# Cutlist4.1



## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

*The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*

I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.

This will lead to a new 'stable' version 4.1 which will be the next current version.

The first pre-release is now available from here cutlist4.1pre

Please not that this link will not be permanent and may be removed without notice. If that's the case, be looking for a new link with a newer version.

Here's what's in this first cut of v4.1:

1. 5'x5' sheets for layout
2. New interface to select kerf size and support for kerfs in the layout
3. Project titles on both cutlist and layout
4. Printable layout from layout window ( SVG still a better option, but print from window is easier). This was a huge pain to get working, so I hope this is really useful!
5. Layout generation is heaps faster
6. Layout bug limiting window display to small projects has been fixed!
7. Printable cutlist from window - new easier interface
8. Sheets sizes are now in true metric measurements ( not imperial converted to metric)
9. Compact list is now in alphabetical order ( special request to restore this functionality from previous versions ago)
10. Bug fix in display when using '&' in part names.

I welcome anyone who is daring to try this new version (actually it's really quite stable!). 
Quite a bit of the infrastructure has changed so if you do want to install it and have a previous version, make sure to delete the following before installing:

1.In Plugins folder:
CutListAndMaterials.rb

2. In plugins folder:
The enture 'cutlistui' folder

Then, as before, unzip the contents of the download into the plugins folder.

Note that any previous settings you had should be retained but some new options will be set to default settings.

Any issues, questions or suggestions, please feel free to comment here.


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## punking (Jan 17, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


I just installed 4.1pre and it seems to work real good. I will work with it more.


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## punking (Jan 17, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


one of my projects for my wife is a cabinet for the kitchen. It is rather large, regarding the # of parts. I get an error as seen in the photo. the problem occurred only with this project so far…. other projects are fine.

Thank You for the work you do!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


whoa! - that's not good! I'll contact you offlist to see if I can get a copy of your model. Obviously I didn't come across that one in my testing.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Chris et al.

The issue is with the project name. If you have a single quote in the project name, then it all goes pear shaped. ( ie: you get the error shown above) It has to do with this version displaying the model name in the output now. It's not liking something about the way that I convert the name to be displayed in html.

Until I get a proper fix out there, for now, just make sure your project names don't have the single quote (') in the project name and all should be well. There might be other characters as well, like #, & etc. Just avoid punctuation and symbols for now. Underscores are ok

Thanks for bringing it to my attention!


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## punking (Jan 17, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


thank you! it works like a charm!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


I've uploaded the fix for the issue with the punctuated projected name.
The link hasn't changed but anyone who downloads it now will get the fixed version. Nothing else has changed for now…


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Just tried it out. I produces a good CSV and SVG file, the latter of which I can open using Safari. Sadly the two are not actually displayed when I run the plugin. The two windows it opens are basically blank so printing directly from the plugin doesn't work so great, kind of a shame. For reference I run the nightly Webkit builds. I'm using OSX 10.6. Do you think this plugin will ever work nicely on Mac's?


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Hi Will,

Cutlist has always worked with the Mac - we sorted out some issues a long time ago and I haven't heard of any issues since then. The cutlist display has always been ok but the layout display has NEVER been ok - this is why the svg output was introduced.

Any issues are mainly to do with the forced used of Safari by SU on a MAC ( my age old complaint that SU does not respect your default browser) and some differences in the way that Safari is paranoid about security ( which prevents the layout from working since it creates and runs a script in order to effect the display).

If the cutlist display is not working with the mac, then the recent changes have likely impacted it.

I'll have to reinstall Safari and try the html display on there (new computer since I first made the last Safari changes) and see if I can work out why it is no longer working (I've shifted recently to using style sheets so display and printing can share the same html)

I also have a very old mac powerbook running 10.4 I think which I might be able to coax into running sketchup, if it stays running for long enough.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Interesting. I've actually switched from using Firefox to using Webkit nightlies as my default browser (Webkit launches and runs much faster and is just quite a bit ahead of Firefox with regard to HTML5 and CSS3 support), so even if SU used my default browser it sounds like I would be in a pinch. From what you are saying it sounds like Safari/Webkit is opening the pages in a sandboxed environment. I still don't see why that should be an issue if you have links to image files etc. properly. Perhaps if you used absolute rather than relative paths that would fix the problem?

Btw, I was incorrect, the cutlist *IS* working, just the layout which is blank. I wonder if you could modify the way the layout is generated so that it's all in the HTML and thus would work on Safari.

Also, have you noticed that when you first launch the plugin on Mac the intial window is really tiny and needs to be resized? See attached photo.


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## sharpendww (Oct 26, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


I've spent hours reading posts and trying everything I can think of to get cutlist 4.1.1 to work on my machine and no luck so far. I'm on a mac (powerbook G4) running sketchup 7. I've extracted the zip file into the following location: HD/library/application support/google sketchup 7/sketchup/plugins. Launch sketchup and I cannot get it to show up under the plugins menu. Oh, also tried on a newer mac mini with the same result. Any suggestions on where I'm going wrong would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Josh


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Hi Josh,
I'm sure we can work through it. It's been done successfully on macs before.

First thing is to verify that you did indeed extract the contents of the zip file correctly.
Quit out of sketchup, then make sure that the plugin folder contains the file 'cutlist.rb' and a folder called 'cutlist'. 
If this is ok, then start sketchup again and the menu item should show up. If not, we will investigate further.

Steve


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Thanks Dave - that's even better - nicely done.


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## sharpendww (Oct 26, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the replies. I've done what you've described but still no go. The only item listed in the plugins menus is called "cost." I inserted a screen shot of where I have things located, maybe that will help.


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## sharpendww (Oct 26, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Nice! That did the trick. Thanks for helping out, can't wait to play with this.

Josh


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


I'm exploring the use of an installer - though I haven't found one yet which also handles mac.
In general the method for installing this plug-in is the same for all sketchup plugins but I do want this to be as easy to use as possible.

I'll also double check that I haven't inadvertently zipped a top level cutlist4.1.1 folder. If I did, I didn't mean to.


