|
Description
It would be great if we'd have a modifier which gives a polygon selection thickness (make a single-sided polygon a box for example) or a general extrude modifier which should also handle curves.
Useful parameters are:
- Offset (of course)
- Maximum Angle (for Make-Thicker)
- "Preserve Groups" option (for Make-Thicker)
- Direction (disabled for Make-Thicker)
That modifier would be very useful for making models like vases or leafs or something have thickness in a NON-DESTRUCTIVE way where you can change the values of the parameter EVERYTIME.
(Idea is based on the "Make Thicker Plugin" for Cinema4d: http://home7.highway.ne.jp/winter-m/plugin.html )
Attachments
No attachments.
Duplicates
Comments
 ideasman42 (Blenderstorm admin) wrote on the 9 Apr 08 at 11:55
|
Agree it would be nice as a modifier, though I wrote a python script to do this, its in the mesh menu
3d view header -> Mesh -> Scripts -> Solidify
It wouldn't be hard to port this to a modifier.
|
|
manitwo wrote on the 9 Apr 08 at 11:56
|
... or include this feature in a new Extrude-Modifier.
If the object is a mesh the options are:
-extrude along (-)X/Y/Z or in the direction of the face-normal.(make thicker)
If the object is a curve:
-extrude along (-)X/Y/Z
|
|
ideasman42 (Blenderstorm admin) wrote on the 9 Apr 08 at 12:19
| |
extrude along normal is not really a good way to make thicker, you need to extrude sharp areas further then flat areas to maintain roughly the same thickness. if you really want it to be correct you need to do boolean like intersections but thats usually overkill.
|
|
manitwo wrote on the 9 Apr 08 at 12:44
| |
i'm nowhere near as good as you in coding so i guess you're right ideasman :)
|
|
ideasman42 (Blenderstorm admin) wrote on the 10 Apr 08 at 00:29
|
manintwo, dont let developers fool you, having an extrude function can still do have different distances depending on sharpness it probably a good solution.
to see the difference when sharpness is not taken into account...
compare "extrude, cancel, alt+s" with the Mesh/Solidify script
|
|
smokebox46and2 wrote on the 10 Apr 08 at 07:53
| |
i think this is called a "shell" modifier in other apps. i've seen this feature request for blender somewhere before with serious consideration. i'm no coder, though. i would also like to see a shell modifier.
|
|
rocketship wrote on the 10 Apr 08 at 08:01
|
Yeah, a really robust Offset Mesh modifier would be fantastic. I've been turning to Blender for lot of basic mesh work (for 3d printing, especially) these days, and offsetting would be fantastic!
If it could generate a mesh without overlaps - that would be golden...sort of a combo boolean and offset.
|
|
epat wrote on the 10 Apr 08 at 10:56
|
I did a proof of concept for the maths behind this a while ago - I got some sort of the functionality working, but I ditched it in the end, not sure if I still have it! I think I was going to wait until after the tools API rewrite before finishing it! :/ There are a lot of things that could benifit with having an extrude that extrudes further on sharper points actually - at least:
Shell/offset mesh modifier.
Plain and basic thickness extrude.
Offset mesh tool (uses selected faces/edges, etc...)
Another thing that would come in very handy is if the movement when using the tool on selected faces could be constrained to move each vertex so that it stays in contact with the topology and keeps the thickness around the edges of the selection instead of moving along the averaged normals of the faces. Perhaps this should be a new way of constraining vertex movement in general though as I imagine it would be very useful for other things too!?
|
|
cognis wrote on the 10 Apr 08 at 16:15
| |
While I agree the function is necessary for many works, I think it already exists. I personally use extrude, then right-click (so that the extruded geometry stays where its source is) and then alt-S (Shrink/fatten) to make them extend according to their normals. Shirnk/fatten is a poorly documented and very useful feature, and it eliminated my big need for the feature you seem to be looking for!
|
|
amoose136 wrote on the 10 Apr 08 at 16:21
| |
Why not scale constraint?
|
|
amoose136 wrote on the 10 Apr 08 at 16:38
| |
Or extrude with shape keys?
|
|
manitwo wrote on the 11 Apr 08 at 04:07
|
cause a modfier is non-destructive and you can change the parameters _everytime_ ...
and yes, there are some "workarounds" but they arn't easy to find out. Blender _is_ really powerfull but not at first glance and that's probably why so much users (non-blenderusers-but-probably-future-blenderusers) rant about blender...
|
|
madmesh wrote on the 24 Apr 08 at 11:33
|
I think this would be a great feature. At specially with cloth if you have a single sided cloth object(no thicknes) for the simulation and the modifier wil give it thickness.
It would be pretty good to for animating the pages of a book, you can just add an extra thickness to the pages that will eliminate those razor sharp edges. These things really show up if your rendering in HD.
|
|
TheGryphonRider wrote on the 22 Oct 08 at 09:09
| |
I like the way the Solidify script works, but a modifier would be better, if only because it will work with other modifiers -- specifically, the Explode modifier. It's not currently possible to use Solidify on an animated explosion. I'm especially fond of the idea of an Extrude modifier, but only if there's an option for uniform thickness along vertex normals.
|
|
kanu wrote on the 21 Nov 08 at 14:19
| |
When you are planing to print your model on a 3d printer, and want to make your mesh hollow the main goal ist to keep a minimum wall thickness. its more like the distance parameter for cloth and softbodies deflections than a extrude. i think of a fluid-system with minimum distance on obstacles, which tries to expand its fluid as much as possible but doesn't get inside the min-distance of any vertices.
|
|
SeanJAM wrote on the 4 Dec 08 at 09:16
| |
Perfect for making clothes and armor. :-D
|
Post your comment
|
