Best SketchyPhyics Tutorials for Linear Actuators

Hi all.
I'm getting the wiring up between Sketchup, SimTools and SketchyPhysics right now, going through the tutorials for creating joints and rotations in SketchyPhysics.

For those who have gone this route, did you find any particularly enlightening or useful tutorials (preferably video) that dealt with our subject matter? Specifically adding linear actuators to the model?

thanks for the tip noorbeast. I'll give that a try now.

Not successful yet, but I don't know that it's a SimTools issue yet.

I went through the steps here: downloaded the linked sketchup, placed the files in the plugins folder and opened the 3 axis example.
When I toggle play however, I have a blank/blank SP Control Penal window.

I did check in on the axis properties and they appear correctly named, but not sure why they don't register in this control panel window.
I would imagine if they are not here they are not going to be manipulatable by SimTools.

It's confirmed working with SimTools v2.0 ... just make sure you are updated with the new interface-output settings ...

https://www.xsimulator.net/community/forums/game-engine-interface-presets.148/

SimTools is running, but when I manipulate via output testing there is no movement.

Speedy, do you mean the settings on the Interface settings tab or somewhere else?
I have a screenshot of those settings in the previous post which should match the ones you had specified before.

[ If you use axis assignment in "group a" ] then Yes the interface-output should be like this ...
with a semicolon ; between them ...
for "group b" write b after the Axis# number between the < > signe ... like this <Axis1b>

Speedy, I know this sounds like a really lame question, but where do I find the axis assignment group? I'm assuming this is in the Sketchup model, but I don't know under which menu.

Okay, got it. Thanks for the clarification.

So I tried a few variations of that just to make sure, but none got anything moving
<Axis1a>;<Axis2a>;<Axis3a>
as well as <Axis1b>;<Axis2b>;<Axis3b>

To re-iterate what I've done so far (perhaps I've missed wiring something up).

1. Removed a newer version of Sketchup that wouldn't work (2017)
2. Downloaded this version of sketchup: http://dl.trimble.com/sketchup/SketchUpMake-en.exe
3. Cleaned out my plugins folder which had another version of SketchyPhysics in it (wasn't sure if that would work or not)
   
4. Downloaded these files: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2QcRBB299sSdFpuVUN2MUJwRlk/view?usp=sharing
5. Put them into this directory: C:\Users\Your_User_Name\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2016\SketchUp\Plugins:
6. Downloaded this model for testing: http://www.xsimulator.net/community/attachments/motionsimmodel-zip.27340/
7. Opened that model in Sketchup
8. Opened the SimTools game engine
9. Configured the SimTools game engine per the screenshots above (now using the new interface settings)
10. On the Output Testing tab, turned this on
11. Dragged the axis settings around a bit (no changes)
12. Changed the drop down to (a) Axis Output and did the same (no changes)
13. Toggled the SketchyPhysics play button on Skethup and repeated the steps in the SimTools game engine (no changes)

So these are my steps to this point. No changes to the 'Wackelstuhl.rb' file at this point.
If I missed a step in here, please let me know. That's my suspicion: I missed an important step connecting this all together.

just edit the model purple servo/piston "double click" in sketchup and rename them with the new related axis name in SimTools ... dollar sign $ small litters .

Got it. You were correct that these has the 1.3 naming convention associated with them. Updated all 3, but no successful movement running steps 10-13.

I see everything is good so far ... double check the simtools output-settings ... maybe there is a typo .

A second thing that I remember is the only one managed to make the 2016 works is @SilentChill and he maybe still remember the correct ruby files placements ... search for his 6DOF model and see how the 2016 worked with him .

So I've found a likely clue in the Sketchup Ruby Console. Basically a rolling error happening in the background all of the time.
I had to change the timer to slow it down a bit, but it reads:

Error: #<Errno::EWOULDBLOCK: A non-blocking socket operation could not be completed immediately. - recvfrom(2) would block>
C:/Users/user/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2016/SketchUp/Plugins/Wackelstuhl.rb:15:in `recvfrom_nonblock'
C:/Users/user/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2016/SketchUp/Plugins/Wackelstuhl.rb:15:in `block in <top (required)>'
SketchUp:1:in `call'

The line 15 it calls out here is different than the one I downloaded (I added in more logging to the rb file

This would correlate with the line
message, sender = socket.recvfrom_nonblock(100)

And there it is. Remember that type you said to check for? I had two numbers in the port backwards: 3175 trying to connect to 3157

Realized this when I thought about trying to change the port number on both sides on the off chance this port was being used by another process or a previous failed run.

Connection is working now and I can articulate the platform. Thanks for sticking through this one with me guys and helping me debug my issues.

Then you're ready for this ...

Oh sweet lord! Maximum effort.