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## edthewoodworker (Feb 15, 2011)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Installed it the way you said and it works great. Now all I have to do is learn how to use it, Ha I wisth the computer would have been invented earlier it is like they say it's hard for a old dog to learn new tricks. Well us old guys can be thankful for guys like you who are willing to help us. Thanks again Ed


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *The first pre-release of cutlist 4.1 sketchup plugin*
> 
> I've started work on the next version of the cutlist plugin for Sketchup. This blog is intended to give anyone interested advance information on what's coming up, pre-release copies, discussion of any issues which come up, questions and so on.
> 
> ...


Ed - glad to hear that you've gotten this far. The important thing is that you're willing to give it a go. Many people don't get as far as you do. Sketchup and cutlist are *tools* to help your woodworking experience and hopefully I've done my part to make it easy to use. I am learning all the time too, so if you have any feedback, I'm willing to take it on board and make it even easier for the next person.
Thanks for sticking with it and have fun!
PS. I'm a pretty old tool myself!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

*Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*

I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
Anyone downloading the 'pre' version will automatically get this change

The list of changes:

Additional characters which may end up in titles or material names which would otherwise give problems are now properly converted to display in html. These characters are the space(), single quote ('), less than (<), greater than (>) and dash (-).
The twiddle (~) character which SU adds to measurements when they are not completely accurate is now removed from the window display ( it was already removed from csv and clp files but not on the display)
Part number ( ie components, sheet parts or hardware parts) are now 'fixed width'. ie: whereas a part before might have been labeled for example as P-2-1, now it will be P-002-01. Part number are 3 digits and sub-part numbers are 2 digits. Also it's set up now so this could become an option in the future if it's not quite right for everyone. Why is this important? Some people sort their parts by different criteria for different purposes but if you go to put it back in the original order by sorting on part number, then it does not end up in numerical order again.
Enhanced help on some fields ( some descriptions were incomplete or inaccurate after changes)

Don't despair if you don't see your request here yet. Stay tuned.


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## TheOldTimer (Dec 13, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Steve: I downloaded this program last week and am completly amazed on how well it works. I too would like to thank you for your effort and hard work on keeping this porgram up-dated and current.


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## ToddMurdock (Feb 23, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Steve,

Thanks again! I'll second Dave's comment about the tilde-CLP will not import those components. With out the tilde displayed, I'll have to check every component manually to find my errors.

Todd


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Dave/Todd - Ok, Thanks for the feedback about the tilde. Point taken. I'll remove that change (it's just 1 line)
It's true that it does usually indicate an error ( a line is not parallel, for example)
In the short term, until I update the files, if you want to remove it just remove line 169 from the ruby script ( CutListAndMaterials.rb)

OldTimer- thanks!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Glad you found it Dave. I hadn't even thought that line numbers might not be the best description. I work with code editors all day long and line numbers are like the air I breathe.

The line looks like this:

val = val.gsub(/[~]/, "") #remove the SU generated twiddle for inaccurate measurements

Either remove it or add a '#' to the front of the line

Now, do you call # a hash? octothorpe? or pound? haha


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## Quimper (Jul 29, 2008)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Hi Steve,
Thank you for this new release, I've got some issues in the plugin:
*The screen display of the cutlist without "~" and all the components/groups listed:










*The CSV Cutlist:
Components
Part#;Quantity;Description;Length(X);Width(Y);Thickness(Z);Cubic m (per);Cubic m (total);Total Length (m);Material;
C-001;1; 45×145 Traverse Mur;7140;145;45;0.046589;0.046589;7.14;douglas4F;
C-002;1; LVL 45×220;7560;220;45;0.074844;0.074844;7.56;ColorD02;
C-003;2; TH Mur 1;~ 3773;145;45;0.024618;0.049236;7.5458;douglas4F;
C-004;1; montants mur pignon;~ 852;145;45;0.005562;0.005562;0.8524;douglas4F;
C-005;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1398;145;45;0.009125;0.009125;1.3984;douglas4F;
C-006;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1216;145;45;0.007937;0.007937;1.2164;douglas4F;
C-007;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1034;145;45;0.00675;0.00675;1.0344;douglas4F;
C-008;1; montants mur pignon;~ 488;145;45;0.003187;0.003187;0.4885;douglas4F;
C-009;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1580;145;45;0.010312;0.010312;1.5804;douglas4F;
C-010;1; montants mur pignon;~ 670;145;45;0.004375;0.004375;0.6705;douglas4F;
C-011;1; montants mur pignon;~ 380;145;45;0.002481;0.002481;0.3802;douglas4F;
C-012;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1398;145;45;0.009125;0.009125;1.3984;douglas4F;
C-013;1; montants mur pignon;~ 852;145;45;0.005562;0.005562;0.8524;douglas4F;
C-014;1; montants mur pignon;~ 488;145;45;0.003187;0.003187;0.4885;douglas4F;
C-015;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1034;145;45;0.00675;0.00675;1.0344;douglas4F;
C-016;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1216;145;45;0.007937;0.007937;1.2164;douglas4F;
C-017;1; montants mur pignon;~ 1580;145;45;0.010312;0.010312;1.5804;douglas4F;
C-018;1; montants mur pignon;~ 380;145;45;0.002481;0.002481;0.3802;douglas4F;
C-019;1; montants mur pignon;~ 670;145;45;0.004375;0.004375;0.6705;douglas4F;
C-020;2; montants mur pignon;~ 1649;145;45;0.010757;0.021514;3.2972;douglas4F;

Total Component Cubic m
0.2916;

Component Materials
Material;Cubic m;
douglas4F;0.2168;
ColorD02;0.0748;

*The CutlistImport List:

