[Plugin] Flatten and Extrude (1.0.1) — 10 November 2009

[thomthom]

Overview
I often get tasks to model terrain and context buildings for project we do. It's dog boring work!
Today when I got a new such project with a large plan I thought there had to be a better way to do most of this repetitive work. So I wrote a crude script to lessen some of my burden.

The purpose of this script was just to get the bulk work done. Don't expect any magic from it.

Note: Result will vary from the quality of the lines you feed it. I've just mocked this up to get a job done - so the UI is crude. I want to get back to this later and provide a better interface. But until them; this is it.

Menus: Plugins->Flatten->...


Functions
Flatten
(Only takes a single group or component as input at the moment, sorry.)
Creates a new group where all the edges in the selected Group or Component is projected down to the Ground (Elevation 0).

Flatten-Flatten.png

Flatten and Extrude
(Only takes a single group or component as input at the moment, sorry.)
Same as flatten, but it then tries to extrude the faces back up to the lowest/highest point above it.

Note that there is a layer filter where the plugin will only use the edges on layers containing that filter. The filter is a series of strings separated by | (pipe character).

(Yes, I know. The settings isn't persistent. Will see if I can get around for a quick update for that later. Until then - modify line 120 yourself.)

Flatten-Extrude.png

Smart People!
Does anyone have any idea of how to generate roofs? Not generic roofs, but ones that fit the roof edges.

[remus]

For the roofs, perhaps have a look at TIGs roof script. I imagine itd be fairly easy to filter all the horizontal faces that have some z then apply TIGs roof stuff to it with some generic/random values plugged in (depending on what sort of results your after.)

[thomthom]

For the roofs, perhaps have a look at TIGs roof script. I imagine itd be fairly easy to filter all the horizontal faces that have some z then apply TIGs roof stuff to it with some generic/random values plugged in (depending on what sort of results your after.)

Does anyone have any idea of how to generate roofs? Not generic roofs, but ones that fit the roof edges.

Making generic roofs is the current work around. But being able to produce roofs from the CAD lines would be really cool. I don't expect perfect roofs, but at least some approximation.

One possible alternative would be to get the height of the roof from the CAD lines and make a generic roof from that...

[remus]

[thomthom]

No worries!

[dtrarch]

TT

How about using TIG's Height/datum tool to set Z with your new tool.
Hmmm?

dtr

[thomthom]

TT

How about using TIG's Height/datum tool to set Z with your new tool.
Hmmm?

dtr

Set Z? What you mean?

[TIG]

My Datum tool sets a 'Z' datum in your model [as an attribute] so when z=0 z_datum=123.456m or whatever. Then you use the tool to add text to refer to a point so that floors or points on an elevation etc are given their corrected height above 'datum', rather than z=0...

[thomthom]

Ok - but how does that relate to this plugin? (I'm confused...)

[TIG]

I surmise he means instead of flattening everything to z-o allow you to set it to flatten to z=123.456m. Easy done as it's in a group - flatten all to z=0 end with an option to enter a new z or pick a point and move the flattened group up/down to suit the desired z ???

[thomthom]

flatten all to z=0 end with an option to enter a new z or pick a point and move the flattened group up/down to suit the desired z ???

That would move the top above the lines it extrudes up to. But it's just as easy to just to flatten down to a given Z level.

Anyway - thanks for clearing that up. Will see if I'll be adding that in the future.
Btw, does your Z-Level plugin expose the Z Height publicly? Wondering if I can read the value and use that as default if present.

[TIG]

Frankly I'd keep them separate...

[Pilou]

Flat land

[thomthom]

Flat land

Someone's been snooping in the code, eh? It just so happened to be the last book I read.

[kwistenbiebel]

Nice idea thomthom. Things are busy now, but I will try the plugin in depth at the weekend.
For architects this is extremely useful!
Now I don't have to ask the Rhino guy to do it for me and to import it in SU

By the way,
I love the CookieWare idea! Whenever you're in Australia, please drop by for a beer...

[dtrarch]

I yield
Just thought that muli-level flat and extrude might be a possible for structural elements and such.

tt many thanks in any case

dtr

[utiler]

Nice idea thomthom. Things are busy now, but I will try the plugin in depth at the weekend.
For architects this is extremely useful!
Now I don't have to ask the Rhino guy to do it for me and to import it in SU

By the way,
I love the CookieWare idea! Whenever you're in Australia, please drop by for a beer...

Some nice boutique breweries over there, kwist......
After you've had a few beers with kwist, Thom fly across the other side of the country and I'll shout you a few also!!!

[thomthom]

Now I don't have to ask the Rhino guy to do it for me and to import it in SU

Rhino has a function like this??

[thomthom]

I yield
Just thought that muli-level flat and extrude might be a possible for structural elements and such.

tt many thanks in any case

dtr

Multi-level flat and extrude? Could you care to explain more what you got in mind?

[gavvy]

thomthom

I tride this plugin .The groups in the group can't be faltten
Is it a better idea to flatten the group in group,and hold the group of faces?

to build a city ,i always use clf_greeble_2.rb

[thomthom]

Currently it doesn't dig into nested groups. It only works on the edges directly inside the selected group/component.
Will change that later.

[gavvy]

Currently it doesn't dig into nested groups. It only works on the edges directly inside the selected group/component.
Will change that later.

zorro tool is a good EXAMPLE

[Gaieus]

Hm. My city has just stopped at 31% (and SU is unresponsive). But I gues there are limitations also (file size and edge count) so maybe I shouldn't be so eager and clean the file up a bit before I try.

[thomthom]

Hm. My city has just stopped at 31% (and SU is unresponsive). But I gues there are limitations also (file size and edge count) so maybe I shouldn't be so eager and clean the file up a bit before I try.

Can you send me the model for debugging?

[dtrarch]

TT
It seemed useful to be able to flatten selected objects (groups components etc) to adjusted (TIG's)heights above default Z height zero.
Then select and extrude +/- as wanted.
A multi-Z height selection.
Just an idea for consideration.

dtr

[thomthom]

roof-builder.png

Been trying to find a way to triangulate Roofs from 3d plans. Will never be perfect, but "good enough" to do the bulk work and get a rough idea of the shape.

Think the name of this plugin isn't fitting any more. It's doing much more building than flattening. "BuildUp"?

[Gaieus]

...Can you send me the model for debugging?

Sure - see your PM (when I finish this post). But in fact, the file is still a mess as everything is connected with everything (street ends for instance are "closed") and also it's a rather large piece of the city (and where I cut it out from the whole city plan, there are a bunch of open ends, too) so no wonder it didn't really work.

Wherever I cleaned up a bit and grouped separately, it worked just fine.

[Gaieus]

And the roofing also looks promising!

[Pilou]

you have a very cool roof maker from flat plan and many more roofs actions in 1001bit (expand the roof menu)

[thomthom]

you have a very cool roof maker from flat plan and many more roofs actions in 1001bit (expand the roof menu)

True, but that's a generic roof. All the existing roof tools make generic roofs. This is to generate accurate-ish roofs from 3D plan data.