I'm working with the TF rubies, and having direction problems.

here is a paste from the online sketchup help:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Notice that each axis has a solid line on one side of the origin point, and a dotted line on the other side:

Blue: the solid line points up; the dotted line points down.
Red: the solid line points east; the dotted line points west.
Green: the solid line points north; the dotted line points south.
-------------------------------------------------------------

I've drawn a model based on these directions, but shop drawings from rubies have the directions turned 90deg(solid red line is north).

I wanted to see if I'm missing something before redoing stuff?
thanks,
-Mark.

The TF rubies assume the postive (solid) red axis is north. I believe Google Earth assumes the same thing. I'm surprised to learn otherwise. You should be able to select your entire model, make a group out of it, rotate it 90 degrees, re-position the origin, and then explode the group. CB.

I am able to correct, wishing I had checked earlier of course. I did a bunch of posts and it did not catch my attention, but as soon as I got into the beams I could see something was amiss.

Sketchup opens with Solid Green facing away from the viewer, this would be the traditional orientation for north. Probably worth checking into. Is there a way to modify the rubies on my own machine to change the directions?

Btw, I'm glad to have finally gotten into the tf rubies.
thanks for a great tool, your book is on order.


Actually, I have to correct myself, Sketchup opens at 45deg to the axis lines... green is away and to the right.

It's a bug in my code. I'll correct the problem in the next release. CB.

Something else I'm noticing is that the "end of timber" labels don't stick to the tenons on the end of the timber, but the timber component. This is often burying them in the tenons, and I see the same in your example.
Again, great tool, much appreciated.

I agree, that could work better. The code does not currently bother to look inside sub-components for faces that are further out. I'll add that to the to do list for the next version. It also does a poor job on timbers that are not plumb or level, like a rafter - it can't find the top. You can also just disable the NSEW labels using TF Rubies | Configure. CB.

Na, I wouldn't turn them off, the labels are quite useful, especially in the plans I'm doing right now. A couple of the students from my classes have asked for small frame plans so directions on the faces will be a big help for them in understanding the overall joinery and placement of timbers in the frame.
I would like to learn more about how the ruby scripts work, are there resources on the web you could point me toward?
thanks.

Well, you can just open the tf.rb file and look at my code. The best resource is the the ruby forum at Sketchucation.

You'll also need the Sketchup API.

CB.

I'm working on a timber component that has built in reference faces - to me this is far more useful than the NSEW labels. Currently I color code as I go - but a V and VV indicator of primary and secondary reference faces (with the V's pointing to the arris could be oriented in the timber as you place it - this would related back to square rule or mill rule layout techniques.

-Mike

I use the color code method also. One color for a reference face, and another for an unfinished (hidden) face, which is usually a reference face as well. On my printer, hot pink translates into a nice shade of gray that's not so dark as to be opaque. CB.

How do you get the through tenons to cut a mortise on the back of the post?
I notice that you don't have a face on the end of the tenons, so I took that off,but still won't cut a face on the back.

Starting a new thread for this.

I'm going to carry on being picky here.
In the shop drawings, the timbers do not "roll" through the 4 views, they are rolling backwards in relation to the views.

For example, the layout face in the top position could become the bottom face in the second position, so that the timber is visually rolling down the page.

( - :

Mark:

Don't worry about being picky - I'm alway open to suggestions.

The way the timbers "roll" is as if it were made of cardboard, and you "unfolded" it. Or take your shop drawings, and fold them between the faces to make a rectangular tube, and the faces will be correct. So the top _face_ is ajacent to the top _edges_ of the side views.

That's just what's intuitive to me. I've worked with Deitrichs prints, and they always felt backwards to me. I suppose I could make this a configuration option. Does anyone else have a preference? CB.

I get it... I've been doing plans in roll method for a while now, but I'll see if my brain can grasp the cardboard concept.
Making it a config option would be great if possible.

That should be pretty straightforward. In the mean time, if you are feeling adventurous, you can change it yourself. Just edit the file tf.rb, and on line 650 add a minus sign:

change this:
ra = 90.degrees

to this:
ra = -90.degrees

and then restart sketchup. CB.

That was an adventure!, wow there is a lot of stuff in that file.
The .rb file did not want to open for me, so I forced it into word pad and searched around till I found the spot. The lines are not numbered when I open the rubies in word pad.
Thanks for the info CB.

Actually, something I've been thinking about would be to change the 'Repaint Face' ruby to act more like a paint primary and secondary face tool. Double click on the face to set the primary (perhaps giving it a color) and follow by a single click on an adjacent face (again, another color) to call it secondary. These would then orient in the shop drawing as the middle two faces - primary on top, secondary below.

I'm working with something similar as a graphic that is built into my timbers. Not quite there yet - but essentially crow's foot registration marks that point to the layout arris. makes placing that timber in the mind when looking at the drawing much easier.

Mike: I'll take a look at that after sunriver. CB.