Thanks 48 design. I have very little experience with Maxscript so it will probably take me a while to implement. In the meantime, I have found a procedure that allows me to locate a large amount of wired, float expression constrained panels along non-flat surfaces in a predictable way. Unfrotunately, they aren’t instanced so I have to go through the process every time I want to update my system.
First, I create a series of planes arranged in any way I want. I can use a maxscript to distibute along a surface or spline in order to acheive whatever my desired shape may be.
Second, I create the exact same number of panels using the internal Max array function. (This automatically updates variables in my float expression to remain self referential. For example variable PointPos in recatangle01 points to the vector position of rectangle01. When arrayed as copy, PointPos in rectangle02 points to vector position of rectangle02 and so on. Using a maxscript to copy the panels doesn’t update the variable in this way.)
Then I use the multiple align script below to align the panels to the series of plane objects that I created in step one.
select panel and type and execute in the listener:
PanelArr = selection as array
select all you planes and execute
PlaneArr = selection as array
then execute:
for i = 1 to panelArr.count do panelarr[i].transform = planearr[i].transform
This procedure allows me to create a sytem like the one on the Designreform.net site and arrange the panels along non-flat surfaces in a predictable way. Thanks to floopyb for the above script.