Hi there
I have seen some parametric paneling tool using nodeeditor. I would like to learn and use it, so I don't have to go through Rhino's Paneling Tools.
So I started DIGGING in these threads. I have seen like 80 pages about this stuff, and you have to admit it's quite messy for someone who wants to start.
I don't understand anything, where is the last version, what is nodebundles, there is no appropriate thread or instruction.
This forum organization is a pain. My head hurts. No offense.
Thanks.

M.

Hi wastzzz.

I totally agree with you.
Although I have already played a lot with Project Elephant, now I'm really doing confusion...

Karsteen, Burrman, AL, James and all the other smart guys of Project Elephant, could you please, if you want,
follow the suggestion that I gave you some days ago ?

That is :

I think that would be a good thing if we put at the end of all our posts with nod files this annotation :

"These nod files requires <node editor version name.zip> downloadable at <url>"

For example : "These nod files requires "nodeeditor_0_85_mod6.zip" downloadable at http://take.ms/RfzWH"

This little extra annotation to our posts will greatly help us to understand and test all of your excellent experiments.

Thanks.

Best,

- Marco (mkdm)

Hello wastzzz,

I'm sorry that I worry some of you, with my experiments. The nodebundles that I've posted are only additional nodes, that I created for experiments, tests and helping to find solutions for different aspects of the nodeeditor developed by Max. The Nodes that Marco and I added, can be distinguished by the naming of the submenues. Max's core is largely untouched. The nodes are proposals for the nodeeditor and for the workflow. Nevertheless I try to make them compatible to following versions - until better solutions are availible - or, the node can be improved to fit to a better workflow. The nodes are not optimized regarding to performance and I'm not a programmer, but I hope someone can use it for studies and realize new ideas. Some days ago Max mentioned that he did not intend to write everything himself.Neither I have a Masterplan, concrete todo list, nor I know what Max would change in the next version. Anyway - I will post a new bundle in the evening - the bundle will include all the stuff I have posted already. It's a snapshot of my current directory and will also include some unfinshed things. Feel free to install it and start working. James and Al have made some very good files that show the workflow.

Have a nice day
Karsten

Hi Max, when you use Paneling Tools in Rhino, do you generate all planar panels with it? I'm not sure that the different parametric panels that you've seen being done with the Elephant node editor have that particular property. For example things done using flow along a curved surface will also have a non-planar curved base to the panel as well, and if you see something with quadrilateral surfaces in it, it doesn't automatically follow that those quads are planar even if they happen to be bounded by 4 straight lines. Just something to be aware of if you require planar paneling in particular.

- Michael

karsten:
thank you very much, it is appreciated.

michael:
I need a planar result - not distorted panels - so I would like to test it on a planar, tessellated joint surface..
That said, I once wrote a script that was automating a series of flow operations and it worked.. but the top notch thing would be having a parametric approach of course.
Now I have somehow to test this node to see if it can produce planar results, god bless me if I manage to test it.



M.

Hi Max,

re:
> I need a planar result - not distorted panels - so I would like to test it on a planar, tessellated joint surface..

So yeah, just be aware that it's pretty likely that the examples you saw were not built with this planarity requirement in mind, you will probably need the special functionality for that in Rhino's paneling tools. But maybe you'll find something of interest in experimenting.

- Michael

Hello wastzzz,

I've posted my last snapshot here http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7777.200. and wrote some lines to getting started. I think planar panels are not possible a the moment ... I'm not familiar with GH, but I think it works similar to that. So most of the comments are obsolete for you, but I wanted to give some general infos.

Have a nice day
Karsten

Hi wastzzz,

You must remember that project Elephant is very much in it's infancy,
and frankly it is a bit DUMBO :) Achieving a desired result can, at times
be frustrating and unnecessarily difficult. e.g. The limitation of "clone" node
to 2 outputs necessitates lots of extraneous wiring. Indeed, I believe (though
I may be wrong) that limiting of object items to single outputs, as opposed to
num and pt items which allow multiple outputs, is an arbitrary restriction, and
the clone node could be done away with completely (i.e. deprecated)

I have attached nod file for you exercise. As an auto-didactic exercise analyses
the various steps. If you have an questions, post them and I will endeavour to
answer. In time it all becomes clearer, and your head hurts less and less.

-James




These nod files requires "nodeeditor_0_85_mod8.zip" downloadable at
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7777.200

Hi James.

> "These nod files requires "nodeeditor_0_85_mod8.zip" downloadable at
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7777.200"

Thank you very much for following my suggestion having added this little but precious annotation to your post.
If we do that, it will be much, much easier for all to study and learn Project Elephant.

See you,

Hi Wastzz,

Please find attached new nod file greatly simplified by incorporating new Planar node.

This nod files requires "nodeeditor_0_85_mod9.zip" downloadable at
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7777.210

Regards
-James

thank you!

Hi everyone.

Just in order to keep Project Elephant's stuff straighten up a little bit, I created this new thread :

"Project Elephant's UNOFFICIAL Repository"
at http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=8197.1

I hope that it will be useful for everyone.

Best!

that is really helpful, thank you Marco.
M.