Hi Brian, here is a new command to create shapes like that, it's called "ToroidalHelix".

To install it, download the attached ToroidalHelix.zip file, unzip it and copy the 2 files inside of it to the \commands subfolder inside MoI's main installation folder. Then to trigger it you have to set up a keyboard shortcut with the command ToroidalHelix on it.



Radius1 is the radius from the origin to the middle of the torus part, radius2 is the radius of the thickness of the torus.

You can then use this shape as a rail path to create a sweep along it like this:



I hope that might help with what you wanted to make!

- Michael

This last method is maybe the more easy and speedy and more powerful :)
So Brian you have now the choice :)

How this sort of thing will be integrated to the next version?
As native function or as Shortkey of plugin or...

Waking up to see these three methods!
Great stuff and thanks for the thinking.
And Michael, the "plugin" is perfect. Thanks again.
Brian

Just to show all works. A bit rough but perhaps you can envisage some of the potentials.
Thanks again.
Brain

Hi Brian, you're welcome, I'm glad you are having fun with it.

Pilou wrote:
> How this sort of thing will be integrated to the next version?
> As native function or as Shortkey of plugin or...

Hi Pilou, I think as a plug-in just like this... It is not very practical for me to build every single thing as a "native" option, especially adding too many things to the default UI can cause problems.

It works well to put some interesting but less frequently used type things like this as plug-ins instead - that lets you access the functionality if you want it but keeps the default UI more streamlined.

I do want to make it easier to install and use plug-ins, like for instance I want to make it possible to have a menu that shows all installed plug-ins so that you can run one by picking it off a menu instead of needing to set up a shortcut key for it like you currently do.

- Michael

I do want to make it easier to install and use plug-ins, like for instance I want to make it possible to have a menu that shows all installed plug-ins so that you can run one by picking it off a menu instead of needing to set up a shortcut key for it like you currently do.

That would be great please Michael.

Here is a last image which I hope better explains the end uses I had in mind.

Maybe a visual tool box for the plugins by familly like brian show
because when you have hundred of plug, even a menu is a little hard ! :)

Pilou has a point.
I have LightWave (current version), and I do not use it, partly because the mess it is in.
Take away the plugins, millions of which you have no idea of what they actually do, and what is left in LW?

Visual description of plugin "doings" and logical allocation to end use categories seem to be a pretty important aspect to keep in mind.

I still like the concept of keeping the basic workings of MoI simple and, hopefully, all the addons/plugins selection systems will follow that basic logic.

Hi Brian,

Some nice test results there, Well done!!

Here's an interesting result or side affect that I got.
Not sure why this happened, but could prove handy for some Oddball ideas later on?

Created a test Toroidal, then created a Profile & used Sweep.
When I moved over the resulting Sweep, there looked to be a different formed helix contained within it.
Selected this new form, Copy & Paste, then another Sweep using the original Profile.

regards Colin

Colin
Various things happen if the sweep profile is too big relative to the number of turns.

However, there seems to be no concistency/settings/relationships so I just would leave it as an oddball happening--best forgotten?

Sorry about this one!
Just having great fun!

Re: visual plugin toolbox / plugin categories, .... - those are definitely good ideas, but just keep in mind that if I spend several weeks working on a super nice extra-deluxe categorized plugin gallery UI, that is several weeks of work that are not happening on other areas.

That's why probably initially I will shoot for just having something pretty basic in this area that at least gives a text menu, but that should still be a significant step up from needing to make keyboard shortcuts! :)

- Michael

Hi Colin, that's a kind of "Michelin man" type effect there! :)

> When I moved over the resulting Sweep, there looked to be
> a different formed helix contained within it.

Yup, that's correct - what happens there is as the sweep profile travels along a curve, it does a slow rotation about the curve's tangent direction. That rotation is visible in the "seam edge" of the resulting sweep surface.

But that additional rotation is a much longer distributed one, it's like an additional long coil, there isn't any way to cause this particular thing to rotate at a higher frequency to make more coils on it, because the purpose of it is to kind of minimize jarring sudden twists during the sweep.

- Michael

< those are definitely good ideas, but just keep in mind that if I spend several weeks working on a super nice extra-deluxe categorized plugin gallery UI, that is several weeks of work that are not happening on other areas.

Suggestion
So give just the possibility to the user to build his own library of plug ! :)
(background, image, text)

Michael - Having a specialized Toroidal Helix command sounds llike a bit of a temporary solution. As you mentioned, it's not practical to make a helical version of every curve type. So why not have an "Around Curve" option as in Rhino?

Brian - There is a very easy way to control the "tangent spin" on the swept surface. You need to run the sweep using 2 rails. Just make two helices with same # of turns and same starting point, but give them different radius values.

jonah

Hi Michael,

Nice result there.

I do find much interest with the math_functions. If you have time could you post the available math_functions allowed (there is no need for examples or explanations, just correct syntax for input/use)

Example:
You show use of cosine via: "Math.cos" so would that infer a "Math.tan" function, and are there further such as arc_tan / sq_root etc etc.

TIA

- Steve

Hi Pilou,

> Suggestion
> So give just the possibility to the user to build his own library of plug ! :)
> (background, image, text)

If you'd like to write your own UI, that is actually possible right now...

I've attached an example here: PluginGallery.htm - copy that to the \ui subfolder in MoI's main installation folder, and then set up a keyboard shortcut that has this as the command for it:

script:moi.ui.createDialog( 'moi://ui/PluginGallery.htm', 'resizeable' );

Now when you push that key, the PluginGallery.htm page will come up in a dialog box.

It is a page of big buttons, you can click on a button to start the command - currently only the ToroidalHelix one is filled in.

But you can edit the PluginGallery.htm file with as many different images, backgrounds, or text as you like.

- Michael

Hi Jonah,

> So why not have an "Around Curve" option as in Rhino?

I'd like to do that in the future, but I don't currently have enough stuff exposed for scripting to make a script plugin right now that will do that.

On the other hand, there is enough stuff in place to do a quick toroidal helix one.

So that's why I made that one, to solve the immediate problem at hand.

A lot of times I may create these little plug-ins to solve some immediate particular problem...

- Michael

Hi Steve - re: Math functions

That's actually just straight JavaScript code there, so check out any JavaScript programming reference to get the complete list. (in this case look for something like "Math object").

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.w3schools.com/js/js_obj_math.asp
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/b272f386.aspx

- Michael

I will test that :)