A unified orientation for distributors?

[GrowFxUser]

Hi Eduard,

I was wondering if we can have a checkbox in distributors tab that reverses paths orientations on the opposite side of the parent path. Something like unifying orientation.

This way there won't be any problem when we have counts above one. Right now either the texture &/  normals &/ profile curve flips and makes some of the direction modifiers to behave in reverse when the paths count is above one. For example using vector orientaion causes one side to flip, so we'd have opposite profile curves.

Here's what I mean :

Current configuration : 

And here's what I'm suggesting :

Our current workflow is to separate paths on the opposite sides, which not only makes it a hassle, but also hard hard to keep track of the nodes. On top of that, to make a small change, we have to go back and change the other pair as well. Not to mention that we'd have double the node amounts to deal with and have in paths tab which causes cluttering.

Hopefully the illustrations are clear enough, if not please let me know, so I'll try to explain with more detail and examples.

Thank you,

Ashkan

[Eduard]

Hi Ashkan,

 

Please look at my example, it's right for you? If not, please send me your example file, where I could understand the problem...

Thanks!

DistrLeaves_example_1.max

[GrowFxUser]

Thank you so much Eduard. In fact that's pretty much the same example I was working on. So based on your example if I set the angle across to 0 to make the leaves face outwards instead of up, it'll be like :

(flipped normals, flipped texture, flipped profile curve (width graph) )

If I add a texture, while leaving the angle across to 90 that you've set, it'll be like :

(flipped textures)

And finally if I use the angle across curve, instead of both sides being a mirror (opposite) of each other, they are flipped opposite :

It would be like :

(flipped normals, flipped texture, flipped profile curve (width graph) )

So, technically there should be a check-box that allows the paths on the opposite side of each other to have a mirror effect not a flipped mirror. I should also mention that the presence of vector orientation, does not change the behavior in any way.

By the way, its behavior is the same for both circular and angular distribution modes.

If it still doesn't make sense, please let me know, so I'd add more examples and explanation.

Thank you,

Ashkan

[GrowFxUser]

And here are the correct (desired) forms of examples :

 

Example one :

 

Example two :

 

Example three :

[Eduard]

Now everything is clear!

We'll try to implement this feature...

 

Thanks!

[GrowFxUser]

Thank you so much Eduard,

Ashkan

[Eduard]

Remembering this, I thought maybe you could just duplicate the path, and then change the two parameters, and you'll get the desired result.

See my screenshot:

 

Scene file: FlippedTextureOnLeaves.max

 

Cheers

[GrowFxUser]

Hi,

Yeah, I kinda knew that, but thanks for the reminder. It's actually more like 3 parameters; the "angel axis" should also be inverted.

I just thought it'll save some time, since now the mesh and distributor parameters are not shared, and also may cause some cluttering if we have lots of those nodes, each with a left and right; hard to track the nodes. In any event, it's OK for now, but I guess if it'll all become node based, it will help a lot if we can have an invert node that takes values(numbers), just like Maya, so they can be plugged in, somewhere in the middle of the graph to other nodes. It's all suggestions, nothing really serious.

Thanks again,

Ashkan

[Eduard]

Yes, I forgot to highlight the "angel axis"

Ok, we'll try to simplify this with the node based interface...

 

Thanks!