Part #;Sub-Assembly;Description;Copies;Thickness(Z);Width(Y);Length(X);Material Type;Material Name;Can Rotate;
C-001; LVL 45×220; LVL 45×220;1;45;220;7560;DL;ColorD02;yes;
C-002; 45×145 Traverse Mur; 45×145 Traverse Mur;1;45;145;7140;DL;douglas4F;yes;
C-003; TH Mur 1; TH Mur 1;2;45;145;~ 3773;DL;douglas4F;yes;
C-004; montants mur pignon; montants mur pignon;*18;45;145;~ 380*;DL;douglas4F;yes;

In both list, there is the "~" character showing up, and in the cutlistimport file, all the groups with the same name are joined together.
I use the last Sketchup Pro French release, on Windows XP.
I can manage those issues with a text editor, but I wanted to share that with you.
However, you do a very nice job, it's a wonderful plugin.
Sorry for the formatting, I don't understand the lumberjocks's explanation!
Best regards
Philippe


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Darn. There is always someone who actually checks what I say!
That's clearly not what I meant to have done with the '~' sign!
I'll also check on the CLP file combining parts with the same name but obviously different sizes!
I'll get these fixed asap create another version.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Philippe. My fault for not testing everything!


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Steve, I started digging through you Ruby code in part becuase I'm curious how you were doing symbol conversion for HTML and also becuase I'd love to find a way to fix this rendering issue on Macs. I'm not experienced with Ruby (I'm more of a C++/Qt guy) so I havn't distilled the problematic part with Mac's yet, but I did think you'd appreciate two suggestions:

-you could clean up the tohtml function defined in CutListAndMaterials.rb like so:

def tohtml
val = self.gsub(/[&]/, "& amp;") #convert & first so we don't convert the conversions! 
val = val.gsub(/[ ]/, "& nbsp;& nbsp;")
val = val.gsub(/["]/, "& quot;")
val = val.gsub(/[']/, "& apos;")
val = val.gsub(/[<]/, "& lt;")
val = val.gsub(/[>]/, "& gt;")
 val = val.gsub(/[-]/, "& ndash;")
return val

end

This avoids using HTML codes that consist of # + a number. Also, I've attempted (not tested) to convert double spaces to two consequtive nbsp's. This potentially avoids having to convert single spaces, only double spaces.

I wonder if the Ruby file could be broken up across several files, preferably within the cutlistui directory. At ~5k lines this ruby script is getting a little hard to scroll through. It might be nice to move the HTML, SVG, CVS, layout etc into separate scripts. That way if someone wanted to dive into say the SVG code and see if they could help out it would be easier to do so.

My impression is that the HTML layout is done by HtmlOutputDriver. Specifically, I noticed:

def drawBoard(penThickness,color,label,x,y,length,height)
...
html += " cutlistLayout.fillRect(#{x},#{y},#{length},#{height});" 
...

It looks like you're building up an HTML string that really is a bunch of JavaScript calls. Aka to draw a rect in the layout your HTML will run the "cutlistLayout.fillRect" JavaScript function. My guess is that on a Mac when you display the layout it cannot find the appropriate .js file and as a result cannot run any of the cutlistLayout JavaScript functions, hence you get an empty display. This is supported by the comment in your code:


html renderer to write a java script to draw
using wz_jsgraphics.js

Indeed cutlistresult.html references that .js file:

...


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Will,

It's a long story and you're sort of on the right track but I'll write more about it later - but it's 2am here.
I believe that Safari won't let you run the javascript, not that it can't find it.
Yes, it is possible to fix with the recent changes I've made to allow printing of the layout page, I generate a pure html script in parallel to the javascript one. ( The javascript consists of calls to utilities in wz_jsgraphics.js - which is 3rd party but I've now modified) The pure html version using some funny quirks of html divs to draw squares but is not as accurate or as pretty but could produce a functional display- but I think there are problems here too because it is generated when the scripts are run.

I hear ya about file size, lots of things are WIP. I don't get paid enough to spend as much time on it to do everything  I have a list as long as my arm of things I want to do…


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Interesting. I wonder, can you embed an SVG in an HTML file? That would provide nice quality and get around the execute javascript issue. If you'd like me to take a stab at cleaning parts up or making minor changes let me know. I'm entirely new to Ruby but this would be a good excuse for me to learn it. It appears to use a C/Java style syntax and is pretty easier to understand. A lot easier for me to understand than Objective-C.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


Hi Will,

Embedding svg was always a possiibility and I considered it - the problem is that Windows IE and Safari did not natively support SVG at the time (maybe it has improved since then). I didn't want people to install it and be disappointed because it would not produce anything right away, saying it's ******************** and tossing it out - you know how it is with most things you download for free 

Ruby is pretty simple - to me it's just another language. If you know any other language, you can manage. Many years ago when I studied computer science, we had one course which focused on doing things optimally using different languages ( most of which you will have never heard of), we had an assignment a week, each in a different language. It was good training to learn a language in a day! Ruby can be learned in a few hours…

I appreciate any help. You are probably one of a very few people who has offered. ( Imagine the odds of being able to program and being a woodworker at the same time!). I don't currently have a nice way of sharing the development. I had considered creating an open source project on Google Code or SourceForge but didn't want to make the commitment unless I knew there was a benefit.

If you have some thoughts, let me know.

I tend to add new things in the winter ( now, for me) and then nada for the rest of the year.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.4 minor enhancements*
> 
> I had a chance to add a few minor enhancements.
> The link is still the same for the 'pre' version as before, now up to v4.1.0.4
> ...


yeah, it looks like Ruby uses a C style syntax so I basically grasp it immediately. I did a quick google search and it looks like to include another ruby file you just do:

load 'filename.rb'

That's easy enough. I would like to help contribute and perhaps the first and easiest thing I can do is help break apart the code across multiple files, one for SVG, one for HTML, one for CSV, etc. that said, I don't want to do this while you're making changes as well. Once we have separate files it'll be far easier for us to work on separate files and make mergings changes back together much easier.

I'm not terribly familiar with code.google.com. Historically I've used sourceforge (Album Shaper, Reveal, Presenter, Showcase), but really the choice is up to you. I'm most familiar with CVS and SVN, not git, but again the choice is up to you. I don't think we need the flexibly (and associated complexity) of a distributed versioning system, so I'd prefer to use SVN over git.

