Nesting a single group in a new component

[DGSketcher]

Is there a quick trick to nesting an existing single Group into a New Component?

Fundamentally I am using Profile Builder and I need to preserve the Assembly (Group). I need the Component for my BIM workflow.

If I use Convert Group to Component the Grouping is lost. I need to keep the Group so I can come back later and add details / or other Groups to the Component. I can get around it by duplicating the group, making the component and then deleting the copy, but that doesn’t feel very efficient.

[rtches]

Why don’t you use the Profile Builder option to draw with componentes instead of groups?

[DGSketcher]

Thanks, I have just discovered a whole new area of PB options under the menus that I didn’t know existed. School day!

The “Create component” option doesn’t solve my nesting problem. I’m looking to have the Assembly nested in a new component.

I think I have a solution. If I plan ahead and use Edit > Create Component and then draw the Assembly then it is nested.

[dezmo]

This quick plugin, will give you a context menu: “Wrap Group into component” if you right click on a group. There shouldn’t be any other object selected otherwise you wont get the context menu.

A nesting component definition name will be as the original group name + “-nest”. (E.g. if the group name is “mygroup” the component definition will be “mygroup-nest”, it there is no name of group, it will be “-nest” ).
You can undo it.

As usual: No warranties use it your own risk!

Dezmo_Group_into_component.rbz (541 Bytes)

Code

module Dezmo
module WrapGroupToComponent
  extend self
  @@loaded = false unless defined?(@@loaded)
  
  def wrap_to_comp(group)
    model = Sketchup.active_model
    entities = model.active_entities
    model.start_operation("Wrap Group into component", true)
    wrap_group = entities.add_group(group)
    wrap_instance = wrap_group.to_component
    wrap_instance.definition.name = group.name+"-nest"
    model.commit_operation
  end
  
  def sel_group
    sel = Sketchup.active_model.selection
    if sel.single_object? && sel.first.is_a?(Sketchup::Group)
      return sel.first
    end
    nil
  end
  
  unless @@loaded
    UI.add_context_menu_handler{|context_menu|
      if sel_group
        context_menu.add_item("Wrap Group into component"){
          wrap_to_comp(sel_group)
        } 
      end
    }
    @@loaded = true
  end

end
end

[DGSketcher]

Many thanks!!!. Whilst I might have a workflow solution above, I know in reality I’m not that organised. This will be very handy.

[Guido]

Without extensions or plug ins - create your new component, select the group, CMD X the group to delete it (temporarily), open the new component for editing, paste in place the group, close the component edit and you have a nested group inside the component.