[Plugin] SceneExporter

[RickW]

SceneExporter(free) will export the scenes in your model to a jpeg image, using the drawing window resolution as the image size. Scenes not part of the slideshow will not be exported, allowing the user to control which scenes are exported to image files.

A "Pro" version is nearing completion that adds a webDialog to allow users to preselect scenes to export, along with specifying the image size and file type. Clicking on the scene name in the list will display the scene in the SketchUp drawing window so you can preview the image before (de)selecting it. There are several preset image sizes and optional aspect ratio locking for custom sizing. The dialog auto-updates as you add/remove/rename scenes, and remembers the last used settings.

sceneExporter2.jpg

[Pixero]

Just a couple of questions.
Will there be a setting for jpg quality? What is it now, best or middle quality?
Is this as "memory hungry" as SketchUps export 2D-image is for large images? (4000px < )

[remus]

Cheers rick, a very handy script indeed.

[juju]

Dude, your milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...

I was all over it yesterday when I saw the update in the RSS feed!

[RickW]

For the free version, it is coded to use anti-alising and the default compression quality setting, whatever that is.

For the Pro version, I've gotten some good testing feedback, and have added options for antialiasing, compression quality, file overwrite notification, and saving the settings into the model & retrieving saved settings. If all goes well, it will be released early next week.

sceneExporter2.jpg

[Fletch]

this is looking promising, Rick!
Is there a way you could develop a "Scene Organizer" so I can drag-n-drop these 6 scenes before in front of 45 others or quickly add/delete some properties of many scenes at once. ctrl-selecting multiple scenes and quickly grouping them, etc.?!

[RickW]

I started one, and even thought about combining the two - may do that in the (hopefully near) future.

By way of update, all that's left is to save/retrieve settings in the model.

[RickW]

Save/retrieve settings in model is done! A little more testing, and we'll be good to go...

[Fletch]

viewtopic.php?p=77684#p77684

[daiku]

Great Plugin, Rick. Thanks for the freebie! I did find a bug, though. I used some screen text to put a title block in the upper left corner of the screen, but it ends up in the wrong place (often the center of the screen, but not always) in the resulting jpegs. It works fine if I export "by hand" using the menus. Let me know if you want to see either the skippy or the jpgs. CB.

[RickW]

Yeah, I heard about that one. It's an internal SU bug that is overcome by prompting at each scene (!). I'll add an option for prompting and re-upload the freebie. Prompting is already built into the Pro version.

EDIT: Uploaded a revised free version that asks if you want a prompt at each scene. This solves the screen text bug.

[RickW]

SceneExporterPro is now available.

[juju]

And you have a purchase! Thanks for making life easier.

[juju]

SceneExporterPro is now available.

Why do I get this message?

Error Loading File sceneExporterPro.rb
No such file to load -- smustard-app-observer.rb

[N Lindenthal]

Is ruby mighty to ask SU, which preferences are collected in scenes?

This would be an other way to export scenes.

I ask this to turn it opposite. I would like to tell SU by ruby script, how to show, what a scene could show.

[RickW]

Juju,

Sorry about that. I have repackaged the plugin with the missing file included, so you should be good to go.

Thanks...

[juju]

Thanks for the prompt support. Good to go after re-downloading and re-installing the script.

[Matt666]

Hi Rick !
Thank you for this incredible script !

Just a problem... Exporting image hasn't same witdh that the screen image !
The screen : You can see all the drawing. It's a bar

The parameters (perhaps i have a problem with them!)

The image :

You will see that exported image is croped...
I have a 16:10 screen.

Have you seen that before ? Can you do smt please ? Or I'm condamned to zoom out all scenes before exporting ?


However that's a very good script!
Thank you !!

[daiku]

Hi Rick. Thanks for the tweak to the free version, but I went ahead and spent the $10 for the pro version. But I'm running into an issue where it resets the image quality back to 100% after every export, even if I "save to model". Also, none of the settings seem to get saved to the model. I reduced the image size to 1024. Then I saved to model. Then close and re-open the model, and the settings revert back to default. I'm running 64-bit vista.

[RickW]

Matt: I have not seen that issue. I will investigate further. Is the current view you show accessed directly from a scene tab, or was it manually set after clicking on a scene tab?

Clark: settings saved to the model need to be activated - did you use the "Restore from model" button to do this? I went back and forth on whether saved settings should be used automatically, and decided not. If there's a consensus, I'll change it. I'll look into the image quality setting issue. I suspect a javascript-ruby translation problem.

[Matt666]

Hi Rick !

Is the current view you show accessed directly from a scene tab, or was it manually set after clicking on a scene tab?

Directly from a scene tab...

I will investigate further

Thank you !

[RickW]

Okay, I found and fixed the settings issue. Any word on using saved settings as default (I guess it makes sense).

[daiku]

Thanks Rick. That's exactly what happend. I expected that if I saved to the model, then it would automatically use those settings next time. So if you change the behavior, I guess you won't need the "restore from model" button at all. CB.

[RickW]

It might still be useful - say you try some different settings, then decide you don't like them - just "Restore from Model" and you don't have to try to re-create them.

[RickW]

Looks like Matt's problem was caused by SketchUp reporting the screen size prior to the toolbars loading, skewing the settings and causing the clipping issue. I've fixed that to check the screen size prior to the first run and then every time the dialog is refreshed, so if you change your SU window size, refresh the dialog (start it again from the menu bar) and you'll have accurate screen size settings.

I've also updated it to use the saved settings by default.

[haynesc]

hi i bought the pro version but its not working for me ....

all i get are the scene names as files in the folder but they have 0kb as file size and i get no image ...

whats up !?

[juju]

It takes a little time (not much though), the plugin will tell you when it's done.

[haynesc]

i got the message saying "12 scenes have been exported" ... but when i looked at the files all i got back was files with 0 file size

[Fletch]

Sorry for my dumb question, it will be obvious I haven't tried the plug. yet.

I use the "Automated 2D Output" ruby to export to CAD.
The problem is that it doesn't read all the info about the scene when it exports... it just reads the camera. So if each scene I'm trying to export to CAD format has hidden geometry, hidden layers, and an active section cut (like one would do when exporting the four interior elevations for a room) it will only export the first of the cams correctly, and after that I get junk.

So... in short, can THIS "Scene Exporter" read/remember everything each scene has checked or unchecked and export that view accurately to 2D CAD format?

[juju]

I think Rick will most definitely the most qualified to answer your questions. But as far as I understand the plugin works with the scenes you've set up and the way you've set them up. Basically it automates the export process so you don't have to manually export images generated from from scenes. You can tell it which scenes to export and which not to. Works like a charm, had mine running late last night...