[Plugin] 2D Tools v5.3 20120929

[brookefox]

OK, thank you. I need to read the complete thread, again. Hatch does not work seemingly within groups, or some curve defined faces but allows the pattern to be painted into same? Strange.

[TIG]

The 2dHatching tool is intended to be used specifically as part of the 2dTools set.
It's not really intended for use as a general 3d hatching tool...

I recommend you forget trying to use it for something it wasn't intended for...
Instead think about making some new materials that do what you want...
The PATT.. image files this tool uses [found inside the ../Plugins/2dTools/Hatching subfolder etc] can be used quite separately as a new texture for any material you may want to make yourself, and you can also 'scale' that material's texture in the material editor to suit your needs.
You can now have several materials using the same image at different 'scales', if desired.
Then you can just 'paint' faces etc with the appropriate material as needed.
Once they are made you can save these materials as external SKM files, which, when placed in folder within the Materials folder, can be accessed from within any SKP for reuse...
Each image is duplicated within each exported SKM and it is also scaled in use as specified in your editing.

[brookefox]

I recommend you forget trying to use it for something it wasn't intended for...

but your instructions say

....It will also use an existing Face at the picked-point...with the ‘PATTern’ material applied.

Thank you, TIG. In spite of what you advise, I have found the tool to be useful for my purposes and I am grateful for that. This may be due to my ignorance of and lack of experience with the native texturing processes, though I hope not.

Once they are made you can save these materials as external SKM files

I need to learn how to do this.

[TIG]

To save one material externally right-click its icon in the Materials Browser and use the appropriate item...
OR to export ALL of the Model's materials en mass use the pop-out menu to save as a collection...
To add a new material that will be initially based on an existing one, select the material to base it on, then click the '+' button to make a new material - rename it as needed, adjust colors, texture size etc...

[brookefox]

Thank you much.

[Galvax]

Does the "Custom Style" feature work on the line style editor? Nothing happens when I select that option and hit okay. Your instructions say that another window is supposed to open, but I don't see it.

[TIG]

Does the "Custom Style" feature work on the line style editor? Nothing happens when I select that option and hit okay. Your instructions say that another window is supposed to open, but I don't see it.

Please explain your steps exactly...
The explanation in the Help file is correct.
If in the first dialog you choose '< Custom Style >' you should get a second dialog in which name your own style and to design its 'pattern'.
On OK the first dialog reopens and now you must scroll the list of styles to select your new 'MyStyle' [or whatever you've called it].
That's now the active style.

If you run it with the Ruby Console open do you get errors ?

[skirkster]

TIG- thanks for the great plugin.

When I'm attempting to use the 2D line style, every time I click a line, it disappears, but the effect (dashes) show up underneath my model. Do the faces that the effect are on have to be deleted?

[TIG]

If you have a face and you 'style' one of its edges that styled-edge appears on the front of the face.
If you have made the face 'looking the wrong way' [i.e. down] then the styled-edge appears "below" the face !

To check for the correct orientation of faces use View > Monochrome mode - front-faces show off-white whilst back-faces show blue/gray, depending on your Sketchup-Style settings [it's a good idea to use a Sketchup-Style with a distinctive back-face color and view your model from time to time in Monochrome to check for proper face orientation...].

To confuse you... every face you draw on the ground is made by Sketchup looking downwards, because it assumes you will want to PushPull it upwards, for which it would be then suitably oriented; BUT if you want the face to be just a plain face, on the ground you will need to 'reverse' it - to do this Select the face and in the right-click context-menu use 'Reverse' to flip the face the right way round - this is a useful tool to ensure good modeling practices.

Within 'plain' Sketchup face orientation is often of little consequence since materials can be applied to both fronts and backs of faces... but as soon as you start to use tools that depend on face orientation [like this one, or more critically most rendering tools that expect 'fronts' and only render 'front' materials], then it's very important that the front is the face-front and the back is the face-back !

[micione]

I need help with 2D Fillet tool:
Of a rectangle, the first curved connection between the two sides work well but the second, sends SketchUp BUG SPLAT.
It works well, however, the option "chamfer".
What can I do?
thanks

[TIG]

I am surprised.
Many users have never experienced this.
I cannot reproduce it.
What size are the lines being filleted and what radius fillet and segmentation are you trying to impose?

