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    [Plugin] triangulateFaces.rb v1.2 20101120

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    • B Offline
      blair
      last edited by

      Thanks Jeff,

      Now I understand that one better. I have seen Subdivide and Smooth and it does a lot more than I can ever imagine needing so I would like to find the free one you mentioned for now.

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      • pilouP Offline
        pilou
        last edited by

        @unknownuser said:

        so I would like to find the free one you mentioned for now.

        no problem πŸ˜‰
        Subdive and Smooth (basic free) http://www.smustard.com/script/Subdivide by Ricks Wilson

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

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        • B Offline
          blair
          last edited by

          Thanks PILOU!

          I just tried that one on the flat plane I had previously shown and it did nothing. What I would like to do is create a multitude of triangles like Jeff had shown on the far right in the example he posted.

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          • thomthomT Offline
            thomthom
            last edited by

            Try this plugin: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=21472
            Use the UV probe and hit F2 to see SU's internal triangulation. What do you get then? Would that triangulation be ok?

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

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            • bac9-flclB Offline
              bac9-flcl
              last edited by

              Upd: I've figured out what conditions are needed to reproduce the bug (all dimensions are multiple of 1m in this example; if it matters):

              http://img.gameru.net/th/7a004.jpg

              @thomthom said:

              Try this plugin: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=21472
              Use the UV probe and hit F2 to see SU's internal triangulation. What do you get then? Would that triangulation be ok?

              Thanks, will try it and post about result πŸ˜„

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              • bac9-flclB Offline
                bac9-flcl
                last edited by

                Greetings.

                I've encountered a problem with this plugin. Here's the deal: I am making a complex building, looking like that:


                http://img.gameru.net/th/65082.jpg

                Of course, it consists of a hundreds of separate components, because I don't need any unnecessary polycount. For example, here are the outer walls:


                http://img.gameru.net/th/a4015.jpg

                http://img.gameru.net/th/3697a.jpg

                As you can see, they are divided with edges. Some were made to allow different texturing (e.g. leaks under the windows), and some - to ensure that triangulation made during the import process via Autodesk Connection Extension (which seems, by the way, to be the only way to export your model from SU without breaking it) won't look like a messy web full of thin invalid faces.

                However, CE repeatedly fails to triangulate T-type face connections properly:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/75605.jpg

                Here is how it should look like:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/d3095.jpg

                And there are the examples how CE (or standart 3DS Max triangulation, maybe CE is just utilizing it) works with such faces:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/42a40.jpg

                http://img.gameru.net/th/3697d.jpg

                Of course it's not your problem, but Max/CE, so let's move onto the subject. To ensure this weirdness won't appear in my model after Max import, I must draw all triangulation on risky areas by myself, in SU, before using Connection Extension.

                It's quite easy to guess that I hate to spend time for this. It would take hours to complete hand-made triangulation with Line tool for every T-shaped area. So I searched for some SU plugin which can make a triangulation of selected faces, - your seems to be the most used πŸ˜„

                I tried the plugin:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/380a1.jpg

                http://img.gameru.net/th/767b6.jpg

                Seemed to work fine, but when I tried it on a bit harder areas, it didn't went so smooth:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/e1cda.jpg

                http://img.gameru.net/th/39e2b.jpg

                These edges are missing:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/318e3.jpg

                Another area:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/1fc3c.jpg

                http://img.gameru.net/th/ce385.jpg

                http://img.gameru.net/th/8b639.jpg

                I decided to test it on the simple T-shaped face without pre-drawn edges. Unfortunately, I got this:

                http://img.gameru.net/th/42a40.jpg

                Is there some kind of a rule I don't know? Something like "non-convex faces are forbidden"? πŸ˜„

                It's just strange to encounter the same issue again in a completely different software, with an area I can't call hard to triangulate at all. There are no geometrical paradoxes, every man can connect these points with proper lines, - then why a triangulation is improper?

                To be exact, the problem seems to be related not only to T-shaped faces, but to non-convex faces (in some curcumstances) and to faces with divided straight edges:
                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=5feed.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/5feed.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]

                Here I got a more complex example:
                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=6afdd.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/6afdd.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]

                Surprisingly, it was triangulated properly:
                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=05e4c.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/05e4c.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]

                Then I've added the line:
                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=73f56.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/73f56.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]

                Just as planned:
                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=36011.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/36011.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]

                Or let's use some dividing under windows:
                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=c24bb.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/c24bb.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]

                Then we have 4-sided faces again:
                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=62060.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/62060.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]


                Sorry for being so talkative πŸ˜„

                [url=http://img.gameru.net/?v=5feed.jpg:3a0jr4pg][img:3a0jr4pg]http://img.gameru.net/th/5feed.jpg[/img:3a0jr4pg][/url:3a0jr4pg]
                ^ So here's the ultimate question: is there a way to fix the triangulation of such areas?

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                • bac9-flclB Offline
                  bac9-flcl
                  last edited by

                  @thomthom said:

                  Try this plugin: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=21472
                  Use the UV probe and hit F2 to see SU's internal triangulation. What do you get then? Would that triangulation be ok?


                  http://img.gameru.net/th/f6c83.jpg

                  Oh, nice, it's internal triangulation 😞

                  Should we ask SU team to fix it then?

