Setting axes of a Group

Developers Ruby API
1

I’m not seeing a way to do this but I can’t say I’ve ever tried to do this before so I may be missing something.

Basically what I’m trying to do is create a group extruded in the X direction so that the material is applied properly. Then I would like to somehow rotate it so it is vertical and then grab the handle for the group’s definition and generate copies with the add_instance method.

One way to do this is to simply leave the original group unrotated and then rotate each instance vertical as they are created but I would like to try and eliminate this additional transformation if possible.

I don’t see a way to do this unless I somehow can change the definitions axes.

2

Here is snippet of code that is creating the initial group and then assigning the group definition.

    origin = [0,0,0]
	xaxis = Geom::Vector3d.new(1,0,0)
	barradius = @Vert_bardia/2.0
	centercircle = Geom::Point3d.new(3,0,0)
	vbar_extrusion = @Stemheight + @Ftgdepth*0.5 - 3.0

	groupvb1 = Sketchup.active_model.active_entities.add_group
	entitiesvb1 = groupvb1.entities

	rebar_circle = entitiesvb1.add_circle centercircle, xaxis, barradius, @Numsegs_db
	rebar_face = entitiesvb1.add_face(rebar_circle)
	rebar_face.pushpull vbar_extrusion

	rot0 = Geom::Transformation.rotation(origin, Y_AXIS, 90.degrees)
	groupvb1.transform! rot0

	vbar_comp = groupvb1.definition

Note, that the 90 degree rotation only rotates the initial group or instance it does not rotate the definition. When I create new instances with the vbar_comp definition they are not rotated by the 90 degrees. Somehow I need to rotate the definition itself.

3

A definition does not have a transformation, only instances do. You have to transform the contents of the definition’s entities collection to change its axes.

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4

Fair enough, how does one go about that?

5

I think (not where I can test this right now)

myentities = mygroup.definition.entities
myentities.transform_entities(transform, myentities.to_a)
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6

I’ll give this a whirl and report back.

7

It works but then the material when applied to the new instances of the group are aligned 90 degrees out, back to the same problem. Hmm…

8

Perhaps a easier (but not so tidy) method is to provide a different material (for vertical rebar) and forego the whole rotation thing entirely.

9

Changing the axis of a group/component is effectively applying a transformation. Two in fact, as you need to transform the definition content, then each instance with the inverse transform.

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