FTboxes

FTboxes is a handy extension for people who work with boxes. You know who you are!

FTboxes are Sketchup boxes with FlatText™ labels. The boxes can be any size you want, and the label (the box's Name) can say anything you like. FTboxes can also have a Weight (any positive number) and a Description (any block of text).

You can make and edit FTboxes, then get info on them, such as count and total weight. Rearrange them to make up pallet, container, or truck loads. See how many will fit in your storage space. Use them to make massing plans or bubble diagrams. Or something else I haven't thought of. (Those are the best uses of all.)

You can even export your FTboxes to a spreadsheet, or import FTboxes from a spreadsheet. Are you getting ideas?

If boxes are a thing in your life, FTboxes was made for you.

Getting Started

You can get FTboxes on the Extension Warehouse. While you're there, be sure to get FlatText too, if you don't already have it. Already have FlatText? Good for you! Just make sure you have version 4.1.4 or later.

Once you get everything downloaded and installed, you should see a menu like this:

Let's explore the menu commands to see how FTboxes works:

- Make: Makes an individual FT box. You will see a dialog box where you can enter your box's name, dimensions, weight and description.

- Edit: Changes the characteristics of an FTbox. You will see the same dialog box as the Make command, pre-loaded with the box's data. Edit the values as needed, hit 'OK' and the box will be updated as needed.

- Info: Get information on your FTboxes. If you select just one box, you will be shown the information for that box:

If you select multiple boxes and use the Info command, you will get a count of the boxes and their total weight:

- Import: You can import FTboxes from a spreadsheet using this command. First, save your spreadsheet as a tab-delimited text file. It should look like this if you open it with a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit:

After choosing the text file, you will be asked how to arrange the imported FTboxes: In a line, a square, or a cube.

The FTboxes will be made from the file data and added to your model in the pattern you selected. Here is what 64 boxes looks like when imported as a line, a square, and a cube:

- Export: You can export your FTboxes to a tab-delimited text file. If you select one or more FTboxes, only those boxes will be exported. If you select no boxes, then all FTboxes in your model will be exported.

This is the best way to create a template for making a file for import. Just make one FTbox, export it, open the resulting text file in a spreadsheet program, and add data for the rest of your boxes.

- About: Brings up a dialog box with extension information, and a button that takes you to this web page.

Random Details

Context menus are provided for 'Edit' and 'Info.' Just right-click on a box or boxes and look for these commands at the bottom of the pop-up menu.

FTbox dimensions (Length, Width and Height) are stored in import/export text files as inches, because that's how SketchUp stores them. If you are working in metric units, your FTbox dimensions will be displayed in metric, but imported and exported as inches. Use the 'Units' tab in the 'Model Info' window to set how dimensions are displayed in the Make, Edit, and Info dialogs.

Weight and Description are optional data fields. They do not affect how FTboxes are displayed, so you may leave them blank if you wish.

- Weight is any number greater than zero (0). It's up to you to provide a weight and to keep track of the units (kg, lb, etc.).

- Description is any random text you want, except for tab and carriage return/linefeed characters, which won't store correctly in a tab-delimited text file.

Name can also be any text except tab or carriage return/linefeed. This is the text that will be displayed on the boxes. FTboxes uses FlatText to create square-shaped labels, then scales these labels to fit each side of the box. The shorter the name, the larger the text can be.

FlatText will make the text as large as possible to fill the label. If you want multi-line labels, put a space in the name where you want a new line to start.

Conclusion

Congratulations if you read this far - you're now an FTboxes expert! If you think that this extension will make your work easier, then be sure to download your Free Trial copy today!

If you have any questions, suggestions, or feature requests, feel free to contact us using (what else?) the Contact Us form on the Home page on this web site.

Happy boxing!