Vector Unwrapping Gadget

[BrianM]

Hi,

After reading a number of topics talking about how to 'unwrap' a closed vector to use as a cross-section for the Two Rail Sweep command in Aspire, I decided to write a gadget which would perform this task automatically.

I've added the gadget to the bottom of the Gadgets page on the main web-site here ...
http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/ ... adgets.htm

There is a PDF file with instructions on installing and using the gadget and the gadget can also be downloaded from there.

The screen shot below isn't going to win any awards for aesthetic merit, but it shows a heart cross-section blending into a hexagonal one with a 45 degree twist along its length.

Brian

[joecnc2006]

Thats great and a good start, the advantage i can see is if someone receives a file or has a file he/she can see what it looks like visually, create a componant from it then can also edit the file and recreate the wrapping. But it is a good start as stated.

[PaulCNCMann]

Great Gadget Brian,

Thanks for the Christmas present.


Paul

[Greolt]

For me personally this is the most useful gadget so far, bar none.

Thanks Brian.

Greg

[cabnet636]

just tryin to "wrap my mind" around the possibility's

jim

[jseiler]

Thanks for this nifty gadget!

There is a program called stlwork that will slice stl files into "flat" dxf files. With a little playing, it should be possible to get very intricate shapes unwrapped in aspire by combining sliced dxfs with Brian's really cool gadget. Its possible that blender might be coaxed into outputting a slice from a stl model too. (Blender is free, stlworks is modestly priced).

John

[Greolt]

This is interesting John.

I was thinking that we could unwrap 3D models with a process like this.

Take a series of slices and create vector out lines from them.

Then use the unwrap gadget to create two rail sweep profiles from each.

I think you can only combine three sweeps together at one time. I can't find the relevant tutorial that shows this right now, but I know I have seen one.

However like I remember seeing in that tutorial, you can blend the sections back together and so put the 3D model together unwrapped.

I think we are both singing from the same hymn book.

Greg

Merry Christmas all.

[jseiler]

If you can only combine three sweeps, you probably could do this in sections. if you had six sweeps in order, you could do 1, 2, 3 together, cookie cutter 1 and 2, combine 2, 3, 4, cookie cutter between 2 and 3, combine 3, 4, 5, cookie cutter between 3 and 4, etc until you get the whole thing. That way, they should combine seamlessly (or close).

Of course, if we look at the gadget and the documentation provided with the gadget and the time required for them, I don't think it wouldn't be wild speculation to think this gadget might be a step in a much larger plan. I hope.

I've used matlab to slice models, recalculate them from rectangular to polar, generate point clouds and remesh, but this process doesn't work completely all the time for reasons I don't completely understand.

John

[gravirozo]

WOW


this was the first i was think..just simply WOW.....Brian, hat off.....
i'm really a slow guy, but as i get ready with my rotary, aspire will be a fulll modeler...

i think this is the power of knowledge... i just smiling as we tried to help greg...
this example shows how we users are far from professionalism...

thanks
viktor


just a little remark, some high end modeler program for ($$$$) knows, what brian made gadget...incredible...

[mezalick]

Greeting and Merry Christmas.
In the instruction for the Unwrap Vectors PDF ( p. 10) it talks about ungrouping the diagonal lines and moving the top line to the top corner.
My line stay connected showing a four sided parallelogram.
I must be missing something.
Short of entering the node editing section and deleting the short side of the shape is there another way of separating the two long vectors?
Michael

[BrianM]

In the instruction for the Unwrap Vectors PDF ( p. 10) it talks about ungrouping the diagonal lines and moving the top line to the top corner.
My line stay connected showing a four sided parallelogram.

Hi Michael
The instructions say ...

Once the vectors are ungrouped, click off them to de-select them and then click on the upper vector twice to select it and go into ‘transform’ mode

I'm guessing that you havene't clicked off after ungrouping so that you can select a single vector. Either that or you haven't ungrouped them correctly.

Brian

[roy1]

Hi I'm trying to do the advanced techniques blending the hexagon with the heart shape , all I get is the two blended together
not the heart at one end and the hexagon at the other and blending together in the middle what step am I missing I try to follow the info but can.t get it