Can you post a simple SKP that you know will fail for you, and details of the settings you have been trying...
Then we can test it to see if it's something specific to that geometry or just your setup.

It sounds unlikely that it's a clash with other scripts which might have ill-advisedly overwritten some base class in Sketchup like 'group.copy', because related tools like 'chamfer' seem unaffected...
Have you recently installed any scripts that might clash?
If so try temporarily disabling them and retest the fillet-tool...

[micione]

I'm looking for what may have been affected.
I attach the file.
thanks

[TIG]

As you can see the 200mm radius fillet worked fine.
Are you picking near the ends of the lines [but not on the vertices]?
Do you have a list of your installed plugins?

[micione]

I enclose a list of installed plugins.
He has also stopped working "Follow me rotate". (from wikii)
thanks

[micione]

I uninstalled the plugin Fredo's "Additionalplugin folder".
There was a conflict.
Now run "Instant roof", by Chuck valiArchitects and "FollowMe and Rotate" by
Wikii.
I downloaded and reinstalled "2D Tools" but the problem with "fillet" is still present.

[lapx]

Can 2d tools work for any plane? It would be nice if one could lock the 2d tools to any plane.Is this what surface tools tries to do? You should be able to lock your plane to draw in 2d on any surface. Then any drawing would be on the surface as 2d. i know it works on in the xy plane.
It would be handy if it worked on surface of any set plane.

[TIG]

Can 2d tools work for any plane? It would be nice if one could lock the 2d tools to any plane.Is this what surface tools tries to do? You should be able to lock your plane to draw in 2d on any surface. Then any drawing would be on the surface as 2d. i know it works on in the xy plane.
It would be handy if it worked on surface of any set plane.

Some tools do work in any plane [e.g. Fillet].
You can reset the z-height for many other 2dTools.
Fredo's 'Tools on Surface' will also draw most basic shapes on any surface too...
With the advent of LayOut further development of 2dTools is unlikely...

[micione]

I found the plugin that creates a conflict with 2D Tools / fillet: it is "Driving Dimension" by LEDAS.
Now everything works fine.
Thank you.
Roberto

[TIG]

I found the plugin that creates a conflict with 2D Tools / fillet: it is "Driving Dimension" by LEDAS.
Now everything works fine.
Thank you.
Roberto

Sorry I didn't spot the ldd.rbs in the list. It is one of the tools implicated in a lot of clashes with legit tools because I suspect that it ill-advisedly changes some base class/methods for groups. I have previously written to the author asking them to fix it.
Note that some other similarly implicated scripts include SketchyPhysics, Matchbox, SunTools[?] etc

[micione]

TIG,
thanks again.
Maybe we should create a "black list" of all the scripts that create conflict.
And make it visible on the forum.
I also write to LEDAS for this problem.
I must warn FREDO6, that his tool "additionalplugin foder" creates
conflict with other plugins? (For example with "instant roof" and FollowMe rotate ")
regards,
Roberto

[micione]

TIG,
sorry but I can not send and receive private messages by using
the user control panel.
What should I do to activate this feature?
my username: micione
my email: robertopadulazzi @ alice.it
My real name: Roberto

[TIG]

If you click on this

Capture.PNG

and then this

1.PNG

you should get a new blank post, fill it in with title, text.attachments and recipients...
If you click on the PM icon below a post's author's details/avatar

2.PNG

, it will open a new post, with the same title and the recipient filled in

3.PNG

What is your difficulty precisely ?

[micione]

TIG,
I found the problem.
This is Google Chrome / instant translator of the page.
By disabling this feature, it seems all right.
Thank you.
Roberto

[micione]

TIG,
I talked to "LEDAS" the problem of "driving dimension" that creates conflicts
with other plugins (specifically with 2D Tools).
I responded thus:

Ilya Tatarnikov 2012-05-11 05:58 UTC
Hello Roberto,

We confirm the problem and trying to investigate reasons and find solution.
For more efficient work I'm recommending you to contact also to 2Dtools development team.
They maybe got such request earlier and find some solution.

--
best regards,
Ilya Tatarnikov

[TIG]

It is not just my tools... but several tools made by others, that use legitimate Sketchup API class/methods [usually about 'groups'] that ought to 'return' certain values, but which LEDAS's tool overwrite ill-advisedly, thereby breaking several legit tools to enable his own !
I have tried to circumvent several standard 'group' methods to avoid clashes like this [SketchyPhysics and others also do similar screw ups!], but there is a limit to what I can do. If LEDAS's code was not compiled it would be easy to find the issues, I have PM'd him about this ages ago, but I think he is just being obdurate, because his code works, 'so screw everyone else...'

