Full Version: V4 beta Oct-17-2018 available now - SubD to NURBS conversion

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Here are some steps to repeat a bug that I don't remember being in V3.

Open a 3DM file and select some curves.
Click the Export icon and notice that the 'File name:' box isn't filled in with the currently loaded file name.
From the list of files in the folder, choose the currently loaded file name.
Change the 'Save as type:' to DXF and click 'Save'.
A warning 'Confirm Save As' box appears stating "xxxxxxx.3dm already exists. Do you want to replace it?"
If you happen to click 'Yes', then your 3DM file is replaced with just the selected curves.


Martin.

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Hi Pilou,
Could you please explain the process you used to prepare the demo soldier as an obj for MoI SubD? How many polygons did you convert it to, and how?
Thank you!

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<< explain the process

Hello

Very simple ;) (this object .OBJ is start quadrangulated)
Use the plugin integrated inside ZBrush call Decimation Master : so you can take any number of polygons as result.
1/10 is normally sufficient - 50 000 polys seams reasonnable
If you have not ZBrush take any free prog like MeshLab: http://www.meshlab.net
Menu Filters / Remeshing, Simplification & Reconstruction... for Decimation
menu Filters / Polygonal & Quadmesh... for Quadrangulation

I don't remember the exact number i will remake it so be patient 10 minutes! :)

32 544 polys as result : loading in 18 seconds inside MOI 3.0 (on my latop Windows 10 - I7 4 years old)
(I must verify if it's vertices, edges or faces because it just write number during the process inside moi! ;)
Verified : it's 32 544 polys! ;)

I will put here the file decimated !
So you can load it directly inside Moi with _importObj by Max Smirnov for make your own test! ;)
http://moi.maxsm.net/media/files/

http://moiscript.weebly.com/uploads/3/9/3/8/3938813/demosoldier.obj

(points = vertices)

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Bump: Just in case it's been overlooked:)

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Hi Martin, sorry I haven't gotten to that one yet, but now with v4 MoI is using the dialog through Qt which should hopefully behave in a standard way.

I was wondering if that's intended behavior or not. I need to check out what other apps do to see if MoI v3 was not doing it as expected or if it's MoI v4.

- Michael

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The nudge keys are not working. Specifically, the arrow keys and the page up/down keys for moving the selected objects by the grid quantum. When I press the right arrow, for example, I get an alert that says:
SyntaxError: Expected an identifier but found 'Right' instead
line 1
1: >> Nudge Right

I imagine that these functions are implemented with a script, but even so why is this script failing?

Thanks for making v4! FYI, I've got a file with over 5K objects. V3.2 loads it in about 29.5 seconds. V4 loads it in about 3.2 seconds. Wonderful!

Christopher

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This can be used by a trial version ? Seems there is much jaggies for a big size ...

script: /* Print screen to Clipboard */ var prev_background = moi.view.viewportBackgroundColor; moi.view.viewportBackgroundColor = 0x000000; moi.view.lineWidth = 4; moi.grid.display = false; moi.grid.showXYAxes = false; moi.ui.getActiveViewport().renderToClipboard( 2560, 2560 ); moi.view.lineWidth = 1; moi.grid.display = true; moi.grid.showXYAxes = true; moi.view.viewportBackgroundColor = prev_background;

for beta V4
script: /* Print screen to Clipboard */ var prev_background = moi.view.viewportBackgroundColor; moi.view.viewportBackgroundColor = 0xFFFFFF; moi.view.lineWidth = 1; moi.grid.display = false; moi.grid.showXYAxes = false; moi.view.showAxisIcon = false; /*moi.view.meshAngle = 3;*/ moi.ui.getActiveViewport().renderToClipboard( 4000, 2500 ); moi.view.lineWidth = 1; moi.grid.display = true; moi.grid.showXYAxes = true; moi.view.showAxisIcon = true; /*moi.view.meshAngle = 8;*/ moi.view.viewportBackgroundColor = prev_background;

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Hi Christopher, you'd get that kind of error if the Nudge script is not installed. For v3 you must have installed it at some point by copying it into v3's commands folder. You'd need to do the same for v4 to get it to work.

For v4 you can also install commands into a commands sub-folder inside MoI's user data folder, you can find your user data location by using Options > General > Edit .ini file button, a dialog will pop up and tell you where your moi.ini file is located at which will be in your user data folder.

Copy the Nudge.js file from your v3 commands folder into the user data commands folder and v4 will look for it there and you won't have to keep copying it into new versions anymore.

- Michael

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Hi Michael.

I quite like the way MoI V3 handles it as you can look through the list of files, select the name you want and then choose the type of file extension you want to save it as. It allows slow/lazy/forgetful typers like me to have indentical file names with multiple extensions with near zero effort.


Martin.

