Trim along a sandbox outline

MichaelNeyses · 29 Oct 2013, 21:15

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if any of you would be able to write a script/rb for a task that occurs very often in my workflow. I do draw alot of sandboxes using rounded and well shaped corners and edges. The so emerged sandbox leaves me to alot of work trimming all those 'overdrawn' unwanted faces.Especially when arcs along the borders have like 48 increments for smooth shapes. Sometimes they fold into each other and are really hard to pick. All the sandboxes have on thing incommon: I always only use closed shapes as edges. So there is actually a well defined border to where the trimming has to follow. I dream of an automatic 'clipper' that crawls along the border and snips off all outer faces. It would be such a nice tool to have. Any idea?

Michael

TIG · 29 Oct 2013, 22:24

Can you attach an image...
A picture paints a thousand words.
A thousand words paint a thousand pictures.

Are the surfaces 'smoothed?
Do the defined areas have non-smoothed edges ?
With Hidden Geometry OFF you should be able to click a single surface and press <delete> it and all of its unseen edges ? ...

MichaelNeyses · 1 Nov 2013, 13:26

Hi TIG,
here ist the typical flow in my work.
Example: Creating a rather simple lawnsurface (which is never plane!)

draw outline (usually along walls or borders of walkways)
make group
run sandbox
isolate the group for better view and access
run unsoften
start trimming all unwanted edges and surfaces (there is alot to clean off manually)
run soften and apply material.
done.

Point 6. is where the the clock runs off! especially with real complex shapes
have a look at the screendumps!

http://neyses.com/sandbox-workflow

I appreciate any hint

TIG · 1 Nov 2013, 15:18

In step 2 you have Hidden Geometry OFF, this means that you can simply edit the group, select the unwanted surfaces with a single click on each and the press <delete> to remove them [note how all faces and smoothed edges that form each individual surface will get highlighted by a single click]; any unwanted un-faced perimeter edges leftover can be tidied up by wiping over them with the Eraser tool.
Do NOT unsmooth/unsoften edges before erasing the unwanted parts.

Another way is to edit the group [again with Hidden Geometry OFF] and use the paintbucket to apply different materials materials to the various pieces of the surface [perhaps use 'red' on the parts you want to delete later], now select one of the colored faces you want to delete and use the context-menu to select > same material.
When all of the faces are selected press <delete>, they are removed.
The other surfaces already have their materials assigned.
Tidy up by erasing any unwanted perimeter edges.

MichaelNeyses · 1 Nov 2013, 18:16

Thanks very much TIG,

Well, I did all this pretty much all the time. Still it remains hard work. By showing hidden geometrie 'ON' I can at least use window/crossing for the selection of the many faces to delete. The final tidying is what bothers me. What I dont understand is why is the sandbox surface is extending across the defined borders in the first place. And then, I even tried to
intersect the entities by its tool and divide them into seperate surfaces. But it wont find any intersections to cut along. That should tell us, there is already a divided surface, but it surely acts as one. My conclusion is: The surface is in fact not really preciesly edged by the drawn border but only nearing its verteces. Thus an outer line is helpwise created in order to accomplish the surface task at all. But the work, wich manually has to be done afterwards could already be done in the script.

There is one workaround which I will mention shortly, but I am a bit ashamed that it is not really much more than a big detour.

When done with the the outlined border
step 1. I simply copy it twice vertical above each other.
step 2. The two new borders I group and draw a vertical surface between them using the Curviloft Tool.
step 3. Then I draw the sandbox using the original remaining outline border
step 4. I drop the outline skirt to about its half on the sandbox
step 5. I use the cut intersect tool (this time successfully)
step 6. The surfaces are precisely divided and with two clicks the unwanted elements including the skirt are erased.
Done, but also not really fast

I added the Pictures here: http://neyses.com/sandbox-workflow-skirt

I am not into programming but from what I see, you guys all do much harder tasks with effort and ease that I simply deeply admire. Like I initially suggested there should be a tool that cuts along the defined borders and dump the outer remains into space. That would be it. (For all the many rather helpless landscape graders)

Michael

Box · 1 Nov 2013, 18:30

I think you are missing a simple process.

Make your sandbox plane larger than you need, place it so that all your Groups cut through then select the face of your Terrain and Use Intersect faces with model. This should give you a cut out that is easily cleaned up with a few clicks.

Plus you have Pro so you could use solid tools.

MichaelNeyses · 1 Nov 2013, 19:34

To BOX,

that would indeed be very easy. You are implying that all bordering entities are groups with vertical faces to it. Else it would mean to cut intersections of two planes lying above each other. That most likely wont work. Much more i deal with flat surfaces connecting to one another. That would always leave me to producing some extruded shapes first and then follow your path. Which is basicly the same as my little work around.

Besides, to my understanding: Solid tools is not an option for sandboxes.

Michael

Box · 1 Nov 2013, 19:41

I'll leave it at that, You are an advanced user and are obviously talking over my head.