Joel
0
Controlled Spline Script
This is another great script by Hiroto that didn't get much attention when he posted it a few years ago. It deserves a forum tutorial.
http://www.cheetah3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9251
The download from Hiroto's site has two parts, the Spline script and the Tag script.
http://www.tres-graficos.jp/blog/files/article.php?id=95
Because splines are drawn on a flat plane, it can be difficult to make one that curves precisely in 3D space. This script simplifies the process by letting you place small visible objects to locate control points in the spline. In this example the small "point" boxes were snapped to the corners of a default wireframe box to clearly show the resulting spline variations. Everything is intuitive and can be easily adjusted to get the precise spline you want. I use these curvy splines a lot as paths for sweeps — imagine a shoe lace or exhaust pipe.
The tag is only necessary if you want to adjust the curve angle on individual points.
The order of the boxes as children of the script determine the end points of an open curve.
The script includes Position, Rotation, and Scale parameters, which I left at default values for the sake of clarity.
When you try this out, it seems really simple, you just arrange some boxes. But when you think about what it's doing mathematically, it's mind-blowing. Another fantastic C3D tool, thanks to Hiroto.
This is another great script by Hiroto that didn't get much attention when he posted it a few years ago. It deserves a forum tutorial.
http://www.cheetah3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9251
The download from Hiroto's site has two parts, the Spline script and the Tag script.
http://www.tres-graficos.jp/blog/files/article.php?id=95
Because splines are drawn on a flat plane, it can be difficult to make one that curves precisely in 3D space. This script simplifies the process by letting you place small visible objects to locate control points in the spline. In this example the small "point" boxes were snapped to the corners of a default wireframe box to clearly show the resulting spline variations. Everything is intuitive and can be easily adjusted to get the precise spline you want. I use these curvy splines a lot as paths for sweeps — imagine a shoe lace or exhaust pipe.
The tag is only necessary if you want to adjust the curve angle on individual points.
The order of the boxes as children of the script determine the end points of an open curve.
The script includes Position, Rotation, and Scale parameters, which I left at default values for the sake of clarity.
When you try this out, it seems really simple, you just arrange some boxes. But when you think about what it's doing mathematically, it's mind-blowing. Another fantastic C3D tool, thanks to Hiroto.