Dynamic Component, simple custom attribute

SketchUp Dynamic Components
1

Hello,

This is pretty simple and someone has probably already done this, but I am looking for help on creating a custom attribute on a dynamic component. The component is just a simple path (multiple edges) and all I’m trying to do is report the path length.

I know entity info already provides this when you select the line but how can you get this info to report as a custom attribute if you make a path a dynamic component. Ultimately my goal is to generate a report with the path length of components. It’s easy to calculate a single edge length using LenX, LenY, LenZ, but how do you accomplish this for multiple connected edges?

Thanks for any help on this,

Chris

2

There are no built-in iterator functions for the Dynamic Components.

So for example there is no EACHEDGES() function that allows iterating a DC’s edges, nor any EDGELENGTHS() function to sum the ungrouped edge lengths. (Strange as there is a FACEAREA() function to sum ungrouped face areas.)

I do not know if it is yet ultimately possible, but just brainstorming…

Each “segment” would likely need to be a dynamic sub-component, that has an edge, and a nested DC segment.

The outermost “ancestor” DC would need attribute:

  • Segments as the number of segments in the path.
  • TotalLength as the total cumulative length.

Each “segment’s” instance “dynamic_attributes” dictionary has:

  • Index as it’s segment number in the set of Parent!Segments
  • X,Y,Z is the “segment’s” origin (in relation to the outer parent DC’s origin.)
  • RotY & RotZ is the direction pointing toward the next copy’s origin.
  • LenX the length of the “segment”.

Each segment could reference it parent length via =Parent!LenX and set a cumulative path length into a local (instance) attribute like:
PathLen: =LenX+Parent!LenX

Now if the last nested segment does not have a inner child segment perhaps it might be able to pass the cumulative length up to the outermost “ancestor” segment, if you know it’s name. (Let’s call it “OuterMost”), ie:
=SET("OuterMost!TotalLength",PathLen)

But I am unsure if you can set another component’s attribute this way, or if you can skip up multiple levels.