[Plugin] SketchyFFD (Updated 20130203)

[REGIS]

It works fine now.

Thanks a lot.

cheers

[Tobobo]

Chris,

I can't get it to work.

I an trying to bend the centre of the netting but when i move the control points there is no 'Update FFD' option on the right-click menu.

I've posted the model so you can have a look and tell what i'm doing wrong.

Thanks in advance.

[REGIS]

Hi Tobobo

It's due to the hidden geometry.

Look at this one, it's different with the hidden geometry, you can easilly deform it where you want.
Just create the group and choose your FFD setting.

curtain.skp

cheers

Edit

After some FFD

curtainFFDv6.skp

cheers

[Tobobo]

Thanks REGIS

I'll have to think of another way to deform the netting.

[REGIS]

Perhaps ypu can subdvide it using subdivide=true when you create your FFD control box.

Cheers

[SKELL]

I am trying to take a simple rectangular solid and deform it. i have to sub divide the surface? how can i go about this?

Thanks,

-Tony

[pilou]

One possibility
Draw a rectangle
Pull it with Ctrl any time you want
Select all (triple click)
Move it one time + CTRL = Copy
Type "10*" (or more) = Multiple
Select all (triple click)
Group it
Select group Right Click / FFD
Edit the goup "FFD"
Move points
Et voilà

[michaelland]

Hi Chris, I've to say your work for this amazing RB is really great help for me! Thanks for your great job and sharing with us!!

Michael Xie

[•BTM]

I am trying to take a simple rectangular solid and deform it. i have to sub divide the surface? how can i go about this?

Thanks,

-Tony

There's a subdivide feature in the script.right click> FFD> NxN> set subdivide to true.

[pilou]

FFD> NxN> set subdivide to true.

Yes but will be any effect on the subdivide of a simple rectangle!!!
Nothing will arrive when you will move a point of the FFD!

Seems the only easy methode is draw a rectangle with the Sandbox

rect.jpg

[jonorman]

Hi..

I think there might be a problem with FFD an ASGVIS V-ray for scetchup.. FFD did not work while i had V-ray installed but now that i have uninstalled V-ray FFD works fine again.. Same problem as with subdivide and smooth script..
can anyone else confirm this ?? Btw, FFD is a brilliant script.

[GJV]

woooaaaa

amazing plugin
just what I needed

thanx a lot !!!!

[Dee256]

Works nice! But "transformations reset" needs sometimes before FFD starts.

[ideas_arte]

.. thanks a million!

really useful too

[niarfe]

this looks like a wonderful ruby!!!

too bad it's not working for me, it doesn't do anything, and when I try undoing it beaks my geometry apart!

would have loved to use it

[Chris Fullmer]

Its not over yet. If its not working, then its installed wrong or your using it wrong. Or you have version 4 of SU

Could you provide a better description of what its doing wrong? Perhaps screenshots, maybe a video. Just give us some more detail and we'll get it working for you.

Chris

[sprezzaturon]

I'm running Sketchup 7 and just added your FFD tool. I can move points but there is no 'update FFD' option when I'm finished. Is FFD not compatible with Sketchup 7?

Thanks!

[remus]

The shape should update automatically, you might have to give it a bit of time, though.

If that doesnt work delete the control points, explode the group, regroup and try again.

[sprezzaturon]

After waiting on a 2.4 GHz dual core XP system, nothing changed. I've just installed FFD on my computer (2.1 GHz dual core) and created a circle so I could elongate one point. Nothing. This is disappointing.

[remus]

Have you tried it on 3d geometry? i think it can work on 2d things, but ive never gotten the hang of it.

[hasan]

I can't get this script to work. Nothing happens.
I create a sphere, group it, right-click and do 3x3 FFD, enter the new group with Construction Points, move some to another position, exit the group, right-click the sphere group and choose Update FFD. Nothing happens.

Can you open the ruby console and see if it is printing any errors?

Chris

[steven-arts]

Hi Chriss,

it really makes fun to work with FFD! I looked at your code and found the factorial function where you mentioned to encrease performance by adding a table for factorials. I made it dynamic and it boosts your code! Just replace the section with:

Code: Select all

#used by calcBernstein. could be replaced by a table since in
#this application n is never more than 3 (number of control points).
$fTable = []
def factorial(n)
    sum = $fTable.rassoc(n)
    if sum
       return sum[0]
    else
   sum = 1
   sum.upto(n) { |i| sum *= i }
   $fTable << [sum, n]
   return sum
    end
end

Ciao, Stefan

[CPhillips]

Thanks Stefan! Its a nice idea. I updated the plugin with an adaption of the code and applied it to the Bernstein Polynomial as well. It sped up the initial weighting of a big model from 75 seconds to 15 seconds.

I also figured out a way (in theory) to speed up the actual deformation by like 50x. The only problem is I would have to handle moving the control points without using any of Sketchups tools like select, move and rotate. Ugh!

[Jim]

Just wanted to bump this and make folks aware of the update.

viewtopic.php?f=180&t=6029

[mitcorb]

Thank you for the update. It really is an effective modeling tool.

[CPhillips]

I found another way to speed the updates. A model with 11300 verts takes about 90 seconds to update in this version and about 6 seconds with the new method.

But it order to get it ready for release I would almost have to rewrite it. Because it would be a significant amount of work I am thinking I might make the new one a "Pro" version.

Question: How many would be willing to pay for a version with some significant updates? And what would be a fair price to charge?

[EarthMover]

Sounds like a significant speed improvement. I would pay for a Pro version with a few new features. I think in the range of $15 is fair.

[MALAISE]

By the way, about 10 € ( 15$) seem to be a fair sum, as far as this version is also
available for SU ( not the Pro version )...

MALAISE

[boofredlay]

I would pay for it too. $15 seems reasonable.

[lancaster]

Hi Tobobo

It's due to the hidden geometry.

Look at this one, it's different with the hidden geometry, you can easilly deform it where you want.
Just create the group and choose your FFD setting.

curtain.skp

cheers

Edit

After some FFD

curtainFFDv6.skp

cheers

FFD isn't working on my computer aswell, so i've read the whole topic to see for an answer. Unfortunately there are no answers yet.
I've downloaded the curtain.skp-file so I could try to FFD it with the sketchup version I am using. That worked fine! Other objects drawn in the curtain.skp-file transformed aswell by using the FFD plugin. However, copying the curtain into a new file: no result, no transformation.
I'll just try some other options and hopefully I or someone else will come up with an answer on why the FFD-plugin not always work...

EDIT:
In a new file I've created an 10x10 patch to transform. The transformation is succesful with an NxN FFD with default settings (4x4x4 false) and moving all 4 guidepoints.

Other tried and failed setting: 4x4x1 false, 4x4x2 false, 4x4x3 false, 4x4x5 false, 4x4x4 true, 5x5x4 false....

Seems like only the default setting work at my computer.