                  SU is heavily oriented for Push/Pull boolean operations which easily produce surfaces with holes, non-convex surfaces and other kinds of complex geometry, so it's very important issue. I don't use Push/Pull for anything complex, but thousands of users do - and it means thousands of SU models have such surfaces. Same as they have zero-area or 4-sided faces bug.

                  Maybe it doesn't affect SU and Google Earth performance, but these faces are considered invalid and unacceptable in other 3d software or game engines. For example, I can't use any model with "invalid" faces in X-Ray Engine (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.).

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                  • TIGT Offline
                    TIG Moderator
                    last edited by

                    Here's v1.2 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=175613#p175613
                    This should now trap any '4-sided' "triangles" made by the 'mesh' process as it forces an intersection of all new entities and adds edges should a "triangle's" vertices > 3...

                    TIG

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                    • CadFatherC Offline
                      CadFather
                      last edited by

                      Tig,

                      is there anyway to split the resulting triangles as well? suppose you wanted to subdivide the mesh even further (perhaps there is a script already..)

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                      • TIGT Offline
                        TIG Moderator
                        last edited by

                        @cadfather said:

                        Tig,

                        is there anyway to split the resulting triangles as well? suppose you wanted to subdivide the mesh even further (perhaps there is a script already..)

                        I think there's a subdivide tool somewhere...

                        TIG

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                        • CadFatherC Offline
                          CadFather
                          last edited by

                          ok (search shows Whaat's SDS)

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                          • TIGT Offline
                            TIG Moderator
                            last edited by

                            I'm probably thinking of RickW's simpler free tool - referred to here... http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=278060#p278060 and available here http://www.smustard.com/script/Subdivide

                            TIG

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                            • CadFatherC Offline
                              CadFather
                              last edited by

                              thanks TIG but that will 'smooth' the shape - i'm only thinking of dividing

                              i think there is the difficulty of internal (read infernal..) faces being generated

                              split.jpg

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                              • TIGT Offline
                                TIG Moderator
                                last edited by

                                My Addvertex+ tool http://rhin.crai.archi.fr/rubylibrarydepot/plugin_details.php?id=8
                                lets you add a vertex on a face and divides it into triangles with new edges...

                                TIG

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                                • CadFatherC Offline
                                  CadFather
                                  last edited by

                                  ok TIG, i'll have a look, thanks as always

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                                  • bac9-flclB Offline
                                    bac9-flcl
                                    last edited by

                                    @tig said:

                                    Here's v1.2 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=175613#p175613
                                    This should now trap any '4-sided' "triangles" made by the 'mesh' process as it forces an intersection of all new entities and adds edges should a "triangle's" vertices > 3...

                                    Thanks a lot! I've finally got my models into X-Ray SDK 😍


                                    http://img.gameru.net/th/035c3.jpg

                                    http://img.gameru.net/th/583ba.jpg


                                    http://img.gameru.net/th/7099f.jpg

                                    http://img.gameru.net/th/12959.jpg

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                                    • J Offline
                                      jman0war
                                      last edited by

                                      Hiya,

                                      I downloaded this plugin with the goal of importing my Sketchup models into Unreal Developers Kit (UDK).
                                      But even though the faces are triangled ok, when I import my model in UDK most the triangles are really messed up.
                                      Like this:

                                      http://photos2.pix.ie/E2/45/E2458AAC3155407588F70888B4B391C8-0000316933-0002622418-00800L-6AC7C78B1057411F8E2C7FDD5C50FCC1.jpg

                                      I suppose this doesn't indicate any problem with triangulatefaces.rb, but rather UDK.
                                      Has anybody else tried to this? Would love some advice. πŸŽ‰

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                                      • thomthomT Offline
                                        thomthom
                                        last edited by

                                        Are the normals in the SketchUp model oriented properly?

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

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                                        • J Offline
                                          jman0war
                                          last edited by

                                          Well, all the white faces are pointed out, if that's what you mean.
                                          I don't think SU offers many options regarding normals.
                                          Do you mean smoothing?

                                          I tried again using a more simple model but results are the same.
                                          Tried toying around with the 2 options in the Soften Edges window, but got the same results.

                                          http://photos3.pix.ie/6F/66/6F66B36E6F514077AF8492334650BE09-0000316933-0002622789-01024L-BA9A361F41C24665A7F2488CC916D358.jpg

                                          http://photos3.pix.ie/81/B4/81B4B45B36564B10A0B88215CE4D824E-0000316933-0002622790-01024L-A57B864FEDBF40F0A23B1A8759AAC34F.jpg

                                          I'm confident people are able to put SU content into UDK, there's another ruby script exporter someone made called "HardPCM", but it produces the same results for me.
                                          So i'm not using that script atm.

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                                          • TIGT Offline
                                            TIG Moderator
                                            last edited by

                                            This app seems to be smoothing the coplanar edges - they are not smooth in the SKP.
                                            Have you tried switching off its 'preserve smooth groups' options etc?

                                            TIG

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