Not yet!

You can maybe make something with the Nodal Elephant system!
But some coding is necessary!

You have VClone by Max Smirnov!

Put an object on a vector(s) : size following this vector size
see this thread
https://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=10204.1



So problem is to give a vector to an object!

You have also Copy to Points
http://kyticka.webzdarma.cz/3d/moi/#CopyToPoints

So with the hidden Function BoundingBoxCenter + CopyToPoints
you can quasi replace your object(s) by another(s) ;)

(PressTab than write BoundingBoxCenter = you must have a point in each selection! )

What about updating source. Will clones follow source changes?

VClone will make only clone an object on some vectors!



I believe that you must make the last solution! (against the VCLone )
That will be more easy!

BoundingBoxCenter of all 50 objects selected (There is a little problem that give only one point! :)
(i must found otherthing) you can yet click one object call the function, click an empty space screen, click one object, right click, click an empty space screen, etc but...
Then CopyToPoints of your new object
(maybe you must get down points depending of the gravity center of the StartBoundingCenter )

Thanks for showing me that.

I use both MoI3d and Rhino. I learn differences between both to get strong sides of both. I`ve found blocks in Rhino and I wondered if MoI has same thing.

Thanks for helping me to know new things in MoI.

Hi Michael
has just made (for me ;)
a BoundingBoxCenterMultiple

So you can make that i said above! :)

In fact no need to move points because the CopyToPoints ask a Base point for the object! :)
and even if you want erase Points!

So here the files : unzip and put them inside the moi commands' folder
Press Tab and write BoundingBoxCenterMultiple or make a ShortCut

BoundingBoxCenterMultiple by Michael Gibson
https://moiscript.weebly.com/uploads/3/9/3/8/3938813/boundingboxcentermultiple.zip

Hi mdesign,

re:
> I`ve found blocks in Rhino and I wondered if MoI has same thing.

Nope, MoI does not have an equivalent to that as of yet.

- Michael

Blocks or grouping would be my most needed feature, because i use moi alot for 2D-Stuff.

Thanks Michael for info.

I use instances also to have live mirror. I create instance and scale it -100% on X axis. Then I have negative mirror of positive source. It gives me live mirroring. No matter what I do on one side I have live version on second side.

Blocks helps also modifying screws for example or boolean cutters (holes for screws). So it`s possible to change every screws in machine with one modification and every screw hole with second modification (boolean cutter edition before cutting holes). So it`s kind of pseudo proceduralism/ parametric operation.

Hi mdesign,

re:
> Blocks helps also modifying screws for example or boolean cutters (holes for screws).
> So it`s possible to change every screws in machine with one modification and every
> screw hole with second modification (boolean cutter edition before cutting holes).
> So it`s kind of pseudo proceduralism/ parametric operation.

Why not use a parametric CAD program for these tasks? They are specifically designed around doing these types of things.

- Michael

Answers are two:
- high cost (FreeCAD is not but surfacing in Freecad is opposite of MoI),
- pure procedural workflow is less creative I think. It`s easier to change something but harder to make many creative iterations of design because design process is slower. Parametric surfacing is also not so fast and not so good (maybe I`m wrong).

I think design in MoI is very fast and that is biggest advantage of MoI in my opinion.

Hi mdesign, you don't have to use the parametric cad for everything, just using it for placement of screws and holes sounds like it would be useful for you.

- Michael

Thanks. I`ve already tried T-Flex parametric CAD as addition for MoI and Rhino and works well (parasolid Solidworks cheaper alternative) but it costs about 2K$. I think I ill buy it someday.

Hello all, Michael,

I am piggybacking on this topic for a related question : How does one completely disable all the functionality similar to the live mirror that is enabled by default ? This has caused me some trip ups when drafting (the main case being : mirroring a line and needing to modify/scale one of the two versions, yet ending up with both being affected by the scale). Therefore I'd like to know how to fully disable this, and making this default for all sessions.

Thanks !

Hi Pior,

If you want to disable that behavior forever on some objects then set up a shortcut key with:

script: moi.geometryDatabase.getSelectedObjects().callMethod( 'deleteHistoryData' );

select the objects that resulted from Mirror, and hit the shortcut key you just set up. You could select everything in the scene to disable all history updating.

If you might want to reenable it though, then select the result objects and go to Edit > History (clock icon) and click on "Disable update". Later you can reenable by clicking "Enable update".

http://moi3d.com/4.0/docs/moi_command_reference4.htm#history

- Peer

Hi there PeerP, thanks for chiming in :)

Unfortunately I am looking for something way more definitive, that I would only need to set up once and never ever have to remember in the future.

This is partly for ease of use, but also because I cannot guess in advance which objects/operations have this kind of behavior attached to them. For instance after an Extrude (from a 2d outline object), the 3D object inherits transforms from the source outline - but not the other way around. Who knows how many other "smart" operations there are ...

This is really quite dangerous for any drafting work, and I would like to fully disable this feature once and for all across all work sessions in order to not have to worry about it.

I hope this makes sense !

Hi Pior, there is not currently a way to disable that by default but I will see about adding in an option for that.

- Michael

Hello Michael, thanks for the quick follow-up as always.

As a sort of workaround, what would be the full list of actions that generates this kind of linked behavior between resulting objects ? Mirror, Extrude ... and so on ?

Also, taking the case of a Mirror action for instance : what would be your recommended way of purging the instanced behavior between the two mirrored instances after the fact, while still keeping all currently existing objects ? If this can be done in one click I could certainly develop the habit of performing it each time I know that such an instanced creation action has been performed. And as an extra safety, perhaps having some sort of check to find all instance behaviors in a given scene, so that the user can disable them at will.

Oh and as a future feature/request : it would be really good to have some sort of unmistakable visual signifier indicating that an object is the source of an instance. For instance in the case of an extrude, assigning some kind of special unique color to the source outline as long as it is acting as master, similarly to the Freeze signifier. That way things would be completely unmistakable even if there was no option to turn off the instancing behavior by default.

Thanks !