Hi xrok1,

> here's an idea for easy implementation. if i preselect a object or a face
> before drawing on it, the shape drawn becomes part of the object and
> resulting faces can then be edited directly as part of the complete object.

That's a good idea, but unfortunately planning out how something works is just one piece of the puzzle - actually making the code for each drawing command accomplish this is quite a bit of work...

It gets harder for things that have an impact on many different commands like this request.

With a quick count of curve drawing commands, it looks like this would involve work on 22 different commands.

It will tend to take me a while before I can get around to some items that take quite a bit of work to accomplish.

- Michael

Thanks for the consideration Michael, i definatly think this type of feature would sell alot of software for you (not to say that it won't sell great now). for now i have played a little to see if i could accomplish this functionality for myself somehow. here's what i've come up with: cube; draw line or other shape on side; boolean union if extrusion is inward and not touching existing edge or extrusion is outward; boolean difference if extrusion is inward and touching existing edge.

this gives me the results i want and is a lot more flexible than SK. now if i reverse my thought process, create in Moi then export to SK via .obj; which by the way Moi does a wonderful job with n-gons; i found my excuse, i'm happy again!

i think this is a problem not with Moi but with the workflow i'm used to. that being said if i could streamline this (draw; trim; extrude; boolean) process with a script or different workflow please let me know. i'd be happy with just being able to preselect a face and when i draw on it it automatically trims.;-)


your happy customer, xrok1

Unfortunately, SketchUp can only import 3ds files, not obj. On the other side is difficult to handle high polygon objects in SU.

Hallo all

The fact is that better cooperation between MOI and SU would be wery demanded. These sofwares are dedicated for similar group of users, both very intuitive using and completing together large possibilities. Both with connection with KERKYTHEA or INDIGO renderers give frofesional outcomes for designers. SU doesn`t import obj so I do it via 3ds.
Easy cooperation MOI and SU would be celebration for me.

Best regards
Olda Jirsa

.3ds doesn't seem to support n-gons, or maybe it does, i can't seem to find that option in Moi. 3ds would be preferable, but i use a ruby script to import .obj to Sketchup.

In my opinion, the reason why MOI is so great and loved by a lot of us is because it is a >NURBS< modeler that's easy to use which allow you to>quickly build shapes and objects<.

What's you're asking of Michael to do now is add in some kind of>polygon editing toolset< which is asking him to add a bunch of additional code that is totally opposite from NURBS modeling (which is what MOI is, a NURBS modeler)

If you'd like to edit your sketchup models, I'd suggest using the inexpensive Silo 3D modeler or Hexagon - these tools (especially Silo) has a similar simple UI and workflow and will allow you to totally do what you need to a polygon model.

-Will

PS - All of us here I'm sure would like to see MOI sell like crazy in a bunch of different markets but again the whole reason why MOI is loved is because unlike polygon modelers, you can create shapes and objects way quicker by using NURBS modeling techniques.

Once you add back in polygons you're working with that "same ole" workflow that MOI originally got us away from!

If you really need NURBS and polygons, then I'd suggest you try Amapi Pro - (or probably better, Hexagon) but you're definitely not going to get that ease of use with the NURBS as with MOI.

< really need NURBS and polygons, then I'd suggest you try Amapi Pro - (or probably better, Hexagon)
I am not sure that hexagon has nurbs inside ;)
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/hexagon/-/feature_list?

don't assume your the only one that knows the differences between nurbs and poly modelers.

it is an inconsistent statement that adding functionality to Moi would somehow deminish it?

I too love Moi thats why i'd like to see a few things that i can do in it now with 4 or 5 steps, be streamlined to 1 or 2. the functionality that i desire has nothing to do with nurbs vs poly is has to do with common sense workflow. i am a solidworks user so i know that this functionality that SK uses (push/pull) is actually more nurbs like than poly like. by the way i have poly modellers, sloppy and inaccurate. i'm a designer not an artist, i have no desire to model monsters.

Hi xrok1,

> .3ds doesn't seem to support n-gons, or maybe it does, i can't seem to find that option in Moi.

Nope, .3ds only supports triangles. It also has several other limitations like no more than 65535 points or polygons in a single mesh object.

So you should only generally use it as a last resort option.

- Michael

thanks, thats what i thought or you would have already implemented the option.

BTW, any chance of a macro recorder in future versions? i think i could accomplish the workflow i desire with a macro.

and where is the documentation for script commands, maybe i could make a keyboard shortcut to accomplish my goals.

Hi xrok1,

> BTW, any chance of a macro recorder in future versions? i think i could
> accomplish the workflow i desire with a macro.

I'd like to do something for this eventually, but it is also not an easy task, it will take quite a while before I will get a chance to work on it.


