[Plugin][$] Curviloft 2.0a - 31 Mar 24 (Loft & Skinning)

thomthom · 27 May 2010, 16:10

@rainie said:

Hi all,
where we can download this very helpful plugin!!! Thanks!!!

When it is released. This was just a teaser.

solo · 27 May 2010, 16:35

Fredo strikes again!!

Looking forward to another true Gem.

DIEGO-RODRIGUEZ · 27 May 2010, 17:21

fredo, great plugins. thank you very much for their continued contributions to the user of sketchup

two questions.

floating panel interface, which uses programming language?
you can use images *. png or other format for icons?

when can download the first version of the plugins?

fredo6 · 27 May 2010, 18:02

@diego-rodriguez said:

floating panel interface, which uses programming language?
you can use images *. png or other format for icons?

It is written in pure Ruby and SU API (which makes it portable PC and Mac).
Unfortunately, png cannot be used (the SU API is missing this functionality, but it would be a good idea to add it)

@diego-rodriguez said:

when can download the first version of the plugins?

Probably not before a month, except if I released only a subset.
This is also why I need to have some sample geometry, beyond what I am doing test with, because I prefer to adapt the algorithm before the script is released)

Fredo

fredo6 · 27 May 2010, 18:08

@earthmover said:

Holy crap!!! Is that speed realtime? Looks amazing! Do the number of segments in the rails matter? Could this possibly be used to replace the standard from contours in the sandbox tools to create graded terrains?

Videos are real time. As usal the performance is driven by the number of facets created, with the exponential slow-down noticed in all scripts.
The number of segments does matter because Curviloft always respects the vertices of the contours and rails. This is why meshes created can be unbalanced or very crowded. In principle, it would be good that users do a rebalancing before applying Curviloft.

For terrain shaping, I would appreciate if you had an example, so that I can answer more accurately.

Fredo

solo · 27 May 2010, 18:35

Fredo, what kind of example would work for you?

contour maps, completed terrains, an image, point cloud?

bagatelo · 27 May 2010, 18:47

Yes, Only Fredo6... OMG
I can't wait to try this one.

Fletch · 27 May 2010, 19:44

Fredo, this is simply astounding work, you are absolutely incredible!

fredo6 · 27 May 2010, 19:44

@solo said:

Fredo, what kind of example would work for you?

contour maps, completed terrains, an image, point cloud?

Actually, a SKP model with contours where you want to generate the surface. Curviloft does not work on point clouds.

Fredo

thomthom · 27 May 2010, 20:11

@unknownuser said:

It is written in pure Ruby and SU API (which makes it portable PC and Mac).
Unfortunately, png cannot be used (the SU API is missing this functionality, but it would be a good idea to add it)

I've also requested that SU supports this.
Meanwhile, I've made a framework to read BMP images and render them to screen. Though you can't have too many as it'll slow down. But it works fine for creating toolbars.

fredo6 · 27 May 2010, 20:15

@thomthom said:

@unknownuser said:

It is written in pure Ruby and SU API (which makes it portable PC and Mac).
Unfortunately, png cannot be used (the SU API is missing this functionality, but it would be a good idea to add it)

I've also requested that SU supports this.
Meanwhile, I've made a framework to read BMP images and render them to screen. Though you can't have too many as it'll slow down. But it works fine for creating toolbars.

Tom,

This was also my first approach (with view.draw GL_POINTS) but it was definitely too slow. I think that if this is added in native code, it can be ultra fast, even fatser than drawing lines and polygons by view.draw.

Fredo

thomthom · 27 May 2010, 20:23

What speeds up thing greatly is if when you load the bitmaps you sort the pixels by colour, and then draw each colour in bulk.
I load each bitmap for each toolbar button into a hash with the colour as key and the value as an array of point3d objects. Note that I merge all buttons into one hash.

This means that if you are careful about your icon creation and use a palette of fewer colours you increase performance. A little bit pre-processing required, but the bulk drawing makes up for it many times over.

fredo6 · 27 May 2010, 20:25

One more video, on the possibility to borrow contours from within components....

Fredo

thomthom · 27 May 2010, 20:27

@unknownuser said:

One more video, on the possibility to borrow contours from within components....

EscapeArtist · 27 May 2010, 20:30

That last process vid you just posted would be a great time saver all by itself. I'm trying to think of something creative to offer as a sample, but you've covered pretty much what I'd use already.

EarthMover · 27 May 2010, 21:35

Bloody genius! I'd swear I was looking a video from Rhino or Bonzai!!!

pilou · 27 May 2010, 21:35

On the last example, the curve can make a loop on the same plan?
If yes,there is an automatic clean of the complex auto-intersect skin resulting?

solo · 27 May 2010, 21:41

oooh, good thinking.

Would it make a torus shape?

try this.skp

TIG · 27 May 2010, 21:51

A Torus is easily made using the built-in FollowMe tool or even my EEbyLathe - BUT Fredo's new tool seems far more powerful, and so it should be able to do much greater things
We await in anticipation...

solo · 27 May 2010, 21:59

Okay, let's up the ante.

and this.skp