[Plugin] ExtrudeTools - Full Set

[TIG]

I didn't make a separate EEby.. tool since you can do it relatively easily with EEbyRails as in this example

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[stefx]

Thank you TIG.
I have tried but:
1: i create my face with all the edges welded
2. i select the profile as curve
3. i select the 2 rails
4. i select the melding-prfile curve

5. Sketchup crashes!

I am thinking to split the face-curve in two parts.

Stef.

[TIG]

Can you post an example skp ?

[stefx]

Here it is!

basically it is roof design, you could find the profile of the roof and 2 rails.
The two rails don't touch the profile.
So I welded the whole profile, I welded the 2 rails but when I try to use the plugin everything crashes!

I have tried to split the profile in more parts, and it looks like working.

Stef.

[TIG]

It can only be done after the model is 'fixed'.
The roof profile is not quite coplanar [try to add a face to it - you can't !] so it adds all sorts of additional problems... with geometry flying off into space etc etc...
Complex 3D curves will work as Profiles but especially looped ones with slight discrepancies can be problematical !

To fix it select the roof profile curve and use EEbyVector on it to make a small temporary roof-bit [ extruded away from the 'rails' but in line with the first edge].
Now draw a large vertical rectangle that intersects the whole of this new roof-bit.
Select that rectangle and right-click > intersect > with model.
Erase the unwanted bits of the rectangle and keep just the faced roof profile.
Erase the temporary roof-bit too.
You know have a coplanar roof profile.
Select the edges of it and weld them into one curve.
Move it near to the rails but not touching them, so it doesn't 'split'.
Check that the rails have the same number of edges - if not group them draw over them with lines and erase the originals then when they have the same number of edges [select and use entity info] weld each set in turn into a curve.
Now you can use EEbyRails...
Select the Profile, then the Rails in turn and the Profile again as the melding-profile [in is 'assumed' at the other end of the rails as required].
The mesh is made as expected...
You need to add 'end-faces' by drawing over an edge at the ends...

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[stefx]

Hi TIG, thank you for your tutorial.
I guess it is a problem of my Sketchup.
This a licensed version that I used at work.
I am saying that because i have tried to use a simple rectangle with 2 rails (I draw one and copied as 2 rail just to have the same number of segments and same features).
(see attached)
After I welded the edge of the rectangle if I try to use the Extrude By Rails sketchup quit the work.
I think I have to do the same splitting the edge of the rectangle or roof in different pieces.

[TIG]

How do the want the profile to end at the rail-ends ? If it's wanted as 'flat' then you need to copy the profile to the end and rotate it etc. I'd let the rails split the profiles and make two extrusions, then group their groups, edit that group and explode the two into one st of geometry inside this parent-group.
If you want to extrude the profile along the rail in the same plane all if the time then try EEbyEdges [group] the two sets of profile and path first...

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[stefx]

Hi Tig,
thank you for your tutorial......again.....
I have followed your indications. I got the results I wondered.
We don't need Extrude face by rails as soon we could get the same results in other ways.

Thanks again.

Stef.

[rizal21]

my toolbar for this not show up, please help , found #extrusionToolbar.rb, but i think it's for menu

[TIG]

The file you found IS needed to make the menu AND toolbar.
You need to activate the toolbar from View > Toolbars > Extrusion Tools

[tiagomedeirosdsg]

Obrigado pelo plugin

[Gaieus]

Obrigado pelo plugin

Thanks for [the] plugin

[olishea]

For some reason, when I install this plugin....my sketchup starts up very quickly. I used to wait 15 seconds or so for all my plugins to load, now it's instant!!

confused!!

having a play with these amazing tools, thank you so much TIG.

are there any videos in the pipeline? I feel they would help a lot.

Also, how do you define a "melding profile"....I mean I know what it does.....is it just the finishing profile? if that makes sense

[TIG]

Oli

There are quite a few [illustrated] pages for each tool in the set - see the many links from the main zipped set download page...

A lot of the tools need two profiles and two rails.
The pick order is:-

A 'profile' - the starting curve form that will 'extrude' down the rails.
B 'rail-1' - the first rail to follow with this extrusion.
C 'rail-2' - the second rail to follow with this extrusion - Note: you can also pick 'rail-1' again as 'rail-2' and it then assumes a copy of 'rail-1' is placed at the other end of the 'profile'.
D 'melding-profile' [it's a fancy name for 'profile-2'!] is what the 'profile' will 'morph' into [meld] as it is repeated down the rails - Note: you can pick 'profile' again as the 'melding-profile' and then the only 'morphing' the profile will undergo is the fitting between the rails etc.

The curves need not touch but it can be helpful to visualize the result if they do... the 'mesh' is made 'over' the 'rails'.
Pairs of profiles/rails need NOT have equal curve segment counts... but if they do not and the numbers are not simple multiples then extra vertices are added to adjust the mesh and it might not be what you expected...

[maxel99]

excellent ruby tig, truly amazing.

I just had two questions:

*The extrude edges by faces does not appear to work with lines - can you make this work?

A work around for this is to create a line and then break it apart and use the 'weld' ruby to put it back together. BUT is there a simpler way? It'd be great if this just worked for straight lines - or do you know of a similar ruby plugin that does this function?

*second: are there tutorials for these tools? I am struggling to use them and it looks like there are bits and pieces of info on them but they are not in one central location - would it be possible to unify the tutorials for these into a few critical images for each tool like you unified the toolbar?

Would be great, and as I said earlier, great tools as they are (just wish I could use them better with more tutorials!)

