Hi Karsten,

thanks anyway and, if you want, take a look at my "Circles" and "GetBBoxes" nodes
that i posted some minutes ago.

Ciao!

Marco.

P.S.

How funny can be playing with nodes !!

Here's my other 3 nodes that follow the same rules of my "Circles" and "GetBBoxes" :

// Cones
function Cones()
{
	this.addInput("Center","pointarray");
	this.addInput("Radius","number");
	this.addInput("Height","number");
	this.addInput("Elements","number");
	this.addInput("Step","number");	
	this.addOutput("Out","objectlist");
	this.properties = { radius:1, height:1, elements:1, step:1 };
}

Cones.title = "Cones";
Cones.desc = "Cones";

Cones.prototype.onExecute = function()
{
	var output = moi.geometryDatabase.createObjectList();
	var centers = this.getInputData(0, new pointArray());
	this.properties.radius = this.getInputData(1, this.properties.radius);
	this.properties.height = this.getInputData(2, this.properties.height);
	var len = centers.getLength();
	this.properties.elements = this.getInputData(3, this.properties.elements);
	if ((this.properties.elements <= 0) || (this.properties.elements > len)) this.properties.elements = len;
	this.properties.step = this.getInputData(4, this.properties.step);
	if (this.properties.step <= 0) this.properties.step = 1;
	if (this.properties.step > len) this.properties.step = len;
	
	for (i = 0; i < len && i < this.properties.elements; i += this.properties.step) {
		var frame = centers.getFrame(i);
		var cone = factory('cone', true, frame, null, this.properties.radius, frame.evaluate(0,0,this.properties.height));
		output.addObject(cone.item(0));
	}
	
	this.setOutputData(0, output);
	
}

LiteGraph.registerNodeType("Solids/Cones", Cones);

// Cylinders
function Cylinders()
{
	this.addInput("Center","pointarray");
	this.addInput("Radius","number");
	this.addInput("Height","number");
	this.addInput("Elements","number");
	this.addInput("Step","number");	
	this.addOutput("Out","objectlist");
	this.properties = { radius:1, height:1, elements:1, step:1 };
}

Cylinders.title = "Cylinders";
Cylinders.desc = "Cylinders";

Cylinders.prototype.onExecute = function()
{
	var output = moi.geometryDatabase.createObjectList();
	var centers = this.getInputData(0, new pointArray());
	this.properties.radius = this.getInputData(1, this.properties.radius);
	this.properties.height = this.getInputData(2, this.properties.height);
	var len = centers.getLength();
	this.properties.elements = this.getInputData(3, this.properties.elements);
	if ((this.properties.elements <= 0) || (this.properties.elements > len)) this.properties.elements = len;
	this.properties.step = this.getInputData(4, this.properties.step);
	if (this.properties.step <= 0) this.properties.step = 1;
	if (this.properties.step > len) this.properties.step = len;
	
	for (i = 0; i < len && i < this.properties.elements; i += this.properties.step) {
		var frame = centers.getFrame(i);
		var cylF = moi.command.createFactory( 'cylinder' );
		cylF.setInput(0, true);
		cylF.setInput(1, frame);
		cylF.setInput(3, this.properties.radius);
		cylF.setInput(4, frame.evaluate(0,0,this.properties.height));
		var cyl = cylF.calculate();	
		output.addObject(cyl.item(0));
		cylF.cancel();
	}
	
	this.setOutputData(0, output);	
}

LiteGraph.registerNodeType("Solids/Cylinders", Cylinders);

// Spheres
function Spheres()
{
//	this.size = [60,20];
	this.addInput("Center","pointarray");
	this.addInput("Radius","number");
	this.addInput("Elements","number");
	this.addInput("Step","number");		
	this.addOutput("Out","objectlist");
	this.properties = { radius:1, height:1, elements:1, step:1 };
	
}

Spheres.title = "Spheres";
Spheres.desc = "Spheres";

Spheres.prototype.onExecute = function()
{
	var output = moi.geometryDatabase.createObjectList();
	var centers = this.getInputData(0, new pointArray());
	this.properties.radius = this.getInputData(1, this.properties.radius);
	var len = centers.getLength();
	this.properties.elements = this.getInputData(2, this.properties.elements);
	if ((this.properties.elements <= 0) || (this.properties.elements > len)) this.properties.elements = len;
	this.properties.step = this.getInputData(3, this.properties.step);
	if (this.properties.step <= 0) this.properties.step = 1;
	if (this.properties.step > len) this.properties.step = len;
	
	for (i = 0; i < len && i < this.properties.elements; i += this.properties.step) {
		var frame = centers.getFrame(i);
		var sphF = moi.command.createFactory( 'sphere' );
		sphF.setInput(0, true);
		sphF.setInput(1, frame);
		sphF.setInput(3, this.properties.radius);
		var sph = sphF.calculate();	
		output.addObject(sph.item(0));
		sphF.cancel();
	}
	
	this.setOutputData(0, output);
	
