Just want to remind you that you can create 3d-geometry from 2dBoolean plugin, pushpulling or translating faces selected by materialnames. So you could create several basegrids and position them as you like and do a 2dboolean (extrusion mode).

Not fully automatic, but can be useful when else fails. Or at least another method to try.

All the best!

And SU4' to components by SuForYou?
If you don't want deformation just draw equal surfaces
Click the image for animation
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Hi Pilou... this looks like an interesting plugin, but if I had to draw thousands of squares it would be even more work, right?

SdMith sent me a PM some 2 days ago with a special version of his panelization plugin, to make waffles (in an alpha version)

I answered him with some tests and an idea which seems, to a non programmer like me, that it could make it MORE REALISTIC and EASIER to do! And also better to use (to replace components)

thanks SDMitch. It works... well, mostly flawlessly. I had an expiring timeline, so I ended up doing it by hand, but it was not the first waffle ceiling I was required to do and I know it won´t be the last, so I am sure I will have opportunity to use your plug.

You are right that I can replace the component... HOWEVER (:() your plugin creates new instances of components where the shape is more complex, so in the end, to replace the component for a better one, one would need to replace hundreds of instances in a complicated ceiling, and edit them by hand to match the shapes...

first example: all the "full" waffles (80x80) were created upside down, while the ones that are smaller, cut, etc, were created correctly

now I created a half meter border around edges (which is how it really happens in real life). It mostly created a correct waffle ceiling. In red, places where for some reason it did not create the waffles (which is actually a good thing, as you will read below).

Also, I replaced the standart waffle with mine... but as we can see, there are tons of different component instances which are not replaced.

the good news is that you shouldn´t break your head thinking how to make irregular shapes. Because waffle ceilings should NOT have irregular shapes.

they are created with moulds and the moulds cannot have irregular shapes. At maximum, they can sometimes be rectangular, like 1/2 or 1/3 of the full size in one direction

look these images... in most of them, there is a single shape. Where there would be irregular shapes, there is a continuous flat ceiling instead of the "waffle" hole.

round shape on the bottom left... they do not follow the shape...

in this image, on the left, a "half" one

My suggestion, which would make the plugin perfect and also solve the problem of hundreds of different component instances which would make too difficult to replace them all:

the plugin creates 3 or 4 sizes of waffles "moulds" (1, 3/4, 1/2, 1/3) based on the main size given by the user. (maybe user could check mark which sizes he would like to use, since in some buildings, a single size will be used)

It then does a "best fit". Where none fits, the plugin create a face covering...

here, graphically explained

1 - the two molds on the right cannot be placed there
2 - here, how the plugin should place the 1/1 molds... where the mould doesn´t fit, it´s empty
3 - it tested the 3/4 mould, both up and sideways. Only left it where it fit entirely.
4 - it tested the 1/2 mould
5 - where no mould would fit (I actually didnt even test the 1/4 mould), it would cut the ceiling face and "push pull" it to the same level as the bottom of the mould... resulting in image 6.

@unknownuser said:

I have attached the Alpha version of the plugin

Where is it ?

in my PM

rethinking it, I should not have posted his PM to me without his authorization. I will edit it and only include my part of the PM.

I have attached the Alpha version of the plugin

Where is it ?

Will take a look at Ceiling Generator. Shouldn't be that difficult to make the panels components.

but not all panels are square or rectangular (i noticed it some hours ago).

Well, maybe using ThomThoms GROUPS TO COMPONENTS followed by COMPONENT DROPPER?

EDIT: gee, its your own panelization plugin I was thinking about SDMith!

Just need to figure out a way to correctly divide by ceiling single face into quads to place the components there...

EDIT 2: tested the panelization plugin.

first... instead of multiplying the component and resizing it, it created thousands of different components

second... the results were totally unpredictable.

I'm not surprised about unpredictable results especially given varying quad cell sizes.

Will take a look at Ceiling Generator. Shouldn't be that difficult to make the panels components.

EDIT: gee, its your own panelization plugin I was thinking about SDMith!

Just need to figure out a way to correctly divide by ceiling single face into quads to place the components there...

EDIT 2: tested the panelization plugin.

first... instead of multiplying the component and resizing it, it created thousands of different components

second... the results were totally unpredictable.

My Ceiling Grid generator could be used as the basis of such a plugin.

What are the dimensions of a standard "waffle"?

about 0,8 x 0,8 meters.

but your plugin only has I think 3 measurement sizes right (all in Imperial Measurements).

Plus, it doesn´t generate components. It would be awesome if those thousands of panels were components, so I could replace it with a "waffle" mold.

I could use your 2x2... it´s about 60x60 cm and there are waffle molds that size.

But I could swear there was a plugin like Chris Fulmers "Component Onto Faces", but that would resize the components so they would match the face size, wasn´t there? If there was, it could certainly be used to place my mould components unto the faces created by your plugin.

What are the dimensions of a standard "waffle"?

...you'll have to do a little math on your face.

Could I use my fingers instead?

What's wrong with a component and the array copy function?

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it´s appropriate for simple ceilings... but when you have lots of walls and posts, etc, with borders around, it starts getting complicated to place all components in the correct place. I thought of something more like drawing the shape of the place where you want the components and a plugin to place all the components inside that boundary?

Panelization by Sdmitch ?

No, only works on surfaces and not very well.

Component Array perhaps.