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    PolygonMesh behavior

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    • mitcorbM Offline
      mitcorb
      last edited by

      Pardon my eavesdropping, but exactly how would I visualize a vertex normal? I can visualize a face normal, even an edge normal under some conditions. Or is it sort of like a tesseract?

      I take the slow, deliberate approach in my aimless wandering.

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      • thomthomT Offline
        thomthom
        last edited by

        @mitcorb said:

        Pardon my eavesdropping, but exactly how would I visualize a vertex normal? I can visualize a face normal, even an edge normal under some conditions. Or is it sort of like a tesseract?

        I did that for Vertex Tools, I take the average normal of the faces connected to the vertex.

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

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        • AdamBA Offline
          AdamB
          last edited by

          @thomthom said:

          I did that for Vertex Tools, I take the average normal of the faces connected to the vertex.

          You're missing a step with your averaging there. You need to weight by the contribution each face connected to the vertex makes - ie weight by the interior angle otherwise a cube constructed of triangles will end up with vertex normals not all pointing out exactly at 45 degrees.

          Developer of LightUp Click for website

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          • S Offline
            soldatino
            last edited by

            I am sorry but I use this topic because it seems to be about my question.
            I make a solid using the help example for smooth surfaces (6 sides), then I push for the elevation, then I select all the object, then I apply Soften edges angle 79,0 degrees, and the edge appear soft.
            But if I get the normals at each point I read always (0, 0, 0), that is not a valid vector.
            Sorry, where I am wrong?

             
            for np in 1..numpol do
              vertices=mesh.polygon_at np
              numvrtx=vertices.length - 1
              for eachvrtx in 0..numvrtx do
                x = mesh.point_at((vertices[eachvrtx]).abs).x*RatioPov
                y = mesh.point_at((vertices[eachvrtx]).abs).y*RatioPov
                z = mesh.point_at((vertices[eachvrtx]).abs).z*RatioPov
            
            
                nx = mesh.normal_at (eachvrtx+1) #index is base 1
                UI.messagebox(nx.to_s)
            

            r3nDer tools

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            • thomthomT Offline
              thomthom
              last edited by

              @soldatino said:

              I make a solid using the help example for smooth surfaces (6 sides

              Which example?

              @soldatino said:

              But if I get the normals at each point

              I think that .normal_at( index ) refer to the normal of a polygon - not point...

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

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              • S Offline
                soldatino
                last edited by

                Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

                favicon

                (code.google.com)

                but this is about points "particular index in the mesh."
                Or it is for each face? In this case I have to calculate each angle between vertexes of adjacent faces?
                Anyway the vector that I get is 0,0,0, but the faces have smooting in SU.
                http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=it&answer=114941
                the procedure is explained in the yellow window..

                r3nDer tools

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                • thomthomT Offline
                  thomthom
                  last edited by

                  I think "particular index in the mesh." refer to the index of polygons.

                  @soldatino said:

                  Anyway the vector that I get is 0,0,0, but the faces have smooting in SU.

                  Normals in SketchUp does not relate the smoothing. Normals are always perpendicular to the face/polygon.

                  To find out of the mesh has smooth edges use PolygonMesh.polygon_at http://code.google.com/intl/it/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/polygonmesh.html#polygon_at or PolygonMesh.polygons http://code.google.com/intl/it/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/polygonmesh.html#polygons

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

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                  • S Offline
                    soldatino
                    last edited by

                    yes, thanks, pointing at the face I get the float values of the vector.
                    Now if it is a offset valid for all the points of each face, I have to find the common points of adjacent faces, and interpolate their offsets to get the vector for the points. A lot of work... do yo think it is right?

                    r3nDer tools

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                    • thomthomT Offline
                      thomthom
                      last edited by

                      Think so - SU doesn't provide vertex normals.
                      When I wrote Vertex Tools I have to work them out manually from the connected faces.

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

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                      • TIGT Offline
                        TIG Moderator
                        last edited by

                        Look at a vertex.
                        Get its faces.
                        Get the normals of the faces [lets say there are 3 of them].
                        Combine the faces' normals [vectors] using v = v1 + v2 + v3
                        Now 'v' should be the combined-vector at that vertex [the vertex-normal?]...
                        Test it using entities.add_line(vertex.position,v.to_a)
                        which should draw a line at the vertex along the direction of the combined-vector 'v'...

                        TIG

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                        • S Offline
                          soldatino
                          last edited by

                          thomthom, TIG, thanks. I will attempt to write this in Ruby, even if I dont know much of this language, to do it with a post editor would be very easy, storing the array of all the normals of every face as comments within the ouput of the points ...

