Thank you Burr, and Michael.
- Brian

https://github.com/lord/slate

https://community.algolia.com/docsearch/

FWIW, I like using Markdown for manuals because it can be rendered out as HTML and PDF + it's easy to read plainly. So, you end up separating the content from the display which is great as it will make migrating in the future easier.

IMO, the wikis aren't nearly as nice as they're pretty slow, and rarely render acceptable PDF output. Plus, there's always too much added functionality and content on how to use the wiki, and all other sorts of confusing information. Lastly, IMO, their design is just not so nice.

Here's an interesting little Jscript WIKI called MDWIKI which if you put on your server (or I put on my dropbox folder) can automatically convert an existing .md (markdown) file AS IT'S RUN, so you don't have to always do the .md -> HTML conversion each time you edit your .md file.

Check out this site I created using only .md and MDWIKI:
https://altuit.cloud/web/dbpub/markdown/MoiObjLibDontMove/mdwiki.html#!index.md
and here's the markdown:
https://altuit.cloud/web/dbpub/markdown/MoiObjLibDontMove/index.md

and here's another one with a different theme:

https://altuit.cloud/web/dbpub/markdown/LiveCodePublicDontMove/mdwiki.html#!altIconSplashBuilder.md

HTH.

Thank you chippwalters.
So that is what an .md file is.
I've just purchased MarkdownPad2Pro for $14.95, and installed Writage, for MS Word, and Pandoc.
I have not located "good" ms word templates, nor identified what fonts to use, for a "User Manual."
- Brian

Hi Brian,

Please check out http://StackEdit.io
It may be one of the best markdown tools out there. It also can render HTML (different templates) as well as PDF.

Thank you Chippwalters.

Stackedit looks powerful, but the install with yum, bower, npm, gulp, ... is very confusing, as I've never done such before.

- Brian

Hello Friends
another little example to share with you;

Karsten, I have loaded your Node ... congratulations
Just a question...
Can I put them in the Node editor with the original Max's Node
v.085?
Many thanks for your response
best
al

Hi speedy (AL2000),

What a fantastic job!

One further step to Jewelry Design in Moi!

Thanks,

- Marco (mkdm)

Hello Al,
I always try not to touch Max original code, only for some experiments. Nodes are normally additions, to purpose functionallity.
Have a nice day
Karsten

Hi Brian,

Not sure I understand. I just use it in the Chrome browser window. No need to download any app.

Hi Marco,

I tried to install your PatternSelectArray node into new version of node editor without success.
The problem seems to be that there is a conflict with existing function "pointArray.prototype.getElement".
I tried renaming it, but still no luck.

Have you rewritten node for v0.85?

One suggestion I think would be useful is for node input to accept number series (disregarding commas).
In that way for example a random pattern could be generated: range/random/interp/PatternSelectArray.
Also inputs may, in later development, be generated by boolean (True/false) queries with outputs of ones & zeros.
Just a thought!

Thanks,
-James

Hi James,

and thanks for your reply and suggestions. Much appreciated!

Right now, regarding the rewriting of the Array utility nodes that I was writing some time ago,
I decided to wait the next official stable release of Project Elephant.

Best,

- Marco (mkdm)

Hello James,

to run PatternSelArray in V0.85 please replace the following:

source_elem.pt.x,
source_elem.pt.y,
source_elem.pt.z,
source_elem.AngleX,
source_elem.AngleY,
source_elem.AngleZ,
source_elem.Size

With:
source_elem.data[0],
source_elem.data[1],
source_elem.data[2],
source_elem.data[3],
source_elem.data[4],
source_elem.data[5],
source_elem.data[6]

at two places in the file! It seems that Max has changed the internal structure since the Node was created!

Have a nice day
Karsten

Hi Karsten,

Thanks for that, it works!
Now if only we could input array to dynamically generate the pattern.

I recall you stating that you were not a "Pattern Man" [#319]
http://moi3d.com/forum/lmessages.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7713.319

IMHO the manipulation of num & pt arrays (interlacing, flipping shifting etc)
lies at the very heart of parametric design. i.e. pattern.

