I wonder if tySlice or maybe tyFracture would be useful when animating a log or square timber in a sawing machine. I've been playing with these since early 90's but not yet satisfied with the results. I would start playing with very simple case - straight square timber. My goal is to animate curved log, but that's quite challenging. Is there an operator in tyFlow that removes material as the log travel through the blades or chipper?
I mean, I have always wished, there would be an apparatus - let's call it slicer - that would reduce geometry, as a log travels through it. Eventually it would be turned into boards, planks, chips and sawdust. Here's a screenshot of a log, I've using since I modeled it in mid 90's by using Digimation Clay Studio Pro metasplines.
I once tested by using actual log scanner point cloud data from sawmill, but the model was a bit unstable so I gave up. Actually each log is scanned with X-Ray before sawing process. It would be interesting to play with voxelized log in 3DSMax. Anyway here's a screenshot of my 90's log model, I'm still using.
I am not completely sure how it's done... my guess is birth voxels, that have PhysX and PhysX bind applied, and then binds are broken with TySlicer, and then with search bind connection it detects if some parts are detached completely, and sent them to PhysX Switch dynamics.
Just a blind guess, I might be completely wrong.
@Tyflow
Tyson, could you shred some light on how you did it?
Thanks, I'm not in facebook, so I can't see what's going on there.
Anyway, I would be pleased to see slicer or cutter apparatus. It should be stationary and permanently reduce geometry as it travels through the apparatus.
Isn't that similar, if I wanted to create a snowplough animation where multiple ploughs drive on a road reshaping the snow on it - or tire tracks on snow. Only in this case there road is moving while the ploughs would be stationary.
I also recall reading Computer graphics world magazine from year 2004 (can't remember which issue). There was a long article on how the animal footprints were made in movie Ice Age 1. If I recall correctly, it required a lot of inhouse programming.
