Copy Sop... Question

[ziggx]

I'm sure this is really easy -- but it's got me stumped. I want to instance a tube onto a circle. The only problem is I can't figure out how to get the tubes to point at the center of the circle (so they radiate out like spokes on a wheel).

Been trawling through the help files and the forums but not found anything helpful. Please someone point in the right (radial) direction.

TIA

Ziggx

[aracid]

Hey Ziggx

basically what u can do is append a point sop before ur copy sop, onto the circle, ensure that ur circle is a polygon

then under ur normal entry on the point sop, replace $NX with $TX - $CEX

$NY with $TY - $CEY

$NZ with $TZ - $CEZ

that way, if u turn on the visibility of ur normals, your normals are pointing towards the centre or centroid of ur object.

make sure that ur tube is orientated on the Z axis :-)

hope this help

all the best

brian

[ziggx]

Thanks man -- that did the trick! Thanks again

Ziggx

Hey Ziggx

basically what u can do is append a point sop before ur copy sop, onto the circle, ensure that ur circle is a polygon

than under ur normal entry on the point sop, replace $NX with $TX - $CEX

$NY with $TY - $CEY

$NZ with $TZ - $CEZ

that way, if u turn on the visibility of ur normals, your normals are pointing towards the centre or centroid of ur object.

make sure that ur tube is orientated on the Z axis :-)

hope this help

all the best

brian

[KOZYX]

Thanks man -- that did the trick! Thanks again

Ziggx

HI! I tried $TX - $CEX $, $TY - $CEY, $TZ - $CEZ I know $CE[X,Y,Z] is for centroid, but what -$CE[X,Y,Z] exactly does in this case? I don't see any change with or without it, what am I missing?

Please answer, someone. Thank you.

[SpencerL]

HI! I tried $TX - $CEX $, $TY - $CEY, $TZ - $CEZ I know $CE[X,Y,Z] is for centroid, but what -$CE[X,Y,Z] exactly does in this case? I don't see any change with or without it, what am I missing?

Please answer, someone. Thank you.

Basically its pointing the normals of the geo outwards radially. If you are using this on a sphere then you wouldnt see any changes because the normals of the sphere are already oriented that way.

if you did $CEX - $TX, $CEZ - $TZ, $CEZ - $TZ, it would point all the normals inward towards the centroid of the object.

It is taking the point position of each point ($TX, $TY, $TZ) and subtracting it by the centroid (which by default is at (0,0,0) when you create your geo). Doing this gives your vector, in this case your normal, a direction that points either towards the centroid or away depending on which expression you use.

Hope this makes sense.