Emilio Le Roux
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Posts posted by Emilio Le Roux
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Of course Vern! Thank you very much!
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Thanks for your reply, Martin!
how is this different than using the "CP Group Properties" in A:M to interactively set the bias/magnitudes on a group of CPs? Peaking/smoothing also works on a group of CPs?I wrote SetBias precisely to cover the little things AM can't do (yet?) interactively OR by numbers. More specifically, if you select a spline or anyhow a CP group, you can't set each CPs IN and OUT alpha/gamma angles separately. If you open the CP Group properties, you'll see there are IN and OUT magnitudes but not alphas or gammas. And if you select a group or spline, and drag the IN bias handle, the alpha/gamma will be modified both for IN and OUT symetrically.
More details on this can be read here
As i said before in the forums, SetBias functionality could be easily added to A:M proprieties dialog, which will render SetBias pretty useless but I'll feel glad for that.
(The only exception would be the 'apply to intersecting CPs' which allows to turn a spline into a hard edge without affecting its curvature. But then, I could make a mini-plugin only for that).
Also, have you ever used the "Extrude Along Spline" plug-in that comes with A:M? I know yours does a few extra things. You might want to point out the differences to people.Sweeper is a completely different story. Of course I've used the Extruder plugin, and it was the impossibility to make certain things with it that motivated me to drag into c++ to make my own 'Extruder'. I needed this plug-in badly.
Running the risk to sound horribly pretentious, I wrote this plug-in to be the Extruder as I thought it should have been. I think the code is very different. In fact, it doesn't even use the Extrude procedure from the SDK, but it makes the extruded object from a different approach.
I think it overall explores more of the A:M's "spline/patch" philosophy than the built-in Extruder, and allows to build objects with less Control Points (which is compatible with A:M known advantages over polygons)
I'll try to make a short list of Sweeper/Extruder differences:
1) Sweeper computes a cross section for every CP in the extruding path. Except in rare cases, this makes unnecesary to specify the number of steps or distance between steps, as in Extruder. If you need an extrusion to have 10 steps, it's just as easy as adding 10 control points to a path, gaining control on precisely where each cross-section will be.
2) Based on these per-CP cross-sections, Sweeper can precisely follow sharp corners, preserve path's peaked or smooth CPs. This is not possible with the Extruder no matter how much you raise the number of steps, which also increases patch count. For example, you can't build a square window using Extruder.
3) When 'sweeping' along sharp corners, normally some 'thinning' or convergence seems to occur. Sweeper is able to compute the distortion needed at these corners to keep the extrusion lines 'parallel'. This sounds as a little feature, but it is in fact one of the plug-in greatest powers. Going back to the square window marquee example, the Cross sections at corners need to be stretched and Sweeper does this.
4) Besides these advantages, I've added a few more features to Sweeper. The ability to copy instead of extrude, to orient or not the shape to the path (mostly for use with copy) and the ability to scale and roll, as to make pointy or twisty extruded objects. Note that Marcel Bricman's Zuperextruder plug-in (http://www.kci-group.com/z/zuperextrude.htm) has some of these functions already. Actually, Marcel helped me a lot.
More about the basics under Sweeper can be found in the former project page, called Project Ralshaper, which I built just before starting to code: http://www.moscafilms.com.br/emilio/railshaperstudy.htm
I hope this helps make clear to users why Sweeper is different and what can be done with it.
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To whose interested, I've released a new version of SetBias plugin with some added functionallity.
I owe you the holding webpage with details, but for now you can download the plugin here.
The new dialog is as follows:
Now the plugin has a reset button and can convert the control points to peak or smooth as well as setting their bias values.
But the interesting thing is the new 'APPLY TO' selector. It allows you to select a spline in an object, and convert all the CPs that INTERSECT that spline into peaked points or otherwise modify their biases.
Hard to explain without a pic
The original object is on the left. In the middle object, SetBias was used to set the outer rings as Peaked (in fact, you don't need SetBias to do this). But in the object at right, the SetBias plugin was applied on the outer circles with the 'APPLY TO INTERSECTING POINTS" option active, thus creating an edge along the spline in the 'other' direction.
