I hope this isn't too off-topic :-)

I'm about to release a new version of my 3d modeler, JPatch (version 
0.3), but before releasing a public beta I'd like to get some feedback 
from peoble who've got expirence with sPatch, hamaPatch or 
Animation:Master, and of course POV-Ray ;-)

JPatch is open source, written in Java (tested on Windows, Linux and OS 
X), and can export to POV-Ray and RenderMan. The new (but yet "hidden") 
homepage for the new version can be previewed here: 
http://www.jpatch.com/new/

If you're interested, please register to the forum - up to date 
information on how to download the latest development snapshot can be 
found in the "Beta" forum.

Thanks a lot!
-Sascha Ledinsky

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One thing I'd like to do is to import a large handful of points in ASCII or
really in povray 3.5 SDL.  Then model away, having these points sitting out
there in space.  It would actually be the skeleton joints for my "blob
characters", only I'd instead be modelling with patches.


"Sascha Ledinsky" <sas### [at] opensyscoat> wrote in message
news:40c302b5$1@news.povray.org...
> I hope this isn't too off-topic :-)
>
> I'm about to release a new version of my 3d modeler, JPatch (version
> 0.3), but before releasing a public beta I'd like to get some feedback
> from peoble who've got expirence with sPatch, hamaPatch or
> Animation:Master, and of course POV-Ray ;-)
>
> JPatch is open source, written in Java (tested on Windows, Linux and OS
> X), and can export to POV-Ray and RenderMan. The new (but yet "hidden")
> homepage for the new version can be previewed here:
> http://www.jpatch.com/new/
>
> If you're interested, please register to the forum - up to date
> information on how to download the latest development snapshot can be
> found in the "Beta" forum.
>
> Thanks a lot!
> -Sascha Ledinsky

Post a reply to this message

> One thing I'd like to do is to import a large handful of points in ASCII or
> really in povray 3.5 SDL.  Then model away, having these points sitting out
> there in space.  It would actually be the skeleton joints for my "blob
> characters", only I'd instead be modelling with patches.

Until now I focused on modeling. Animation (and thus a skeleton) is next 
on my list.

Parsing POV-code is a bit tricky, but JPatch's file-format is XML based 
now, and so the skeleton (once implemented) will be saved/loaded as XML 
code too - so you could write a little e.g. perl script which parses 
your pov blob-character and exports it in JPatchs's XML format...

Right now you could render orthographic views for front, side and top 
views of your skeleton in POV-Ray and use the images as background 
(rotoscopes) in JPatch...

-sascha

Post a reply to this message

Sascha Ledinsky wrote:
> 
>> One thing I'd like to do is to import a large handful of points in 
>> ASCII or
>> really in povray 3.5 SDL.  Then model away, having these points 
>> sitting out
>> there in space.  It would actually be the skeleton joints for my "blob
>> characters", only I'd instead be modelling with patches.
> 
> 
> Until now I focused on modeling. Animation (and thus a skeleton) is next 
> on my list.
> 
> Parsing POV-code is a bit tricky, but JPatch's file-format is XML based 
> now, and so the skeleton (once implemented) will be saved/loaded as XML 
> code too - so you could write a little e.g. perl script which parses 
> your pov blob-character and exports it in JPatchs's XML format...
> 
> Right now you could render orthographic views for front, side and top 
> views of your skeleton in POV-Ray and use the images as background 
> (rotoscopes) in JPatch...
> 
> -sascha

this should also work for an aircraft front, side and plan views, yes ?

perhaps you could explain 'rotoscopes' more fully

i've had a play with the beta, but i'm a total newbie with this program.
what i have noticed is the seeming lack of functionality compared with 
version 2.x.x

what aspect of the beta do you particularly want looking at?

stephen

Post a reply to this message

> this should also work for an aircraft front, side and plan views, yes ?

Sure, but the main focus of this program is character animation 
(although there are _NO_ animation features implemented yet! :-/ )
It's easy to model "organic" shapes, but it lacks some features needed 
to model e.g. architecture (and perhaps aircrafts too) - e.g. there's no 
CSG or something like that.

