generate to fill up wire curves in tube meshes

[tagosaku]

Hi, I am looking for a smart method to fill up bunch of curves/wires inside of tube meshes. Tubes are imported from Maya/blender/3dmax. So far, I am using findshortestPath to fill up wire curves. However, because of using the findshortestPath. it creates bias and curves cannot fill outside bending area. Wires/curve don't need to be super straight from start to end, but no branch. And this tube exists couples, so looking for procedural way as much as possible. 

 

If anyone knows smart and better to generate wires procedurally, it would be great. Thanks! 

 

findShortestPathInMesh_v004_del.hiplc

Edited December 21, 2020 by tagosaku

[Atom]

What if you try generating them in a straight line, then use the pathdeform node to bend them along the curve?

[k2p8]

May be you can compute a vector field with a direction along the tube and some noises to create point trails 

 

procedural_roots_000.hiplc

[tagosaku]

Thanks for replies, AtomicPerception and Matt

Difficulties are that the asset(tubes) is provided. Then I cannot start from a curve SOP to build own tube shapes. Additionally, when using polyFrame SOP, it seems to not get same clean direction of tangent, either. 

[Alain2131]

Hey Tagosaku !

What I would do is to first convert that tube into a polyline, extracting the pscale and the Normal as well.
Then, I'd copy circles to these points to create the cross-sections, scatter points on these cross-sections, and finally connect them.

Like so

Hope that helps !

findShortestPathInMesh_v004_del.hiplc

[tagosaku]

hi, Alain

This is a very elegant idea to generate curves. Thank you so much!!  I know this requires a clean topology unlike a remeshed polygon, but still great!! This is because we could use for an imported tree to generate a center spline and apply for wire deformer. I have been looking for this technique!!  

Edited December 22, 2020 by tagosaku

[Alain2131]

You're right, this requires a clean tube (with the ends uncapped, and constant point number in the rows)

If your geometry isn't as clean as that (like you said, remeshed), then you could maybe use the Labs Straight Skeleton to generate the curve

It would be a bit harder to generate the pscale and Normal though, but not impossible

 

Glad you like it though !

[Aizatulin]

Hi,

here is a Straight Skeleton approach (it seems to work fine even on remeshed geometry) ...

tube_fill.hipnc

[tagosaku]

Oh, I've never used the Lab skelton node. Now I tried that one, and it's really promising, too! 

 

Alizatulin, Thank you, too. I like your attribute wrangle which outputs nice rolling curves, very unique!!

[vinyvince]

@tagosaku

Here's one other option for your wrangle with 4 lines only

You could add change last line to v@P += offset*ch("mult")*chramp("with",@curveu);  if you want to the curve off to spread according to the initial radious width variation of your curve... then detangle

________________________________________________________________

Vincent Thomas   (VFX and Art since 1998)
Senior Env and Lighting  artist & Houdini generalist & Creative Concepts
 http://fr.linkedin.com/in/vincentthomas

 

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by vinyvince

[tagosaku]

Alain, 

actually I expand your technique, and add features;

- remesh tube still works.

- closed tube also work.

- it does not need to select exact start/end points.

As long as point number 0 starts from near tip, this method should work.  

 

 

extract tube line.hip