We’ve got a ton of requests for clipping planes filed but I’m not seeing your #1 which I’d call a “clipping plane object property”. I just made sure this gets on the list as http://mcneel.myjetbrains.com/youtrack/issue/RH-27530
I’m guessing this is more of a property of a clipping plane in that the plane would have a list of objects that is has (or does not have) an effect on.
That could work too Steve with a list of all objects in the scene and perhaps layer control below the ‘clipped views’ in object props. But, I’d personally prefer it the other way so I wouldn’t have to name objects in order to find them in the clipping plane properties. If you could handle the lazy modeler cases by also having a pick mode in the clipping plane properties that would be the best of both ideas I think.
I propose two ways, either one like Zebra and the analysis tools have, a simple add and remove button, or a list in the properties where one can “radiobutton” between all and selected, where all is defaul if no objects are preselected, and selected is default if objects are preselected. And then in the list have an add button and a remove button.
Most render programs I have used has this for lights among other tools.
But I see this somewhat linked to my wish (which I’m not sure made it to the jetbrain list) where you can assign a hatch property to the properties of an object. When the object gets cut by a clipping plane, the object’s hatch is used. And the user gets the option to pick “solid, hatch, both” for display in clipped mode.
I guess this wish doesn’t necessarily demand that the clipping behavior itself is set under the object’s properties but if not, there will be settings in different places. Then again (thinking as I write), when using different Clipping Objects at the same time, I suppose it is the clipping object that needs a list over which objects it actually clips…
I am ‘reheating’ this topic with good suggestions from @Holo, especially would be great to have per-object override so some objects can ignore clipping by ClippingPlanes (a checkbox in ObjectProperties, perhaps?)
Another way would be to exclude objects from clipping per-Clippingplane, but UI for that is less straight-forward.
I have one more to add to the pile for ClippingPlanes and curious if this is as ‘easy’ as it sounds: how about a command: ExtractClippedMesh, that would basically extract the rendermesh used to display clipped geometry in the viewport? @jeff - is that information available as 3D geometry to extract?
Many times when working with 3D sections we would find this very helpful to extract the clipped geometry as a real model with no need for clipping plane. I realize that getting the 3D Surfaces and Polysurfaces may require much more work to physically clip, but maybe at least render-mesh version would be quickly available?
Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking for the 2nd option, Vray Clipping Object in Max has this exact same workflow.
The problematic part in Rhino is by default objects are not named so it makes it difficult to keep track of what is what in that case… That’s why I though a checkbox that would exclude object from all clipping could be a good start. A little less functionality for complex, multi-clipping plane model scenes, but way simpler to use (and implement, I guess).
Hi Pascal, thanks… first I was thinking the ClippingPlane is just some visual trickery but then in works with Make2D, so maybe there is hope to grab the clipped 3D geometry…
Pascal is correct… there is no “clipped geometry” that exists… Things get clipped at the point a pixel is about to be turned on…so you actually have to draw all of the geometry in order to know which portions get clipped. I’m pretty sure Make2D is just performing some kind of intersection tests with a plane and the affected objects, and producing the proper results…but I don’t know if it’s actually working with the render meshes.
That being said, I’m not sure how hard it would be to just produce an output that is trimmed by the clipping plane(s). You should try it on your models and see what happens… Just replace the clipping plane with a (large enough) real plane object, and see if you can trim the entire model with it (of course I would work with only the render meshes)…
If it looks like it will always work, then it can be automated.