I think the best thing to do is for you to create a project on code.google.com or sourceforge and check the code and resources into SVN, add me as a developer, then I can check out a copy of the code and get to work. Of course I don't want to get in the way of the next version, so perhaps you should get the final changes for it done, release it, then we can get to work. Sound good?

P.S. I know what you mean about studing various languages. I've done my duty in z80 assembly, Basic, C, C++, Java, Javascript, Scheme, and dabbed very breifly with Perl. Ruby looks far prettier then Perl IMHO.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

*Cutlist 4.1.0.5 - more output enhancements*

The cutlist4.1.0pre link has been updated and anyone downloading now will now get v4.1.0.5

What's new?


Tilde (twiddle) ie '~' character has been restored to the cutlist window display. SU most commonly displays '~' on some measurements if it cannot display it accurately in the units you have selected. This might alert you that your part was not drawn correctly
Tilde ( '~') now has been removed from the csv output ( cutlist csv and CutListPlus csv). While I claimed it did this before, in fact I was wrong and it hadn't been completed properly.
Compact lists on the windows display as well for cutlist csv and CutListPlus csv will now consolidate parts which have the same name, dimensions and material name. Previously only the name had to match, thus squashing together like named parts which might otherwise have had different dimensions.
CutListPlust export for inches has been fixed. Now, any unit selected in Sketchup can now be exported to CutListPlus ( inches, feet, cm, mm ). ( CutListPlus still doesn't support import of metres but it's unlikely anyone would be using those). Thanks to Todd Peterson at CutListPlus for clarifying the interface rules and allowing me to make this change which makes import into CLP effortless.


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## Quimper (Jul 29, 2008)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.5 - more output enhancements*
> 
> The cutlist4.1.0pre link has been updated and anyone downloading now will now get v4.1.0.5
> 
> ...


Hi Steve,
Your plugin is now running OK. I tried it and only noticed that the .csv export file is not so compact than the clp file.
Great job, best regards.
Philippe


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1.0.5 - more output enhancements*
> 
> The cutlist4.1.0pre link has been updated and anyone downloading now will now get v4.1.0.5
> 
> ...


Salut Philipe!

I'm in the process of changing this anyway and rechecking all the outputs at the same time, so I will have a look.

I have justed added in sub-assembly capability and a compact format for clp is no longer useful and actually was never quite meaningful anyway because it is an export format. The main goal of the clp csv is to ensure that all parts are correctly transferred to clp. Whether I list every part separately or join like parts together makes no difference in the end. CLP accepts it either way and does its own compaction. Since I am adding in sub-assembly information collected from the model, like parts for clp could now only be compacted if the part name is the same, it has the same dimensions AND it is in the same sub-assembly so it not that useful.

Thanks for your comments and for checking my work.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

*Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*

Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.

I've uploaded cutlist4.1.0.6pre

You're really going to want to delete the old version completely before installing this version because the structure of the plugin has changed completely. The ruby script is now called 'cutlist.rb' and it's really just a stub with all of the main code now entirely contained in a folder called cutlist. The ruby script is now broken up into manageable and logical chunks. This is the first step I needed to do in order to facilitate co-development of the code, which some people have shown an interest in of late and also to manage the ever growing code!

Now for the good stuff. Yes, cutlist can finally display the sub-assemblies which a part belongs to.
The 'tables' options window selections have changed ( actually only the names have changed). Selecting *Compact *provides a listing by unique parts and the number of each required for the project. Selecting *By Sub-Assembly Order* shows the model broken down by Sub-Assembly and the parts contained in each. *Sort by Size* lists the part from largest volume ( bd ft for example) to least.










Resulting in a display such as this:









Other changes and a summary of all changes included in this release:

Complete restructure of the plugin files. Rename ruby script in the plugins folder to cutlist.rb and a folder cutlist contains everything else.
Renaming of the 'tables' selection, which is used to pick how you want your cutlist to be displayed. "Compact" provides a listing of each unique part required and the quantity of each ( regardlless of which sub-assembly it belongs to and in fact sub-assembly info is not shown). "By Sub-Assembly Order" - show all sub-assemblies and the parts which belong to it. "Sorted by Size" shows all parts sorted by largest amt of board feet (or cum) to least.
Sub-Assembly is shown in the "By Sub-Assembly Order" and in the "sorted by Size" listing and corresponding csv files ( but not compact table)
Sub-Assembly name is added to the CutListPlus csv file. The field was always there but simply contained the part name repeated, now it contains the actual sub-assembly name.
If compact table is selected for the CutListPlus output, then parts will be consolidated ( ie PartCount > 1) only if the parts have the same name, dimensions, material AND sub-assembly name.

I suspect having the sub-assembly appear in the tables will spur some new requests. One of the notably absent features is a way of cross referencing the part on the layout to the cutlist table and therefore to the sub-assembly. I'm working on a part numbering system which can be added to the layout which might help this ( well, it might just also confuse things).

The ultimate will be a new output format which consolidates all the relevant output for a project in a format which is consistent.

As always, feedback, criticism, feature requests, bug reports are always welcome!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Dave. I just keep updating the same shared link with the newest code, so the download link will still show cutlist4.10pre. When you install it, you will now get 4.1.0.6pre

Yes, the sub-assembly is the name of the first level up from the lowest level.It won't show all of the nesting.
So if you had Component Desk with sub-component drawer which had sub-components left side, right side, bottom, front and back, it will display 'drawer' as the sub-assembly and its parts.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Very exciting, I can't wait to take a look. Thank you for taking the intial step of breaking up the code into separate more managable ruby scripts. I think you'll find it will be faster and easier to develop the script more as a result.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Thanks Steve! I've downloaded it now I just need some time this evening to experiment with it.


