Current modeling progress for a brain bot character. Using Blender to array the
cubic spline sweeps and lathes. Still messing with the scale of the brain folds.
The tentacle arms are an intersection using a spline sweep that clips spheres
plotted along the same path.
Miller

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Great work!

-- 
Thomas

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Looking great, you're really nailing that pulp sci-fi vibe!

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"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> Current modeling progress for a brain bot character. Using Blender to array the
> cubic spline sweeps and lathes. Still messing with the scale of the brain folds.
> The tentacle arms are an intersection using a spline sweep that clips spheres
> plotted along the same path.
> Miller

It's looking really good!

How are you modeling the brain?

Sam

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"Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > Current modeling progress for a brain bot character. Using Blender to array the
> > cubic spline sweeps and lathes. Still messing with the scale of the brain folds.
> > The tentacle arms are an intersection using a spline sweep that clips spheres
> > plotted along the same path.
> > Miller
>
> It's looking really good!
>
> How are you modeling the brain?
>
> Sam


Thanks,
the brain is one continuous sphere_sweep/cubic_spline. I used Blender with
object snap to plant spheres on a simple brain shape surface. I image-mapped the
surface to help guide the process of plotting out the gray matter folds. I
exported the spheres via .x3d and converted the file to POV syntax. Attached is
a capture of the brain in Blender. Still tweaking a bit. I'm only modeling what
I the final camera will see. I'm currently working on the weapon at the end of
the tenacle arms.
Mike

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Attachments:
Download 'brain_progress.png' (1430 KB)

Preview of image 'brain_progress.png'

Op 19-7-2023 om 04:01 schreef Mike Miller:
> "Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
>>
>> It's looking really good!
>>
>> How are you modeling the brain?
>>
>> Sam
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> the brain is one continuous sphere_sweep/cubic_spline. I used Blender with
> object snap to plant spheres on a simple brain shape surface. I image-mapped the
> surface to help guide the process of plotting out the gray matter folds. I
> exported the spheres via .x3d and converted the file to POV syntax. Attached is
> a capture of the brain in Blender. Still tweaking a bit. I'm only modeling what
> I the final camera will see. I'm currently working on the weapon at the end of
> the tenacle arms.
> Mike

Smart! I am impressed.

-- 
Thomas

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"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > > Current modeling progress for a brain bot character. [...]
> >
> > It's looking really good!
> >
> > How are you modeling the brain?
>
>
> Thanks,
> the brain is one continuous sphere_sweep/cubic_spline. I used Blender with
> object snap to plant spheres on a simple brain shape surface. I image-mapped the
> surface to help guide the process of plotting out the gray matter folds. I
> exported the spheres via .x3d and converted the file to POV syntax. Attached is
> a capture of the brain in Blender. Still tweaking a bit. I'm only modeling what
> I the final camera will see. I'm currently working on the weapon at the end of
> the tenacle arms.
> Mike

Ah, tracing the brain folds is a good solution, for sure.

I know nothing about the .x3d file type, but it sounds like it somehow preserves
lots of info including ordered point arrays? Or it can at least be converted to
arrays?

Sam

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"Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > "Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> > > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > > > Current modeling progress for a brain bot character. [...]
> > >
> > > It's looking really good!
> > >
> > > How are you modeling the brain?
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> > the brain is one continuous sphere_sweep/cubic_spline. I used Blender with
> > object snap to plant spheres on a simple brain shape surface. I image-mapped the
> > surface to help guide the process of plotting out the gray matter folds. I
> > exported the spheres via .x3d and converted the file to POV syntax. Attached is
> > a capture of the brain in Blender. Still tweaking a bit. I'm only modeling what
> > I the final camera will see. I'm currently working on the weapon at the end of
> > the tenacle arms.
> > Mike
>
> Ah, tracing the brain folds is a good solution, for sure.
>
> I know nothing about the .x3d file type, but it sounds like it somehow preserves
> lots of info including ordered point arrays? Or it can at least be converted to
> arrays?
>
> Sam



Yes, you are correct. The .x3d holds all the naming and transform information
of the Blender types. As long as you stick with Blender primitives (blobs,
spheres, torus, cube, etc. the output file is simple to parse. I use it to
export point arrays for POV lathes, sweeps, prisms, 2D arrays. I wrote a
converter that reads the .x3d and writes POV syntax. Attached shows spheres
renamed as 'pointData in Blender... I convert the points into 'mixed array' to
be used in a construction loop.


