The trim, miter, split and extend tools that are now part of the Medeek Project plugin are not specific to Medeek Geometry, they can be used with any SketchUp geometry.
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…and I’ve found myself using them on stuff other than Medeek Geometry – an extra bonus.
So, the question is, how about the subtract operation? I’ve gotten used to having “cutter” geometry on a tag to be hidden in general that subtracts from other Medeek geometry. Move or change the cutter, and then your plugin regenerates the assembly given the change. That’s one function the OP is asking for. (The parent-child inheritance thing is another issue. I don’t know anything close in any SketchUp extensions)
The pink thing is a cutter for an elevator shaft and it’s not just an extrusion, it has a 3D shape:
I think given the recommendations I have to conclude that there is no default option in sketchup.
And extensions come close, but they are not free
I don’t use this option enough for that
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The “cutter” or subtraction geometry that you can insert into Medeek assemblies is my attempt to guarantee a parametric extension but at the same time allow for boolean or external operations/modifications to those assemblies.
I suppose I could setup a similar tool that could do the same sort of thing for any generic group or component that has sub-groups or sub-components that are solid bodies. I will give this some more thought.
The reason that the “subtraction” is needed is that every time you edit or regen one of my assemblies the geometry is recreated from scratch, so manual edits are not preserved. The geometry of any Medeek assembly is just a physical manifestation of the underlying data found in the attribute library (database). With generic geometry there is no underlying data that is driving that geometry, it is “dumb” geometry, it has no “DNA”. So in that case it seems that if you need to do boolean subtraction the SketchUp solid tools are probably all you need.
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I put it out there, not as an actual solution for what the OP wanted, but just as proof of concept that very nearly that has been accomplished with a plugin, so as a feature request, it’s certainly possible. Whether you want to spend your time pursuing it or not is up to you, but I can imagine some plugin developer pursuing it.
The other request (having unique components that inherit properties from parent to child) I haven’t seen anyone do, and I don’t imagine we’re likely to see anytime soon.
I use FlexTools for cutting in my own windows (not the dynamic component ones that come with it) once I learned how to make the most of the cutting tool.
If you Exclude everything in your component that’s not the cutter, only what’s left will make the hole. For me, I exclude the outer casing and sill, and the interior trim, and only the window frame makes the hole. Also, you can cut through more than just two surfaces (my exterior walls are typically two solid objects so 4 surfaces need to be cut.). I think the cutter shape can only be an extrusion shape, i.e. you can’t do a countersunk hole like solid tools can.
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