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## Quimper (Jul 29, 2008)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Steve, once again, nice job!
In my way of work, it would be very useful to have the sub-assembly name displaying in the compact table. It's easier to sort the parts, with the sub-assembly displaying on the labels.
Thanks


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Will - my entire 30+ year career writing code has been with multi-million line embedded systems where the average file length is probably about 5000 lines. The file split was mainly so other people could follow along more easily, if so inclined. So, from that pov, I suppose it will help to develop it further- but it didn't bother me none!

Philippe - it's not actually possible to include sub-assembly in the compact list because if the same part is used in more than one sub-assembly, it is counted together in the compact list. ( for example, I might have 4 left drawer sides, 4 right drawer sides but they might all be in different drawer sub-assemblies ). The compact list is really meant to be a summary of like parts. At best you could list the part and then have a list of sub-assemblies to which it belongs in another column. In some ways it is the opposite of the sub-assembly view. Do you have some other ideas of how it should work?

Dave - I'm certain that everyone has a different idea of how it should be sorted. The history behind this view being available is that I needed to sort parts by largest to smallest to use when I did the layout ( largest parts are placed first) so this view is a freebie because it already exists internally.It is possible that is has no value.
A sort by thickness is also possible since this is another thing which is already done when creating the layout.


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## Quimper (Jul 29, 2008)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


_"At best you could list the part and then have a list of sub-assemblies to which it belongs in another column."_
Good Idea, It's only the information I need, it would be just easier to sort the parts after.
At the moment, in large projects, I export the sub-assembly (component), and then export the cutlist for each component. In that way, I can blend the different cutlists in a master one with CLP, and have the sub assembly reference for each part for an easy sorting.
In fact it would be a "by sub-assembly"-"compacted" table
I hope my english is understandable.. wouwouw


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


If I understand correctly, if you select compact list and then export to CutListPlus, you will get exactly what you want. Sub-assembly is now exported to CutListPlus and the parts list is compacted if the part name, dimensions, material and sub-assembly name is the same (ie: multiple parts with the same criteria are exported in a single line with part count > 1)

Let me know if I misunderstand what you are doing manually and if this is not yet resolved with this version.


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## Quimper (Jul 29, 2008)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Oh yes, you're right, the sub assembly appears in the CLP file, I apologize. It's now perfect for me!
Merci beaucoup Steve


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## Shopfan (Jun 24, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Hi Steve,

Yesterday I downloaded the latest 4.1 version (4.1.0.7?-wish there was a way to tell), replacing the older 4.1.04. I removed all the older files first. Now when I activate the plugin in Sketchup 7, I only see the Cutlist screen header and none of the selection items that I know should be there. I removed this version, tried downloading again, same results. Tried with both new and previously working Sketchup models with same results. I removed it again and went back to 4.1.04 and I'm back in business at the lower level. I haven't seen anyone else commenting on this, so I'm not sure what is going on with my system. I am on Windows Vista 64, Ultimate version.

Any suggestions?

Doug
Spokane Valley, WA USA


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Hi Shopfan Doug,

At the beginning of this series, I warned that the versions could change at any time but the link would remain the same. I do, however, add to this series any time I add new features and update the version. Of course, the reason for having 4.1 series separate for now is that some things are being added, some taken away, some things have fixed, then broken and then fixed again. So until I'm confident that I have everything functioning reasonably well, trying out the new features will require a bit of risk taking.

I also warned above that this version is organized drastically different to the previous versions, so you will have to remove the old version completely. Not sure how 'completely' you removed the older version. The CutListAndMaterials.rb script in the plugins folder *must *be deleted and the cutlistui folder *should *be eliminated as it won't be used anymore.

This version creates a new script called cutlist.rb in the plugins folder and a new folder called cutlist.

I once had an offer to produce an install script and this too will happen at some point, making the transition much easier.

It does not matter which version of sketchup you are running or your operating system version. I run the plugin on Vista 32 Ultimate, Vista 32 Business, XP Pro and XP for example.

I have had the issue in the past that Vista creates these 'compatibility' folders which ridiculously creates a parallel universe inside your box and the directory you are changing is not actually the one being used by Sketchup! Watch out which directory you are updating!


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## Shopfan (Jun 24, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


I did remove the old cutlist folder and the CutlistAndMaterials.rb file before installing the new version. After installing the latest version, I noticed that there were now 2 "cutlist" listings in the Sketchup plug-in menu, which might indicate that something, somewhere may be left over from the earlier version even though I have removed the files you suggested.. Clicking on either one gets the same results, the cutlist menu without anything but the top heading. The html heading on the page shows "cutlist 4.1.0.4pre", which isn't the version I have installed. When I check what is listed in the gui.rb file, it shows that it should be presenting "cutlist 4.1.0.6pre" in the page heading. I don't know where it is getting this old info, unless it is getting registered in the registry somewhere or somewhere in the Sketchup settings, and not getting updated. Whatever the cause, its keeping the plug-in from working properly. I'll be glad to do whatever you suggest to find the problem. I know you are busy with the latest changes, and I am quite interested in putting those changes to work, but without being able to install a working copy I can't get there from here.. Thanks for your kind assistance.

Doug


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Doug, I sympathize, but this most likely has everything to do with Vista and not the plugin itself. The plugin doesn't write anything to the registry or anything complicated like that. It is simply loaded when Sketchup starts, and installs the command in the 'plugins' menu. If it is in the plugins menu twice, then there is still a copy of 4.1.0.4 hanging around.

This sounds like a classic case of aforementioned peculiarity with Vista. Here's how this exact thing happened to me in the past when I was trying to test out some changes and I couldn't see the changes that I made, but I was *sure *that I had made the change! Sound familiar?

I was running Vista with User Account Control settings on. The user account I was using did not have Administrator permissions. So, when I went to update plugin in "C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\Plugins" it was actually changing the files in "C:\Users\<myuser>\Appdata\Local\VirtualStore…"

If you go to the plugins directory and you see a label at the top of the window that says 'Compatibility Files' and you click on there, you can see where the changes you are making are actually going!

If you go there and make sure the files are properly deleted and installed there, then I believe, all should be right!

