[Plugin] FredoBend - v1.2a - 25 Mar 26

[fredo6]

Thanks for reporting. The bug is fixed. Actually, there is an option to save a copy of the original container to file. This allows to edit the bent generated container even if the original container has been removed from the model. However, it assumes that you don't work on a new model, since the saved copy is in the same directory as the model.

I am also introducing an option for

• softening edges or not
• removing coplanar edges

New version will be published later today.

[GIGAL]

@fredo6
It is amazing (excuse for my bad english; i am italian)
Best regards

[Dave R]

Ah ... So the file needs to be saved before using the extension. Makes sense.

[panixia]

Amazing. Does it support quads and/or UV preservation?

[fredo6]

NEW RELEASE: FredoBend v1.2b - 25 Mar 26

Requirements

• LibFredo6: v15.9a or above
• Sketchup version: SU2017 and above

---

FredoBend 1.2b is a maintenance release including:

• Bug fixing
• Parameter for softening edges and removing coplanar edges

---

Home Page of FredoBend for information and Download.

Main post of this FredoBend thread.

[AISmebel]

the triangulating line that appears after using the plugin should become soft+smooth. Then the squares of the SubD work. Now the following is happening:

[fredo6]

@Dave-R said:

Ah ... So the file needs to be saved before using the extension. Makes sense.

No. you can use FredoBend on New models.

The SaveCopy feature is just for saving a copy of the original solid to file (in subfolder FredoBend Saved Containers). This is simply not done if the model is new.

[fredo6]

@AISmebel said:

the triangulating line that appears after using the plugin should become soft+smooth. Then the squares of the SubD work. Now the following is happening:

I am not sure it is possible to identfy and carry over the quad mesh, because of the slicing.

Could you send me a model and a curve so that I see what can be done. Thanks.

[AISmebel]

This post is deleted!

[AISmebel]

@fredo6 I also want to suggest that after using the plug-in, the components do not deform, bend in shape and retain their component properties. This will give more options to the users of your plugin. As an example, I additionally created objects made using the Flowify plugin. It transfers components without distortion, but the components lose their connection to each other, if you can implement this in your plugin, it will be great.
Test.skp - This is the model you asked for

[panixia]

@AISmebel said:

the triangulating line that appears after using the plugin should become soft+smooth

Nope.
It should be soft = true; smooth = true AND cast shadows = false otherwise it will not work.

@AISmebel said:

I also want to suggest that after using the plug-in, the components do not deform, bend in shape and retain their component properties

I agree +20 on this!
I already said that in the original discussion on Trimble forum and I 100% stand on that.
Slicing should be optional. The default behavior should be "deform only", that would make more sense.

[panixia]

@fredo6 said:

I am not sure it is possible to identfy and carry over the quad mesh, because of the slicing.

I guess it's super-difficult when you need to slice (so you are creating new geometry with new vertex-order/face-IDs), but it's actually quite easy when you just need to deform.
The key is that you apply preemptive triangulation (with different properties for planar quads/planar n-gons) at the very beginning of the deforming operation in order to stabilize vertex order, edge properties and UV mapping, then you can safely preserve/restore everything once the deformation is done.

I'm not a programmer, but I managed to formalize the whole algorithm decently enough that Claude can execute that brilliantly (based on the steps that I use to do manually in order to stabilize a mesh for proper Subdivision/Uv-mapping workflow).

I achieved good deformations which are reliably preserving quads, and UV mapping with decent fallback methods for n-gons.
I was planning to share the code with you regardless (for review before publishing it on Sketchucation), I think it could be interesting if you could integrate (and probably improve) it in some of your plugins, this one could be a clear candidate.

[AISmebel]

@panixia said:

Нет.
Должно быть soft = true; smooth = true И cast shadows = false, иначе это не сработает.

I was sure that I was not giving complete information, but I wrote that I knew)) I think Fredo knows exactly what it's about and how it should be. But still, thanks for the correction, maybe this way we will get the desired result faster)

[AISmebel]

@panixia said:

Я планировал поделиться с вами кодом в любом случае (для проверки перед публикацией на Sketchucation), думаю, было бы интересно, если бы вы интегрировали (и, возможно, улучшили) его в некоторые из ваших плагинов, этот может стать подходящим вариантом.

I would like to ask you to share this interesting plugin. I created a lot of interesting things myself with the help of Claude. It's interesting to see what others are doing.

[fredo6]

With FredoBend v1.2b, you can normally keep the quad properties by turning off:

• Slicing
• remove coplanar edge
• soften edges

Here is a video showing the process.

FredoBends - Quads.mp4

Here is the test file. Tell me if this is OK.

test quads 2.skp

[fredo6]

@AISmebel said:

I also want to suggest that after using the plug-in, the components do not deform, bend in shape and retain their component properties

I don't understand what you mean.

The component / group property is kept. If you bend a component. the output is a component. Same for subcomponents.

However, all the content of the container is made unique, because bending is not a transformation but a creation of geometry. This has nothing to do with slicing.

[panixia]

@fredo6 said:

I also want to suggest that after using the plug-in, the components do not deform, bend in shape and retain their component properties

I don't understand what you mean.

Wow, I realize that I didn't understand correctly the proposal, so I retreat my + 20 on this.
Because you basically can't do that in Sketchup (you'd need some sort of modifier system similar to the 3dsMax one to accomplish this).
I understood that he was talking about a non-slicing behavior instead (which would be preferable).

[panixia]

@AISmebel said:

I would like to ask you to share this interesting plugin. I created a lot of interesting things myself with the help of Claude. It's interesting to see what others are doing.

It's currently in the last (I hope so) alpha stage, I'll need to fix a couple of edge cases before it can go beta.

[AISmebel]

@fredo6 said:

Вот тестовый файл. Скажите, пожалуйста, всё ли в порядке.

тестовые квадрокоптеры 2.skp

2.mp4

[AISmebel]

@fredo6 said:

Я не понимаю, что вы имеете в виду.

Свойство компонента/группы сохраняется. Если вы изгибаете компонент, на выходе получается компонент. То же самое относится и к подкомпонентам.

Однако всё содержимое контейнера уникально, поскольку изгибание — это не трансформация, а создание геометрии. Это не имеет ничего общего с разрезанием.

Perhaps I did not state my thought correctly, perhaps I got confused in the terms, or perhaps my translator did not translate it correctly) I want to say the following: when we use a plugin, is it possible not to deform the component so that the component does not lose its connection with its own kind? As an example in the video, I used the Copy Along Curve plugin. He arranged the components in an arc without deforming or making the components unique.

3.mp4