Anim8or Community

Attached below are parametric and non-parametric versions of a script that maps copies a "source" mesh to a "target" mesh's points.  It is similar in capability to the Mongoose's awesome GrassGen application.

The parametric and command versions of the script are different in the following ways:
1)  The command version creates a separate mesh for each copy, while the parametric version is all one shape.
2)  The command version has one more parameter because parametric scripts are apparently limited to 10 parameters.

To use, you must have an object that contains a mesh named "source" and another mesh named "target".  If you are using the command (non-parametric) version, you must edit the script to adjust the parameters, then Scripts->Run Script File.  If you are using the parametric version, just click on the "Mesh Source to Target" icon, then click (or click-drag).

The parameters that can be changed are:

1) The fraction of target mesh points to use: 0 to 1
   Anything less than 1 uses a random distribution of points
2) Min and Max Copies per mesh point: 0 to 100
   In the parametric version, there is only the max parameter.  If max is greater than 1, it will produce a random number from 1 to max for each target mesh point.  In the command version, you can set the minimum.
3) Min and Max Scale: 0 to 100.
   If the min and max are not equal, it will produce a random distribution of scales between min and max.
4) Fixed rotation x,y,z:
   Rotates the copies a fixed amount
5) Variable rotation x,y,z
   This will produce a random rotation plus or minus half the amount entered added to the fixed rotation amount in (4).

The lowest y-point on the copy of "source" will correspond to the "target" mesh point.

Open up the scripts in a text editor to see further documentation.

If you are creating many copies, it may appear to be locked up.  The Debug Output console shows some stats during execution as well as dots showing progress.  You can look here to see if it is locked up or just bogged down with zillions of points and faces.

*** Remember to convert the parametric shape to a mesh before using it in any other objects, in figures, or scenes.  It is totally dependent on the original "source" and "target" objects while it remains a parametric shape.  As Steve stated: parametric scripts were never intended to work this way. ***

Attached are examples of the script in use.

Please let me know your feedback.

Kreator,
I do not understand what you meant about objects following a path/Spline in scene mode.  Are you referring to their motion?

Could you be referring to the ability to draw a spline in object mode and then be able to use that as a controller in scene mode?  I think I could write a script that could write a controller script from a spline drawn in object mode that you could cut and paste into scene mode.  Very interesting idea. 

Siragin,
If you look at the topic about copy along a spline, there is a script that copies a generic mesh along a spline.  That would work for the hair application you are talking about.  My next script will probably be to simulate the functionality of the grassgen program that copies a generic mesh at the points of a second mesh with parameters for the number of copies per point, their scaling, and orientation.

Steve,
The initial post of this thread has two screen shots of the parameters used to create the shells shown in the render.  Did you want something different for the preset?

Steve,

Not entirely unpredictable...one must just be careful on how the script is used.

On another note, is there (or will there be) a function that will let one access the information in multiple objects in the project in the same manner as one can access the multiple shapes in an object?

Steve,

I'm not sure I understand your last post.  It is entirely possible to access the other shapes in an object from a parametric script.  I do it in the parametric version of the chain_maker script.  It follows the splines that are renamed to "chainpathXX".  The only limitation was the inability to see what had been previously selected or access the coordinates of the mouse click that activated the script.

Steve,

I'd be honored.  Thank you.

In writing the chain_maker parametric plugin, I ran across a couple of issues. I wonder if they can be addressed though some sort of work-around.

Issue 1:  I wanted to write the script such that it followed the selected path like in Steve's "spline.txt", but I discovered that the only way I could "activate" the script after the icon was pressed was to click in the editor window.  Clicking (or actually running the script - I cannot tell which) effectively de-selects the previous selected shape and automatically selects the shape created by the script.

Issue 2:  When a parametric plug-in script is run by clicking the icon, then clicking (or click-dragging) in the editor window, the parametric shape is created at the editor click coordinates and the origin is assigned at the new shape's "centroid".

Question 1:  Is there some way to store what was previously selected?  I've tried numerous things, but outside of having a separate non-parametric non-plugin script write it somewhere (like a material name or some attribute, etc.), then reading it with the actual parametric plugin script, nothing works.

Question 2:  Are the coordinates of the initial click in the editor window (after selecting the script's icon) stored someplace accessible?  I cannot find it in the documentation.  The availability of these coordinates has multiple applications.

Steve:  I love the scripting abilities of Anim8or!  If there is anything I can do to help with development of the ASL for all of Anim8or, please let me know.  I have been a programmer for a long time in multiple languages, and have written similar scripting languages for other applications.