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Michael, thanks so much for reminding me that I installed a script for this. (Sorry I forgot.) I copied it into the Application Support subfolder as you suggested and I have my nudge keys again. Yay!

You might want to change the code that looks for scripts to have it output something like, "Script ____ can't be found. Install scripts in Application Support." :-)

Christopher

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Hi Christopherm I'm glad you've got it working now. Yes, I have it on my todo list to make a warning message like that. Currently if a script file can't be found it tries to execute that text directly as script code which makes the kind of error message you were seeing.

- Michael

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I have a quick question about v4, I'd like to test it but I'm only using the trial for v3. I see a lot of meshes that have nice quads, if I model something from scratch in Moi does that mean it can export all quad meshes? Or is this kind of export only possible when a polygon mesh is imported in and converted? Sorry, it's a bit of an odd question I guess.

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Hi Foxfire - sorry no MoI does not have any function for exporting all quad meshes. MoI has an exporter that makes N-gon meshes but that's not the same thing as "all quads".

You would generally need to open your exported mesh in a polygon modeling program and use retopology tools there to end up with all quads.

But why are you trying to generate all quads from your MoI model? If you want to render your model it doesn't need to be all quads to do that, you only need all quads if you wanted to apply sub-d smoothing to the mesh but that would be kind of unusual to do to an object created with CAD modeling.

- Michael

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The reason I wanted all quads was to make the mesh work better with Blenders bevel modifier. For some surfaces the Ngon export works fine but curved surfaces tend to be hit or miss, I can clean the mesh up to have it work better but having all quads would be a nice workflow improvement. I know I can bevel in Moi but the flexibility having the bevels as a modifier in Blender is very useful and I find that the edge selection in Moi to be a little tedious (when beveling the whole object isn't wanted) where in Blender it can be almost automatic. This way I could export a triangulated mesh out of Moi as well and use the beveled version from Blender as a high res for baking, at least that's what I was thinking for my workflow.


Would it be possible to implement an all quad export for Moi? It would be a great time saver and the models would be more flexible with other software outside of CAD.

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Hi Foxfire, yes typically in CAD modeling the beveling is done on the CAD model itself and so the polygons that you export are all in the end shape already.

In the future I would like to work on an all quads export for MoI but it will likely be a quite difficult task and take a considerable amount of effort to develop. It needs a much different approach than the current mesh export.

Currently the way you would get all quads would be using retopo tools.

- Michael

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I can heartily recommend ZBrush ZRemesher or 3D-Coat Autopo for automatic quad-retopology of meshes exported from MoI:

https://www.metinseven.nl/blog/Ag4W/3d-coat-vs-zbrush-auto-retopology-comparison

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Tried it out with the corvette tutorial model from cgmasters. Imported both the underlying clean reference surfaces as well as the detailed parts to review at which point it makes sense to convert to nurb. Both come in beautifully!
https://cgmasters.net/training-courses/master-car-creation-in-blender/

It is a little on the heavy side but this should be huge for my team- We have been increasingly using SubD techniques for concept modeling. This will be extremely useful for downstream communication with Engineering teams- even though the surfaces are heavy it is still something that a Mech Engg team member can open and evaluate component clearances general design intent etc:

Image Attachments:
Screenshot 2018-11-18 22.21.23.png  Screenshot 2018-11-18 22.33.12.png  Screenshot 2018-11-18 22.33.21.png  Screenshot 2018-11-18 22.34.04.png  Screenshot 2018-11-18 22.34.28.png  Screenshot 2018-11-18 22.36.54.png  Screenshot 2018-11-19 11.01.52.png  Screenshot 2018-11-19 11.01.59.png 

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Hi parel,

> Tried it out with the corvette tutorial model from cgmasters.

It's looking good! One thing to check - make sure you're exporting the roughest base control cage. You generally don't want to export polygons that have already been subdivided some already because that will make things a lot heavier.

- Michael

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Does this point count look appropriate for the control cage imported?

Image Attachments:
Screenshot 2018-11-19 18.24.21.png  Screenshot 2018-11-19 18.24.50.png 

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Hi parel yeah I guess so, each polygon in the original control cage that is at an extraordinary vertex will end up as a degree 6 Bezier patch meaning it has a grid of 7x7 control points, these are then combined with neighbors.

It could be possible to have an option to do a different style of patch combining where only the patches right around an extraordinary vertex get degree 6 and other areas get degree 3 patches with 4x4 control points. It would be fewer surface control points but also split up into more surfaces with smaller ones around extraordinary vertices.

It's kind of good to have a little lighter control cage, that one is kind of on the dense side.

However, despite the high control point count you should see very good shape quality with the surfaces all matching up very well.

Is it possible for you to send me the model at moi@moi3d.com so I can do a couple tests with it?

Thanks, - Michael

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