[TIG]

It only uses Curves BUT as explained in it's notes you can have a single segment Curve made from a selected Line - use Divide > 2 and then Weld the still selected 2 parts to make a Curve, now draw another Line to split the Curve at it's center Vertex and erase one part. You now have a single segment Curve.

It cannot use lone Lines as it would recognize each segment in a selected Curve as a Line - so it's all Curves I'm afraid - it's not too onerous to make Lines into 'straight' Curves - Tip: I use shortcuts for Divide [Ctrl+D], Weld [J] etc...

[jeff hammond]

maxel,

fredo's BezierSpline plugin:
viewtopic.php?t=13563

..can draw polylines (or one segment curves if you will) which work great with the extrude tools

either draw the lines in place (using 'polyline'.. the second icon in the toolbar) or, draw the lines with SU's line tool then right click it -> BZ Convert To -> polyline.


as to the tutorials, i'm pretty sure there isn't a consolidated list.. these are fairly new tools tig has developed and many of the early adopters are still learning them.. best thing to do at this time is post an example .skp here showing what you'd like to accomplish and someone will be able to tell you if it's possible or how to do it..

[olishea]

cheers for explanation TIG, i just needed it in words!!

[InterArchi]

Thank you sir for this script...

Can anyone here show us what did he do with this script in a real project, in a design work or in sketch project ?

I mean I know it is very great to work with thhis plugin, but I really want to see an architectural work made by this great plugin, Any one ?

[jeff hammond]

Thank you sir for this script...

Can anyone here show us what did he do with this script in a real project, in a design work or in sketch project ?

I mean I know it is very great to work with thhis plugin, but I really want to see an architectural work made by this great plugin, Any one ?

i have a bunch of concepts and construction drawings which i drew using these tools but i have to keep them off the web..
i've got an actual project beginning in 3 weeks which was designed using extrude by rails.. i'll post some pictures upon completion.

[InterArchi]

Thank you sir for this script...

Can anyone here show us what did he do with this script in a real project, in a design work or in sketch project ?

I mean I know it is very great to work with thhis plugin, but I really want to see an architectural work made by this great plugin, Any one ?

i have a bunch of concepts and construction drawings which i drew using these tools but i have to keep them off the web..
i've got an actual project beginning in 3 weeks which was designed using extrude by rails.. i'll post some pictures upon completion.

Hi sir ..Still waiting for your post sir

[ofarcan]

thanks for plugin.

[TIG]

Here's an updated zipped set viewtopic.php?p=217663#p217663
The 'extrudeEdgesByRailsToLattice' tool has been updated to include a pane-thickness option - useful if the pane might be viewed from both sides and/or exported to a 3rd party renderer where back-faces are not rendered. Also its .lingvo files have been updated to suit...

[TIG]

Here's an updated zip viewtopic.php?p=217663#p217663
The main changes are...
The 'Extrusion Toolbar' title's db() translation is fixed with a new lingvo file.
In EEbyVector you can now end an 'extrusion' in with a 'double-click'.
In EEbyFace if there is no 'suitable' face in the selection it's trapped with error message.
In EEbyLathe it now undoes in fewer 'steps' - ~one for each 'optional dialog'.
In EEbyRailsToLattice the missing db() on 'Processing...' in corrected.

[TIG]

Here's an updated set viewtopic.php?p=217663#p217663
ExtrudeEdgesByRailsByFace is now trapped to stop you selecting a non-flat face and breaking Sketchup!
the lingvo files are also updated to suit.

[smiley007]

Thanks very much for these exellent tools.

[TIG]

Here's an updated set viewtopic.php?p=217663#p217663
There a new tweak to EEbyRailsByFace to catch no face selected or an empty selection at the start [as well as any 'inappropriate' selections].
Also two of the ES lingvo files have some minor rephrasing by Defisto [again!]...

[cdurkin]

Hello
Ive just added the extrude tools zipped set to my ruby library but, despite getting the plugins to work on version 7, I'm having difficulty getting them to work with SU version 8. Has anyone else had the same problem??? know how to fix??

[TIG]

cdurkin

What error messages do you get at startup or later in the Ruby Console when you try to use the tool ?

It works fine for most users in v8, if it's correctly installed.
Hove you copied all of the required files and sub-folders over ?
Make sure there are none in the wrong place too, even if you have done a full install from the zip you might have some files misplaced and causing clashes...

Their has been one report of a clash with SketchyPhysics in v8 [I suspect that SP rewrites a SUp base-class method ill-advisedly that some EEby... (and other's) tools are using... but it's not yet established/resolved].
If you have SketchyPhysics try removing its .rb files from Plugins temporarily and see if that fixes the glitch...

[cdurkin]

Hello again
The Specific problem has to do with the icons on the toolbar and heading eg(extrude edges on edges ect.)on the menubar. Some of them work and others don't. It sounds like it may be the folder allocation problem you suggested. I have all files that came with the plugin in the the TIGtools folder accept the 10 extrudeEdgesByEdges.rb.......to...extrudeEdgesByVector.rb files which are directly in the plugins folder. The icons on the toolbar that seem to be giving my trouble are:
extrudeEdgesByEdges.rb
extrudeEdgesByFace.rb
extrudeEdgesByFaces.rb
extrudeEdgesByRails.rb
extrudeEdgesByRailsByFace.rb
extrudeEdgesByRailsToLattice.rb
I can use all the commands, it even says in the command prompt at the bottom of the screen the the geometry is being made, yet no matter how long i wait the extruded geometry does not appear.

extrudeEdgesByLathe.rb
extrudeEdgesByVector.rb
extrudeEdgesByLoft.rb all work fine

If it is the file allocation problem do you know which other files I should move?

Thanks