[thomthom]

For more efficient work I'm recommending you to contact also to 2Dtools development team.
They maybe got such request earlier and find some solution.

Bah! Humbug!
Overriding the base classes in SketchUp is a big no-no. Leaving it to others is just extra bad manners!

[thomthom]

Registrationware as well - don't like it when I have to give out my full details just to try a software...

[Dave R]

This subject of the problems Sketchy Physics, Driving Dimensions and others cause comes up frequently. The authors have been approached more than once with requests to fix them but have never done so. It would appear to me that they have no interest in doing so. Perhaps there should be a sticky listing these plugins that are written so they cause plugins that are properly written to fail. A comment could be included to the effect of, "Understand that if you choose to use these plugins, they may cause other plugins to fail. Use these plugins at your own risk."

[thomthom]

I've been looking into LDD - When it's installed pretty much all the base classes is flooded with LDD methods. Even the root Object!!

Object.ancestors
[Object, LDD, Kernel]

An LDD module is added to the Object class.

And just the constants that LDD adds:
LDD.constants
["SKETCH_TOOL", "PI", "GENERAL_CASE_LINES", "LDDEntitiesObserver", "EQUAL_LINES", "PUTS_IN_RUBY_CONSOLE", "CONSTRAINTS_LIMIT", "ENTITY_OBSERVERS", "LDDFaceFaceAngleConstraint", "LDDOptions", "LDD_return_values", "SKETCHUP_VERSION", "LDDVertexVertexDistanceConstraint", "ROTATE_TOOL", "Driving_Dimension", "LDD_constraints_types", "LDDVertexFaceDistanceConstraint", "CAMERA_ZOOM_TOOL", "ARC_TOOL", "LDDModelConstraints", "LDD_constraints_typesVersion_0_2", "Driving_Dimensions_Tool", "LDDFaceInformationForInferredConstraints", "LDDAppObserver", "LDDEdgeEdgeDistanceConstraint", "LDDLabelsObserverForVertex", "LEDAS_DRIVING_DIMENSIONS_BUILD", "INTERSECTING_LINES", "LDDFixationConstraint", "LDDEdgeFaceAngleConstraint", "CAMERA_ORBIT_TOOL", "DRIVING_DIMENSIONS_FIXATION_TOOL_CURSOR", "VERTEX_OBSERVERS", "LDDEdgeLengthConstraint", "LDDModelObserver", "RECTANGLE_TOOL", "LDDPreConstraint", "FULL_LOG", "LDDDrDiTextObserver", "LDDSet", "LDDEmptyConstraint", "DRIVING_DIMENSIONS_CALCULATING_CURSOR", "LDDEdgeEdgePlanarAngleConstraint", "PUSH_PULL_TOOL", "PARALLEL_LINES", "LDDDrDiEntityObserver", "LDDFaceFaceDistanceConstraint", "LDDToolsObserver", "LDD_PRO", "LDDVertexEdgeDistanceConstraint", "MOVE_TOOL", "LEDAS_DRIVING_DIMENSIONS_VERSION", "LDD_DIR", "LDDDataForSketchupModel", "LDDSelectionObserver", "DEG_SIGN", "LDDConstraint", "LDDEdgeFaceDistanceConstraint", "CAMERA_DOLLY_TOOL", "DRIVING_DIMENSIONS_TOOL_CURSOR", "LDDArcCurveRadiusConstraint", "CIRCLE_TOOL", "INTERSECTING_LINES_WITH_COMMON_FACE", "LDDDrDiGroupObserver", "LDDEdgeEdgeAngleConstraint", "LDDObserversHash", "LDDKEY", "OFFSET_TOOL", "Driving_Dimensions_Fixation_Tool"]

Notice that even a PI constant is added - so now it's available to all classes instead of Math::PI. What a mess...

LDD really do not play nicely with the shared SketchUp plugin environment at all!

[chickbiker]

TIG - how does one go about acquiring a copy of your 2D tools? Looks like just the fix I need. Assuming it works with the free version... posting.php?mode=reply&f=323&t=22091#