[Plugin] Simple Loft alpha 0.1b -- UPDATED May-15-09

[Chris Fullmer]

Ahh, very true. Well, someday I'll get it so that it works with circles and ellipses and all closed splines. Then it will work much smoother

Chris

[Daniel S]

What happens if one tries to use two half circles to create a bowl (see image). The edges are not suitable for joining.

This is for me the problem with loft.
There are other tools that creates surfaces bounded by 2, 3 or 4 curves..
It looks like a double loft.
But something like this is possible?

boundary curves.gif

[Chris Fullmer]

Yeah, something like that is probably possible. Its not something I'm working on. But maybe in time. I would need to play with it in rhino or 3dsmax and figure out what its really doing to the geometry. I can't tell exactly how its making the cross splines. But I'm sure I could figure out if I played with it long enough.

Chris

[sepo]

Is it possible to make circles or elipses to be lofted?

so far, it seems the best option is to create two halfs of the closed loop you want (be it a circle, elipse or anything else). Than you loft and join them.

If you want to loft a circle to a line, MAYBE its possible to cut the circle in two. Then you loft half the circle to the line, and then you loft the other half of the circle to the same line. Then you join the two sides.

Yes, but beziers overlap. Better way is to have say circle and circle losing one segment at same position and lofting remain.

[sepo]

OK good news is it works on my laptop on both SU7 and SU6.
On my other XP I found culprit. It is tt_double_cut.rb.... As soon as I removed it(as this was only one which was not on all comps) loft started to work.
I know Tom's script is only alpha but it seems to clash with yours.

Double-cut should not be used in a production environment. It makes SU unstable, liable to bug-splats and interferes with the observer events. It will need major rebuilding to make it work, so I won't be looking to track down bugs in in the alpha. It is in it's current state FUBAR. I need to get my thinking-cap on first before I start on re-writing it. (I also need a minor break from it as well as my frustration level increases just by looking at it as it is now )
Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thom...you should not feel bad about it. You are trying to make awesome script...hope finding that leak is help rather than hinderance for you.

[pilou]

There are other tools that creates surfaces bounded by 2, 3 or 4 curves

4 curves is Coons surface
more 4 bounded or/and crossed is Gordon surface

[pilou]

I would need to play with it in rhino or 3dsmax

@Chris : Play with Moi, the learning curve is the same than Sketchup and same ergonomic (you have a demo infinite without save)
Rhino or 3Dmax are a little bit more long

[jmmad]

Chris i think found a little bug.
When I try to loft two lines inside a group SU crashes.
Everything else is working perfect

[Chris Fullmer]

Yeah, it won't work with grouped objects. Future versions will make it more clear that a grouped object can not be selected.

@Frenchy, I didn't realize MOI had a free non-saving version. I might actually have to try it! Thanks. Also thanks for the heads up on the surface types. I'll look into that better when I get thinking about the next phases of the script.

Chris

[sepo]

[Click Draw]

I have to say that Sketchup would be very basic and nothing special and I'm sure most people would be using other modeling programs if it wasn't for the absolutely amazing work that the ruby writers like yourself AND all the others that I won't mention (we all know who they are). All these scripts that are written for us on here and ones that are for sale, for a very reasonable price I might add, makes one feel like we actually have some sort of ownership in Sketchup and makes this a very personalized service that we have access to. I really appreciate this. Thanks to ALL.....

Jeff

[numerobis]

WOW!!! Thank You for this great plugin!
Very helpful! Very Cool!

[pilou]

@Chris

MOI had a free non-saving version

It's the V1 but all functions are yet exist
Beta V2 is only for owners of the V1

[AcesHigh]

@Pilou: does Moi has a Sweep2Rail too?

[TIG]

Chris i think found a little bug.
When I try to loft two lines inside a group SU crashes.
Everything else is working perfect

This is a great idea.... but I can't get it to work at all - I suspect a clash with another script - I'm investigating...
To get it work with a group/definition edit just change line #36 from:
@ents = @model.entities
to
@ents = @model.active_entities
then it should be OK...

[pilou]

does Moi has a Sweep2Rail too?

Of course! That is basic function in nurbs program

[coldsteel]

is this my su7's bug?

[sepo]

No it is not bug. Plugin tells you that you do not have same number of segments. The top one has more segments than the arc.

[coldsteel]

but now something change
because I replace the ‘Simple Loft alpha 0.1b version ’ by 'the early version'
why

[xrok1]

nice one

[Chris Fullmer]

@TIG - Really??? That's cool. I need to explore that. I don't feel like I understand entities. vs. active_entities very well yet. I might have another version ready for release today and I'll include that in it. Thanks!

@Coldsteel - Sepo was right, that is the plugin crashing because you didn't have the same amount of segments on the top and bottom splines. When you reverted to the older version, your splines all have the same amount of segments so it is working. But the new version will work also with those same splines.

Great feedback everyone! Thanks so much.

Chris

[coldsteel]

obviously two lines have different number of segments
but it can work under the earlier version
that's funy

[coldsteel]

So that explains it
哈哈

[Chris Fullmer]

Ahh, that picture is more clear.

In the 2nd version I'm quickly adding and deleteing construction points, and the way I had implemented it crashed the plugin in the middle of making construction points if the segments did not match.

I already had to fix it in the version I'm working on because I'm trying to make it work VERY smoothly with any number of segments. I have high(poly) hopes for the next version.

Chris

[coldsteel]

I really appreciate you

[sepo]

Hmmm... I am having a problem. It worked no problem but now just stopped. It is giving me error
Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method `start' for #<Sketchup::Face:0x72aa908>>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:234:in `order_points'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233:in `each'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233:in `order_points'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:65:in `onLButtonUp'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233


Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method `all_connected' for nil:NilClass>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:61:in `onLButtonUp'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233
Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method `start' for #<Sketchup::Face:0x72aa908>>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:234:in `order_points'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233:in `each'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233:in `order_points'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:65:in `onLButtonUp'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:61
Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method `all_connected' for nil:NilClass>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:61:in `onLButtonUp'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233
Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method `start' for #<Sketchup::Face:0x72aa908>>
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:234:in `order_points'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233:in `each'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233:in `order_points'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:65:in `onLButtonUp'
C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 7/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb:233

[sepo]

screen grab

[Chris Fullmer]

Sounds like you have a tiny face attached to one of those splines. Look closely. The script doesnt check for that - yet. Once I get out of beta testing I'll have that all included (and I'm still in alpha, so it might be a little while).

Chris

[notareal]

Wow!

[sepo]

Spot on...Chris...it was minute face...