Can someone perhaps give me an example for what the command really does?

http://moi3d.com/2.0/docs/moi_command_reference10.htm#merge

I read the part and played around with it, but still haven't grasped it.

This will works only if

"The edges must be tangent where they touch each other in order to be merged together into a single edge".

If you move the curve C2 from B to the curve C1 on A, you can "merge" the 2 curves! ;)

Edit : in fact that is false because these curves are not part of volume or surface, so the merge function will not work!
Use Join and rebuild !

Hi Strube, there are various different circumstances it's possible for edges to end up getting cut up into small segments. Sometimes that can be annoying because it then leaves evidence of that segmentation in some construction techniques.

The merge command will merge together 2 smaller segmented edges into a longer single edge. In order to be merged the edges must be smooth to one another and only have 2 edges meeting at a common endpoint.

I've attached an example file, try doing a fillet on the top edge of the cylinder in the attached file, then do a merge on it and compare that.

To do the merge you can either select just the edges you want to merge, or you can select the whole object and it will try to merge all edges it can find.

- Michael

Your example worked, but here merge works if I try to merge a face's edges. In my example I cannot merge the edges on the left, but the ones on the right side. Is that standard behaviour?!

Hi Strube, yes that's normal for how the command currently works, it currently only handles edges.

The objects you have on the left are not edges, they're curves. In MoI the term "Edge" refers to edges of surfaces and solids. Edges also have a curve that belong to them, but they're also attached to a surface (either one surface or as a joined spot between 2 surfaces) and define the trimming boundary of the surface.

The ones that you have on the left are just plain curves or sometimes I refer to them as "standalone curves" to distinguish them from "edge curves".

For many things either standalone curves or edge curves can be used interchangably, like you can extrude either of those.

But if a command specifically targets "edges" then that means edge curves and not standalone curves.


In the future I want to make it easier to merge together standalone curves as well, I still have some hope to possibly incorporate that as an option of some type in the Join command, rather than relying on a separate command for it.


Right now to merge together your curves on your left side you would use Join and then do a Rebuild.

- Michael

Ah damned so my exemple above is false!
I have not tested it! :)

Thank you, Michael. Like Pilou I use Sketchup, too, and I was simply confused. The term "edge" is used in a different way there. A simple standalone straight line is an edge there, too.

> I still have some hope to possibly incorporate that as an option of some type in the Join command

In Sketchup everybody uses a plugin called "weld". Maybe there could simply be a "weld to join inseparable" option for the join command?

Hi Strube,

> Maybe there could simply be a "weld to join inseparable" option for the join command?

Yeah that's one possibility. One difficulty is that currently the Join command doesn't have any options in it at all, it just does its job and exits. So that's a pretty significant change in its workflow to make it wait to have options.

- Michael

> So that's a pretty significant change in its workflow to make it wait to have options.

That's true. Another possibility I simply have to suggest is

Left click = Join
Right click = Separate
Left click + Ctrl = Weld

Even a command button less, giving some space for the rebuild and reconstruct button. :-)

Hi Strube,

> That's true. Another possibility I simply have to suggest is
>
> Left click = Join
> Right click = Separate
> Left click + Ctrl = Weld
>
> Even a command button less, giving some space for the rebuild and reconstruct button. :-)


The issue with that is that then the Separate and Weld functions become fairly hidden away and a lot of people will not end up knowing about them at all...

For some kinds of things it's not so bad for things to be semi hidden and just as you become more advanced and learn more things you find out about them. But separate might be just a bit too important to do that with, it's needed frequently in surface modeling.

- Michael

> The issue with that is that then the Separate and Weld functions become fairly hidden away
> and a lot of people will not end up knowing about them at all...

That's true, too. Although personally I think at the end of the day I am one of "a lot of people" and I still found Rebuild and Reconstruct.