the model to choose from.

I'll try to look into it (the new version) tonight.
Great about the drop down list of components. My memory doesn't always recall which component to type in. Now I can create dashed lines and proper centerlines (and other types), sort of a library to choose from.

I may have one or two other suggestions:-

• (not always) delete the replaces edges, a choice so to speak.
• a choice whether all replacing components should be grouped or not. All 3D Polyline components into one big group (as visual reference) or not, by choice of the user.

But I'll have to see /experiment with converting floor plans, symbols etc. to see what works best.
And then I still have to rely on what you are willing to add.

If anyone has suggestions or hints, please post them here..

Thank you!

@sdmitch said:

For 2014 and I'm guessing the same for 2015, the plugins are located in

"\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins" under your User Account....

Thanks, yes I found it for SU2015.

Thanks again for the script, works great.
Here is a file with examples of the horrible 3D Polylines that I was trying to get into position.
These lines do have some advantages over edges in cases where inferencing is bothering you.

Some use of short straight "one segmented" colored 3D Polylines

@sdmitch said:

.... a complete plugin created from the snippet I previously posted. I gave the file the same name as you did so that it will replace the one in the plugins folder.....

I really appreciate it Sam, I just replaced the snipped rb in SketchUp 8's Plugin folder and it works as expected. Now I'll need to find where to put it in/for SketchUp 2015 where I never seem to be able to find where *.rb files are stored. My memory vaguely tells me that it isn't in the SketchUp main folder and isn't called Plugin anymore.

@slbaumgartner said:

That code was just a "snippet", not packaged as a Tool, not added to any menu or toolbar, and not installed as an extension. It just runs once as SketchUp loads it and then goes away. Needs some work to fill it out.

I realized that it was too simple the way I did it. But that's what Sam wrote: "Could be as simple as this"
These things aren't simple to me though.

I then used AlexSchreyer's ruby code editor within SketchUp 2015 as a workaround, at least for me.
Once the code snippet is loaded it does the job on demand. Also with a redo available. So you'll just have to peek in the 'In Model' component library prior to making your choice.
I would prefere a plugin over the snippet though. Some interesting things you can achive with it, as mentioned before.

@sdmitch said:

Could be as simple as this.....(code above)

Thank you Sam! Almost perfect.
I "baptized" the code samuel.rb and tried it (in Plugin folder) in SketchUp 8
It starts immediately with the template when opening SketchUp, .... then uses all the basic edges and also uses the first component in the 'In Model' component list. I can't seem to be able to use the plugin afterwards on a selection with the component of choice. Where do the plugin end up, like in which menu?
How do I get it to work when using the program, not only when I start SketchUp?
Is there any way to see the available 'In Model' component options to choose from?
Also there is no 'Undo' this way?

Thank you for taking the time to look at it!

@tig said:

I wrote that very script for someone long long ago...
It's in the PluginStore:
http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=Lines2Components

TIG, the suggested plugin seems to only replace vertical edges. Not an entire structure's edges.

@cotty said:

For me this sounds like an extension of Chris Fullmers component stringer.

I believe that 'Component Stringer' uses a curve or a selection of edges without 'side roads'
I mean replacing geometry in in general, not necessarily along a string.
As an example: the drawer of a cabinet, a concrete floor slab, an entire roof structure.
3D Polylines display each in their own respective color while edges may be displayed 'all the same' (default black or changed to another overall color) at the same time.