Hello,

Wonderful software, it has great potential! I'm trying it out modeling a fairly simple wheel hub, and I can't get the curve shown in the image to fillet.

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/2723/filletup6.jpg

The model is attached

Thanks for sending that in, the geometry library that I'm using seems to have some problem with calculating the fillet in this case. I'm going to have to collect this up and send it over to them when I get a batch of examples.

In the meantime as a workaround you can duplicate those edge curves there (select them, then copy/paste), then do a curve fillet and then revolve the curve fillet into the fillet surface you're looking for, then trim that into place. Let me know if you want details on how to do this.

- Michael

Thank you, I'm afraid I'm lost right after you said "curve fillet" :) Do you mean I construct a "fillet" out of a curve, snapped to the extracted curve? In that case I understand the rest.

I'm pretty familiar with poly modeling, but nurbs not so much, yet with Moi I made this in about 20 minutes, with no manual :)

Is it possible already to make array copies, or is that a planned feature?

Yeah, sorry the terminology can be a problem.

The object that you originally wanted to fillet I would have called an "Edge" curve, emphasis on the edge. This is a curve that is a part of the trimming boundary of a surface, it is associated with the surface.

If I just say "Curve" by itself (not edge), then I'm talking about a curve that is not a part of a surface at all, like a line or a circle. Sometimes I might call this a "Standalone curve".

You can fillet two standalone curves with each other similar to the way that you can fillet the edge of a solid, it will put an arc segment between them. Once you have constructed that arc curve segment, you would be able to revolve it which would create the fillet surface that you wanted in this case (that should have been made by the fillet command if it was working properly on that edge).

Here's another quick example of curve filleting just try and clarify it - draw two lines that cross each other like an X. Then pick the two lines, and hit the fillet button. The two lines will be trimmed back and an arc of the specified radius (either typed in, or the distance between the 2 points you pick with the mouse) will be in between them, tangent to each line. This works on any 2 curves though, not just lines.

Does that make sense?

The way filleting works is if you pick 2 curves, filleting will generate the fillet arc curve between the curves.

If you pick a solid, all the edges of the solid will fillet.

If you pick edges of a solid, just those edges will fillet.

If you pick any faces of a solid (meaning any of the surfaces that make up the solid), all the edges that border that face will fillet. This can often times be a quicker way to fillet a bunch of edges rather than selecting them all edge by edge.

There's also one other variant - if you pick 2 individual surfaces (that are not joined to any other surface), you will get a surface/surface fillet which is a slightly different operation than the joined edge fillet. There may be some cases where the surface/surface fillet will succeed where an edge fillet would fail, but not in this particular case.

> I made this in about 20 minutes, with no manual :)

Cool!


> Is it possible already to make array copies, or is that a planned feature?

It's not possible yet, but it is planned. It probably won't be too terribly long before getting this, maybe within a few weeks or so...

If anything I've said here still doesn't make sense, don't hesitate to ask for more clarification.

- Michael

Ta daaa :)



Some observations/opinions so far:

The fillet curves didn't work at first because I didn't realize the first curves (belonging to the object) where still selected, after I copy-pasted. Usually when you copy-paste an object, the original object becomes deselected, it works like this in every modeling program I know. But with Moi working differently (multi select is on by default) it's something to get used to. I think many users that don't use a tablet (and perhaps even those who do) will find it difficult at first. Perhaps a future option of normal Shift select for mouse users would be good.

A small notice of what/how many objects are currently selected.

Doubleclick on the Reset button in viewport could reset all viewports.

I noticed when selecting faces of an already selected object, it's very difficult to see the tone change between yellow and slightly darker yellow. I think this will get difficult with more complex objects. Ability to customize the colors would be useful.

The panel Construct/Transform. I find myself often needing to switch between the two. A separation of these two panels would improve workflow. I imagine you will have to add other panels in the future, in that case the Construct can share a panel with other tools used less often and the same for the Transform panel.


The viewports are very smooth and the models are displayed without gaps, antialiased lines, very nice! I looked at Rhino also and it's display seems much rougher and more "chaotic". I know one can set the quality of the display to eliminate gaps but that slows it down.

Also, zero crashes so far :) Now I'm going to try my luck modeling a mouse.....the mousepad should be easy.

Great comments, thanks!

> I didn't realize the first curves (belonging to the object) where still selected <....>

Yup, this is indeed the single biggest workflow problem, having unanticipated selection remaining from a previous operation. I've been kind of surprised that more people haven't complained about it yet.

You really have to be aware of your selection and click in empty space to clear it often.

But on the other hand, not having to hold down shift a million times every hour is pretty nice too... I have thought before about having an option to do "old-fashioned-style" :) shift for multiple select. I kind of hate to load down too many options for basic behavior, I kind of would rather get the behavior to just work better in its default mechanism, but this one is pretty tough to solve.


> A small notice of what/how many objects are currently selected.

You know the area where the options for the current command are located? Eventually I think that will get populated with a properties editing box that lets you edit some of the properties of the selected object(s). That would be natural to show something about the type and number of selection in there as well. I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to start working on this. I'm not sure that it would really solve the unintended selection problem though.... If you're already thinking enough to look over there, you probably haven't forgotten about your selection...


> Doubleclick on the Reset button in viewport could reset all viewports.

I pretty much have a ban on double-clicks. It would be problematic there because a second click (not actual double-click, just a second regular click after a first regular click) is already used there to switch between zooming to the selected objects or all objects.

But how about a right-click there for that? For a long time I had a ban on right clicks too, but that ban is gradually being lifted, as long as there are non right-click ways to do the stuff.

(I'll follow up a bit more on the rest tomorrow, time to go for now)...

Yes, on second thought that doubleclick to reset all could cause problems. It's easy to doubleclick by mistake with a tablet pen and that would be frustrating if all viewports are reset.

Another suggestion for a really practical feature I use all the time modeling in XSI. It's called Isolate Selection and it lets you temporarily isolate the currently selected objects so they are the only ones shown in the viewports. Often with more complex objects consisting of several parts, some parts get in the way when you want to examine a particular piece. This option lets me do it very quickly, without having to mess with turning on/off a bunch of layers (although layers still have their place ofcourse). When you want to show all objects again, you just select Isolate All (which should really be called Isolate None I guess).

Center view on current selection would also be nice.

I'm having another problem with geometry, boolean this time. Trying to boolean the wheelhub with this cylinder. The result is instead a trim, just the top surface is trimmed, but there are no walls or bottom. I tried doing it in Rhino and it works ok (btw those small fillets for the holes were made in Rhino also, wasn't possible in MoI).



I attached the new model.