Add Solids with Marionette

[willofmaine]

I'm trying to make some simple cubbies (basically just a grid of horizontal and vertical extrudes) using Marionette, but I can't seem to just simply add all of the extrudes together to create a solid addition (so that all of the joint lines won't show).  I've tried using the Solid Boolean node in a variety of ways, but, the best I can do is create four, or more, coincident solids (see attached), when all I want is just one solid.  Is there a node to just simply add solids together, or a way to use the Solid Boolean node to do this?  Thanks!

07-Add Solids-04-00.vwx

[willofmaine]

The description for the Solid Boolean node says "The operation will be performed for each possible combination of objects in the lists supplied."  I guess they really meant it.  What ended up working was exploding the lists of all the solids that I was trying to add, and then adding them to each other one at a time (see attached, in the two big light green wrapper nodes...).  

 

Could a node be created that simply adds all the solids in one step?  

 

Or is there a better way to do what I've done, with the current nodes?

08-Cubbies_Solidified-00.vwx

[AlanW]

@willofmaine this is another way of making cup'ds. These are based on a standard supplier that i made for a test.

Cupds-180424.vwx

[Marissa Farrell]

Although not ideal, one way you can do this is to use the Pop Front node and wire the Item port to hObj1 and the rest of the list to hObj2 (screenshot below)

How the Solid Boolean node works is that the first port is the "blank" and the second port is the "tool." The node will cross reference these lists, as you've noticed, to create as many combinations as possible. If only one item is fed into the first port, then the objects will all be added to/subtracted from/intersected with that first "blank" item.

 

[willofmaine]

@Alan Woodwell Thanks for the cabinets; I learned a few things looking at your various scripts.  And I've wrestled a little with which is better: more scripts / Marionette objects with fewer OIP options, or, fewer scripts with more OIP options?  Looks like you went with more scripts, each with limited options.

 

@Marissa Farrell The "Pop Front" node seems at least a lot more ideal than what I was doing...  I realize that if more than two items are put into the "hObj1" port of the "Solid Boolean" node for subtraction or intersection, it can't know which to act on.  Maybe the node could be updated so that if "Add" is selected in the OIP, it simply adds all objects as a single object, regardless of how many objects are fed into the first port?  Or, alternatively, a separate "Solid Boolean - Add" node?  Now that I understand how the "Solid Boolean" node works it all makes perfect sense, though maybe it could be a bit more intuitive...

 

In the meantime, the "Pop Front" node is a significant improvement: a lot fewer wires and nodes, and, no limit as to how many rows or columns of cubbies there can be!

 

Thanks!

Edited April 23, 2018 by willofmaine

[Marissa Farrell]

There's a possibility we could add a checkbox later to the node to allow a user to decide if ALL objects will be added together, but we will likely leave the basic operation of this node alone.

 

I'll look into some options on how to simplify the process. Thanks for your input!

[AlanW]

@willofmaineHi this network will produce your cubbies using the solid Boolean node. 

This one is a simple short network.

 

HTH

 

 

Cubby_V002_180424.vwx

Edited April 24, 2018 by Alan Woodwell

[willofmaine]

Hi Alan, sorry, I got it to work as I wanted with Marissa's "Pop Front" node suggestion, and thought I'd uploaded it.  Wall thickness can be set, and box size is a function of the number of boxes and the overall size.  I'll try and upload it for real this time...  Thanks!

10-Cubbies_Solidified-09-00.vwx

[AlanW]

Hi, this one adjusts the wall thickness. With a little python knowledge you can use nodes to do a lot more with Marionette with less nodes.

HTH

Cubby_V003_180425.vwx

[AlanW]

Ok Last one. This allows you to adjust the horizontal and vertical grid including the number of cubbies within that grid.

Cubby_V004_180426.vwx

[willofmaine]

Okay, thanks for these, though I'm getting the feeling my script isn't ideal?  But I'm not sure why... it allows for both setting the wall thickness and for adjusting the number of cubbies each way, and, assuming the nodes in the duplicated wrappers only need to be counted once, it does it with fewer nodes...

[AlanW]

I don't think there is a right or wrong way to do these networks, just different ways as long as you get the result you need. In these days with computers with huge processing power it doesn't really matter. 

Ideally one might reduce the amount of time that a program takes to perform some task at the price of making it consume more memory. In an application where memory space is at a premium, one might deliberately choose a slower algorithm in order to use less memory. Often there is no "one size fits all" design which works well in all cases, so engineers make trade-offs to optimize the attributes of greatest interest.

Nice work though, its always a challenge for the brain which i like.

Edited April 26, 2018 by Alan Woodwell

[willofmaine]

Ha - like you say, my goal is still just to "get the result I need."  Python and balancing algorithm speeds with memory are a bit beyond me at the moment!

[KingChaos]

uhm, thx for this input on "how to use subtraction in marionette".

 

but in my file the subtraction with "solid boolean" wont work and i dont get the mistakes i made.

 

i just want to make a simple "circle pipe" and if that works a simple "rectangluar tube" with parametric l,w t and mat thickness.

ProfilGeometrie.vwx

[Antonio Landsberger]

Hi KingChaos,

if you have a choice between

a) extruding two circles with different diameters and then subtracting the small extrude from the big extrude

or

b) subtracting a small circle from a bigger circle and then extruding the ring

you should try b).

 

This should not only be easier, but also a lot faster to process.

[KingChaos]

can i call u now?

[KingChaos]

the order might be wrong, it never subtracted the small one from the big one ..

maybe bec. both objects are in a group?

 

yesterday i had it working after long struggle, now it wont work.

 

not the subtracted circles or the solids.

 

 

[KingChaos]

now it works, maybe my boolean node was corrupted, i used the node from AlanW and it worked perfect ... :()