Sometimes it's the simple modeling tasks that stump you.

I'm looking for the easiest way to terminate a one-rail sweep made with a circle profile.

Instead of a flat cap, I want a half-sphere like the photo.

The photo is just a simple example of the type of termination I need- I know in this particular case I could revolve the bar and then deform it to make the picture.

But I'm after a quick method to terminate various complex rails swept with a circle. So, instead of a blunt flat cap I want a rounded end.

Ed

Hi ed - one general way to put a roundy end on something like that is to split the end into 2 edges and then use Construct > Blend to put a blend surface between those edges. It will not be an exact sphere but you can adjust it using the Bulge slider option in Blend.

If you want an exact sphere you can draw in a sphere and trim it, or possibly it might be quicker to select the end circle edge, run Construct > Revolve, put in an angle of 180 and uncheck "Cap ends", then draw the revolve axis across the circle, that should produce a half sphere directly out of the revolve command.

- Michael

... split the end into 2 edges and then use Construct > Blend to put a blend surface between those edges.

Thanks Michael. I just tried it and it works very well.

I'd sure like to see this automated with a script :) I know it's a special case, but one I could have used many times when using a circle profile.

Kinda like the special case "Pipe" script, except this one would produce rounded-end bars.

Ed

Hi ed, it could be possible to script it but it will be a little tricky, I might be able to give it a try in a couple of days.

- Michael

Thanks Michael. I think a script would be very useful.

In some cases the blunt cap end on a circular profile sweep doesn't give a nice finished look. And if you do a lot of these, it would be nice to automate it.

Ed

Hi Ed - I was able to cook up a script to automate the "blend end cap" method for you.

The way it works is you should copy the attached file to the \commands sub-folder inside of MoI's main installation folder (or on Mac, right-click the .app and choose "show package contents" and inside there go to drive_c/moi/commands). That will make a new command called BlendCap available, put in a shortcut key with BlendCap for the command name to trigger it.

Before running it, select one closed, unjoined edge curve. Then when you run the command, that edge will get split into 2 pieces at the edge's midpoint, and the 2 resulting pieces will be selected and then blend will launch.

Hope that is what you were thinking of.

- Michael

Thanks Michael. The BlendCap script works well and it's a nice added piece of functionality to save time.

Ed Ferguson

Excellent! French version ;) http://moiscript.weebly.com/blendcap.html

Don't work with a multiple selection ?

Hi Pilou,

> Don't work with a multiple selection ?

Sorry no it doesn't - that's mostly because Blend itself is not set up to work with multiple different blend surfaces at the same time.

- Michael

BlendCap applied twice to a narrow spherical elastica ribbon, then Blend them, delete ribbon, join to solid.

- Brian

A curiousity about the "Blend Cap"

Curiously we can't make Top BlendCap then Bottom BlendCap on the same object "thin wall without caps " !

We are obliged to move it for success!

Does this normal ?

PS Found a trick : Union result of the Top BlenCap then Bottom BlandCap will work! but curious anyway! :)

Humm
I've tested and i can make the both on the same

Hi Pilou, do you have an example 3DM file you can post?

- Michael

Any drawing of a planar closed curve don't work at home for me! :)
V4 last december 21 :) idem for previous V4 october!

Idem for V3

I draw a simple curve closed then extrude it without cap!

Idem for no planar closed curve!

https://moiscript.weebly.com/uploads/3/9/3/8/3938813/curiosity_blencap.3dm

I test it and it's ok.

But you can't do a right-click to do the second blendcap.
You have to call the blendcap.


I see the blendcap cut the closed edge to do 2 edges.

I think Blendcap cut the closed edge then do a blending. Right Michael ?

Philou
test with your file and it's OK for me...

Aaaaaaah yes the Right Click don't works! ( I am fan of the Right Click! )

The normal recall function works!

So maybe that will be improved! :)

Yeah the way it happens to work is it splits the edge and then it runs the Blend command. So if you right-click the system thinks the last run command is Blend and re-runs that instead of re-running BlendCap.

I guess the way to improve this would be to be able to pass in an option for moi.command.execCommand() to tell it not to record that one as the last run command.

- Michael

...out of my competence! :)