Digital Art Zone

Oops, I’m halfway through a scene with a lot of replicated truss parts… I’m using the Inagoni plugin Replica Array modifier. Is there a way to make the replicated items into real items?

Holly,

I assume you have already tried converting to a vertex object?

If you have AnythingGrooves, does the “Convert Deformed Object to Mesh” work? Probably won’t work but can’t hurt to try it.

Last resort would be to export it to OBJ or other format.

cdordoni - 26 December 2012 08:24 PM

Holly,

I assume you have already tried converting to a vertex object?

If you have AnythingGrooves, does the “Convert Deformed Object to Mesh” work? Probably won’t work but can’t hurt to try it.

Last resort would be to export it to OBJ or other format.

OOOO OOOO OOOO!!

Convert Deformed Object to Mesh worked beautifully!
Thank you! It did not occur to me.

Interesting model Holly…I suspect we were discussing its roots over in the Space Scenes thread? 

I am curious about Replica though - what does it permit that the Carrara Replicators do not? (i.e. why should I buy it? )

Garstor - 27 December 2012 04:50 AM

I am curious about Replica though - what does it permit that the Carrara Replicators do not? (i.e. why should I buy it? )

They approach the same problem from different directions.

Carrara’s built in Replicator arranges sub-objects in a limited number of shapes (ball, arc, grid, etc), and has randomizing parameters so the instances can each look a little “randomized” within their position (height, rotation, slightly off position, etc). Whether you are using Replicator or Surface Replicator, it is sort of a top-down concept: the replicator defines an area (or volume, or surface) and fills it in with sub-objects….

Inagoni’s Replica is similar, but it has some extra parameters like blending with a shader to create variation in color (creates new shaders), and seems to always create new objects… The interface is a little baffling, I admit. For most cases the built-in Replicator is easier to use… Replica was a plugin before Carrara had the built-in Replicator…

But Replica Array is a modifier that creates instances and translates them from the original: rotation, offset, scale. In the case of my small truss arc, I am able to create the next instance (and the next and the next) by setting how much each iteration will rotate and offset from the one before…. So for example from one small section of fence I could create a long fence that repeats for miles or curves to enclose a corral…. Replica Array doesn’t have the randomizing parameters, but you can scale each object as a percentage of the one before (think: wedding cake tiers, getting smaller with each repetition)..., and you can ANIMATE the parameters (think: mechanical tentacle).

Another case where the modifier would be perfect is a camera iris that could open and close with mechanical “blades” (like the iris on the Stargate SG-1 ring) you’d create one “blade” and control the whole iris by animating the modifier…

There’s a couple of examples on the Inagoni Replica page, the linked chain, and the animated thing that show what the modifier (they call it a “deformer”) can do…
http://www.inagoni.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.5

Thanks Holly! Your description of the product is much better than the Inagoni site.   I may have to give this plug-in a look-see.

I have Archi-Tools but haven’t had much time to play with it. Shaper didn’t impress me; can’t really think of a good use for it. Veloute didn’t work for me at all [1]... So Inagoni products are a bit of a mixed bag for me.

[1] - I confess I have not sought support for this issue yet.

Garstor - 27 December 2012 04:50 AM

Interesting model Holly…I suspect we were discussing its roots over in the Space Scenes thread? 

I am curious about Replica though - what does it permit that the Carrara Replicators do not? (i.e. why should I buy it? )

I was thinking the same thing about both the model and the plugin!

Thanks for the detailed description Holly!

But Replica Array is a modifier that creates instances and translates them from the original: rotation, offset, scale. In the case of my small truss arc, I am able to create the next instance (and the next and the next) by setting how much each iteration will rotate and offset from the one before…. So for example from one small section of fence I could create a long fence that repeats for miles or curves to enclose a corral…. Replica Array doesn’t have the randomizing parameters, but you can scale each object as a percentage of the one before (think: wedding cake tiers, getting smaller with each repetition)..., and you can ANIMATE the parameters (think: mechanical tentacle).

You can do the same with Carrara using Duplicate. If you want to create a fence circle, create one part of the fence, set the hotpoint to the center of the circle, copy the fence, rotate the copy to the next position and keep hitting CTRL + D. Carrara remembers the last edit (scaling, moving, rotating) and continues this edit. But keep the copy active. So do not click on anything else, because Carrara forgets the last edit. Duplicate is about the same as replicate. It is still one object. With duplicate you have more options and freedom.

You can also make a winding staircase with this. Rotate and move it up. The sky is the limit.

Yes, but you would already need to know the distance and rotation to offset.

Because of the Array modifier I was able to “connect” the truss into a ring exactly, no guesswork (well, still a lot of guesswork, but I am able to see how it looks with 14 instances rather than hitting duplicate 13x, then deleting it 13x and starting over when if it doesn’t line up where I want…)