>> https://vimeo.com/118113245?width=800&height=480<<

Have not seen this one - good find !

The frog's back is close to being a developable surface, a portion of a cylinder.

- Brian

Aaaaannnnndddddddd.......

Couldn't do it... sorry.

The surface chops up into strips. There is still some double curvature.
Wish I knew how to run Rhino unroll or smash.

Rhino demo, free and functional for 90 days, installed today. It took over my .3dm data type...
No clue how to run Rhino.

I did a little unwrapping in MoI of the curves copied from the strip edges, but am quiting now.

- Brian

I'll delete this file in a day or two.

Hi Tom,

I can tell you from personal experiance there was at least four Jewellers using MoI back in the very early days (V1)
Some of those like myself have continued with MoI but in my own case, I'm no longer using it for jewellery.
Most moved back to Rhino because R4 already had a lot of the dedicated jewellery based Plug-in's.
The "leader" of those jewellery Plug-in's was Matrix which had superior Pave scripts & used a custom version of V-Ray for rendering.

My question for you is are you creating a "real-world" CAD model or just a render with your resultant pave model?

HTH, Colin

Hi,
came across this method and gave it a try.

http://v5.rhino3d.com/m/discussion?id=6377196%3ATopic%3A99631
Equi distanced objects on surface

http://moi3d.com/forum/lmessages.php?webtag=MOI&msg=6602.2
Moi3d method of getting offset curve on surface

Created grid lines on surface using above methods and then
array along curves by distance and align to surface.

Cheers
Barry

Hi, very good to talk to a jewellery designer.
Your question : My task is to create a design concept / rendering which should be realistic enough
to be manufactured as presented in the concept.
As the pave technique has been around a while I am asking myself which method was used to
distribute the gems regularly in the pre-digital era - it is quite challenge !
Regarding the picture posted I would be interested to know more about the technique used as
it differs from the common prongs - do you have any idea ?
The current auto-pave tools within Rhino seem to be very powerful though my question is if
they just fill up the surface randomly or if it is possible to line the gems up in individual
pattern as well.
I am still uncertain which is the best way to solve the challenge within MOI - what would
be your approach ?

Thanks Brian, I did not get entirely which would be your approach ?!

Hi Barry, this looks very promising ! Thank you - I will have a look into
your links right now !

Maybe Scatter by Max Smirnov can make something for you ? ;)
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=6486.1

Barry, two questions :

>>Created grid lines on surface<<
You used Curve> Isocurve I guess
Which comman did you use to offset this extracted Is


>>array along curves by distance and align to surface.<<
"align to surface!> do you mean the ArrayGem script ?

Hi Pilou, good you remembered me, I had downloaded it but did nor have a look yet !

Hi Tom,

My reason for asking related to a problem specific to rendered images with grain set stones like pave.
Matrix had a script which not only layout the stones & beads (aka grains or claws) relevant to the surface but also a "bearing cutter" that was used to boolean out the area to create a "seat" for the stones pavilion.

For "real world" use, this boolean cutter wasn't really required, only a positioning dimple/marker (traditionally a drilled hole) which a skilled Setter would open up with burrs to seat each individual stone & cut up the grains (claws) to hold them.

Those using Matrix for creating realistic renders of designs with pave diamonds found they DIDN'T quite look realistic.
This was caused by the boolean bearing cutter working fine for a "real world" STL model but not for its rendering.
Unlike "real world", the render model needed the bearing cutter to be larger than the stone so the rendered metal didn't interact with how the diamond material worked.
This situation was happening when using V-Ray but think it was also happening for those using Keyshot too.

So bottom line, you had to create two different models, one for render use only & one for STL "real world" use...and don't ever mix them up!!

I did a few models featuring "stone work" but never bothered trying to do a complete pave layout within MoI.
Good Luck

HTH, Colin

Hi Tom,
I did not use iso curves.
I projected a datum line onto the surface and used the vertical edge as the other datum.
Taking dimensions shown on photo I swept circles and used the pipe produced to cut surface.
The cut edge is used to sweep and cut the next edge and so on.
These cut edges are converted to curves by copying to clipboard and pasting back to become the grid.
You can boolean union the cut surface or take a copy before cutting.
I produced grid lines in the 'Y' as a check but this was not needed in this case as array along curve by
distance seemed ok.
Cheers
Barry

Edit: Forgot your 2 question.
No its not the ArrayGem option.
It's the array along curve which as a align to surface button and an option to space by distance.

This is the image. Anyone who may know more about the kind
of stone-setting / prongs / construction used in this objects -
any information is appreciated !

Hi Tom,
Colin's advice is excellent.
Barry's technique is elegant, and the way to do the layout, absent the exotic pave physics,
IMHO.

I was focused on creating a flat surface, for flow method. Your gem surface is not developable, but the horizontal and vertical lines indicate that (near) planar tiling methods or layouts can make good patterns. Tiling theory permits a finite number of uniform layouts of polygons. Hex tiling is among these. (= circle packing). Cell distortions for your surface should be limited, and can be compensated for by the artist. Patches on the frog have separation zones.

Using a spare surface, strips/ curves (edges), can be done by MoI array of a bunch of lines, and trim. MoI often has alternative ways to accomplish a task.
The iso-curves of your surface are "angulated", absent remeshing?

- Brian

ps came across a Java, open source, academic, biology, use of (charting force).

Hi Brian,
not sure if it's of any interest but Freecad as a surface/mesh unwrap tool.
It's in the mesh designer workbench (samples attached of surface taken from Tom's model).
Meshmixer as a unwrap option as well.
I don't think flow is an option in this case though.
Cheers
Barry
Edit:
Split surface prior to flattening file added.

Thank you Barry.
I'll have a look later.

Another possibility, if it works or not, HexaGrid On Surface, from food for Rhino (uses Grasshopper). Circa 2012, so may have issues???
I think all the methods have geometry limitations to compensate for...Cell distortion, fixed gem size...

- Brian

Hi Barry - very thankful for your explanations, that helped a lot !

What do you think about the option tu use "intersectCurve" to generate
the curves instead of cut. copy an paste ?

Did you array the whole group of gem+prongs or each of the elements
individually ?

Hi Tom,
Yes the intersect curve could be used but the tube does not always cut thro both sides.
I arrayed the gem & posts every other grid curve & just the gem in the middle.
The method using the tube cutters maintains the rigid dimensions the gem & post make.
So if there is a large curvature on the surface the centre dimensions are maintained.
See photo.
Hope this helps.
Barry