Hi Michael,

Thank you for the fast reply! I think I must be missing something obvious. I'm trying to make use of the Network tool in the simplest ways possible:

In the topview, I make a grid of 2*2 rectangles using the Draw Curve -> Rect tool.
Each rectangle is positioned right next to the other, so the edges intersect.
Then I click Network and select all 4 rectangles.
But the function exits without any result or error message.

I try the same with a 3*3 grid.
I click Network and then it says "calculating".
I wait 5 minutes.
It still says "calculating".
Then I abort the function... (My computer isn't that slow)

I try bending some corners of the grid... Same result - it hangs at "calculating".

I try some more bending, so it forms a rough cylinder.
I cap the edges, so the shape has potential as a closed surface.
I click Network... And it hangs (or so it seems...)

I've also tried making "one" rectangle with a grid of 4*4 points, using the Draw Curve -> Polyline tool.
Still, the Network function exits without any result / no surface created...


Maybe I am going about it the wrong way. Cause I am doing it, as I would be doing a simple polygon mesh.


Regards,
Hugo

Hello Michael,

Just curious........I imagine its a big task but when do you think we might see matching for geometry in MoI?

Rgds,

why not see the user documentation? ;)
http://moi3d.com/1.0/docs/moi_command_reference7.htm#network
you must have some curves in differents plan

Hi Hbasm - well a rectangle is a closed curve, made up of 4 segments.

If you want to have a network with closed curves in it, you would need to have it more arranged like this:



where each closed curve is a kind of cross-section of the surface that you want.


To make a flat kind of "literal" grid like you are describing, don't use rectangles, use long single lines, I have attached an example here network_grid.3dm . Note how it forms some square areas, but those squares are the intersections between longer lines that define the full network, don't make a literal small square at a time.

If you did want to make a single square network, that is possible from a square by using Edit/Separate to break it into 4 individual line curves, then those 4 lines could work as input to Network.

Does that make sense?

If not, please post a .3dm model file with some of your attempts and I will give you some more specific screenshots and advice on that exactly.

- Michael

Hi Paul,

> Just curious........I imagine its a big task but when do you think
> we might see matching for geometry in MoI?

I'm not really sure of an exact schedule... I'd like to get it for v2 but there are some pretty major areas like object organization that I want to handle first.

- Michael

Hi Hbasm - another way I might describe it is that each curve in the Network should be like one longitude or latitude line.

When you have a little square curve, it is like a portion of a longitude/latitude line instead of a full line - you need to make curves that are like full long/lat lines instead.

The little square region will be formed by the intersection of the full lines, not something you actually explicitly draw as a little region itself.

- Michael

Thanks Michael, now I understand it, and now the Network tool works for me! :-)

Yes, I did read the documentation before posting as suggested by Frency Pilou. I also searched the MoI forums and tried to google an easy explanation on "Coons Patch" but I just didn't get it, until now... Sorry.

The Network tool seems fairly powerful actually. It gives me some more freedom to sculpt but can I add control points (including new corners) after the surface has been created?

Regards,
Hbasm

Hi Hbasm,

Once you have created the surface from the network then all curves that created the surface will be left and show. If you then select all the origin curves (which are by default left as shown/selected after creation of surface) you can select "show pts" then "add pt", that will allow you to add control points to the various control curves which will then affect the surface.

Thanks Manz, that ... kind of works... I'm a bit confused about the relationship between curve-points and surface-points (why do we need both?) but I'll experiment a little and see where it leads me.

Until next time,
Hbasm

Hi Hbasm,

> I'm a bit confused about the relationship between curve-points
> and surface-points (why do we need both?) but I'll experiment
> a little and see where it leads me.

Well, I mean basically surfaces and curves both have 3D points in them as part of their structure... So it is possible to edit this part of the structure of these objects.

MoI's toolset is more focused on curve editing for now though, for example it has a way to insert or delete points from curves but not surfaces. But you can turn on the points for surfaces and move them around.

If you have drawn profile curves to create a surface by something like Network, it can be more manageable to use the History update mechanism which allows you to edit your curves (including adding or removing points) and then has the surface automatically recalculated using that command again. That lets you control the result by just those profile curves that you picked for running the command, that is usually a smaller amount of things to manage than the full set of points on the resulting surface.

For certain kinds of models it can work well to modify surface points instead, and it is possible to create a surface like a sphere directly and then turn points and modify them without ever using a profile curve at all. For instance lyes used that for creating this gas tank shape here: http://moi3d.com/gallery/viewitem.php?id=50

So that can come in handy for certain kinds of things, but generally it is not a focus for MoI's toolset right now though.

- Michael