New plugin ideas
by Jaimi McEntire · in Constructor · 05/25/2007 (10:06 am) · 42 replies
I'm looking for some new plugin ideas. Here are some of the things I'm considering:
-> New hollowing tool - Will sort of extrude each face, with the slice between each brush being the edge normal. This should make a more predictable hollow than the csg-subtract method. However, it will produce angled cuts, so it can't replace the other hollow completely.
-> Cylinder - Make a hollow cylinder.
-> Corridor maker - Specify the slopes of the sides of the corridor, the thickness of the floor/roof/walls, and optionally create a "plug" at the end that can be used for csg subtracting to connect your corridor to something. Maybe even include options for different corridor connections.
-> Path extruder: Select a set of faces, and extrude it in series to a set of path markers. Should make creating roads (etc) relatively painless.
-> Brush Terrain: Creates a small grid terrain from brushes. Specify the width of the "grid" elements. Will mark all the unseen faces with a null texture. Can be oriented different ways. Might be useful for small plots of land and/or caves.
Put in your vote! What should be next? Or is there something I haven't even thought of?
-> New hollowing tool - Will sort of extrude each face, with the slice between each brush being the edge normal. This should make a more predictable hollow than the csg-subtract method. However, it will produce angled cuts, so it can't replace the other hollow completely.
-> Cylinder - Make a hollow cylinder.
-> Corridor maker - Specify the slopes of the sides of the corridor, the thickness of the floor/roof/walls, and optionally create a "plug" at the end that can be used for csg subtracting to connect your corridor to something. Maybe even include options for different corridor connections.
-> Path extruder: Select a set of faces, and extrude it in series to a set of path markers. Should make creating roads (etc) relatively painless.
-> Brush Terrain: Creates a small grid terrain from brushes. Specify the width of the "grid" elements. Will mark all the unseen faces with a null texture. Can be oriented different ways. Might be useful for small plots of land and/or caves.
Put in your vote! What should be next? Or is there something I haven't even thought of?
#4
Here they are:)
This would be a pain without the extrude tool thanks again!!
05/25/2007 (6:57 pm)
I would agree Jaimi, stair builder would be great. I have been trying out the tutorial that is here somewhere, and it does produce spiral stairs and such, but I would like to see something more like the tools in 3dsMAX. With one motion you can make stairs with railings, and also windows(another plug-in?). And by the way TY, for your continued work I want to post something here in a few that I could not have made without your plug-ins...see you soon:)Here they are:)
This would be a pain without the extrude tool thanks again!!
#5
example:
05/26/2007 (11:23 am)
How about a "pipe" tool.. that would be able to easily make pipes with bends and turns in them. So, a pipe could have a gradual 90 degree bend in it for hallways or rooms etc. (other bend degrees would be nice as well)example:
#6
05/26/2007 (1:12 pm)
Yeah... a pipe tool would be pretty handy *adds his vote to stairs and pipe tools*
#7
Looks great! Can't wait to see it in game!
@LK,Joseph:
I think this should be possible with the path-extrude tool, If I take into account the bends... Shouldn't be too hard.
I'm currently working on the Stair Builder, I don't have an ETA on it yet, but I expect it will be at least a week.
05/26/2007 (6:30 pm)
@Bobby:Looks great! Can't wait to see it in game!
@LK,Joseph:
I think this should be possible with the path-extrude tool, If I take into account the bends... Shouldn't be too hard.
I'm currently working on the Stair Builder, I don't have an ETA on it yet, but I expect it will be at least a week.
#8
05/29/2007 (8:24 am)
Is there any type of symmetry tool?
#9
05/29/2007 (8:26 pm)
Quote:Is there any type of symmetry tool?Would the radial clone work for what you want? If not, tell me what you need and I may put it in the queue.
#10
05/29/2007 (10:35 pm)
More like in 3ds max, when building a character. For example, I can model half a chair and use symmetry to create the other half. When i change the half that I made, the other half of the chair is automatically updated.
#11
05/30/2007 (5:39 am)
Hmm - I can create a mirror plugin, no problem. Not sure how to make one that auto-updates like that, though. I'll look into it. 
#12
My vote for the path extruder plugin but also the terrain plugin... all yours plugin Jaimi are wellcome!
@Britt: to mirror a brush simply copy&paste the brush, then use planar scale tool and in the axis you want to mirror along type a negative value, a -1 simply mirror the brush, a -2 value simply mirror the brush doubling the size on that axis...
So the mirror plugin isn't necessary, at most can be just a little easier/timesaving...
JoZ
05/30/2007 (5:51 am)
Hi there!My vote for the path extruder plugin but also the terrain plugin... all yours plugin Jaimi are wellcome!
@Britt: to mirror a brush simply copy&paste the brush, then use planar scale tool and in the axis you want to mirror along type a negative value, a -1 simply mirror the brush, a -2 value simply mirror the brush doubling the size on that axis...
So the mirror plugin isn't necessary, at most can be just a little easier/timesaving...
JoZ
#13
05/30/2007 (6:00 am)
Thanks, I'll test it out
#14
05/30/2007 (8:18 am)
Works perfect for now. How about a "lathe" tool. I tried using the radial clone, but it doesn't seem to give me the effect I want. I guess that may be a bit much. That might require some type of spline editor.
#15
Maybe you can try to do a sphere plugin?
I ask for this since the standard sphere tool is really buggy and what you can obtain with it is really limited...
Since the great job I saw you've made with the Torus I think your the right people to do the job... :)
JoZ
05/30/2007 (4:14 pm)
Jaimi BTW I try to relaunch this idea...Maybe you can try to do a sphere plugin?
I ask for this since the standard sphere tool is really buggy and what you can obtain with it is really limited...
Since the great job I saw you've made with the Torus I think your the right people to do the job... :)
JoZ
#16
06/24/2007 (8:28 am)
"Path extruder" sounds good.. being able to make turns/curves for roads would be great (something I'm working out how to do without it looking crap)
#17
06/24/2007 (11:02 am)
Brush Terrain! As in the old UnrealEd (similar to what you've described). I do this all the time using several triangle brushes so I can vertex edit in any direction and not break the geometry.
#18
I would love a path extrude like the one in QuArk for making winding tunnels etc...
Also is there a way to add the ability to choose the amount of length/height/width etc segments when making a brush? Something like 3ds max or most other 3D modeling apps have. Now that we have the extude tool, a brush with N of divisions would be just great!
07/08/2007 (8:53 am)
First of all - awsome job on all your plugins so far Jaimi!I would love a path extrude like the one in QuArk for making winding tunnels etc...
Also is there a way to add the ability to choose the amount of length/height/width etc segments when making a brush? Something like 3ds max or most other 3D modeling apps have. Now that we have the extude tool, a brush with N of divisions would be just great!
#19
Not really, since a brush has to be convex. It should be possible to create a set of brushes in a block that would give a similar result, but I'm not sure if that will do what you're looking for.
07/08/2007 (12:17 pm)
Quote:Also is there a way to add the ability to choose the amount of length/height/width etc segments when making a brush? Something like 3ds max or most other 3D modeling apps have. Now that we have the extude tool, a brush with N of divisions would be just great!
Not really, since a brush has to be convex. It should be possible to create a set of brushes in a block that would give a similar result, but I'm not sure if that will do what you're looking for.
Associate Matt Fairfax
Night Heron Games