> perhaps you could explain 'rotoscopes' more fully

In classical animation, a rotoscope projected previously shot live 
action footage onto the animators drawing board, who could then simply 
trace the projected shape.
In CG a "rotoscope" is just another term for background image, and it's 
used for the same puropse.

> i've had a play with the beta, but i'm a total newbie with this program.
> what i have noticed is the seeming lack of functionality compared with 
> version 2.x.x

It's a complete rewrite, so it can't really be compared to version 0.2. 
I'm about to add the last missing features before "officially" going 
beta. If you're refering to the "add shapes" feature to create 
primitives like spheres, etc - This isn't implemented yet, but it isn't 
that important, because you can achieve the same effect easily by using 
the lathe or extrude tool.

If you're refering to the different "layers" - I've abandoned that 
concept - the new version allows to store an unlimited number of 
selections, and you can hide all unselected points now.

> what aspect of the beta do you particularly want looking at?

Firstly bugs :-( If it locks up, messes up something, a change isn't 
undoable, if it outputs any error messages (stack traces) on the 
console, etc.

This page shows known bugs and missing features (the features marked as 
"high priority" will be implemented in the "official" beta release)

http://www.jpatch.com/status.html

And of course any kind of feedback, ideas, feature requests, etc.

I've done some modeling to test it, here's my first try in modeling a 
head: http://www.jpatch.com/new/?page=gallery - it's done entirely with 
the latest development version and I haven't encountered any new bugs so 
far, but I'm almost sure that they are hidden somewhere :-)

> stephen

Thanks for taking your time!
-sascha

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dear Sascha Ledinsky

well i found one undo that didn't work, the new button is not undoable
it only took me 2hrs to get the mesh in via multiple images in rotorscope

a feature that would be useful to me, would be too be able to 'hide' bits

explanation - i have a number of cross-sections as jpeg images
image1 as rotorscope in xy view, add a spline in great detail - ie the 
max points i can have patience with
now extrude 'number of images' times along z
select 2nd extrude, set image2 as rotorscope
problem is selecting correct point - so i rescale in xy locking z
then i drag points to the new image outline
currently i try to keep the radial direction constant to avoid skewing
of the surface

being able to import other spt files would be nice, and being able to 
specify an offset (x,y,z) even nicer

would it be possible to select a spline, in my case a cross-section,
and then further selecting a datum point for top point, select a second 
point as a radial center, adjust the number of points in the spline ie 
select a cross-section, further select the point on the center line and 
enter NN (say 60), the spline is the sub-divided to provide 60 points
spaced at 6degres around the spline

being able to 'undisplay' the other extruded sections would be useful
and being able to 'hold constant plane' would be nice

i'm having a terminalogy problem with this, perhaps you understand what 
i mean though

also it would be exceedingly useful to be able to import version 2 spt files
and maybe save as spt2 from v3 ?
(my logic is you probably already have most of the code :-)
as you've gone the xml route, would you consider importing paths from 
gimp version 2, they save as svg(??) format

implementing that lot should keep you busy :-)
only if you think they're useful suggestions

stephen

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stephen parkinson wrote:

 > well i found one undo that didn't work, the new button is not undoable

You're right, I'll add a warning dialog.

> a feature that would be useful to me, would be too be able to 'hide' bits

It's implemented in the latest development version.

About extruding: Perhaps the X/Y/Z lock buttons can help.
I have also thought about a "rail extrude" feature, which would extrude 
a curve along another one, or even "bi-rail extrude" (to extrude a curve 
along two other curves, to create e.g. the hull of a ship), but these 
features won't make it into the current version...

> also it would be exceedingly useful to be able to import version 2 spt 
> files
> and maybe save as spt2 from v3 ?

Importing is implemented (in the file/import menu). Someone already 
suggested that it should be smart enough to guess the file type from the 
extension :) ...
Exporting is tricky, as sPatch neither supports hooks nor five-sided 
patches.

> (my logic is you probably already have most of the code :-)
> as you've gone the xml route, would you consider importing paths from 
> gimp version 2, they save as svg(??) format

I've no expirence with gimp, what is a path and what is it used for?