}

LiteGraph.registerNodeType("Solids/Spheres", Spheres);

Hello Mauro,

Thanks for sharing ideas and nodes.
I like the idea more and more. Maybe it is also possible to use the mystic 7th value in the pointarry structure "scale" (radius * scale)?. I will definitively play with your nodes at the weekend :-)
Maybe you can make a Gif or some pictures, to give an impression of the functinallity!

Many thanks
Karsten

""":V.0.4"""""

There's my problem. I wasn't looking for old stuff to work with the newer builds, i mistakenly thought of the "sample" node as a base for being sure builds work on a given system.

Hi Karsten,

Thank you for your reply.

Only for info....my name's Marco, not Mauro.

Regarding my last nodes (Circles, GetBBoxes, Cones, Cylinders and Spheres), almost totally based on Max's original nodes,
i'll try to find time to publish some screen cap.
Meantime you could use the .node file that i posted in http://moi3d.com/forum/messages.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7713.310.

N.B. : All the nodes needs latest version of Max's node editor (0.65b).

In my garbage time i'm working on others ideas and little refinement for this fantastic plugin, that Max gave us.

1) Making nodes : Rectangles, Polygons, Stars

2) Creating a node that could do this thing :
a) Accept a Pointarray as input
b) Provide some criteria to define a sort of slicing rules to apply to the array.
c) Return a the resulting Pointarray or an "array of Pointarray"

For example, given a point array of 100 elements, define a criteria (using a math formula ?) to slice the original array
into 5 little arrays, each of which containing only certain elements of the original array.

3) Try to do a little refinement of the NodeEditor's UI, like illustraded in the attached pictures.


What do you think about these ideas ?

I also hope that Max will appreciate.

Ciao!

Marco.

Hello Marco,

>>>>> Only for info....my name's Marco, not Mauro.
sorry for that! I know it :-)

I have made a quick test of your nodes and I like them :-) I hope that Max will integrate it. One thing I would prefer, is to collect new nodes first in a separate JS-File, so e.g. curvesMKDM.js with a separate Menu, so everybody can set apart the nodes from Maxs core development. And you can register them for tests very simple in the index.htm.
Updates and a discussion about is in my opinion also easier.
Anyway, the idea is good and we have some new nodes for playing:-)

Have a nice weekend
Karsten

Hello Karsten,

Here's my new node : PatternSelectArray

It's an idea based on the Max's script PatternSelection.
(http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=6518.11)

// PatternSelectArray
function PatternSelArray()
{
	this.addInput("In","pointarray");
	this.addOutput("Out","pointarray");
	this.addOutput("Elems","number");
	
	this.properties = { pattern:"+-", elems:0 };
}

PatternSelArray.title = "PatternSelArray";
PatternSelArray.desc = "PatternSelArray";

PatternSelArray.prototype.onExecute = function()
{
	var output = new pointArray();
	var source = this.getInputData(0, new pointArray());
	if (this.properties.pattern == '') this.properties.pattern = "+-";
	var len = source.getLength();
	
	var cn = 0;
	for (i = 0; i < len ; i++) {
		if ( this.properties.pattern[cn] === '1' || this.properties.pattern[cn] === '+') {
					
			var source_elem = source.getElement(i);
			
			output.push(source_elem.pt.x,
				source_elem.pt.y,
				source_elem.pt.z,
				source_elem.AngleX,
				source_elem.AngleY,
				source_elem.AngleZ,
				source_elem.Size);
		}
		cn = (cn < this.properties.pattern.length-1) ? cn+1 : 0;
	}
	
	this.properties.elems = output.getLength();
	
	this.setOutputData(0, output);
	this.setOutputData(1, output.getLength());
}

LiteGraph.registerNodeType("Arrays/PatternSelArray", PatternSelArray);

In order to use it, it's necessary to add this function definition to the "pointArray" section of the file litegraph.js

pointArray.prototype.getElement = function(n)
{
	var shift = n*this.recordLength;
	
	var element = {"pt":this.getPoint(n),
		"AngleX":this.data[shift+3],
		"AngleY":this.data[shift+4],
		"AngleZ":this.data[shift+5],
		"Size":this.data[shift+6]};
		
	return element;
}

I hope it can be useful.

