On some MoI 3d tutorials, I`ve seen that during line drawing it`s possible to have a live mirror. You change one side and the second side is immediately changed.

How to do that?

The second question is about blocks aka instances. Is it possible to use something like that in MoI? I mean for example when you have 50 similar objects and you have to change them. That blocks would change instantly after changing the source. Is that possible in MoI3d v4?

Mirror Live

Mirror you robject A = you obtain an object B

Change something in Object A
your Object B will be updated

Careful: only generic transformations will be mirrored!
Move, Rotate, Size, Extrude... offset a face of object A will be not updated on object B!

This mirror will be possible till the end of the session!

If the object A is deformed by something else mirrored is broken!

Thanks a lot. What about instances/blocks?

Not yet!

You can maybe make something with the Nodal Elephant system!
But some coding is necessary!

You have VClone by Max Smirnov!

Put an object on a vector(s) : size following this vector size
see this thread
https://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=10204.1



So problem is to give a vector to an object!

You have also Copy to Points
http://kyticka.webzdarma.cz/3d/moi/#CopyToPoints

So with the hidden Function BoundingBoxCenter + CopyToPoints
you can quasi replace your object(s) by another(s) ;)

(PressTab than write BoundingBoxCenter = you must have a point in each selection! )

What about updating source. Will clones follow source changes?

VClone will make only clone an object on some vectors!



I believe that you must make the last solution! (against the VCLone )
That will be more easy!

BoundingBoxCenter of all 50 objects selected (There is a little problem that give only one point! :)
(i must found otherthing) you can yet click one object call the function, click an empty space screen, click one object, right click, click an empty space screen, etc but...
Then CopyToPoints of your new object
(maybe you must get down points depending of the gravity center of the StartBoundingCenter )

Thanks for showing me that.

I use both MoI3d and Rhino. I learn differences between both to get strong sides of both. I`ve found blocks in Rhino and I wondered if MoI has same thing.

Thanks for helping me to know new things in MoI.

Hi Michael
has just made (for me ;)
a BoundingBoxCenterMultiple

So you can make that i said above! :)

In fact no need to move points because the CopyToPoints ask a Base point for the object! :)
and even if you want erase Points!

So here the files : unzip and put them inside the moi commands' folder
Press Tab and write BoundingBoxCenterMultiple or make a ShortCut

BoundingBoxCenterMultiple by Michael Gibson
https://moiscript.weebly.com/uploads/3/9/3/8/3938813/boundingboxcentermultiple.zip

Hi mdesign,

re:
> I`ve found blocks in Rhino and I wondered if MoI has same thing.

Nope, MoI does not have an equivalent to that as of yet.

- Michael

Blocks or grouping would be my most needed feature, because i use moi alot for 2D-Stuff.

Thanks Michael for info.

I use instances also to have live mirror. I create instance and scale it -100% on X axis. Then I have negative mirror of positive source. It gives me live mirroring. No matter what I do on one side I have live version on second side.

Blocks helps also modifying screws for example or boolean cutters (holes for screws). So it`s possible to change every screws in machine with one modification and every screw hole with second modification (boolean cutter edition before cutting holes). So it`s kind of pseudo proceduralism/ parametric operation.

Hi mdesign,

re:
> Blocks helps also modifying screws for example or boolean cutters (holes for screws).
> So it`s possible to change every screws in machine with one modification and every
> screw hole with second modification (boolean cutter edition before cutting holes).
> So it`s kind of pseudo proceduralism/ parametric operation.

Why not use a parametric CAD program for these tasks? They are specifically designed around doing these types of things.

- Michael

Answers are two:
- high cost (FreeCAD is not but surfacing in Freecad is opposite of MoI),
- pure procedural workflow is less creative I think. It`s easier to change something but harder to make many creative iterations of design because design process is slower. Parametric surfacing is also not so fast and not so good (maybe I`m wrong).

I think design in MoI is very fast and that is biggest advantage of MoI in my opinion.

Hi mdesign, you don't have to use the parametric cad for everything, just using it for placement of screws and holes sounds like it would be useful for you.

- Michael

Thanks. I`ve already tried T-Flex parametric CAD as addition for MoI and Rhino and works well (parasolid Solidworks cheaper alternative) but it costs about 2K$. I think I ill buy it someday.

Hello all, Michael,

I am piggybacking on this topic for a related question : How does one completely disable all the functionality similar to the live mirror that is enabled by default ? This has caused me some trip ups when drafting (the main case being : mirroring a line and needing to modify/scale one of the two versions, yet ending up with both being affected by the scale). Therefore I'd like to know how to fully disable this, and making this default for all sessions.

Thanks !

Hi Pior,

If you want to disable that behavior forever on some objects then set up a shortcut key with:

script: moi.geometryDatabase.getSelectedObjects().callMethod( 'deleteHistoryData' );

select the objects that resulted from Mirror, and hit the shortcut key you just set up. You could select everything in the scene to disable all history updating.

If you might want to reenable it though, then select the result objects and go to Edit > History (clock icon) and click on "Disable update". Later you can reenable by clicking "Enable update".

http://moi3d.com/4.0/docs/moi_command_reference4.htm#history

- Peer