Anyway, thanks again
- James

Hi Karsten,

Thanks a lot for updating PatternSelArray for V0.85. I hope it works.

Have a nice day,

- Marco (mkdm)

Hi James and good morning to everyone,

> IMHO the manipulation of num & pt arrays (interlacing, flipping shifting etc) lies at the very heart of parametric design. i.e. pattern.

I totally agree with you.

In fact, as I wrote in a post some times ago (http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7713.353),
I was writing a bunch of utility nodes for PointArray datatype :

- "ArrayShuffler" : returns a PointArray, by shuffling the elements inside the input PointArray (RMB -> Update : generate a new random shuffle)
For example, it may be useful to create objects like ball of wool.

- "ArrayFlipper" : returns a PointArray, created by flipping the elements of the input PointArray

And "ArrayBoolean", a very useful node that operates boolean operations on Pointarray. Very powerful.

Unfortunately, because of a distraction, I totally lost all the code of "ArrayBoolean" and other two very interesting nodes I was writing !!!

Only ArrayShuffler and ArrayFlipper were saved.

When Max will release the first 1.0 official version of Project Elephant I will try to write again those nodes.

Best,

- Marco (mkdm)

Hi Marco,

"ArrayBoolean" sounds interesting. What a shame it has been lost.
Hopefully it or something similar will be resurrected in the future.
I'm always excited by your node contributions.

-James

Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot James for your appreciation.

Damn "recycle bin" and "overwrite" !!
I tried also to use some recovery tools but without success...it's been too long....

Anyway, here's just some info in the case of someone wants to write something similar.

I was writing these nodes :

"ArrayDistinct" node :

Input : A PointArray[], a DELTA (a javascript float number) and a PRECISION (a javascript int number) 

Output : a new PointArray[] containing all the "DISTINCT" PointArray elements found in the source PointArray[].

All the PointArray elements of the source, far from each other, NOT MORE THAN DELTA (considering the required PRECISION)
are WELDED into a SINGLE PointArray element, that is, the element currently investigated (simple "For loop" with some flags to mark already processed elements).

"ArrayBoolean" node that did exactly what its name means : Basic boolean operations between two PointArray[] objects.

More in depth, it provided these operations :

1) Array Union : 
Input : Two PointArray[] (named "A" and "B") also with different amount of elements, a DELTA (a javascript float number) and a PRECISION (a javascript int number) 

Output : a new PointArray[] containing all the "DISTINCT" PointArray elements of both arrays.

All the PointArray elements of "A" and "B" far from each other, NOT MORE THAN DELTA (considering the required PRECISION)
are WELDED into a SINGLE PointArray element.

2) Array Difference : 
Input : Two PointArray[] (named "A" and "B") also with different amount of elements, a DELTA (a javascript float number) and a PRECISION (a javascript int number) 

Output : a new PointArray[] containing all the PointArray elements of "A" that are NOT PRESENT in "B".

All the PointArray elements of "A" that are far from each "B" elements, for AT LEAST DELTA (considering the required PRECISION)
are returned into the output PointArray[].

I don't know if I made myself clear..

It's really too bad that "ArrayDistinct" and "ArrayBoolean" node that I was writing were lost because they were at and advanced alpha stage,
and from many tests I did they seemed to be very powerful for interesting elaborations in order to create some "exotic" nurbs objects.

Anyway, I must also say that they have been written with a very coarse businnes logic, and crunching more than some hundreds of PointArray elements,
produced very poor performances.


Have a nice day,

- Marco (mkdm)

Hello Marco, James, wastzzz ...

I thought about randomly place geometry again and was reminded ArrayShuffle made by Marco. So I have updated the file for v0.85. I have made some test as an alternative to the node I have written (randomObj). Two different ways with different advantages:-)

Have a nice day
Karsten

@James: I'm indeed not interested in patterns or more precisely ornaments (my focus is smooth geometry), but it's not possible for me to ignore them and I think not useful also:-)

Hi Karsten

Ornament is a crime :-)

I think there may have been some semantic confusion.
I meant pattern as order not ornament; designation not decoration.

Thanks for updating these nodes, I greatly appreciate it.

-James