[plugin] EdgeFollowMe - UPDATE Aug 30, 2011

3dsmax9

cool thank'S

sdmitch

Kristoff,

I've been putting the profile right on the path at the start. it still offsets. and the square was closed.

The problem with squares is that the start and end points are the same so you have to guess right or undo and try again and use the right/left arrow keys to flip the direction. The extrusion will not be complete because at present closed figures are not accounted for.

Would you post the model you have been using so that I can better understand the problem. I personally haven't seen the offset problem when the profile has been connected to the path.

Krisidious

I understand on the squares I'll give it a try in different places.

edgetest.skp

sdmitch

Kristoff, thanks for sharing your test model. The "loopy" one just reqired reversing the line before selecting the profile. The large rectangle exposed a bug in the code which I was easily able to fix. The mis-match at the start/end point is as expected since I have not yet attempted to compensate for. It is on the todo list.

There are only two things of importance you have to do when using this plugin and that is make sure the profile is at the start of the path and is oriented properly. The profile will parallel the path if it is not on the path. When you selected the "loopy" path with the profile on the wrong end, the extrusion was offset by that distance.

Edge Follow Me Test

utiler

Sam, does this only work on a single path?

sdmitch

No, you can select any number of connected edges or a curve.

feryum

Follow Me And Keep is really better

utiler

@sdmitch said:

No, you can select any number of connected edges or a curve.

Thanks make, not really getting that to work. do you:

select profile
select start point for extrusion then keep picking around a path or points till finished?
how do you finish; double click?

TIG

This EdgeFollowMe was meant to be a EdgeFollowMeAndKeep ?
The FAK code is readily amenable to adjustment - swap 'face' for 'curve', and find midpoint of curve.vertices rather than face.vertices etc it should then work much the same...

sdmitch

Looks like I have been wasting my time if FAK already does this.

Andrew, Just like Sketchup's FollowMe, select the entire path first then run the plugin and select the profile.

Krisidious

not a waste of time as FAK does faces and it keeps.

TIG

FAK works on selected face[s].
BUT you could recast some blocks of its code to process a curve's vertices rather than a face's vertices...

utiler

@sdmitch said:

Looks like I have been wasting my time if FAK already does this.

Andrew, Just like Sketchup's FollowMe, select the entire path first then run the plugin and select the profile.

I was hoping to be able to place a profile in place the pick a path, Sam. At times it's easier to do so rather than zoom out to find the path then execute...

I don't think you have wasted your time at all!!

Thanks Sam.

sdmitch

Sorry Andrew but EdgeFollowMe3 is the end of the road.

utiler

no worries, Sam. Thanks for your input...