Plagiarized from someone's blog site:
"In Vista the rules are that if you don't have explicit (by requesting) elevated permissions to write to C:\Program Files, the system lets you think you are writing there but actually redirects (virtualizes) your writes elsewhere. "

I now run Vista with user account settings disabled and my user is Administrator - I think I can trust myself to be the administrator since I am the only one who uses my computer!

btw, I am never too busy to answer questions about the plugin and I am not eternally busy with updating the plugin. Like woodworking, it's a hobby and when the weather turns nice, I am in the garage making sawdust like everyone else!


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## Shopfan (Jun 24, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Vista was the culprit. After killing and reloading Sketchup, just to see the results, and also checking the "shadow" files as you suggested, I saw no change and there were no shadow files. On a hunch, I added administrator status to the shortcut that starts Sketchup. That solved the problem. The previous 2 cutlist listings in the plug-in menu were now only 1, and the cutlist setup form now included all the checkboxes, etc. It works great, and the new features are just what I needed. Thanks for your patience and the helpful replies.

Doug


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Doug,

I'm glad to hear that it is now working. It's not what I thought it was but thanks for sharing it since it could be yet another issue which someone else encounters,


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## punking (Jan 17, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


this is great!
I installed it and it works like a charm!
thank you for developing this enhancement, it will be very useful.

chris


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## Claymation (Sep 9, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


OK! I am sorry I didn't read this thread throughly, first! I do have Vista and I DID have the "shadow files" as mentioned here. Deleted the shadow files, deleted the "real" copy of the Cut List v 4.1 files/directory (probably not necessary, but just in case) and then unzipped the Cut List Pre in the Plugins directory, again. ALL WORKS FLAWLESSLY!!

Many thanks to both Steve and DaveR for walking me through this fix. This is one of the most useful free tools I've ever encountered. Keep up the good work!


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## Claymation (Sep 9, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Now that it's working, I thought I'd follow up a little on the question I had regarding wide patterns that overflow onto another piece of stock: My assumption on how it would work could be wrong, but I expected to see one piece of stock fully utilized and then a pattern of the remainder of the component on the "overflow" stock piece. This would clue me into approx. how much waste I'd have on the overflow stock piece after a glue up. As it is now, it looks like if there is overflow, both pieces of stock are used fully (edge to edge) even if only a sliver needs to be obtained from the overflow piece. Just my thoughts… Even as is, it's a highly helpful piece of code! Thanks!


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## chey (Jul 20, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Steve,

This is an AMAZING tool! This saves a good days work of trying to maximize efficiencies and develop a parts list and Heaven forbid you modify one board and then you have to go back and make sure that didn't mess anything up. Not with this plugin! I really can't thank you enough for developing this wonderful tool. I just prepared my shopping list in about 5 minutes after I got done drawing my project. I'm new at woodworking and I used to go thru the effort of developing the parts list so I could quote a project and by the time I started the project I had already put in 20 hours of drawing and figuring. I now get all of that time back. Amazing! You are the smartest person I've ever came in contact with. I don't know how folks used to function without computers. I'm just drawing boxes now playing with this program. Ok, I'm done. Thanks again!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Cheyenne. Thanks so much. My head won't fit through the door anymore!

I'm really glad it's helping. It satisfies me to know that computers have finally managed to save some people some time instead of wasting it. Some credit has to go to Google's Sketchup for making it so much easier to do this sort of thing today. It's like science. I stand on the shoulders of giants.

Caveat: Check the end result. Since you've saved 20 hours, at least spend 1 hr of that saved time double checking the results of the plugin. The cutlist is as accurate as your drawing, however, the layout is not always the *most * efficient and nothing replaces (well it is very difficult to program) common sense. I would use it as a rough guide and still purchase 10-20% for waste ( mistakes, poor product quality, grain direction etc)

Good luck!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Clay,

You make a good point about the splits required for glue ups. This is where science and art begin to mix. Your point is correct that i could get as much out of one board as I can and simply calculate the difference to go on a new board. What I programmed in was a personal preference, which is probably valid with domestic hardwoods/softwoods (ie: not boards which cost $25/bd ft ) and that is, when gluing up, I'll try to space the glue lines evenly. So, if a piece is just wider than the board I have, I will cut two pieces about the same size, leaving material for trimming and truing after gluing. Both sides are trimmed equally, leaving the glue line in the center.

It's a tradeoff between efficiency and aesthetics.

Having said, this, this might warrant its own configuration parameter. ( Split glue-ups evenly vs split glue-ups efficiently ).

I hope this helps to understand how it is currently operating and therefore how to interpret the results.

Thanks for your comments!


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## Claymation (Sep 9, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Steve, I cetianly does and I have no problems with it the way it is. Very useful as is. Thanks!

One additional question, when you have time: when I have both a piece of "plywood" and "mdf" in my SU model, it does treats them as a sheet good (as expected); however, if I have called something "MDF" and something else "plywood" AND they are both the same thickness, it places both of those patterns on the same piece of sheet good. Am I doing something wrong or is this just something I need to be aware of? I chose the config parm that specifies a "lay out by material," but it didn't seem to matter, which makes me think that I am doing something wrong. Thanks.


----------



## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Clay. That's an excellent question. I will have to spend some more time with that to see if it behaves the way I would expect or something needs to be fixed.


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## chey (Jul 20, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Will do Steve. Even if it's not an exactly perfect layout it at least a starting point. I know I can eliminate a few sheets of MDF just because the program is set up for the longest direction to go with the grain and obviously with MDF there is no grain so I can rotate some boards 90 degrees and use what would otherwise be waste. Still an incredible program though. I learned the basics of Sketchup about 5 years ago at the tailend of my college years. 3D modeling (Sketchup, VIZ, I think AutoCAD had another) started getting popular and I had a semester where they introduced each for a few weeks. I've held on to Sketchup and when Google purchased it I was delighted that it was free and I could stop using my super old outdated student version. I've always loved Sketchup but it was frustrating that it was for modeling only. I was actually so frustrated that Sketchup didn't do material takeoffs that I searched for a woodworking drafting program, found Sketchlist, came to LJ for reviews and then found your program. It's been a good year of woodworking for me. Built some fun projects, found Lumberjocks and found Cutlist. If 2011 goes like this year I'll be a pro by 2040!  Thanks again for your continued effort of developing Cutlist!


