[Plugin-like] SketchTalk

[MartinRinehart]

SketchTalk is a layer between the SketchUp Ruby API and the model. It lets non-programmers use the Ruby Console for modeling. Then the non-programmers can gather their commands in a file; save the file with a ".rb" extension and, almost by accident, have written a program. Programmers can extend SketchTalk easily. It's described here:

http://www.MartinRinehart.com/models/tu ... ample.html

[Pixero]

Wow, very interesting and impressive. I have to take this in for a while.

[Jim]

Code: Select all

load 'sketch_talk.rb'
Error: #<LoadError: C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/sketch_talk.rb:4:in `load': No such file to load -- /r/sketch_talk_classes.rb>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/sketch_talk.rb:4

[MartinRinehart]

[code]load 'sketch_talk.rb'
Error: #<LoadError: C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins

Jim,

Make a dir that's very handy. Mine's C:\r\. Extract to there. In RC load "/r/sketch_talk.rb"

[Jim]

Maybe, but that won't solve the problem of the missing sketch_talk_classes.rb file. (which I should have mentioned, sorry.)

[MartinRinehart]

Maybe, but that won't solve the problem of the missing file. (which I should have mentioned, sorry.)

Oh, dear. I hard coded my own path.

May be working now.

[tbd]

cool. maybe it can extend my SME and have a more visual interface to it (non IT people are kinda scared by command line )

[MartinRinehart]

cool. maybe it can extend my SME

Need a link to some word of explain.

SketchTalk for you will be about 5 minutes of looking at the code.

[tbd]

SME is more like a visual editor for SketchTalk - a way to create ruby scripts using simpler, English like, words.

each command (box in UI) is a method that can be used and reused to do simple tasks. by combining it, like LEGO, you can create different repetitive tasks that speed up the workflow.

SME is another project that I will open source soon, so anyone can improve on it.

[Mike Lucey]

Hi Guys,

Thanks Martin, this looks very interesting to a Rubyphobic like me Maybe I am wrong, but it looks to me that a non programmer can start to understand programming by mean of 'SketchUp to Ruby via Reverse Engineering'! Is this correct?

Mike

[MartinRinehart]

this looks very interesting to a Rubyphobic like me

If you're good w/Sketchup, Mike, just turn to Chapter 11. You never know until you try. You might become Rubyphilic.

[mics_54]

Martin is there a guide to the previous 10 chapters somewhere?

Can you define "good with Sketchup"?

[Pilou]

is there a guide to the previous 10 chapters somewhere?

Seems you can find it here (and then click the middle icon page bottom for begin...

Does we can call that a "recorder" of actions ruby?

The very diffult thing was to find the SketchTalk itself
Why not to put it in the first post

Some minutes after
Ah damned that is not a recorder

[MartinRinehart]

Martin is there a guide to the previous 10 chapters somewhere?

The tutorial TOC lists tools covered and keyboard shortcuts for every chapter. If you expand the details you get titles of (which link to) each major section.

http://www.MartinRinehart.com/models/tu ... l_toc.html

Can you define "good with Sketchup"?

There's a screenshot of a quarter circle of oval columns at the end of the Qrotate (Rotate, with the keyboard shortcut emphasized) tool section. If you can duplicate this without looking at the hint that follows, you are VERY good with SketchUp. If the hint that follows makes sense and you can make an oval column, you are good with SketchUp.

http://www.MartinRinehart.com/models/tu ... ml#qrotate

[MartinRinehart]

The very difficult thing was to find the SketchTalk itself
Why not to put it in the first post

If you just DL SketchTalk without looking at the SketchTalk by Example page, you won't have a clue. (First European explorer finds a banana. Bites. Terrible! Didn't know that you had to peel the thing.)

There are isolated bits of SketchTalk (the "mc" command is way better than Move/Copy) that stand on their own, but not many. It's really only good if you can add what you need when you need it. My cabinet example needed the "none" command.

So I added this trivial function:

Code: Select all

def none()
    Sketchup.active_model().
        selection().clear()
end # of none()


If you know a wee bit of the Ruby API, and where, in SketchTalk, to put that function, that's a trivial add. SketchTalk wants you to know enough to add simple bits to meet your own needs, so I'm deliberately steering you into the tutorial to learn a little (it only takes a little) Ruby and Ruby API.

If you go back to the bottom of SketchTalk by Example you'll see that I took your advice, partially.