Without the plugin, we'd have to select each one of the eight crossing splines CPs and setting their mags (or peaking them) manually. I had to do this all the time, so i wrote this feature to help me, and hopefully help you too.
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Once again, awesome work.
say, just for curiosity: are you trying the model with some rigging as you model it, or you're just modeling for now?
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Wow, then you got really close to this pic.
I am very surprised for the fact you never watched Get Smart, the series.
here's a page about Barbara Feldon, although she's older in these pics. The resemblance I found before was more probably because of Mila's retro hairstyle.
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I'm not sure, but it seems to me that the circle you are using as 'shape' is not centered in the model space.
You can use either 'Cross-section points UP or BACK' if you model the shape from top or front respectively, but it should be centered around the center guides of the window. i.e. the default green/'red/blue guides that mark the center.
Also, make sure the other parameters are set as standard (0 roll, 100% scale, orient to path YES and corners YES).
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I made a new interactive tutorial. Unfortunately, the file was getting big and I had to made some palette trade-off.
I'll try to refine it on the future.
Please try the tute here.
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I suggest you use the new Sweeper plug-in from one of the links below
Then you may follow these steps:
1) Create a cross-section named "shape"
2) Create a path, and Sweep the cross section along, using Sweeper with the option= "sweep"
3) optional step: delete your Shape cross section and replace it for any geometry for the appendages you want. This group have to be named "shape" too.
4) Apply Sweep again, this time with the COPY option.
Anyway, if you just want to extrude the cross sections, nothing of this is necessary. You can just select the cross sections in the swept object and extrude them. Or copy/paste and extrude.
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I've already said this model is fantastic!
And now I just STOLE a solution from it!
I noticed you kind of 'rolled' the forearm's cross section splines from the elbow to the hand. I think this was very clever! That's the idea I was missing.
So, when the hand rolls back to a more natural position (which would be with palms pointing to front, for instance) the splines will be straigth.
This is great for decaling the way I'm currently doing, slicing the model in front and back stamps! now I can easily tweak the geometry so the palms are flat in the back view.
Just to mention... the face and haircut you just showed remembers me A LOT that Agent 99 from the old Maxwell Smart series. Remember her? beautiful woman.. only black haired.
Thanks Yves! your work is inspiring.
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Thanks for the advice, Vern!
So far, my site is pretty economic. Thumbnails are few and around 2k each (since they are big in size) and images are around 50-60k. No big backgrounds.
I believe the problem was posting direct image links to the forum. Sometimes I upload some image (which is not on the web page) and then post a topic with an
tag pointing to a link in my domain. After viewing the site access log, it's obvious that this represents the main 'bandwidth leak'.
By the way, my host just gave me more bandwidth!! my site is up and running again.
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Thank you, Vern, not only for holding my plug-ins but for creating this new section that certainly will be very useful!
As for my site, I'll have to wait a couple days for it to go on again. I'll have to be more careful on bandwith usage, too. I've been posting many direct links to pictures on my site lately.
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whoa! that's new to me. I didn't know my server was so weak. It seems the downloads exceeded my server's monthly bandwidth.
Sorry, I don't have a mirror site. I hope this situation will clear up soon. Otherwise I'll have to provide another, well, provider.
Thank you for your patience.
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There's a version for 10.5 users now ! thanks to Aaver.
Download the plug-in here
Sorry, i have post this twice, here and in the main list. I had lost this thread...
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The Sweeper plug-in for A:M 10.5 users is available. Thanks Anders Averö (aaver) for the 10.5 build!
Download the plug-in here
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I am into mechanical modeling now, but the core set of AM tools do not lend themselves towards easy mechanical modeling.
I am sure I will use sweeper too, but when I saw them both my eye and heart jumped to setbias. Personally I think setbias, if it really is only 8 lines of code, should absolutely be PART OF AM! I suggested something similar to this in the fellows group... before you created it that is.
Actually sweeper does a bunch of things that would speed up mechanical modeling as well, plasitic twist ties, plumbing...
