Make a fake 3D (with layers) house for my characters?

Ricardo · Post by **Ricardo** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:40 am

There is no problem, some of my family members are a registered user, so if i use his computer i can play and use the software.

Also, what im trying to find is if Google Sketchup .boj files are compatible with AS. Im not selling nothing, just trying to do a research and ask some help for it.

JimmyC · Post by **JimmyC** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:06 am

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. YOU must be the registered user to even use it! What you are doing is illegal, and may get you into trouble. I know that you are only trying to learn and help others, but that is not the point. As a software developer you should know something about EULA's, and registered software.

Lots of packages can export obj files. Wings is free and can produce houses of the type that you want, and it can export obj files that ASP can use. It has a very short learning curve. There would be no problem with that at all.

I am nothing to do with Google or Sketchup, I just don't want to see you get into trouble.

Ricardo · Post by **Ricardo** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:48 am

Okay, i read your opinion, thanks.

Im not getting in troubles using some software intalled on the computer on my house that was purchased using my credit card, dont worry about.

Thanks anyway.

Ricardo · Post by **Ricardo** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:49 am

Here is a more advanced version of my house.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 5:35 am

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. YOU must be the registered user to even use it!

Software is usually registered for use on ONE COMPUTER. The licenses are based on the installation. Anyone using the same computer can use the same software.

A license can be in someones name but as long as it stays on the computer it is legal for anyone to use it on that machine.

It is installing the software on multiple computers with the same license that is illegal. Multiple simultaneous users of a single user license is a violation.

For years at an ad agency we had "freelance" computers with legally licensed software. When we hired a temp worker they used that computer. Most of the time it sat idle.

-vern

JimmyC · Post by **JimmyC** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 10:51 am

Thanks for clearing that up Vern, I was just worried about possible future problems It is very easy to fall foul of all these different kinds of licences.

Sketchup would come in very useful for lots of projects for me, but I could not justify the expense. Wish I had a family member with some decent software, but here I sit, a lonely geek

dlangdev · Post by **dlangdev** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 2:24 am

How was it?

Did you get the SketchUp obj file imported into AS?

I haven't seen this one yet. I wonder how the materials are handled during import process.

heyvern · Post by **heyvern** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:25 am

JimmyC wrote:Thanks for clearing that up Vern...

I am a BIG supporter of legal licensing of software. The boss at an agency I worked for HATED me!

I forced him to spend a ton of money getting everything "legal". He just didn't get it. So I suggested we hook the electricity up to the building next door so we wouldn't have to pay that silly bill each month.

-vern

JimmyC · Post by **JimmyC** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:44 am

HaHa - Good for you Vern. I'm sure he loved that one

Ricardo · Post by **Ricardo** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 5:13 pm

dlangdev wrote: I haven't seen this one yet. I wonder how the materials are handled during import process.

Yes, that was exactly the point that i dont understand and the one about i was asking for help or ideas.

JimmyC · Post by **JimmyC** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 6:36 pm

I loaded an obj which I had created in Wings a long time ago. When the OBJ is imported, the material file is read too, if it is in the same directory.

It imported OK. Make sure the .mtl file is in the same Folder. It is a text file which describes the materials. It works OK.

Ricardo · Post by **Ricardo** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:19 pm

I found something that could be VERY interesting and even could work in free sketchup version!!

Somebody was writing some sketchup plugin (ruby script) that generates a flat .txt file that describes the object created in Sketchup. (Its legal and allowed to write scripts in Sketchup).

Then they use that description to build (in this case in second life) something based on the info build into SL.

Maybe in our case, as its perfectly possible to build and give x,y,z position to layers, we can try to do more or less the same thing to make a sketchup>AS thing!!!

I will look more on the sketchup ruby possibilitie, maybe some of the AS scripts gurues can try to find how we can make the other part of the magic (read the flat file and build in AS).

What do you think?

*Here is the url of the article that i found about the sketchup plugin

http://eightbar.co.uk/2006/09/29/google ... fe-export/

Ricardo · Post by **Ricardo** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 10:30 pm

This guys are doing the same, exporting sketchup data as data fiel and then using it to build in sl.

http://www.queo-blog.com/?cat=6

I guess we can do something similar.

Ricardo · Post by **Ricardo** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:35 pm

I found this 2 ruby script for sketchup that in theory does the job

Code: Select all

 UI.messagebox "Hello World"
model = Sketchup.active_model
file = File.new("/prims.slo", "w")
count=0
model.active_entities.each do |entity|
   if entity.typename == "Face" #ignore everything but faces 
      # (e.g. we won’t pay any attention to edges, points, etc)
      count+= 1
      face = entity.bounds # For now, make a rectangular prim
      UI.messagebox "Prim #" + count.to_s + ":\nCenter: " + face.center.to_s + "\nDepth: " + face.depth.to_s + \
      "\nHeight: " + face.height.to_s + "\nWidth: " + face.width.to_s
      file.puts count.to_s + " " + face.center.to_s + " " + face.depth.to_s + " " + face.height.to_s +  " "  + face.height.to_s + " " + face.width.to_s
    end
end
file.close

And other one

Code: Select all

UI.messagebox "Hello World"
model = Sketchup.active_model
#file = File.new("/fb.slo", "w")
count=0
model.active_entities.each do |entity|
    if entity.typename == "Face" #ignore everything but faces 
        # (e.g. we won’t pay any attention to edges, points, etc)
        count+= 1
        face = entity #--------------.bounds # For now, make a rectangular prim
        UI.messagebox "Face #" + count.to_s 
        face.edges.each do |edge|
            UI.messagebox "Vertice: " + edge.line[0].to_s
            UI.messagebox "Vector: " + edge.line[1].to_s
        end
    end
end
file.close

You need to load them into the scripts directory in your sketchup directory and to run it go to the menu windows>ruby console and type "load test.rb" where test.rb is the name of the script you saved.

Its just partially working here, im reading the scripts trying to find where is the failure to correct it.

dlangdev · Post by **dlangdev** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:52 pm

Look pretty good.

The Ruby code for translating SketcUp source is nice, that means I can use the free version to generate the file and let the Ruby translator do the work.

Thank you, Ricardo.

Really appreciate your contributions.