Hi Pilou,

> We can align a collection of objects but what about
> to space a collection of objects between them?

That kind of function is not quite so common in CAD programs because of the somewhat imprecise definition of the "space" between any kind of objects.

Illustration programs often have a "distribute" function which spaces things just by the distance between the bounding boxes around the objects, is that the kind of thing that you're talking about?

- Michael

Of course some spaces are possible :)
space between center of bounding box, space between bounding box, space offset from a base, ...etc

PS Nothing to see with that
does exist an automatic Mirror and Join when mirror open curve(s) from their extremities?

Hi Pilou,

> space between center of bounding box, space between
> bounding box, space offset from a base, ...etc

Yes, so that's part of the problem that there is not just a single definition of spacing.

What kind of spacing were you asking about for your particular request?


> PS Nothing to see with that does exist an automatic Mirror and
> Join when mirror open curve(s) from their extremities?

Not currently, although if you do a mirror once the mirrored copy will get updated by the history mechanism if you edit the original.

In the future I want to add a kind of "symmetry" function that will allow you to draw a closed symmetrical curve directly with the regular draw tools, but until that time you have to do something like apply the mirror command to a half curve.

- Michael

Space between sides of the bounding box seems the more versatile

Hi Pilou,

> Space between the center of the bounding box seems the more versatile

So you mean something like this would be considered equally spaced:



Because the space between the center of the bounding box of each item would be like this:



Are you sure that would be the kind of result that you'd want? It seems like that would be kind of unusual.

- Michael

ah you are too speedy :)
I had changed my mind during your send :)
<Space between sides of the bounding box seems the more versatile
because we can past side to side if space =0
so no need that follow script :)
"that gives the total lengh of each bounding box of a selection seems that we can all calculate"

Hi Pilou, yes space between the edges of the bounding box would be similar to how many illustration programs do it.

I think that could be a possible tool to add in the future, do you want to add it to the wiki wishlist?

- Michael

The only other thing that's a bit odd with doing this in a 3D modeling program is that there are 3 different possible directions to space things in - spacing between the edges in the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, and the Z axis direction.

Any idea of how you would want to control which of these directions would be used?


Maybe instead of using a fixed direction you should draw a line and the spacing will be done in the direction of that line.

- Michael

< I think that could be a possible tool to add in the future, do you want to add it to the wiki wishlist?
with pleasure :)

done ;)
http://moi3d.com/wiki/Wishlist

< Maybe instead of using a fixed direction you should draw a line and the spacing will be done in the direction of that line.
Yes as the array dir works :)

in fact that is very useful when you have for example many differents profils on the same plan
for make some sweep or loft!
Selection then Space them on the Z axis
Maybe after the existing function alignment for symplify the calculate?

Hi Pilou,

> in fact that is very useful when you have for example
> many differents profils on the same plan
> for make some sweep or loft!

When you're using auto-place mode for sweep, you don't actually need to make the profiles evenly spaced, they just have to be in a general left to right order.

The sweep auto-place mechanism will evenly space each profile along the rail no matter exactly how they are spaced in their flat position.

- Michael

yes but I dont see the profils in their sweep result except start and end

I must make some another functions for they become visible and extract them with their posititons

Hi Pilou, I'm not sure if I understand what you were meaning by this message here though:

http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=4241.12

If you want to have a bunch of evenly spaced identical profiles spaced in the z axis direction, then you can do that right now by using the Transform > Array > Dir function.

A special "Distribute" function would only be useful if you had some variety of different kinds of profiles that you wanted to evenly space instead of the same one.

But the way a distribute function in an illustration program usually works is that it takes some rough arrangement of objects and then moves them to make them evenly spaced. It does not normally modify things from one direction to a different direction, which seems to be what you may be talking about since in your screenshot you show several objects generally organized in the x axis direction I guess but then you're talking about spacing in z ?

- Michael

Say I have plates of some slices of anything
it will be pratical to redraw over them and then call the space function!
for redraw it on the Z axe for make some volumes with loft
Of course the other axes can works for simple spacing

Automatic sweep makes a sort of this but visibily of the slices themselves are hidden

Hi Pilou, so the way a regular "distribute" function would work is that you would first need to roughly arrange those plates to stack them along the z axis direction. Then you could run the distribute function to get them equally spaced.

But the regular kind of distribute function only adjusts objects from their current locations to be exactly spaced, it is not normal for that kind of function to completely re-arrange things like take a 2D flat grid of objects and then transform that to be a single stack in a different direction - that would be a different kind of distribute function.

- Michael

Hi Pilou, also there is a plug-in that I wrote called MoveSliceToPoint which can be used to help with arranging a number of slices to equal spaces, it is here:
http://moi3d.com/forum/messages.php?webtag=MOI&msg=2749.36

That's a different kind of thing than how a "Distribute" function works in a 2D illustration program though.

- Michael

Ah! I have forgotten this very useful one!

Maybe a day a little complet list of all
scripts + a little image will be necessary
because profusion of scripts becomes gorgeous!

In any case a space function will be useful for some tricky cases :)

Ps The beauty of your your plug (moveSliceToPoint)
is that points can have different vertical positions and not a just on a straight line! Even any position in the 3D Space!
So very cool for boats' stations for example ;)

PSS and the more funny!
You can move at any time the profils not used before the next right click !!!
And also select more then one profile in the same time!

Like at the funfair ;)

And the MoveSliceToPoint works also for any Type of objects (curves, surfaces, volumes...) ;)