CompuServe Thread

#extrude curved line

15 messages in this thread
#11128From: Frank IppolitoMay 1, 1995 2:06 PM
>>Can you give me a better description of what you're trying to do?<< Hi Terry, I think I can. I'd like to take a drawn line, curved and organic, and extrude it up into a curled piece of paper (less extrusion would create a ribbon). Whenever I import such a line from Coreldraw, for instance, tS extrudes a closed path rather than an open line. Any thoughts? Thanks, Frank PS: See my reply to Ian on the reflection question.
#11133From: Derek WatersMay 1, 1995 3:14 PM
Hi Frank PMBI, why not duplicate your line, closing the ends with a tiny line, giving a closed shape. Even paper has three dimensions 🙂 – that's the only way I got a result anyway. Derek
#11147From: Frank IppolitoMay 1, 1995 5:47 PM
>>why not duplicate your line<< Hi Derek, Been working with that one. Was hoping to reduce the process by a couple of steps. Thanks, Frank
#11159From: Terry Cotant[RSS]May 1, 1995 10:09 PM
You'll have to get a polygon out of it somehow.. That's the issue with the Corel file, I believe..
#11163From: Frank IppolitoMay 2, 1995 12:07 AM
>>You'll have to get a polygon out of it somehow<< Hi Terry, I was having a gut feeling this was so, but was hoping otherwise. Perhaps in 2.0. . . . . Regards, Frank
#11170From: Ian FirthMay 2, 1995 1:02 AM
Frank, >I was having a gut feeling this was so, but was hoping otherwise. Perhaps in 2.0. . . . . Probably not even in 3, 4 or 5. Since trueSpace (and all modelers I know of) render 3D objects, you must start with at least the minimum object… a face described with 3 points. There are no 2D objects in existance, and the same is true with tS. For a curled piece of paper, make a very thin, long rectangle (to scale if you want, about .004" thick), and lathe it into the curl of your choice. Regards, Ian
#11187From: Terry Cotant[RSS]May 2, 1995 11:50 AM
Or, you could FFD it..
#11311From: SyndesisMay 3, 1995 10:01 PM
Actually, LightWave accepts one- and two-point polygons, which render as nice anti-aliased dots and lines, respectively. Of course, LW/Modeler handles them, too. The problem with long thin polygons in other renderers is that they often disappear completely when they are far from the camera, which isn't necessarily what you always want.
#11523From: Scott KildallMay 6, 1995 2:00 PM
Hi Ian, fwiw (and pmji), MacroModel will accept open Bezier curves, either from PostScript drawing programs or natively drawn within MacroModel, and extrude, sweep, lathe or skin them into 3D. The Bezier curve is retained as defining geometry and can be subsequently manipulated (eg, changing the path of the fence); or simplifying down to a patch mesh allows for independent movement of edges (the top of the fence can follow a different curve than the bottom); or simplifying again to a polygon mesh allows for vertex editing (creating a creased bulge at a specific place in the fence). There's no intrinsic impossibility to working with open curves in 3D geometry. Regards, John Dowdell Macromedia Tech Support
#11545From: CaligariMay 6, 1995 6:05 PM
Thanks for identifying yourself so openly in our forum! I know that some of your (our) colleagues in the industry do not have the same courtesy . . . Konstantin Guericke Caligari
#11804From: Scott KildallMay 10, 1995 8:47 AM
And thank you for letting me respond, Konstantin… appreciated. Regards, John Dowdell Macromedia Tech Support
#11845From: Terry Cotant[RSS]May 10, 1995 10:18 PM
Hey, that's what we're all about here.. Open communication! Just ask Ian.. <g>
#11865From: Ian FirthMay 11, 1995 7:30 AM
>Hey, that's what we're all about here.. Open communication! Just ask Ian.. <g> hehehe… actually, John and I had our differences about 5 months ago arguing about MacroModel and tS… I think I lost though…. 🙂 Ian
#11866From: Terry Cotant[RSS]May 11, 1995 7:53 AM
Ian.. Nice demo.. Looking forward to more from the full product! Thanks for the U/L!
#11883From: Ian FirthMay 11, 1995 11:32 AM
>Ian.. Nice demo.. Looking forward to more from the full product! Cool! Someone actually looked at it (besides Rob…)! I wish I could show more, but it would be 100's of megs… Look for it around Sept. 1st ! Regards, Ian