                          note: Vertex.used_by? in a loop of all connected faces ? waiting for the eternity...

                          r3nDer tools

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                          • thomthomT Offline
                            thomthom
                            last edited by

                            @soldatino said:

                            note: Vertex.used_by? in a loop of all connected faces ? waiting for the eternity...

                            ❓

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

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                            • S Offline
                              soldatino
                              last edited by

                              @thomthom said:

                              @soldatino said:

                              note: Vertex.used_by? in a loop of all connected faces ? waiting for the eternity...

                              ❓

                              I am worried because I think that with large model the time required will be huge.
                              Addictionally I would not repeat the calculation for the same point when the loop scans the already involved faces, but if I do not want to repeat I have to save an array for all the entities, containing normals already calculated, and to scan it also, which could be worse...

                              r3nDer tools

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                              • thomthomT Offline
                                thomthom
                                last edited by

                                What are you doing? An exporter?

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

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                                • thomthomT Offline
                                  thomthom
                                  last edited by

                                  <span class="syntaxdefault"><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">for&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">eachvrtx&nbsp;in&nbsp;0.</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">numvrtx&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">do<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">x&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">mesh</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">point_at</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">((</span><span class="syntaxdefault">vertices</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">eachvrtx</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">]).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">abs</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">x</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault">RatioPov<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;y&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">mesh</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">point_at</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">((</span><span class="syntaxdefault">vertices</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">eachvrtx</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">]).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">abs</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">y</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault">RatioPov<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;z&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">mesh</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">point_at</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">((</span><span class="syntaxdefault">vertices</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">eachvrtx</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">]).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">abs</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">z</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault">RatioPov<br /></span>
                                  

                                  Change into this

                                  <span class="syntaxdefault"><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">for&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">eachvrtx&nbsp;in&nbsp;0.</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">numvrtx&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">do<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">pt&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">mesh</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">point_at</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">((</span><span class="syntaxdefault">vertices</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">eachvrtx</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">]).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">abs</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">x&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">pt</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">x</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault">RatioPov<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;y&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">pt</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">y</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault">RatioPov<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;z&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">pt</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">z</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault">RatioPov<br /></span>
                                  

                                  Should be a little bit faster.

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

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                                  • S Offline
                                    soldatino
                                    last edited by

                                    This is a part of my exporter to POV-Ray. Yes, now I apply your suggestion !

                                    r3nDer tools

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                                    • S Offline
                                      soldatino
                                      last edited by

                                      SenzaTitoloSTa.jpg

                                      17/11/2010 10:03:00
                                      //Ending at 17/11/2010 10:03:18

                                      17/11/2010 10:09:00
                                      //Ending at 17/11/2010 10:09:18

                                      28935 faces
                                      Later I will check on largest files...

                                      r3nDer tools

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                                      • T Offline
                                        tomasz
                                        last edited by

                                        @thomthom said:

                                        Think so - SU doesn't provide vertex normals.

                                        You are wrong Thomas!
                                        Check this :
                                        polygonmesh.normal_at(vertex_index)

                                        Soldatino, your exporter will work faster now 😄
                                        I think that is what you have been looking for, unless you want to do vertex welding.

                                        Author of [Thea Render for SketchUp](http://www.thearender.com/sketchup)

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                                        • thomthomT Offline
                                          thomthom
                                          last edited by

                                          @unknownuser said:

                                          @thomthom said:

                                          Think so - SU doesn't provide vertex normals.

                                          You are wrong Thomas!
                                          Check this :
                                          polygonmesh.normal_at(vertex_index)

                                          ?

                                          From the docs I see nothing that indicate vertex index. http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/polygonmesh.html#normal_at
                                          Saying that - it doesn't even say if it's polygon index.

                                          Tomaz: you got a working example?

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

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                                          • T Offline
                                            tomasz
                                            last edited by

                                            @thomthom said:

                                            Toma**s**z: you got a working example?

                                            Yep. SU2TH 😄

                                            You have to extract a triangle indexes using
                                            tri_indexes=polygonmesh.polygon_at(mesh_index)
                                            and then
                                            normal0=tri.normal_at(tri_indexes[0]) normal1=tri.normal_at(tri_indexes[1]) normal2=tri.normal_at(tri_indexes[2])

                                            The docs are .... terribly bad, you know that you can't rely on them 😄

                                            Now you know how to use it and speed-up your plugins.

                                            EDITED. I was terribly wrong 😄 It is correct now.

                                            Author of [Thea Render for SketchUp](http://www.thearender.com/sketchup)

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