Full Version: MultiPipe2 || SubD based implementation of Rhino's "MultiPipe" Tool for MoI

Show messages: All  1-4  5-15

Hey MO!
Thanks for trying this out and for your feedback :)
I'll what I can do.

Cheers,
Gabriel

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@MO (MO_TE)

Hello again MO,
and thanks a lot for the detailed feedback. All three points made it into MultiPipe2, and they led to a few other additions along the way. Here's what's in the latest version, 1.1.7:

1. Cage output and different radii
- The new Output option has four choices: Pipe frame (the smooth SubD result, as before), Cage curves, Cage surfaces and Cage solid.
- Cage surfaces is the one for your workflow. It gives you the raw low-poly cage as editable surfaces, so you can change it, connect pipes of different radii, and then run ImportSubD yourself, manually or from a script.
- Cage curves skips the SubD import completely, so it's very fast. On a 300-strut frame it takes about a third of a second, compared with about 17 seconds for the full pipe frame.
- Cage solid: the cage joined into one faceted solid per frame. It's closed when Cap is on.
- Different radii are also supported directly now. Each curve takes its radius from its MoI style. If your selection spans several styles, the panel shows one Radius field per style, labelled with the style's name. Joints where different radii meet are built automatically. Limited to a max. of 8 styles, the script will tell you that it can't proceed if you select more.

2. Failed joints
- The panel no longer fills up with coordinates. When joints can't be built, the summary gives one line with the number of failed joints and dropped frames.
- The curves at the failed joints are left selected and everything else is deselected, so you can see them in the viewport right away.
- A failed joint no longer stops the whole run. Only the frames containing it are left out, and every other frame is still built.

3. Back button
- The summary step now has Back, which takes you back to the options with your values still there. You can adjust and rebuild without cancelling and restarting.

Also new since your post:
- Live Preview: while the options are open, the viewport shows the result and updates after every change. On large frames it falls back to cage curves to stay responsive, and it tells you when it does that.
- Pick radius: each Radius field has a Pick button. Move the pointer over the viewport and a guide circle shows the radius on the nearest curve; click to set it.

Previous features left untouched:
- Round joints / All nodes: these options add an extra ring beside tight-angle joints, and optionally at every node. That keeps the joints round instead of pinched, and where the geometry allows, it gives a clean miter point.
- Automatic joint growth at tight angles: the summary tells you how many nodes grew and by how much.

Links
- GitHub repository: scripts-for-moi on GitHub
- Latest release (direct zip): MultiPipe2-1.1.7.zip
- Manual: MultiPipe2 manual

To update, copy the three files over your old ones and restart MoI, since MoI caches command scripts. Thanks again for testing it on a large, tricky scene. That's exactly the kind of feedback that makes the tool better, so please let me know how the new version works for you.
I've mentioned you in the README and the help file :)
There is a little demo video demonstrating all the new features.

Cheers,
Gabriel

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Hi Gabriel, info here on how to disable script file caching:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=6727.2

- Michael

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Hi Michael,
thank you so much, great that it can be done :-)

Gabriel

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Hi Gabriel,

Thanks a lot for all your work. It works great!
The live preview and auto-fallback to cage curves make it way more responsive than before—almost instant.

The "Failed joints" selection works correctly in "Cage Curves," "Cage Surfaces," and "Cage Solid" modes, and it displays the problematic curves perfectly.

"Radius per style" is a very nice and smart feature. The pick button works well in simpler scenes, but in more complex cases, the point picker is a bit confusing when trying to select the correct point. However, I'm using the input field and can work with that. :)

Attached image is a test with 200 curves generated with the "Delaunay" node. I exported the low-poly cage solid into Blender. There were some parts that passed through each other, which I fixed with a smooth modifier; I also made the links and nodes a little puffier with a cloth simulation. It could have been done manually, but Blender made it simpler.

Great job, Gabriel! :)

Thanks

Attachments:
PointPicker.mp4

Image Attachments:
MultiPipe.jpg 

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Good day..how to use the different radius? cant figure it out :/

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Hi MO,
Thanks, happy it helps you :)
Radii picker buttons: agreed, on more complex structures the radius picker can be confusing ( I found out that turning off snapping for that moment helps a bit).

Nice workflow with Blender :)!

Cheers,
Gabriel

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Hey Matadam,

to use mixed radii, you need to assign a different style per curve.
When you select multiple curves, each with a different style, the script will automatically generate up to eight radii fields.

Cheers,
Gabriel

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Not yet tested but can we put other profil than a circle in this script ?

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Hey Frenchy Pilou,
no - not yet ;)

Cheers,
Gabriel

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So wait and see! :)

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Show messages: All  1-4  5-15