[Closed] Looking for Voxel generation script

Funny that you think it’s simple…I don’t think it’s simple at all, especially with a script.

Doing ray intersection tests is slow with maxscript, and generating thousands of objects is also slow.

For turning particles into boxes, that should be easy indeed, you don’t need a script for that?

simple… lol

As others have said before me, this is NOT an easy task to do in a script.
I have written a similar script a while ago that is a bit faster but still not close to what you are asking for. If you want to give it a try, here it is:

(
	fn isInVolume pos vol =
	(
		vol.normal.enabled = true
		local r = ray pos [0,0,1]
		local i = intersectRayEx vol r
		
		if i != undefined then (
			local s = distance pos i[1].pos
			local k
			
			vol.normal.enabled = false
			local j = intersectRayEx vol r
			if j != undefined and s > (k = distance pos j[1].pos) then
				#(false, k)
			else (
				local n = getFaceNormal vol i[2]
				local d = dot n i[1].dir
				if d < 0 then
					#(true, s)
				else
					#(false, s)
			)
		) else
			#(false, 99999999)
	)
	
	fn createVoxelBoxes obj size = (
		max create mode
		--with redraw off (
			local bb = nodeLocalBoundingBox obj
			local a = box width:size length:size height:size
			local m = normalModifier flip:true unify:true
			addModifier obj m
			
			for x = bb[1].x to bb[2].x by size do (
				for y = bb[1].y to bb[2].y by size do (
					local z = bb[1].z
					while z <= bb[2].z do (
						local p = [0, 0, 0]
						p.x = x + size / 2.0
						p.y =y + size / 2.0
						p.z = z + size / 2.0
						
						local q = isInVolume p obj
						if not q[1] then
							z += q[2] - (mod q[2] size) + size
						else (
							local arr = #()
							local b = instance a
							b.pos = p - [0, 0, size / 2.0]
							append arr b
							z += size
							
							while q[2] > size do (
								p.z += size
								z += size
								q[2] -= size
								
								b = instance a
								b.pos = p - [0, 0, size / 2.0]
								append arr b
							)
							
							if arr.count == 1 then
								arr[1].wirecolor = (green + blue) * 0.5
							else (
								for i = 1 to arr.count do
									arr[i].wirecolor = (green * (arr.count - i) + blue * (i - 1)) / (arr.count - 1)
							)
						)
					)
				)
				
				redrawViews()
				gc()
			)
			
			deleteModifier obj m
			delete a
		--)
	)
	
	delete $Box*
	
	local obj = $
	local boxSize = 3
	
	if isValidNode obj then (
		local ts = timeStamp()
		createVoxelBoxes obj boxSize
		format "%
" ((timeStamp() - ts) / 1000.0)
	)
	
	gc()
	OK
)

it has no interface so it will voxelize the selected (1) object into boxes in size 3
you can edit the voxel boxes size by changing the value of the variable named boxSize at the bottom of the script.

hope this somehow helps…
matan.

Thanks for sharing the script Matan, could not evaluate it though:(
It gives me this:

– Syntax error: at ), expected <factor>
– In line: )

(Max 2009 64 bit)

Yes, your probably right about simplicity, but maybe ray intersection is a wrong way to go…

I have some sort of idea in my mind, but dont know how to apply it, here it is:

Lets take for example Krakatoa PRT Volume Object:

(im talking about things that you see in the viewport only)

• PRT Volume Object converts any given object to voxel particles in a second, spacing of voxels is easy ajustible on the fly
• PRT Volume Object will dynamicly recieve any changes made with original object (modifiers etc…)
• PRT Volume Object sample materials and textures from the original one

All that you experience in a viewport at realtime but as a particle grid (or sprites), so
THE QUESTION IS: how to access this viewport data and convert those particles to boxes

same thing applies to FumeFX

here is a nice workaround for you (no scripting at all)

1. create a ‘plane’ as the base of the voxel grid.
2. duplicate the plane along the z axis in an even distribution as many times as required.
3. attach all the planes together to form the voxel grid.
4. add a ‘volume select’ modifier and use ‘select by mesh object’ and ‘invert’ to select all vertexes of the grid that are outside the mesh that you want to voxelize.
5. add a ‘delete mesh’ modifier to delete all the unneeded vertexes.
6. use a ‘scatter’ object (from the compound geometry category) to scatter a box on every vertex of the grid.

hope this helps,
matan.

Matan!!! Your genius!!! Works perfect, fast, clean and no coding:)

I used shell instead of scattering boxes, looks the same but less polys,
now the quastion is what to do with textures;)

Anyway, thanks a lot man!!

Going from Prt Volume -> into particle flow via the prt operators for the boxes is quite easy… then you have a few options for getting colors onto the boxes as well.

Sounds sweet SoLiTuDe, could you share some more details on that technic?

Thank you so much Bobo!!!it realy helped