[Closed] helper objects

thanks bobo.

In order to create the mesh do i have to build it using script or can i build in the viewport conventionally. The reason i ask is because it would be alot quicker for me to build the object in the viewport rather than script it.

regards

Nebille

What I have done is written a script that reads in the data about an existing mesh and writes out the code about how it should be build. Then I can use that in the code for the helper.

I made the same thing, PEN – but there are a lot of exceptions and things it doesnt do. would you be willing to share that?

Nebille,

there’s Great script that will do that
with click of a button (some options included)

It’s scripted plugin called “Ghost”.

http://www.scriptspot.com/scripts/web_upload/Rodrigo%20Flores/Ghost.zip

Cheers

I just downloaded that Ghost plugin but it doesn’t seem to do this at all, it just makes a non-renderable version of the mesh…it does not generate the script that you would need.

Anyway, I have written a short one today that will generate the script for any spline object…I’m going to use it for this purpose, should be helpful.

fn readSpline ss=
(
 output = newscript()
 
 pos = getKnotPoint ss 1 1
 format "ss = SplineShape pos:% 
" pos to:output
 splineCount = (numSplines ss) 
 --splineCount = 1
 for iSpline = 1 to splineCount do
 (
  format "addNewSpline ss 
" to:output
  
  knotCount = numKnots ss iSpline
  for iKnot = 1 to knotCount do
  (
   type = getKnotType ss iSpline iKnot
   pos = getKnotPoint ss iSpline iKnot
   
   if (type==#bezier or type==#bezierCorner) then
   (
	inVec = getInVec ss iSpline iKnot
	outVec = getOutVec ss iSpline iKnot
	
	format "addKnot ss % % #curve % % % 
" iSpline type pos inVec outVec to:output
   ) else
	format "addKnot ss % % #curve % 
" iSpline type pos to:output  
  )
  
  format "close ss % 
" iSpline to:output
 )
 format "updateShape ss 
" to:output
)

Ok, it’s not the same thing,

but I couldn’t agree with you that ” it doesn’t seem to do this at all “.

It’s just a quick way for creating helpers.

Cheers

You’re right, there are different ways to interpret his question…did he want to create a helper object for using in the scene, or as a plugin…

That ghost script does the same as mine and I also have one for spline for creating control objects. I have to go back and see if I can add more things to my helper creator and clean it up into a tool so that people know what to do with it. At the moment it is like most of my scripts and it is a collection of functions.

Heya nebille,

Michale comet has written a tool called spline to mxs which will output the maxscript code to make whatever spline shape you currently have selected – you can draw your custom shape, use the spline2mxs script to output its code and then anywhere you have a position for a vertex in the spline, make sure you put in a multiplier variable to control the scale of the shape so the following co-ordinates for a point [100.00,350.00,500.00] become [100.00scale,350.00scale,500.00*scale] – the scale value can be controlled using the mousetool command in maxscript – you record the point the user has clicked on to begin making the custom shape, and then record the distance their mouse has travelled whicle holding the mouse button – the difference between these two values drives the shape variable and your custom shape will be created in the viewport as you drag. I’ve done this with a few simple shapes for my own helpers and it worked fairly well.

John