sketchUcation

Overview of VisuHole

VisuHole is a suite of interactive tools dedicated to holes and extrusions on planar and curved surfaces. In the current version, VisuHole supports the following tools:

VisuHole can drill through one or several surfaces, including when embedded in groups or components. The scope of the selection can be specified implicitly or by pre-selection. A few additional options are available:

• Material assignment: you can choose or pick a material in the model for painting the extrusions, tubes and stamped shapes

• Grouping, with 2 modes: GROUP IN for putting extrusions in groups in the selection context, GROUP OUT for putting all extrusions and tubes in a master group, without altering the original selection

• Follow Surface for Carve and Emboss on curved surfaces, allowing to respect the shapes relative dimensions (versus Projection mode, where they would be distorted)

Discussion forum

Links to Sketchucation Forum: Main Post Latest Release

Installation of VisuHole

IMPORTANT: Make sure that you have first installed LibFredo6 v14.3 or above.

VisuHole is released as a regular RBZ extension file on the Sketchucation Site.

To download the RBZ file, use the red button on the right side of this page:

• Download If your are already logged in.
• Log in to get it! otherwise, in order to log in or to register to Sketchucation as a new user (this is FREE). Then you will be able to download the RBZ file.

Then, you can install the RBZ file from within Sketchup, via the Sketchup Extension Manager

If you are not familiar with the installation of Sketchup extensions and Sketchucation, it is advised to watch the video LibFredo6 installation.

IMPORTANT: Whatever way you choose, you MUST quit and restart Sketchup to get VisuHole (and LibFredo6) properly loaded.

After the installation, you should have the following footprint in the Sketchup Plugins directory:

STENCILS

The object used for drilling or extruding is called a STENCIL. This is actually a set of 2D shapes, with or without holes.

In the current version, Stencils must be picked in the model. To enter the Pick Stencil mode, click on the button in the palette or press TAB. The main buttons palette will disappear. When you move the mouse on faces and components, a small axis system is displayed. The blue axis shows the direction for 2D projection (on faces it is simply the face normal).

• Click on a Face or on a group / component to pick the stencil.
• Click and Drag to pick and orientate the X axis

INFLUENCE OF SELECTION

If the picked face is at top-level (i.e. not embedded in a group or component), then the selection is taken as all connected faces. Note that by pressing CTRL, you can restrict the selection to the picked face or picked surface.

If the picked face belongs to a group or component, then the selection depends on the options selected in the button palette:

TOOLS and GENERAL PROCEDURE

The VisuHole tool can be selected in the button palette, along with their options:

Setting the direction of projection: by default it is the normal to the picked face. You can however impose a direction, either an axis or a custom normal (as in MoveAlong or DrawAlong). For custom direction, mouse over a face and either type ENTER or LONG-CLICK. Once the Z-axis is set, the other axes in X and Y are computed by default.

You may also set the Material options and Group options (see details later in this chapter).

Then, to execute the operation,

• Either double click on a face
• Or Click–Release–Move–Click–Release or Click-Drag-Release to set a different orientation of the X and Y axis.

Once the operation is executed, you can either proceed with another operation or modify the settings for the current operation. If you change any parameter in the buttons palette, the button “APPLY CHANGE” will be enabled. When pressing this button, VisuHole will undo the operation and redo it again with the new settings.

DRILLING

You can drill holes with or without tubes, and with edges or Guide lines

STAMPING

You can Stamp, Punch or Mark. The shapes are printed on the front faces.

CARVING / EMBOSSING

Carving and Embossing are controlled by an offset and a few options related to the direction of extrusion and flattening it.

By combining these options, you can create platforms in terrains

Links to Sketchucation Forum: Main Post   Latest Release

Release History

VisuHole 1.5a – 01 APr 24: Future compatibility

VisuHole 1.4b – 12 Oct 17: preserve the preselection across operations, certification SU 2017, support of hi-res screen, compatibility OSX High Sierra. There was still a bug in v1.4a

VisuHole 1.4a – 12 Oct 17: preserve the preselection across operations, certification SU 2017, support of hi-res screen, compatibility OSX High Sierra

VisuHole 1.3a – 13 Nov 15: maintenance release

VisuHole 1.2a – 04 Feb 15: fixes a major bug preventing to drill when Guide lines, Guide Points or Edge are over the target face.

VisuHole 1.1a – 19 Oct 14: release for support of non-ascii usernames in SU14

VisuHole 1.0a – 21 Sep 14: initial public release