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FREDOGHOST
PROXY FRAMEWORK FOR SKETCHUP
GHOST METHODS
VERSION 1.2 – 03 JUN 2019
BY FREDO6

The Plugin page of FredoGhost is hosted on the Sketchucation web site at:

https://sketchucation.com/plugin/2191-FredoGhost

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Contents
1. Ghost Methods ...........................................................................................................................3
1) Method: PROXY Object .............................................................................................................................. 6
2) Method: Clone Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 7
3) Method: No Texture ................................................................................................................................... 7
4) Method: X-Ray ........................................................................................................................................... 8
5) Method: Masking ....................................................................................................................................... 9
6) Method: Grayscale ................................................................................................................................... 10
7) Method: Color by Layer ............................................................................................................................ 11
8) Method: Monochrome ............................................................................................................................. 12
9) Method: Bounding Box............................................................................................................................. 13
10) Method: Edge Mesh ................................................................................................................................. 14
11) Method: Wireframe ................................................................................................................................. 14

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1. Ghost Methods
Ghost methods are based on a core algorithm, complemented by optional parameters (for
instance, X-Ray has the choice of opacity and masking color). The combination of the
algorithm and the parameters instantiates an active ghost method.

In a model, the list of active ghost methods is shown in the Ghost Studio dialog box, in the
combo box, coming from 3 sources:
- Predefined methods (in blue)
- Methods used in the model and already assigned to some objects (in green) or
defined in the current session.
- Methods saved at SketchUp level (in red).

Some methods do not have parameters, like Clone Geometry and NO texture. Others can
be customized with parameters via the Ghost Method Editor.

FredoGhost illustrates the rendering for each method and parameters based on a template
shape1 shown in real version and in ghosted version. FredoGhost tries to simulate the
rendering as accurately as possible, at least for SU2018+.

1
Note that this template shape may change with future version of FredoGhost.

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Specifying Edge Colors

Styling methods usually have a property Edge Color. The 3 buttons on the right are
shortcuts to set the edge color to Black, Gray and Blend. There are 3 options:
Edges are not painted

Edges are painted in the specified color

Edges are painted with a blending of the colors of

their bounding faces (for methods painting faces)

Saving a ghost method at SketchUp Level

 You can define as many methods as you like in the Ghost Method editor.
However, they will be available in the SketchUp session only, unless they are used
on objects in the model.

 You can however save a method and parameters for all SketchUp sessions2,
regardless of the model. Just press the Save button:

You will be prompted for a method nickname. By default, the name is the
expanded list of properties of the method.

If you give it a nickname, say “My Method”….

…it will then appear in the main dropdown list of methods in ‘red’, with the
method code and the nick name. The tooltip indicates the details of properties.

 If ever you want to remove this method, select it in the main combo box of the
Ghost Studio and then open the Ghost Method editor; you will see that the Save
button is now changed to a Forget button:

2
As well as all SketchUp versions, past and future

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The following sections describe the methods available in the current version of
FredoGhost.

Ghost method Simplifying Styling

Proxy Object: substitution by an arbitrary object
Clone Geometry: make a strict copy of the real object
No Texture: replace all textures by flat average colors
X-Ray: change the opacity of faces, with optionally assigning a
color to faces and edges
Masking: apply a color mask to the faces, to make them
desaturated, i.e. lighter or darker or water-colored.
Grayscale: paint the faces in their grayscale color. Optionally,
you can apply a mask to lighten or darken the grayscale.
Color by Layer: paint the objects with their layer color
Monochrome: paint the objects with a single color
Bounding Box: replace objects by their bounding box
Edge Mesh: replace objects by their edge skeleton
Wireframe: replace objects by their simple wireframe as in SU

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1) Method: PROXY Object

This method allows the creation of ghosts from an arbitrary object taken in the
model.
This object is called a Proxy Object. Actually, FredoGhost will use its definition,
whether a component instance or a group.
In the Method Editor, the Proxy panel will look like this when you open it for the
first time:

The quickest method is to pick the proxy object in the model, using the native Selector
tool. When one valid proxy object is selected, it will appear in the dialog box as a
green colored button.

Just click on the button to load it:

Alternatively, you can select the proxy object in a list

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When the object is chosen, FredoGhost will make:

a. a unique copy of the Proxy object if it is a Group or if the Freeze Proxy object
option is turned on. The definition of the proxy object is therefore frozen.
b. an instance copy if the Proxy object is a Component instance and the Freeze
Proxy object option is turned off. The definition of the proxy object will
therefore be automatically updated whenever changes are made to its original
definition.

2) Method: Clone Geometry

This method makes an exact copy of the object, transferring all geometry, materials
and textures.
The method has NO parameters.

The Clone Geometry method can be useful in several cases:

- Freezing the state of an object at the time of ghost creation, along with the
option Freeze Ghost.
- Customizing some sub-objects with other methods, while keeping the other
sub-objects in their original shape and style.

3) Method: No Texture
This method repaints all textured faces with a material colored by the average color of
the textures.
The method has NO parameters.

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The purpose of this method is to make the active model lighter by removing textures,
in particular when textures are based on heavy images.

4) Method: X-Ray
This method allows specifying an opacity (alpha), an optional masking color for all
faces and an optional color for all edges. Textures are preserved.

In the Method Editor, the X-Ray panel parameters are:

The opacity (alpha) is specified between 0.0 (fully transparent) and 1.0 (fully opaque).
Note that values are rounded at 0.05.

