[Plugin] ShadowProjector

[barney_and_ted]

Hello TIG,

Your plugin is very useful
The face name is automatically create in the report ! Is it possible to change it ? In order to have more convenient name.

Thank you

[djh]

Dear TIG,
Your plugin looks like just what I need - to export vector (dwg or dxf) with shadows. I am drawing technical illustrations with fine lines and shadows. When I export them as a jpg or tiff and shrink them down, the lines get broken and don't print well. But, I can't figure out how to use your plugin. I keep getting this message even when I select a face. "You must Pre Select at least ONE Suitably Oriented Face!" I haven' projected a shadow yet. I even tried with some very simple models, but...
Can you please help me?
DJH

[driven]

shad_proj.gif

[djh]

Thank you very much, Driven and TIG. Also, I exploded all the components and groups. It works wonderfully.

[TIG]

You don't need to explode everything.
But you do need to select the face[s] to receive the shadow outlines.
This means they do need to be in the same context, but then you could edit the container and select the face ?

[djh]

This means they do need to be in the same context, but then you could edit the container and select the face ?[/quote]

What does it mean "in the same context"?

[djh]

Having problems, even when I redrew the model as simply as possible.

[TIG]

Thanks ofr the example SKP.
I do agree that it fails.
But the info I get from the Ruby Console is helpful to see what is wrong.
I'll look at how it might be recoded to resolve the issue.

Incidentally, you model contains some reversed faces inside the grouped 'walls' and several bits of hidden geometry [View > Hidden Geometry > ON] around the tops/ends of some walls.
Although they shouldn't cause issues it's good practice to tidy your model as you go.
With them gone it still fails, so they're not the cause of the issue...
I will fix it.

Watch for updates/announcements...

[TIG]

Here's v1.5

Download

It fixes a problem which resulted from instances [groups/components] sat directly 'on' a shaded-face, and sometimes not casting a shadow below them.
It should now be more robust and cope with raw geometry, groups and components placed directly on top of the shaded-face.
It works properly with @djh's example SKP !

[Dave R]

Thanks for the update. I'm still getting unexpected results. See the attached screen shot. The edges of the projected "shadow" are 500 meters long and extend down below the face on the ground plane and away from the sun.

Screenshot - 3_10_2015 , 8_42_48 PM.png

[TIG]

Thanks Dave, I too have seem some issues and I'm working on a fix...
The face should be 1km long NOT 500m !!

[Dave R]

Half is better than none.

[djh]

TIG, thanks for the advice to clean up the model.

I'm sorry, I still got the same results. I don't know how you were able to do it with the same model. Also, you mentioned before, "This means they do need to be in the same context, but then you could edit the container and select the face?" What does it mean "in the same context"?

[TIG]

I'm working on a fix...

[TIG]

Here's v2.0

Download

It is completely rewritten to be faster ad more robust...

[TIG]

Here's v3.0

Download

Along with ignoring Hidden faces/objects and those assigned OFF Layers, it now respects transparent faces [<70% opacity] which won't cast shadows, and similarly faces with the default-material faces within a container that itself has a transparent material and which doesn't then cast a shadow etc.
Objects with cast/receive shadows 'unchecked' settings are now fully respected in the shadow analysis.
Faces which shade themselves [because they face away from the sun] are automatically assigned 100% shading with no further analysis...
A glitch with report writing if type was 'lines' is now resolved.

[Dave R]

Latest version installed. Get this in console when trying to run the tool.

Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method `each' for nil:NilClass>
C:/Users/Dave/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2015/SketchUp/Plugins/TIG-ShadowProjector/TIG-ShadowProjector_Code.rb:127:in `new'
C:/Users/Dave/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2015/SketchUp/Plugins/TIG-ShadowProjector/TIG-ShadowProjector_Loader.rb:18:in `block in <module:ShadowProjector>'
SketchUp:1:in `call'

[TIG]

Obviously it shouldn't do that
Did you have a face preselected ?
I'm on to it...

[Dave R]

I did have a single face, correctly oriented selected. I tried it first on a chair model I was working on at the time when I got that message. I quit SU and restarted. Then tried it with a simple box in a component and an ungrouped face. Same result.

[TIG]

Here's v3.1

Download

It fixes a glitch caused by a simple typo.
The test for 'receive-shadows' for a container being unchecked was inadvertently being run even if the selected face were in the model entities, which of course cannot have that set !
Now resolved.
Thanks Dave for feedback...

[Dave R]

Glad to help, sir. I'll give it a try when I get home from work and let you know.

d

[Dave R]

I tried it on a simple box and face. It worked fine. Tried it on a slightly more complicated model and it splatted, twice. I can send you the SKP if you wish.

[TIG]

I tried it on a simple box and face. It worked fine. Tried it on a slightly more complicated model and it splatted, twice. I can send you the SKP if you wish.

Please PM me the SKP[s] that splatted.
I have taken pains to minimize this kind of thing, so I'll be interested to see what's up.
I know that very tiny edges can cause issues as they won't intersect with the face to form an 'edge' - but from your modeling I'd expect no such issues

[Dave R]

I'll send you the SKP when I get home from work. Sorry for the delay.

[TIG]

Here's v4.0

Download

I have completely recoded it.
It works with Dave's example SKP [PM'd] and all others that have had issues in the past.
It has so far worked faultlessly.
It is now faster and more robust too...

Feedback please...

[Dave R]

It works!

Excellent work, sir. Thank you very much.

Ado Chalkboard shadow.png

[pilou]

Inspecting mirrors is a thing I could easily see myself doing.

[AirWindSolar]

Still getting fairly consistent crashes on a large and moderately complex (29,500 faces on an area of interest of about 55 acres) model. It seems to get through a few steps, though, as it never crashes until a few minutes in. Is there a log file somewhere that might show what is causing the splat, or at least what stage it's happening at?

[TIG]

I suspect this is just too complex, sorry.

Have you tried splitting it into smaller parts...

[AirWindSolar]

I did at one point, and one relatively small section (2-3 buildings, maybe 1/2 acre) still crashed it every time. Will try to reproduce that and post the file to see if there's something squirrelly going on with the geometry in it.