> and where is the documentation for script commands, maybe i could make
> a keyboard shortcut to accomplish my goals.

There isn't any documentation for scripting yet - for version 1.0 I decided it was more important to create documentation just for the basic use of MoI instead of for scripting it.

It takes quite a bit of time and effort to create documentation, and also to support people doing scripting or programming type work, so this is likely to be another area that I won't really get a chance to focus on for a while yet, sorry!

I know that it is frustrating that MoI doesn't have all these features that you would like. Please keep in mind that MoI is at version 1.0 and some of these things will take some time before they can be implemented.

- Michael

thank again, but i have to say Moi being at a ver.1 level. is miles beyond lots of progs out there at ver.2 ,3.... that i won't even bother with after an hour or so of trying them out; crashes, incomplete (basic) tool set...

Moi even at ver.1 competes well with the best software out there! Keep up the great work.

Hi Frenchy, correct, Hexagon isn't NURBS but it has pretty good 2d sweep capabilities so while it's a polygon modeler, you can create your base shapes using curves in a similar fashion to MOI. (actually Hexagon and Amapi are sorta related code wise - my problem with the software was the company's business practices. Polyloop.com has a lot of that history embedded in the messages there...)

XRok1, I'm not assuming what people do and don't know, except for the fact that they may not know about the two applications I mentioned.

Michael has mentioned several times that MOI isn't focused on poly editing (at least at this point in time) and I offered suggestions, Amapi probably being exactly what being asked for...

I can understand needing accuracy and that's why NURBS works so well for mechanical models.

But if SketchUp is delivering polygons, it's polygons that you'll need to edit. For polygon modeling accuracy, there's always Lightwave and Modo but they're certainly more than $200...

Personally I'm glad that MOI is exclusively a NURBS modeler, I'd like to stay away from polygons as long as possible for my mechanical models... (But I can understand the various desires to be able to do more within MOI.)

-Will

I to am against polys and hope they never creep into Moi, my preference is Solidworks, i just like Sketchups workflow, the fact that it uses polys its probably its biggest flaw. the biggest reason i like to go into Sketchup is for the plugins, specially Indigo. So to clear things up what i was asking for was Sketchup type work-flow not polys.

BTW, I believe Amapi is discontinued, or at very least stalled.

Hence my statement that I didn't like the business practices of the company - the selloffs ($1.99 deals), broken promises (half-working Hex 2), the layoffs etc...

I tried getting into SketchUp (the free version) but I couldn't figure out how to make a wall say 15 feet or make things to a specified sizes / dimensions (perhaps I needed to spend more time with the package?)

Or does only the Pro version have that?

-Will

PS - The one thing I've begged Michael to include within MOI is "realtime curve booleans" such as what LWCAD 2.x has for Lightwave:

http://www.wtools3d.com/swf/tutorials/RTboolean/RTboolean.html

Being able to draw (or import) curves in MOI and then be able to drag them around using a specified boolean mode and have them interact in a similar fashion would be just wonderful for me when constructing my curves before working them into 3D forms...

>>xrok1 wrote : "I to am against polys and hope they never creep into Moi, my preference is Solidworks, i just like Sketchups workflow, the fact that it uses polys its probably its biggest flaw. the biggest reason i like to go into Sketchup is for the plugins, specially Indigo. So to clear things up what i was asking for was Sketchup type work-flow not polys"

I think there is nothing wrong with having a minimal set of poly tools in Moi. For example, if you are going to boolean some very heavily detailed objects together, it should be faster to do with Mesh Booleans than with Nurbs (at least this is normally true in Rhino). If you don't need to run fillets along the intersections, meshes can be very practical. Also Moi should be able to handle some minor inspection and editing of it's own meshed objects, so you don't need to depend on a 3rd program between Moi and your RP, CAM, or whatever. I agree that poly modeling tools would be a waste of time to develop, but having the ability to find and correct problems is a must...


>>xrok1 wrote : "BTW, I believe Amapi is discontinued, or at very least stalled."

Not to mention highly unstable... :)

jonah

< but I couldn't figure out how to make a wall say 15 feet or make things to a specified sizes (in Sketchup)
Depend of Unities
Just Type 10,200 (page right bottom) if you want a rectangle 10m *200 m and press P (for push) and type 2.4 if you want 240 cm hight :)
But you can make the same with the mouse :)

Thanks for the tip, I'll take another gander at SU when I get time. ;-)

-Will

yes SU is very similiar to Moi in that you can type your dimension directly after you start your action, move, draw, extrude... check out the video tuts on-line, very user friendly. you too will start to wish every program worked the same way after useing it for even 15 mins.;-)