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## Claymation (Sep 9, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


BTW: Steve, the layout by material seems to be OK. I think it was an animally in my drawing. All is functioning as expected… at the moment!

You may want to consider turning off the shading/coloring of the items when printed. Personally, I would rather save the ink. Just an outline of the stock and pattern is all I really need. This would allow for much faster printing as well. I tried printing in only black and white, but my printer still prints the shaded area in a black only "greyscale."

Have a good day.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Cheyenne. All the best to you. Good to see young talent. I think you are well on your way to reaching your goals. Get there before 2040 will ya. I'll need someone to build a box for me by then..


----------



## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Clay,
I'm glad to hear that it works after all. 
Point taken about the printing but it has been a huge struggle to get it where it is and producing a printable version relies on a very quaint technique using which can be used to produce a shaded box, otherwise I have found no other way to produce an outlined box.

The svg output produces a much cleaner version of the layout anyway and there may be ways of manipulating that using inkscape, though i have never tried doing this. I don't print anything, I just 'print' to pdf and look at everything online.

Thanks, I am continually looking for ways to improve this aspect of it. The 4.1 version is a vast improvement over all previous versions before it ( at least I think so).


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## Claymation (Sep 9, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Steve,
I'm fighting the urge to take a computer into my dusty shop  So I'll play around with the different formats and printing possibilities. It's a very small issue… Thanks!


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## dedov (Aug 24, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Excellent work!! In the older version I changed it to use semicolon as a delimiter - how can i do this now?


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Hi Dedov,

Same as before, only now this same code lives in file renderers.rb in the cutlist folder

I guess you must be running Sketchup in the english version, since for every language other than English, I specify the use of the semicolon as the delimter.

here is the code as it exists by default, around line 581 in rederers.rb with instructions in the comments for how to change it.


```
if ( locale  'en-US' ||
         locale  ‘en-GB’ )
      # The following line, if uncommented, uses tab characters instead of ’,’ as the delimiter
      #@delimiter = ”\ci” 
      # or change the line below to ’;’ if you desire semicolon when running SU in English language
      @delimiter = ”,” 
    else
      @delimiter = ”;” 
    end<br />
```


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## dedov (Aug 24, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Steve! Yes, I'm using English version in a Bulgarian locale. It is working now - keep-up the good work! Without Your plugin I won't be using SketchUP!!


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## woodencore (Jan 28, 2011)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


I can not get cutlist to open correctly in sketchup please help


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Hi woodencore. I can help. I need a bit more info to go on, though.
1. What have you tried and what results are you getting?
2.Are you a PC or mac user?

99% of the issue like this are installation related.
1. Check that you unzipped the entire contents of the download into the sketchup plugins directory 
2. Check that you have a file called cutlist.rb and a folder called cutlist in the plugins directory after the installation.
3. Check that the cutlist command appears in the plugin dropdown menu on sketchup
4. When you select the cutlist from the dropdown menu, a window should pop up with the cutlist options

Let me know if all this is ok or not.


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## woodencore (Jan 28, 2011)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Yes I do have the files that stated< Here goes, when I click the drop down menu I do get a window that opens but it does not have the tabs it open in a list I have posted a screen shot. of what I am getting










I can find in the preferences but still can not get to open in su










This is where t i put the file


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


@woodencore - Except for the window display showing up in sequential order instead of tabbed pages, everything looks ok. Let's leave that for the time being.

Can you still make selections from the menu and then click run ( which is likely at the bottom of the window if you scroll down). If so, what result do you get?

I know you use firefox as a browser but Sketchup always uses Windows IE for its pop-up boxes. Is your windows IE up to date?


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## chey (Jul 20, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Hey Steve,

Quick question for you. I have been using Cutlist4.1 on quite a few projects since I learned of your program last September and today I tried to run a cutlist on some kitchen cabinets and I started getting some odd dimension readouts. I drew everything exact to the 1/16" yet on some of the parts the dimension starts with ~. The closer I look at the parts the dimension isn't even close. I can't find a pattern either. I started out with one door and then kept copying that door making certain pieces unique and some are correct while others are incorrect. Same goes for the crown molding. The only difference with my usage is that I am now on Google Sketchup 8 and on all previous projects I was on 7. Any idea whats happening? I'd be happy to emai you the SU file if need be. Thanks in advance for your help!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Hi Cheyenne!
I'm afraid to break the bad news to you but this means that the measurement in your model is not accurate! Sketchup generates the ~ dimensions when, say measurements are in between the accuracy of the model or if sides of a part are not parallel ( eg it may be 3/4" thick on one end but 11/16" on the other end so it uses this notation to say that the part on average is the displayed measurement).

I had filtered out the '~' at one point during the development of 4.1, only to reinstate after the feedback that it was useful as a way of knowing that something had gone awry in the drawing of the model.

Some suggestions for finding where you might need to make adjustments:
1.Check for parallel lines ( measure both ends) of the part reported with a '~' dimension
2. Alternatively, increase the accuracy of your units for your model and then look for the values that differ from what you thought they should have been ( for example switch to engineering units with 4 digit decimal accuracy and look for the values which seem to be odd looking. eg: 3/4" would normally show as 0.7500 but if you see something .7463 instead, this is the place to start looking)


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## chey (Jul 20, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the quick reply Steve. I thought my drawing may have been inaccurate as well but I left the Component name the same, deleted the drawing and redrew the piece in place and the measurement is still incorrect. For example, I have a Door Stile that is 2-1/4 wide x 18-3/8" tall x 3/4 thick and cutlist is pulling the dim at 2-1/4" x ~11-1/2×3/4. I have measured all sides of the piece with the tape measure function and none of the dims show the ~. Any other ideas?


