[Plugin] Pen Tool + v1.5 (Update 16/4/2012)

[Rich O Brien]

Pen Tool +

Overview:
To help when manually stitching softened meshes
To quickly creates curves with lines
To sketch guide lines, points
To create lines with or without faces

Description:
Similar to native Line Tool in use but has 7 primary features :-

PenTool_1.png

[1] Soft Draw allows the sketching of softened/smoothened lines (Hidden Geometry On)

[2] Hide Draw allows the sketching of hidden lines (Hidden Geometry On)

[3] Guide Draw allows the sketching of guide lines

[4] Weld Draw allows the sketching of curves

[5] Edge Draw allows the sketching of edges [lines] without making faces

[6] Line Draw allows the sketching of edges with faces

[7] Point Draw allows the sketching of construction points

Usage:

Run via 'Draw' menu or via the 'Pen Tool +' toolbar


Requirements:
Tested on SU8 only (PC)

Installation:
Unzip and place both 'rob_hsltool' folder and 'Pen Tool +.rb' in Plugins folder.

Version 1.1
- VCB Fix
- Edge Draw added

Version 1.2
- Group/Component bug fixed
- Midpoint 'jumping' on intersection' fixed

Version 1.3
- Weld bug addressed (don't click too fast when using Weld Draw mode)

Version 1.4
- Line Draw and Point Draw added

Version 1.5
- Clash addressed

Pen Tools+ 1.5.zip

Many thanks goes to TIG for helping me out with this tool.

[boofredlay]

Nice. I especially like the Weld Draw.

[Rich O Brien]

It can be a bit funky but that's part of it's charm

[boofredlay]

Funky already
I am getting artifacts with the Weld Line. See image.
Also when you close a loop with the weld line then push/pull the face the edges created by the operation are not all soften/smoothed.
I am running a PC with Windows 7.

Great start however.
I will be out the rest of the day so I won't be able to respond for a while.

[thomthom]

Well well well - Rich is becoming a scripting monkey.

I'll congratulate you by making a feature request:
Tool that draws normal Edge.
The difference from the native Edge Tool: Doesn't auto generate faces. It can be bloody annoying at time that SketchUp keeps trying to generate faces for each edge created.

[Rich O Brien]

Well well well - Rich is becoming a scripting monkey

I wanna live the rock'n'roll life you enjoy

[mitcorb]

Congratulations, Rich.

[SketchUpNoobie]

Useful tool Rich.

[Dave R]

Good start Rich. You'll need to get some shades like ThomThom has.

So now the requests begin. If you enter a length for the line in the VCB, the line is drawn but the tool continues from the start point rather than the end. Is it possible to fix that so it behaves like the native Line tool? And you only get one shot at entering the length of the line so if you change your mind or make an error when typing the length, you have to Undo and start over. Can that be fixed to operate like the native Line tool? Maybe both things go hand in hand?

[Rich O Brien]

shades like ThomThom has

what shades?

possible to fix that so it behaves like the native Line tool?

Yes, feel free to do so

Maybe both things go hand in hand?

Like peanuts and gum Dave

[Dave R]

shades like ThomThom has

what shades?

Those things over his eyes. What are those things anyway?

[Rich O Brien]

Eyebrows?

There's a fix coming on the VCB issue and an extra Edge Draw mode that doesn't create faces

[jason_maranto]

Very cool idea -- thank-you!

Best,
Jason.

[Rich O Brien]

Little update with Thom's and Dave's suggestions [not Eric's ]

[Gaieus]

Well, Rich, congrats, really. I remember when Remus also wrote a plugin - now "non-scripters" are slowly becoming a minority here...

I remember a wise man once answering this question:

Do you build or have you built any SketchUp Ruby Scripts?

like this...

There are so many talented and generous ruby scripters out there that it would be a waste of resources to start playing with it and keep hindering them in their work with my basic questions...

And sorry for not having been able to me of more help - I have just come back home.

Nice icons, too!

[Rich O Brien]

Thanks Csaba, there are still some little gremlins [not Mike] to iron out

[Dave R]

Thanks Rich.

Out of curiosity, is this what I should see when I open the ZIP file?

[Rich O Brien]

try again

[Dave R]

Cool!

[hebeijianke]

try again

There something wrong

[Rich O Brien]

Bit more info?

[Ken]

I use rollers, wheels and axles that I wish to add a guidelines though the center for alignment that will be part of the group. It would be nice, if I could draw a guideline between two points, maybe only 12" apart, and have the guide line that is drawn be the size as indicated in the measurement tool bar. So if I wanted to add a guideline to a wheel that is only 12" wide, however, I wish to have the alignment guideline to be 10' long, I could enter the 10' into the measurement tool bar, draw the line between the two center points that are only 12" apart, and have the guideline be drawn 10' long.

So thank you for you plugin.

Ken


OOPS. Didn't see that I could add the length to the guidelines in the VCB. My bad. So disregard the above.

[hebeijianke]

Bit more info?

Weld Draw is not work well

[Dave R]

Weld Draw is working fine for me. It all works fine except my second request. But, beggars can't be choosers so I'm not complaining.

[Rich O Brien]

Version 1.2 (remove old before installing)

thanks to TIG for tweaking again for squashing some bugs.

See first post for latest.

[Dave R]

Now Weld Draw doesn't seem to draw welded edges.

Soft Draw will convert unsoftened edges to softened but doesn't draw softened wedges from the start.

[Rich O Brien]

It seems it's only welding when aligned to an axis? Can you confirm?

[Rich O Brien]

No, it seems to toggling on/off....strange? TIG?

[Dave R]

It isn't even Friday the 13th.

[Rich O Brien]

Updated to v1.3

Note:
Weld Draw does not draw welded loops. It will also split if it intersects with any edge and get a little funky. It's primary function it to create a simple curve from drawn edges[lines]