sketchucation logo sketchucation
    • Login
    ℹ️ Licensed Extensions | FredoBatch, ElevationProfile, FredoSketch, LayOps, MatSim and Pic2Shape will require license from Sept 1st More Info

    Can we improve ExtrudeEdgebyRails? (add options)

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Developers' Forum
    21 Posts 10 Posters 1.6k Views 10 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • R Offline
      remus
      last edited by

      Fair enough.

      http://remusrendering.wordpress.com/

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • TIGT Offline
        TIG Moderator
        last edited by

        @chris fullmer said:

        One thought I've had on this TIG is to redefine their rails with some algebra using a curve of best fit method. There are many out there to choose from. They the user could specify how many segments they want added, regardless of how many are actually there. Of course then the problem becomes that the reails are only approximating the rails they supplied, but it is a nice way to smooth things out.

        Chris

        Approximating a curve only works if that 'curve' is something 'arithmetical' BUT a curve can be any collection of 3D edges in a 3D Polyline... 😕

        TIG

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • TIGT Offline
          TIG Moderator
          last edited by

          I now have v2 of EEbyRails working - in this version you pick 2/3/4 curves - the Profile, then Rail-1, then Rail-2 [which could also be Rail-1 again] and then a 'Melding-Profile' [could be the Profile again]...
          This 'Melding-Profile' lets you dictate the end form/location of the mesh as well as the start derived from the Profile - effectively allowing a 'Coons mesh' from 4 defined paths, with the mesh 'morphing' between them all...
          I am going away for a few day but then I plan to issue v2 early next week - however, I haven't addressed the segmentation matching of Rails/Profiles yet - any comments before I commit would be welcomed...EEbyRv2.png

          TIG

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • EarthMoverE Offline
            EarthMover
            last edited by

            Great news TIG. Have you tried it on Jeff's "impossible" scenario yet?

            3D Artist at Clearstory 3D Imaging
            Guide Tool at Winning With Sketchup
            Content Creator at Skapeup

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • pilouP Offline
              pilou
              last edited by

              What about number of segments of each part?
              Must be equal for more speedy result or not important as taken from existant between neighbour forms?

              Frenchy Pilou
              Is beautiful that please without concept!
              My Little site :)

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • CarrozzaC Offline
                Carrozza
                last edited by

                Great news TIG !!!

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • thomthomT Offline
                  thomthom
                  last edited by

                  I moved this into the developer section. Sorry for any confusion that might cause - but we're trying to keep the Plugin section an index only. 🤓

                  Thomas Thomassen — SketchUp Monkey & Coding addict
                  List of my plugins and link to the CookieWare fund

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • JClementsJ Offline
                    JClements
                    last edited by

                    Looks very promising and seems to me that it would be easier to use and be more predictable.

                    Thanks, TIG for all your hardwork. What will 2010 bring? Hard to imagine.
                    😕
                    John

                    John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • juan974J Offline
                      juan974
                      last edited by

                      Edit first post

                      juan974 (Réunion island)
                      website : http://sketchucation.com/click.php?url=http://www.tarn.us

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • pilouP Offline
                        pilou
                        last edited by

                        The principal problem is avoid cracks between each existant sides!

                        Frenchy Pilou
                        Is beautiful that please without concept!
                        My Little site :)

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • TIGT Offline
                          TIG Moderator
                          last edited by

                          @unknownuser said:

                          The principal problem is avoid cracks between existing sides!

