Replies to several people below:
@Brian,
> Maybe the MoI Boolean dif command could have a sequential checkbox?
Boolean diff does actually operate in a sequential manner internally, there's a loop and each cutting object is subtracted from the main object one at a time. It can be good sometimes to control the ordering specifically but probably in this case with each object being created in an array so all in that same order in the geometry database I'd think it would probably be the same as if the script did the boolean difference too.
@Burr,
> Is there a way to set "an attachment point" to the bottle?
Not currently, it's only currently designed to work on a fixed radius helix. The variable part that could be used currently is variable pitch where the spacing along the axis direction between each turn is not constant (like a changing "vertical step" in array circular) . You've got a variable radius one there, not variable pitch. It could be possible to make one that would work with variable radius, it just didn't sound like that was needed for what Barry was making, let me know if you need to manufacture one with variable radius.
@Barry,
> I have tried to run the script on a reverse twist helix and it does not seem to work.
Do you need this to be fixed in order to proceed or is the solution you came up with working ok?
> The subtraction from shaft required careful attention as Moi struggled when all bottles
> or groups of bottles where selected so as Brian as suggested it would be good if they
> could be subtracted one by one as they are produced I think this the way the Autodesk
> Feed Screw Generator plugin works.
Internally the regular boolean command already does subtract cutting objects one by one out of the base object, so I don't think there would be any change in doing it one by one in the script. It's just a lot of work doing so many booleans with pieces that are very close to one another, it's going to take some time to calculate. If it's getting a valid result instead of speed that you're worried about you may need to make it a little less dense so there aren't quite so many things barely grazing each other's edges and another possibility is to do a boolean union on all the bottles first before doing the difference. Actually doing the union in a controlled way in the script could have some potential to speed things up if say it unioned each sequential pair together first, then those pairs into quads, etc.. until it was done because that would do more boolean operations on simpler objects. But I think it might take a fair amount of development time to make that happen though.
@Nicolas,
> it's possible or not to generate directly one smooth profile for boolean operation?
> I have TopSolid but not this function, it's seem generate one surface smooth with the profile cutting.
I guess it's possible maybe with a couple months of work or so. It looks like TopSolid is generating profile curves to make cross sections for a loft to make one smooth surface. Unfortunately I just don't have enough time available myself to make such a detailed customized solution like that in MoI.
- Michael
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