Name: Shape Bender Version: 0.55 Beta Description: This script will bend an existing group to match a curved line or series of connected lines. Usage: See videos below Older versions require:Progressbar.rb
SketchUp Compatibility: Its not compatible with version 5 or earlier - best with v8 or newer.
Here is a list of known bugs and planned improvements:
The first and last angles of the bend curve are actually not accurate. Its not very noticeable, but it is inaccurate.
Every once in a while the grids don't display.
Every once in a while I notice small deviations in the bending that are incorrect.
The video is a little bit outdated. I need to remake it with the new features.
I add the 2nd video showing how to do a double bend to the first post. I didn't really explain it very well, so hopefully it makes sense what I did. It seems logical to me, but I've been playing with the thing for a while now.
i guess i will make the first suggestion. when i hit the up arrow i think maybe just the path should reverse but the object should stay with the same offset on the same side of the curve. the way it is now the path is reversed but also the object switches from one side of the curve to the other. it makes it confusing it i want to reverse the path the way it is now, i think i would have to first move the object to the opposite side of the straight line then run the script??
0
“There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.”
After you bend the group's contents couldn't you re-group all of the bits and give this new group the same name/description/material/layer etc as the original ? That way it'd look like you "just moved and bent the original group"...
It's also quite easy to run it on a component-instance - simply make a group of the instance [ groupp=model.active_entities-add_group(instance) ], later you'll explode it, you might also want to mine through the group's entities for any other groups or instances and explode them back to basics. Now you'll have a group of the geometry just as you do with your 'group-only' version... After bending etc you can re-group bits as outlined above - you could even make that group back into a new component instance (ins=group.to_component) and give it the same defname(made- unique >>#2)/name/description/materials/layer etc as the original instance, so then it looks like you simply bent the instance and made it unique. See my ComponentInstance-add_entities.rb for some ideas on how easy it is to do that...
You've done the difficult geometry/transformation stuff etc - it just needs a little tidying up so that it appears to do its stuff effortlessly in a twinkling of an eye, as if by magic...
1 more thing chris i was wondering if you couldn't group the line before exploding the group to be bent, then you could avoid the sticking while allowing the object to be placed directly in contact with the straight guide. also i noticed that construction lines don't stick to geometry so maybe you could convert it to constuction lines as another option.
0
“There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.”
I am really impressed by what you achieved. This is a master transformation
I played a little bit with it, and I think you got the essentials. The rest is just about adjustments in UI and options. And indeed to extend it to embedded components.
Yes, your plugin do that... but not works everytime... it depends where you put the first line. It`s easy to have unexpected results. Here i attach a working example. Just select the text, run your plugin, select firt line and then the helix. It takes some time but it works.
And i attach an example to make a double bend... In your video you make a lot of operations to get the result when you can apply directly on a 3d curve (you don´t get the exactly same result). In the model you will see that i have to move the 3d curve because you can´t use it if the endline is directly into the surface (here using Fredo´s Arc On Surface).
Chris, this is a very impressive and useful new tool to your already impressive line of tools. Thanks for all the hard work, dedication and generosity...again!
One thing that may be a bug (and perhaps you know about it already) is some softening of edges at one end of the bent geometry. I did a few simple tests with a long rectangular box and a curved line for the result. The start end gets softened. Easily fixed by just tracing over the lines but maybe it shouldn't do it?
One thing that may be a bug (and perhaps you know about it already) is some softening of edges at one end of the bent geometry. I did a few simple tests with a long rectangular box and a curved line for the result. The start end gets softened. Easily fixed by just tracing over the lines but maybe it shouldn't do it?
yeah dave, i noticed that too.. one workaround for now is to make your straight line a little bit shorter than the object you're trying to bend (ie - if you're trying to bend a 24' long wall, make the straight line 23' with 6" in on both sides)
that's probably not the best workaround but in the little amount of time i've spent with the ruby so far, that's what i came up with to stop the edge from collapsing.
Thanks so much for all the effort and time invested into this amazing ruby, Chris. This will save me so much time and actually raise up my level of modeling, so I am indebted.
Chris, Ive run into trouble at my first try to bend something. I have this vertical X shaped lattice of triangular beams. I am not able to bend it in no way
It was composed of a group with subgroups inside. I exploded everything inside, so its just meshes inside a group. Still, it doesnt work
I concur . .. however the term "Oscar" is copywrighted either by those people that make the movie awards or by the people that make the hot dogs and baloney (which are probably the same people)
so We need to come up with a different award name. . ..how about. .
AcesHigh wrote:Chris, Ive run into trouble at my first try to bend something. I have this vertical X shaped lattice of triangular beams. I am not able to bend it in no way
It was composed of a group with subgroups inside. I exploded everything inside, so its just meshes inside a group. Still, it doesnt work
Explode all of the sub-groups etc and finally the main group. Its contents remain highlighted - immediately regroup these - it should work now...