                          The good news is that EEbyRv2 - yet to be unleashed - ensures that the 2 rails and 2 profiles selected are kept so now there are no 'cracks'; however, the number of facets increases dramatically with unmatched segment counts - especially if the rails AND profiles have unmatched segment counts - especially if there's no common factors.
                          equal segment-counts for rails + profiles =
                          5&5 & 5&5 =>> 5x5 = 25 =>> 50 facets [remember that quads are triangulated so we need to x2]
                          10&10 & 10&10 =>> 10x10 = 100 =>> 200 facets [x2 the mesh edges =>> x4 the mesh facets]
                          Paired segments with a common factor increase by a bigger amount, but still not too unwieldy - here it's x4 for a mesh that has x2 the edge segments =
                          10&5 & 10&5 =>> 10x10 = 100 =>> 200 facets [same number of mesh facets from far fewer mesh edges]
                          BUT a similar segment-count but with no common factor give enormously faceted meshes =
                          10&9 & 10&9 =>> 90x90 = 8,100 =>> 16,200 facets !!!
                          However, this subdivision method WILL give a properly 'smooth' mesh.
                          However, there is an alternative algorithm that I am trying to incorporate, which takes the segment count of the most segmented rail/profile as the maximum and projects back 'triangulated wedges' of mesh to a repeated vertex position on the rail/profile with the fewer segments, these 'wedges' will be positioned as evenly as possible along that rail/profile.
                          I'll probably introduce an extra warning dialog if the facet-count gets above a certain limit - say ~1,000 - which will tell you that it could take some time to make a 'perfect mesh' because you have [stupidly] made the rails/edges with awkwardly uneven segment-counts: and then offering you the chance to 'Cancel' and fix it manually & retry, or answer 'No' to go for the quicker [but simpler and less perfect] mesh, or 'Yes' to carry on as you are and wait for the very faceted mesh to finish processing... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
                          I hope to have something published early this coming week...
                          Merry Christmas! ☀

                          TIG

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • pilouP Offline
                            pilou
                            last edited by

                            It's not an easy thing to convert an box modeling prog to a nurbs one 😉
                            Happy new year and see you the next one ☀

                            Frenchy Pilou
                            Is beautiful that please without concept!
                            My Little site :)

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • JClementsJ Offline
                              JClements
                              last edited by

                              TIG,

                              I am wondering if, through your recent experimentation with different algorithms for your "railing" scripts, that a better means for creating a terrain from contours could be developed (v.s. the sandbox method which often requires so much time consuming and tedious cleanup)?

                              John

                              John | Illustrator | Beaverton, Oregon

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • pilouP Offline
                                pilou
                                last edited by

                                @unknownuser said:

                                over 30°C (86°F) for christmas do you believe that ?

                                No 💚 😉 😎 ☀

                                Frenchy Pilou
                                Is beautiful that please without concept!
                                My Little site :)

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • juan974J Offline
                                  juan974
                                  last edited by

                                  @unknownuser said:

                                  tig wrote : However, there is an alternative algorithm that I am trying to incorporate, which takes the segment count of the most segmented rail/profile as the maximum and projects back 'triangulated wedges' of mesh to a repeated vertex position on the rail/profile with the fewer segments, these 'wedges' will be positioned as evenly as possible along that rail/profile.

                                  what do you think about :

                                  lot of faces may be created, would you try the method of distribution of wedges whitch decrease the number of created face?
                                  |_no "continue whit classic algorithm"
                                  |_yes "open another dialog box"
                                  _|_how would you like to distribute the wegdes
                                  __|_from start "all from start to middle of rail"
                                  __|_from end "all from middle to end"
                                  _| homogeneous "..."
                                  _|_ok
                                  _|_cancel

                                  do you think is a good way?

                                  EDIT : is not a good way, i was thinking about low difference between segments's rails, but dont works for big difference ...

                                  merry christmas to all, joyeux noel zot toute
                                  over 30°C (86°F) for christmas do you believe that ?

                                  juan974 (Réunion island)
                                  website : http://sketchucation.com/click.php?url=http://www.tarn.us

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • D Offline
                                    driven
                                    last edited by

                                    hi Tig,

                                    just a thought, I and it seems quite a few people use fredo's polyline segmentor before using eebyrails, loft, blend, etc..

                                    so, would it be possible to simply call up that tool from within EER2 if a potential problem is found?

                                    john

                                    learn from the mistakes of others, you may not live long enough to make them all yourself...

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • 1
                                    • 2
                                    • 1 / 2
                                    • First post
                                      Last post
                                    Buy SketchPlus
                                    Buy SUbD
                                    Buy WrapR
                                    Buy eBook
                                    Buy Modelur
                                    Buy Vertex Tools
                                    Buy SketchCuisine
                                    Buy FormFonts

                                    Advertisement