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Hi Cheyenne. That's quite the difference between 18 3/8 and 11 1/2"!
I'm not sure the tape measure will show the ~. You'll just have to measure each of the lengths and make sure they are all the same.
I don't add the '~' anywhere, so it could not be anything I do. These measurements come straight from Sketchup.

Is this a model you started in SU7 and continued in SU8? I'm not saying that's a problem, just wondering.


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## chey (Jul 20, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Steve - Not sure what the problem was but I cut all the pieces out of one drawing and pasted into a new drawing and everything worked fine. That particular file must have been corrupt somehow. Thanks for helping me troubleshoot and thanks again for such a wonderful program. It makes quoting and ordering much easier. Have a good one.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Listing by Sub-Assembly...finally*
> 
> Often requested and finally here! I've finally changed the Sketchup cutlist4.1 plugin to show the partslist by sub-assembly based on the nested components in your model.
> 
> ...


Cheyenne - relieved to hear that everything is ok! And I'm pleased to hear that it is helping you out. Thank you for the continued patronage and kind words.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

*Cutlist 4.1 final*

Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.

Our seasons have ticked over, daylight savings time has kicked in, it's warmish and it's daylight until 8pm and I'm in the shop more than in front of the computer. I've still missed out quite a number of changes I'd like to make and have had requested. I will get to them.

For anyone who has already downloaded and installed 4.1.0.6pre, there are no additional functional changes.

For all others, upgrade from the 4.0.x series and download cutlist4.1 here

Do remember to completely delete the old copy of CutListAndMaterials.rb in your plugins directory as well as the Cutlistui folder.

CutList 4.1 has a completely new structure.The ruby script is now called cutlist.rb and the folder is called cutlist ( clever, huh?). The script has been broken into many smaller bits to make it easier for me to manage but otherwise of no consequence to you.

I've shut down the 4.0.6 share on box.net. It was getting old and there were still a few downloads of it. The newer versions will make you much happier. Unfortunately this makes all links to it now dead but hopefully a search will lead you here or to one of the current links.

Cutlist has now been downloaded close to 22,000 times. I sincerely hope it is out there saving some wood and helping you.

Cutlist has been and will always be free. If you have benefited from it and feel in some way that you wish to support the work on the plugin or my ongoing work planting trees, there is an opportunity to donate using paypal at my website


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


Thanks Dave! Hope you've got that boat project started… for a spring launch.


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## DrPain (Sep 2, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


I'm having a problem with Cutlist that I'm sure is only my ignorance, but hopefully you can help. I draw an "L" shaped component that is 96"x58" with a 68"x31" rectangle removed from one corner (if that makes sense). The component is 1 1/2" thick. It is named with a sheet goods keyword.

When I run Cutlist, the layout produced shows two 4×8 sheets with no cuts and marked at 100% efficiency. I would expect to see the partial L cut laid out and the additional width of the foot taken from the waste. Am I doing something wrong? Does Cutlist not handle non-rectangular parts?


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


Scott, Cutlist can curently only block out the rectangle used to cut your piece out and the actual shape of the piece itself is not shown. As Dave says, it's based on the information available in Sketchup, the bounding box, which is the smallest box which would enclose the entirety of your component. Unfortunately I can't know about any offcuts within that rectangle that might be reusable.


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## DrPain (Sep 2, 2009)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


Thanks, I appreciate that clarification!


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## AttainableApex (Aug 24, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


ok, so i found the new cutlist that you made
i tried a while ago to install the old one and i just could not figure out how to install it, so i never did.
but now i have the new one, and please can you just give me a step by step (everything i need to do) to get it installed and running. i have spent way to much time trying to do this. i am using a mac and sketchup 8 pro


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


All plugins are installed the same way in Sketchup. Simply extract the contents of the file to the plugins directory of the Sketchup installation. That's it really in a nutshell.

The default location of the Plugins folder in Windows is:

c:\program files\google\google sketchup 8\plugins\

and for a Mac:

Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 8/SketchUp/

Sketchucatiion article on how to install a plugin

Design. Click. Build. blog article on how to install the cutlist plugin

Thanks to Dave Richards and his readers for the last link.


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## AttainableApex (Aug 24, 2010)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


thanks, daltxguy i got it to work, i really don't know why it wasn't working but w/e it works now.
but just to make it a little nicer im going to show how to do it exactly, right here, on a *mac*, with sketchup 8.

1. First download the file from daltxguy in the original post on the provided web site.
- Go to your downloads and unzip the file (just double click on it, should work)
- Two files should appear, a .rb and folder

2. Open finder
- Go to "HD" (or Macintosh HD)
- Click on "Library" 
- Click on "Application Support" 
- Click on "Google Sketchup " ( the "" is for what ever version your running)
- Click on "SketchUp" ( now i think the non pro version might not have this folder, but w/e it has keep going)
- Click on "plugins" 
- Now drag the two files from step one into this folder, the .rb file and the folder ( and make sure both don't go into any other file that is in the plugins folder)

3. Now open sketchup ( if already open, restart it)
- If it worked properly you should see a "Plugins" drop down menu to right of "Window" and to the left of "Help"

There ya go.

4. Now if you don't see the "Plugins" menu follow this to get it to *show* ( this will not make the plugin work, but only to show it)
- Open Sketchup
- Go to the menu that says "SketchUp" in the top left of the screen
- Go to "Preferences" 
- Click on "Extensions" 
- Now check the box that says "Ruby Script Examples" 
- Close preferences 
- If it doesn't show right away, restart SketchUp


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

daltxguy said:


> *Cutlist 4.1 final*
> 
> Time has come to wrap up the current set of changes for cutlist and make the '4.1pre' series official.
> 
> ...


Thanks Ben - it's a question that comes up often which is, I think, why Dave Richards at Fine Woodworking made a whole blog post on the plugin!

I appreciate you taking the time to detail the steps and I'll be referring to it for similar questions!

Btw, the last step may work for other plugins but strictly not necessary for CutList since it is not set up as an extension. but w/e  The key is really that you have to restart Sketchup.


----------