I'm sure you will find several means of using sweeper for mechanical modeling, since it was one of the reasons I built it, thinking exactly at that pipeline and other 'metallic' situations. In fact the original code name for the plugin was 'project railshaper'. As for your joints, there are some tricks you can do with the Copy option, turning off the orient to path option or so.
As for SetBias, I agree with you. In fact, if you look into a CP bias properties (not in the manipulator window but in the properties panel) you'll se there are IN and OUT magnitudes already. It should be a snap to add IN and OUT alphas and gammas properties, rendering my plugin useless.
I'll be pleased to delete it from my site when this happens.
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Stoners. Always forgetting the capital letters.
Sorry luckbat... enjoy Life and hash.
jeffbb: the message says "shape group must not be selected"
By the way, It should check up this before calling the dialog. I'll figure out how to fix this.
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To whose interested, I have the unofficial release version. Download it HERE.
A reset button has been added to load default parameters, and now some of the checkboxes are unchecked automatically under certain settings, as to help avoiding unwanted results.
Remember you won't have UNDO for the sweep operation, but you can hit DEL to delete just the resulting geometry and try the plugin again.
I still think your other plugin, setbias, is cooler.
I'm glad you liked any of them. I am also proud of making you so happy with just eight lines of code...
I won't try to understand why you like SetBias so much over Sweep or the Sweeper. The important thing is to enjoy life and hash.
PD: where are you, Vern? it's wednesday!
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oh yeah, I forgot. It's only for windows version, AM v11 (yet. Sorry).
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Hey!
I am making a new implementation of Sweep, called Sweeper.
It does basically the same, plus some more functionality:
1) The sweep operation has been reprogrammed, so It now sweeps objects along any path flawlessly (Path can be in any plane, not just FRONT view anymore). It also can make only COPIes of "shape", allowing to duplicate things in the same per-pathCP basis.
2) It now has a dialog for control and added functions:
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dialog explanation:
Sweep/copy: you can make an extuded object or just duplicate "shape"
Orient to path: When making a Copy, it can be useful to disable this. For example, when your 'shape' group is a tree or block and you want exact copies of this.
Stretch Corners: For correcting sweep object's sharp corner. Should not be used in Copy.
Shape / Cross section: you can choose to model the "shape" from TOP or FRONT view. In some cases (i.e. extruding a rail), a cross section POINTING BACK could be better. Also in other cases, say, copying train wagons along a road, the wagon "shape" should be modeled pointing back.
Roll / Scale: You can apply a roll to make a twisting sweep. You can either apply values in a step fashion, or tell Sweeper how you like your shape at the end. i.e. you can scale to 0% as a FINAL SCALE, so the sweep will be progressively scaled and end in a sharp end.
Just 2 examples:
Here a cross section was swept and then a brick shape was copied on the same path, same parameters (except sweep/copy of course) Note that the middle brick was edited later.
Here a simple circle was swept along 3 paths, with 'Scale= 5% radiobutton: Final Scale.
The plug-in is about ready for release. I'd just like some opinions on the interface, to see if it can be improved in some way. And I also would like to add some automation on it (I would like to turn off STRETCH CORNERS when copying, and gray-out -force on ORIENT TO PATH when sweeping, as to avoid odd results).
The plug-in can be downloaded here:
http://www.moscafilms.com.br/emilioleroux/...sweeperbeta.hxt
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Any chance of an OSX version anytime soon??
Of course I'll free up the source code to anyone capable of compiling an OSX version, or any version other than v11 for windows. Unfortunately I have no means to do that by myself.
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Fantastic, and voluptuous.
I'd really like to see a wireframed render of her! If you are confortable with this of course.
Excellent work.
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It's like an about box tutorial.
Great one!
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Thank you all for the comments and for trying the plug-ins!
Emilio Le Roux
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Valeu a força, bróder!
Emilio
Marcel Bricman aka ZPiDER is back
in (2003-2004)
Posted
Hi Marcel! Welcome back. And thank you again for all your help !