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+--- Thread: Spline Birth Operator (/thread-980.html)
Spline Birth Operator - TubeSmokeGuy - 08-08-2019
Hi,
this is a little bit longer text, but i swear its worth to be read.
To protect the the Surface Birth operator from beeing overloaded, I think it will be nice if there will be a Spline Birth Operator with some extendend functions.
In this case the Surface Birth operator should only support geometry objects to avoid confusions and probably be renamed to "Geometry Birth".
My ideas for the "Spline Birth Operator":
Generation method (radio buttons):
1. Particle per Percent-Step:
Every spline object naturally has a range from 0 to 100% for each shape element it contains.
When you got 1 shape element and "Percent-Step" is set to "2", 50 particles will be generated. When "Percent-Step" ist set to "0.5", 200 particles will be generated.
Extra option 1: Percent Range: You can enter a beginning and a end value, f.e. 10% for beginning and 20% for end. Now particles will be generated just for that part of the shape.
Extra option a) for extra option 1: Offset: You can define an offset for the percent range in percent. So if the offset is 10%, the percent range will be moved from 10% till 20% to 20% till 30%. When you now animate this offset you can move your "Partilce-Train" along the spline. This offset can be negative too.
Extra option 2: Gap with Gap Size: When you enable the gap option and you enter a value of 10 with a gap size of 5, then at 10% of the shape there will be a particle free section along the shape for the next 5%. This will work inside of a "Percent Range" too.
Extra option a) for extra option 2: Repeat (checkbox): Option 1: Uniform: When on, every 10% of the shape, the 5% gap will be applied. Option 2: Non-Uniform: When Non-Uniform Repeat is active, a text input field will be enabled where you can enter numbers for the gap positions, separated by commas. F.E.: 2,5,75 Now at 2%, 5% and 75% of the shape, the 5% gap will be applied. This will work inside of a "Percent Range" too.
2. Particle per Lenght-Step:
Every shape element of a spline object naturally has a specific lenght in scene units.
When you set "Length-Step" to 2, every 2 scene units a partilce will be generated along the shape. So when the lenght of the shape element is 50 scene units and you enter a "Lenght-Step" of "2", 25 particles will be generated along the spline.
Extra options: Same as for the percent method, but in scene units along the shape lenght.
3. Particle per Vertex:
For each vertex of the spline object, 1 particle will be generated.
Extra option a: Count: You can specify how many particles should be generated for each vertex.
Extra option 1 for option a: Keep apart: You can enter a distance value if more then one particle is generated for a vertex, so that they don't overlap.
Extra option for extra option 1 of extra option a: Arrange particles: a1: Random: Particles are generated randomly in 3D space arround the origin particle accordingly to the keep apart distance. a2: Along spline: Particles are generated left- and righthand side on the spline, the vertex belongs to, taking the keep apart distance as distance between each other along the spline.
Extra option b: Gap:
Default is zero, so 1 particle is generated for each vertex. Setting the gap to 1, just every 2nd vertex a particle is generated.
4. Particle per Segment:
The same as per vertex, just for segements sublevel.
General parameters:
A spline object can contain multiple shape elements. So it will be good if there is an option to switch between "Apply to all shape elements" or "Apply to specific shape elements". For the 2nd option a text input field will be enabled where you can enter the shape number(s) and/or a range of shapes, separeted with commas. F.E. like this: 1,3,2,207,300-315,517,710
Now just this shape elements will be taken into account.
All generation methods are applied per shape elements. So when you have 1 spline object with 2 shape elements and percent step is set to 1, 200 particles will be generated in total.
When you pick more then 1 spline object as source object, the per shape element generation option will be disabled.
Thanks for reading!
RE: Spline Birth Operator - tyFlow - 08-08-2019
I think most of these are pretty good ideas, which would be simple enough to implement into the current Birth Surface operator, in a separate spline rollout, at some point. I'll make a note on my internal todo list to add more spline birth options. Cheers.
RE: Spline Birth Operator - TubeSmokeGuy - 08-09-2019
Sounds good. Thank you!