Solid Trim Tool

[ebelg2000]

I am trying to use the Solid Trim Tool to create a mortise from a tenon. When I do this I choose the component with the tenon as solid #1 and then the adjacent component as Solid #2. This seems to work well, however, Solid #2, the component with the newly created mortise is changed to a group named "difference". I was wondering if there was a way to maintain the original component designation?

[TIG]

Jim's "Solids Trim and Keep" fixes this glaring hole in the native Solids toolset...
viewtopic.php?p=356575#p356575 - it appears in the Tools menu.

[ebelg2000]

Thanks for the quick response. This certainly works more efficiently.

[Dave R]

Jim's "Solids Trim and Keep" definitely makes it a lot easier although for creating mortises. I would really prefer it if the native Solid Tools didn't convert components to groups. It leads to much more work than cutting the mortises manually with the Rectangle tool and Push/Pull.

[ArCAD-UK]

Plus it migrates the group to layer 0

[Dave R]

Trim and Keep does that, too.

[TIG]

To keep the layers unchanged edit Jim's script with Notepad or a similar plain-text editor, around line#81 you need to change this

Code: Select all

def_to_keep.name = @model.definitions.unique_name(name)
grp = @first_picked.trim(@last_picked)


to this

Code: Select all

layer=@last_picked.layer
def_to_keep.name = @model.definitions.unique_name(name)
grp = @first_picked.trim(@last_picked)
grp.layer=layer

The two extra lines saving/using the original's layer... so that it will retain the original layering of the now-trimmed-object.

Also, if you find yourself always purging the original unused untrimmed version, then you can further adjust the code, just before it says '@model.commit_operation' insert these lines of code reading

Code: Select all

if UI.messagebox("Delete Unused Definition?",MB_YESNO,"")==6
    def_to_keep.entities.erase_entities(def_to_keep.entities.to_a)
end
@model.commit_operation

On 'Yes' it will remove the earlier definition from the Component Browser's list after all instances of it have now been set to be 'new_def'... This will save you having to purge it later manually...

[Dave R]

Thank you TIG! Both of those work like a charm.

[Robert Lang]

Without the plug in you can simply select the new group and explode it. After the explode, all the geometry is selected so you can right click and select "Make Component". Give it the exact same name it had to begin with and all is well.

Bob Lang

[Dave R]

That does work but it's extra steps.

[TIG]

Also you'd need to reassign the original layer manually [if you remembered it].

So Jim's tool - with my tweaks - means the trimmed component >> group is automatically made back into a component of the same name [including all instances updated], it's kept on its original layer, and you have the option of removing the now unused component from the browser or keeping it if you might like to reuse it somehow...

[Dave R]

And after exploding, you'd have to move the geometry back to Layer 0 where it should be.

I have a keyboard shortcut for Jim's plugin and now, with the modification it is absolutely painless for even the most simple trim operations.

[Dave R]

TIG, out of curiosity, assume that there would never be a need to keep the original version of the component. what would the code be to make the script automatically purge the unused version?

[TIG]

Remove the two lines 'if...' and 'end' at the start/end of the added code, so that the only thing you add is def_to_keep.entities.erase_entities(def_to_keep.entities.to_a) before the @model.commit_operation

Then there's no choice - the original object's shape is lost...

[Dave R]

Thanks, TIG.

If I were using other tools to do the same thing I would do with Trim and Keep I wouldn't have the original shape either. So far that's never been a problem.

[TIG]

OK...
If you ever need to delete a group/component in code you can use
*defn.entities.erase_entities(def_to_keep.entities.to_a)
or to be even shorter
*defn.entities.clear!
!!!

Calling it *def_to_keep is somewhat whimsical as it's the one to go !
Which is actually the same thing - but perhaps easier to grasp ?!
Always provided that it's inside a model.start_operation()...model.commit_operation block

[bmike]

thanks TIG, marked to come back and tinker with code later....

[david.]

LIL

Seems like this thread is a more general topic than Woodworking. I was wondering if it should/could be moved to the SU Discussions subforum? Just a thought...

[TIG]

I've moved this thread into Plugins, which is probably a more logical home for it...