Ciao!

Marco.

Hi James,

>I wonder though whether it would be simpler to just add these to
>the CloneToArray node rather than to each of the curve/solid nodes,
>to achieve the same effect?

It could be a very good idea, but i don't know if the results would be the same.

That is, CloneToArray can generates Points, whilemy intention was to maintain the output as plain Pointarray.

But i'm sure that all this things could be intermixed.

I will make some test.

Anyway, thanks for your interesting suggestion.

Regards.

Marco.

Hello Marco,

I don't have tested the pattern manipulation at the moment, but it's another very interesting idea. I'm not a "pattern man", but I can't avoid some ideas to the stuff (damn, I really wanted to do something different ;-): Is it possible to make a random option? Would it then be possible to create sinter materials, porous materials like cheese, particles ... with some clicks? Or is it possible to split in two,three, ... streams of pointarrays (random or structured) to create mosaics???

Anyway, let the ideas flow and share them:-)
Many thanks
Karsten

@Marco,
in my opinion, the idea with the node overview panel can help a lot in the future, but think about scrollbars:-) Max should have a look!

Hi Marco,
thank you for nodes.

In fact I already writing SplitArray node, which can split point arrays according a pattern or a logical expression.
Also I have plans to use series everywhere instead of number type. Therefore I'll rewrite all basic nodes such as circle, sphere, cone etc.

Hi James,

Thanks a lot for your appreciations...

At the moment i'm thinking about many ideas regarding the possibility to integrate all pointArray nodes,
with a unified logic in order to better manages series, patterns, and the order in witch those points are picked and passed to output.

But i must admint that it's not so easy, 'cause i'm not quite familiar with math formulas :)

But, some minutes ago, i've just read that Max is working on all these ideas....

So while waiting its solutions, i keep on working on my personal tests.

Have a nice day!

P.S. Where's the Sweep node that you used in your test ? Could you share it ?

Marco.

Hi Max,

Thanks for everything, i'm pleased that you appreciated my attempts to create new logic for array nodes.

At the moment i'm thinking about many ideas regarding the possibility to integrate all pointArray nodes,
with a unified logic in order to better manages series and patterns.

I'm also thinking about a unified method to specify how is the order in witch the points of the array, could be picked up.
just in order to create a less random and not predictable outputs.
This is hard to achieve i think...

But i must admit that it's not so easy, 'cause i'm not quite familiar with math formulas :)

Anyway, i was happy to read that you are already working on all these ideas!

So while waiting your solutions, i keep on working on my personal tests.

P.S.
Karsten wrote :
>>in my opinion, the idea with the node overview panel can help a lot in the future, but think about scrollbars:-) Max should have a look!

I hope hat you share this idea.

Have a nice day!

Marco.

Hi Karsten,

Thanks a lot for your appreciations and suggestions!

And keep on working together on sharing new ideas.

Have a nice day!

Marco.

Hi Marco

Sweep node was one contributed by Karsten.
I can't find the original thread
but please find all attached

-James

Hello Marco,

if you want to use sweep it is also useful to evaluate the startFrame of the railcurve for profile placement. You will find a node for that in infonodes. To get it run you have to replace the pushFrame function in litegraph.js with the posted in this thread. What I am think about at the moment is to put such meta informations like startframes of curves, boundingboxes, curve length, mass, ... in a functions container. Max has already made a addOutput-function. I think it would be better to put such functions as additional outputs to nodes, than create separate nodes for it. Unfortunateli are my programming skill are very limited and I can't find a node with an addOutput as a template to study. Maybe Max have one?
A nice weekend to all
Karsten

Hi James,

Thanks for your prompt reply!

Ciao!

Marco.

Hi Karsten,

Thanks for your reply and your suggestions.

As soon as possible i'll take a better look at those functions and nodes.

Nice day,

Marco.

Hi Karsten,
looking at your motor node using the boolean function to indicate a clash of objects gave me an idea.
Is it possible to automatically space an array by using the boolean function.
At the moment I have a AutoArray based on the object bounding box plus gap and orientation
that will automatically fill a given square or rectangle area.
The only problem with this is I have to manually adjust the gap for objects that can
overlap the bounding box.
Ideally I would like to set a minimum gap between objects to maximise the fill.
The way I see it working is to Offset the object by half the gap required.
Space the array centres based on the offset object bounding box .
If boolean of offset object = true ok finish
else reduce centres by given step till boolean true.
So the question is how do I get a true or false from the boolean to use and how to keep
looping reducing the centre distance till true.
Any idea's ?

Cheers
Barry.