Wow - what an awesome addition to MoI!

This will get me a lot closer to the functionality I've been looking for.

Will there be a way to inset and subtract the applied object? That is, wrap text onto a sphere and make it look like it is engraved (recessed) into the sphere?

I see how this could be done as a multi-step manual process after the letters are morphed, but it would be cool to have function that does this.

Basically it would be used as a "Stamping Tool" that would stamp any pattern into an object.

Ed

Hi Anis,

> How if the target surface contains several faces, base on
> your example the target surface in only single face
> ( sphere, tabular... ) ?

The mapping is between a base surface and a target surface - meaning 1 single base surface and 1 single target surface. When you have an object made up of multiple faces there is one separate surface for each face so that means you can target just one face in a situation like that.

It will best be used to target a somewhat broader and larger piece of a multi-surface object. Usually it is best for smooth shaped areas of a model to be made out of one large surface anyway though instead of out of a bunch of little separate faces.

- Michael

Hi Rudl,

> How will it be placed.

It is placed on to the target surface in the same relation that it has to the base plane.

So you can adjust the position of either the object inside of that plane, or increase the size of the plane itself to alter how it ends up being placed on to the target surface.


> Will it be possible to move it on the surface, or can it be scaled.

You would move or scale the base object around inside of its base plane to do stuff like that.


> Perhabs, when the originial will be conserved, moving it to X
> the copy also will move to X and so on.

It will be possible to enable history updates so that you could change the original object and see the result update.

- Michael

Hi Ed,

> Will there be a way to inset and subtract the applied object?
> That is, wrap text onto a sphere and make it look like it is
> engraved (recessed) into the sphere?

Yes, you just use the regular Boolean commands after you've made the transformed object.

Use Boolean difference for example to cut the objects away from the base, or Boolean union to cut off the interior parts and leave the pieces that protrude to the outside.


> I see how this could be done as a multi-step manual process
> after the letters are morphed, but it would be cool to have
> function that does this.

It's just one more step to use the boolean command to get what you need after the transformation.

Adding too many things directly into a single command that can already be handled by a combination of some existing tools tends to make that command get complicated and end up with too many options inside of it.

It just generally helps to keep complexity down when you can use a couple of different commands in combination with one another to get the final result that you need. That helps make each individual command a bit more simple with fewer stages and UI within each one.

It's the same reason why there isn't a Boolean option built into other transform commands like the rotate or move commands, etc...


But maybe that could eventually be a plug-in that had more extensive options for a combined flow + boolean together in one package - a lot of times plug-ins are the best way for me to make a tool that kind of combines several different things together.

- Michael

I can hardly wait!!!!!!

Michael T.

Awesome Michael :)

Looking forward to Version 3 Beta.

Nigel

Hi Michael...

See image below :


Please read my question on those image....

Thank you

Did a google scholar search for (nurbs surface uv mapping), and also for (nurbs composition mapping).
Came across interesting papers, and even a few interesting patents.
(Cannot understand most of it.)

I am looking forward to Flow and MoI3!

Hi Anis - you write that "the 2 faces already join as a single surface" - but no that's not quite accurate. They join together into a "Joined surface" which is an object made up of several faces joined together. But that's not the same thing as an actual "single surface" which means just 1 face. The way the model structure works each face that you see in the model has its own surface underneath it, so if you have more than 1 face that means that you have more than one surface as well.

So no the surface to surface mapping would not work for applying directly to the penguin belly as you have shown there.

But there are a variety of things you can still do - since that area is mostly curved just in one direction probably a curve to curve flow would work for that area rather than a surface to surface one.

Also you could create a single surface across that area by various techniques like projecting some lines onto there and the lofting them.

Also at some point I want to add in a tool that will let you merge 2 surfaces that share a common natural trim edge into one larger surface.

- Michael

Michael, I have to say - that's sick and twisted! ;-)

I mean, "sick and twisted" in a fiendishly clever and diabolical world taking-over kind of way!

...ohhh, the possibilities.

If you wanted to put type on two surfaces at one like that penguin's belly, could one just cut the type on the plane in two representative sections and wrap them on the two respective surfaces?
Is there some measure to control on where things line up and are positioned once processed?

Anis, Really like the penguin! Some subtle stuff going on with the shape of the body and was wondering how you created it. Care to put together a tutorial?

Hi Mike,

> If you wanted to put type on two surfaces at one like
> that penguin's belly, could one just cut the type on
> the plane in two representative sections and wrap them
> on the two respective surfaces?

Yeah that would probably work.


> Is there some measure to control on where things line up
> and are positioned once processed?

It's controlled by the position of the object inside of the base plane.

For example - position the object so that it touches the edge of the base plane, then the morphed result will touch the edge of the target surface after it is processed.

Position the object in the center of the base plane, and it would go in the center of the target surface, etc...

- Michael

Very good! :-)

Hi Micheal, flow looks awesome!

It's great to see you're back to work on the functions.
Some cool modeling time on the forecast!

Marc

Oh, the anticipation :D

The Flow command keeps getting better and better lol

I am anticipating the introduction of the flow command to be followed by a multitude of requests to control "How it flows and morphs!!" :o

Hi Burr, well the base and target surfaces are what controls it.

It's kind of like texture mapping - objects are mapped from the UV space of the base surface into the UV space of the target surface.

If the target surface has areas where the UV space is compressed or expanded then the shapes will compress or expand in those areas as well.

If you need to have a whole lot of control over it, it may be that you would want to more directly model the output shape rather than using the Flow tool to morph it. But if your target surface is pretty well behaved (like if it doesn't pinch or expand irregularly) then the Flow command should be pretty convenient to use.

- Michael

I'll wonder about "Make a texture map in poly modeler, then use ZSurf to make a NURBS surface of it, then map the ZSurf surface to object.... Whalla!!! Texture mapping in MoI!!! lol

A visit to the aquarium today confirms it.... MoI on the brain!!!!



It's close.... Very close.......:o

(Note the scientific name.... Could it be any more ironic???)

Hi Burr, that process could actually work!

But you could also generate some insanely complex surfaces from it that may bog things down too much.

The surface that ZSurf generates is already pretty heavy itself - if you then try to morph a really pretty heavy surface onto something else, the morphed surface will generally get more complex yet as it will be trying to reconstruct the surface and fitting it to the deformation.

- Michael