If the Face Color and Edge Color are not checked, the method just performs an X-Ray
of the object with the specified opacity:

Original object X-Ray - opacity = 0.80 X-Ray - opacity = 0.50 X-Ray - opacity = 0.20

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To specify a Face Color and/or an Edge color, click on the checkbox, and select the
color in the dropdown list. If you specify an edge color, then it will be used.
Otherwise, the edges will be colored with the x-rayed average color of their bounding
faces.

Original object X-Ray - opacity = 0.50 X-Ray - opacity = 0.75 X-Ray - opacity = 0.50
Face color = ‘lightgreen’ Face color = ‘gold’ Face color = ‘lightcyan’
Edge color = ‘red’

REMINDER: in Sketchup, materials with an opacity less than 0.70 do NOT cast
shadows.

5) Method: Masking
Masking is a way to soften the colors; it applies a color masking to the object, which is
defined by 2 parameters:
 Masking color: white for lighter, black or gray for darker. You can use another
color.
 Desaturation: from 0 (no change) to 1 (fully desaturated)

Original object Masking with [white, 30%] Masking with [black, 30%]

In the Method Editor, the Masking panel parameters are:

The opacity (alpha) is specified between 0.0 (fully transparent) and 1.0 (fully opaque).
Note that values are rounded at 0.05.

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If you specify an edge color, then it will be used. With the Blend mode, the edges will
be colored with the average of the masking colors of their bounding faces.
Note that if the desaturation is at 100%, you get a full coloring of the object with the
specified color.

Masking with [white, 100%] Masking with [gray, 100%] Masking with [khaki, 100%]

6) Method: Grayscale
This method replaces all face colors by their grayscale color. Textures are preserved.
Grayscale colors are computed based on luminance of the color, which is in general
better suited than a simple average.

Original object Grayscale Original object Grayscale

In the Method Editor, the Grayscale panel parameters are:

You can therefore make the ghost lighter or darker using the masking parameters:

Original object Grayscale with NO masking Grayscale with masking Grayscale with masking
[white, 50%] [black, 50%]

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The opacity (alpha) is specified between 0.0 (fully transparent) and 1.0 (fully opaque).
Note that values are rounded at 0.05.
If you specify an edge color, then it will be used. With the Blend mode, the edges will
be colored with the average of the grayscale colors of their bounding faces.

Original object Grayscale with masking Grayscale with masking Grayscale with masking
[sandybrown, 50%] [skyblue, 50%] and [skyblue, 70%] and
opacity = 0.65 edges in red

7) Method: Color by Layer

This method is similar to the native Color by Layer feature of Sketchup, but it applies
only to selected objects.

Original object Color by Layer Layer colors map

In the Method Editor, the Color by Layer panel has options to choose a color for the
edges: specified color or colored by layer otherwise.

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8) Method: Monochrome
This method assigns a single color to ALL faces in the selected objects, white by
default. Textures are removed.
If NO face color is specified, the method gives the same result as the native
Monochrome style in Sketchup, showing the front faces and back faces.
If a face color is specified, then the front and back faces are equally painted with the
specified color.

Original object Monochrome – NO face color Monochrome – face color = white

Front and Back faces receive each ALL faces are painted in white
the default material

In the Method Editor, the Monochrome panel has options to choose the Face color,
the opacity and a color for the edge.

The 4th option, native opacity, allows to preserve the original opacity of faces in the
object. This is effective only if there is no global opacity set.

Original object Monochrome – face color = palegreen Monochrome – face color = palegreen
Native opacity = false Native opacity = true

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9) Method: Bounding Box

This method replaces objects and their sub-objects by their respective bounding box.
Boxes are created as wireframes by default, with a specified edge color, or black by
default. You can optionally specify a face color and opacity to have plain boxes.
There are 3 options to specify the bounding boxes:
 Single global: create a single bounding box for the topmost object
 By sub-object: create a bounding box for the object and all its sub-object at
any nested level
 By grouped geometry: create an individual bounding box for each separate
piece of geometry (i.e. connected faces and edges), within each nested sub-
object. No bounding box is created when there is no loose geometry in an
object (i.e. faces and edges).
In the following example, the original object contains a group of two cylinders and
another group for the red hexagonal tube. The top group does not contain flat
geometry itself.

Original object Bounding Box Bounding Box Bounding Box

Single global By sub-object By grouped geometry

In the Method Editor, the Bounding Box panel offers the option to choose the Face
color, the opacity and a color for the edge.

If you select a face color, the bounding boxes will be created as true blocks with faces.

Original object Bounding Box Bounding Box Bounding Box

Single global By sub-object By grouped geometry
Face color = palegreen Face color = khaki Face color = khaki
Edge color = blend Edge color = magenta No Edge color specified
Opacity = 0.50 Opacity = 0.50

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10)Method: Edge Mesh

This method generates a ghost with ALL edges of the objects, including hidden edges.
An optional color can be applied to edges.

Original object Edge Mesh – NO edge color Edge Mesh – edge color = red

In the Method Editor, the Edge Mesh panel offers the option to choose the Edge
color.

11)Method: Wireframe
This method is analog to the SketchUp wireframe style. It creates only hard edges,
unlike Edge Mesh which creates all edges. Hidden edges will not display.

Original object Wireframe Edge Mesh

In the Method Editor, the Wireframe panel parameters for Edge colors are:

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