How to use Fredo Tools for SketchUp

Concept about Fredo Tools

The main characteristics of Fredo Tools include:

➢ The Fredo Tools has single folders in the Plugins directory.
➢ The Fredo Tools also has a single contextual menu.
➢ The single menu entry feature is also present in the Fredo Tools.
➢ The quick launcher feature is another important characteristic of Fredo Tools.
➢ The Fredo Tools also has a single toolbar along with the controls of icons displayed.
➢ In the Fredo Tools, there is a small part of the plugin which is loaded at the SketchUp startup. In this context, the rest of the code has been loaded for the first time while the user has launched the plugin.

Description About those plugins which are included in the Fredo Tools

There are different types of plugins that are included in the Fredo Tools which include:

DrawAlong

This plugin is part of the Fredo Tools which acts as the standalone script. This plugin helps to allow the users to draw edges. This plugin is also similar to the native Sketchup Line tool though this plugin provides some more additional features such as additional auto-lock directions, lock of custom directions, additional inferences, copy and divide mode, remote inferences, NO inferences and others.

MoveAlong

This is another standalone script, part of FredoTools, which allows the users to move and copy entities. The rotation of the components and groups with the help of the centre along axes has been also done by this plugin. This plugin is similar to the Sketchup Move tool though some additional features including additional inferences, additional auto-lock directions, lock of custom directions, remote inferences, and other features are also included in this plugin.

ThruPaint

This plugin extends the native SU Paint tool along with several features such as the selection of the edges by their properties, the click-and-drag mode for painting face-by-face or surface-by-surface, several texturing options and others.

ReverseOrientFaces

This extension or plugin has the ability to work across the boundaries of the components and groups. In this context, the users do not need to open the components and groups for painting their design faces or edges.

EdgeInspector

This plugin helps to inspect and fix the defects in the edges of the design models.

ColorBySlope

This plugin helps to apply colours to a mesh of faces on the basis of the slope. In this context, the colour scale depends on the list of slope angles that have been given in degrees.

ColorByAltitude

This extension helps to paint the faces of the selection along with several colours on the basis of their altitudes from a Color ramp. This plugin of Fredo Tool also helps to create a single texture for painting all faces. The generation of a legend, isocontours, and a 2D colour map can also be done with the use of this plugin.

ColorPaint

A configurable Color Selector has been implemented by this plugin. There is a large range of colour palettes has been included in this plugin from which the user can add any colour in their own designs.

ColorFlatMode

This part of FredoTools helps to minimize the colour shading as well as helps to display the colours as closely as possible according to their nominal specifications.

AngleInspector

This plugin helps to allow the inspection of the angles in between the elements of the design models with just one click. In this context, the elements include the faces, guidelines, edges, axes and others.

ReportLabelArea

This plugin helps to build a report of areas and this can be done by using materials in the design models. This plugin also helps to support multiple units as well as decimal precisions.

ElementStats

This plugin of Fredo Tools helps to provide information and statistics on groups and components in the model.

DivideEdges

This is the small standalone plugin which helps to divide and mark curves and edges. This plugin is also similar to the Sketchup Divide feature though this plugin is available as a full tool.

AutoReverseFaces

This plugin has the ability to perform the alignment of face orientations automatically.

Convexify

The decomposition of 3D shapes into Convex shapes has been performed with the help of this plugin.

SolidVolume

This plugin helps to compute the total face area of the true solids and the volume in the selection.

RevertCurve

This is another small standalone plugin which helps to reserve the orientation of a curve.

CurviShear

This small standalone script allows the users to deform a curve and this can be done by shearing the curves vertically along with their contour.

ConstructFaceNormal

This plugin helps to put a guide point at the barycentre of selected faces.

MarkVertices

This extension helps to put a construction point at each vertex of selected faces and curves.

CountFacesBySides

This plugin helps to count the number of sides in the design models.

RemoveLonelyVertices

This plugin has the ability to remove the vertices which join consecutive and collinear edges.

To learn more, watch the following video tutorial.

Video Source: TutorialsUp

FaceTriangulator

One or several faces can be triangulated by using this plugin.

Download FredoTools for SketchUp

How to install Fredo Tools for SketchUp

Fredo Tools has been used as the RBZ extension file on the Sketchucation Site. For downloading or installing the RBZ extension file, at first, the users need to click the download option in case of already logged in to the software.

In case of not logging in to the software, the user has to log in or register to the Sketchucation site as a new user. In this case, the registration option is completely free for new users and after registering or logging in to the Sketchucation site, users are able to install the RBZ file with the help of Sketchup Extension Manager.