Full Version: Array: Directional, offset, extent = Great

From: Marc (TELLIER) [#1]
27 Jan
To: ALL

I must be quite slow but today I discovered an option called "Offset Extend" in Directional array.

I really like the "live dragging/update" feature.

This made my day!

Marc

Image Attachments:
Array, Directional, offset, extent.gif

From: Frenchy Pilou (PILOU) [#2]
27 Jan
To: ALL

Sure, there are some useful tools inside ;)

From: Michael Gibson [#3]
27 Jan
To: ALL

I'm glad you like it Marc! Yes, those different modes for the directional array were added in v2 back a while ago.

- Michael

From: NightCabbage [#4]
4 Feb
To: ALL

Cool! I never knew what extent did!

Thanks :)

Also, Michael - would it be possible to add the same thing for grid array? :)

(specify the X, Y and Z offsets, and then specify the "extent" after, in the same way as with a dir arrray)

From: Michael Gibson [#5]
4 Feb
To: ALL

Hi NightCabbage,

> Also, Michael - would it be possible to add the same thing for grid array? :)

It's theoretically possible, but the "extent" in that case could be a volume instead of just a single value, so that would be more awkward to add in. You'd have to do a lot more additional picks after specifying that option.

Whenever some option would require a lot of supporting UI or a lot of additional stages in a command, I usually am much more conservative about adding it and will tend to take a while to think about it.

Maybe it would be easier if it was implied that an extent-based grid array was 2D only instead of potentially making copies in 3 directions...

- Michael

From: NightCabbage [#6]
4 Feb
To: ALL

Exactly what I was thinking - make it 2d only :)

From: Michael Gibson [#7]
4 Feb
To: ALL

Hi NightCabbage, I added it to the wishlist here: http://moi3d.com/wiki/Wishlist

- Michael

From: NightCabbage [#8]
4 Feb
To: ALL

Hehe cool :)

From: NightCabbage [#9]
5 Feb
To: ALL

On a similar note, I found a little bug / problem...

I have lots of circles.

I want to offset them inwards.

I select all the circles.

I select Offset.

I can only tell one of them to offset inwards, and the rest offset outwards.

From: Michael Gibson [#10]
5 Feb
To: ALL

Hi NightCabbage, yeah curve offset has not really been fully optimized yet for a large batch operation.

The way it works currently is that the offset direction is determined by the relation of the picked point to each source curve individually.

Probably with your case, when you move the active point inside of one curve, that same point is still to the "outside" of all the other ones (from their own individual viewpoint), giving you that result.

In the future I'll likely be changing this so that it only uses the closest one to determine "inside versus outside" and then applies that state to all the others.

I've added that to the wishlist as well.

- Michael

From: Michael Gibson [#11]
5 Feb
To: ALL

Also one reason why I haven't dealt with that curve offset issue is that it is not very clear how non-closed curves should behave for that kind of "apply same state to all".

Possibly the current behavior where it applies the side detection to each curve individually with respect to the picked point is actually the better behavior for open curves. Otherwise the implicit direction of the curve would have a big effect and it is not very good to need to adjust the curve's starting and ending direction all the time to make things work.

- Michael

From: Michael Gibson [#12]
5 Feb
To: ALL

Also one other issue yet with closed curves offset is should it try to treat closed curves that have other closed curves nested inside of them as a kind of solid region and take an opposite direction for the interior ones as compared to the outside one.

- Michael

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Full Version: Array: Directional, offset, extent = Great

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