Currently working on some sci-fi tower forms

// convert .x3d

#declare pointDataCount = 12 ;
#declare pointArray = array mixed [pointDataCount][2] ;
#declare pointArray[0][0] = <21.561, -4.214, 0.159>  ;
#declare pointArray[0][1] = 2.285 ;
#declare pointArray[1][0] = <24.891, -4.027, 0.112>  ;
#declare pointArray[1][1] = 2.162 ;
#declare pointArray[2][0] = <28.244, -3.671, 0.020>  ;
#declare pointArray[2][1] = 1.930 ;
#declare pointArray[3][0] = <31.605, -3.120, -0.142>  ;
........



#declare node = sphere {<0,0,0> 1.6} ;

#declare arm_right =
intersection {
    union {
        #for (i,0,pointDataCount-1)
            object {node scale pointArray[i][1]*.9 translate pointArray[i][0]}
        #end
        material {M_red_metal}
    }
}


Currently working on some sci-fi tower forms.
Mike.

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"Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > "Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> > > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > > > Current modeling progress for a brain bot character. [...]
> > >
> > > It's looking really good!
> > >
> > > How are you modeling the brain?
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> > the brain is one continuous sphere_sweep/cubic_spline. I used Blender with
> > object snap to plant spheres on a simple brain shape surface. I image-mapped the
> > surface to help guide the process of plotting out the gray matter folds. I
> > exported the spheres via .x3d and converted the file to POV syntax. Attached is
> > a capture of the brain in Blender. Still tweaking a bit. I'm only modeling what
> > I the final camera will see. I'm currently working on the weapon at the end of
> > the tenacle arms.
> > Mike
>
> Ah, tracing the brain folds is a good solution, for sure.
>
> I know nothing about the .x3d file type, but it sounds like it somehow preserves
> lots of info including ordered point arrays? Or it can at least be converted to
> arrays?
>
> Sam

>>  including ordered point arrays

In Blender, I array a sphere along a bezier path with the 'curve' modifier.
Collapsing the array and curve moodier to create a list of loose elements still
maintains a creation order. Prefect for lathes, sweeps, prisms, ect.
Miller

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"Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> "Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > > "Samuel B." <stb### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> > > > "Mike Miller" <mil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > > > > Current modeling progress for a brain bot character. [...]
> > > >
> > > > It's looking really good!
> > > >
> > > > How are you modeling the brain?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > the brain is one continuous sphere_sweep/cubic_spline. [...] I exported the
> > > spheres via .x3d and converted the file to POV syntax. [...]
> >
> > Ah, tracing the brain folds is a good solution, for sure.
> >
> > I know nothing about the .x3d file type, but it sounds like it somehow preserves
> > lots of info including ordered point arrays? Or it can at least be converted to
> > arrays?

> Yes, you are correct. The .x3d holds all the naming and transform information of
> the Blender types. As long as you stick with Blender primitives (blobs, spheres,
> torus, cube, etc. the output file is simple to parse. I use it to export point
> arrays for POV lathes, sweeps, prisms, 2D arrays. I wrote a converter that reads
> the .x3d and writes POV syntax. Attached shows spheres renamed as 'pointData in
> Blender... I convert the points into 'mixed array' to be used in a construction
> loop.
>
> [...]
>
> In Blender, I array a sphere along a bezier path with the 'curve' modifier.
> Collapsing the array and curve moodier to create a list of loose elements still
> maintains a creation order. Prefect for lathes, sweeps, prisms, ect.
> Miller

That's some welcome information! Years ago, I made a Blender-to-.pov arrays
script in Python to transport object orientation data to POV-Ray (for rigid body
sims), but Blender's Python API changed over time, and the script stopped
working :( The .x3d file type seems like a promising replacement, and might even
be less work than finding the changed API calls all over again.

> Currently working on some sci-fi tower forms.

It's looking more interesting all the time.

Sam

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