> implementing that lot should keep you busy :-)

I'll continue to improve the modeler, but will also focus on animation 
features...

> only if you think they're useful suggestions
> 
> stephen

Thanks a lot!
-sascha

Post a reply to this message

Sascha Ledinsky wrote:
> stephen parkinson wrote:
> 
>  > well i found one undo that didn't work, the new button is not undoable
> 
> You're right, I'll add a warning dialog.
> 
>> a feature that would be useful to me, would be too be able to 'hide' bits
> 
> 
> It's implemented in the latest development version.
> 
> About extruding: Perhaps the X/Y/Z lock buttons can help.
> I have also thought about a "rail extrude" feature, which would extrude 
> a curve along another one, or even "bi-rail extrude" (to extrude a curve 
> along two other curves, to create e.g. the hull of a ship), but these 
> features won't make it into the current version...
> end




>> also  it would be exceedingly useful to be able to import version 2 spt 
>> files
>> and maybe save as spt2 from v3 ?
> 
> 
> Importing is implemented (in the file/import menu). Someone already 
> suggested that it should be smart enough to guess the file type from the 
> extension :) ...
> Exporting is tricky, as sPatch neither supports hooks nor five-sided 
> patches.
> 
>> (my logic is you probably already have most of the code :-)
>> as you've gone the xml route, would you consider importing paths from 
>> gimp version 2, they save as svg(??) format
> 
> 
> I've no expirence with gimp, what is a path and what is it used for?
> 
>> implementing that lot should keep you busy :-)
> 
> 
> I'll continue to improve the modeler, but will also focus on animation 
> features...
> 
>> only if you think they're useful suggestions
>>
>> stephen
> 
> 
> Thanks a lot!
> -sascha

no doubt someone with more gimp experience tha I will correct me if I'm 
wrong

a path in gimp is a bezier spline and can be exported, in version 2 its 
exported in svg format, which i believe is xml based
in version 1.2.x gimp, it was a different format and there exists 
gimppath2pov.py python script to convert it to *a pov inc file

the
  cat is nuzzling the keyboard+

-*numpad+
end

stephen

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Sascha Ledinsky wrote:
> stephen parkinson wrote:
> 
>  > well i found one undo that didn't work, the new button is not undoable
> 
> You're right, I'll add a warning dialog.
> 
not tried this yet :-)

just pulled the devel version , about reports

JPatch experimental version pre0.3
compiled Wed Jun 09 16:04:06 CEST 2004

please find attached weird.spt, simple spline? extruded in side view 
with y locked, by selecting block, press 'e', move centre yellow block 
far right of window, otherwise it don't seem to let me move anything, 
then drag top right side yellow corner to right, repeat a few times

it seems to scale for some reason, prob me getting it wrong

secondly at some point in the proceedings (number 3 or 4 extrude?) a 
whole bunch of lines appeared between spline points and somewhere 
outside top left corner of window.

snap to grid seems permanently enabled, is there another option apart 
from grid spacing i've missed, enable/disable snap to grid?


stephen

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Sascha Ledinsky wrote:
> stephen parkinson wrote:
> 
>  > well i found one undo that didn't work, the new button is not undoable
> 
> You're right, I'll add a warning dialog.
> 
thanks

>> a feature that would be useful to me, would be too be able to 'hide' bits
> 
> 
> It's implemented in the latest development version.
> 
again thanks

> About extruding: Perhaps the X/Y/Z lock buttons can help.
> I have also thought about a "rail extrude" feature, which would extrude 
> a curve along another one, or even "bi-rail extrude" (to extrude a curve 
> along two other curves, to create e.g. the hull of a ship), but these 
> features won't make it into the current version...
> 
roll on version 0.4, 0.5, .....  1.00 :-)

>> also it would be exceedingly useful to be able to import version 2 spt 
>> files
>> and maybe save as spt2 from v3 ?
> 

sorry didn't realise it was 'spatch' file format, thought it was jpatch's

am i correct in thinking 0.3 saves in something xml'ish
and its diff to 0.2's ?

  stephen

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