Expand points using projected curve

Hello All,

I will try to layout as best that I can to explain what it is I’m trying to do.

I have a heart (STL or OBJ) that was sculpted in another program (FormZ) by a colleague. I need it to be mold-able from the front plane.

So, this is what I would love to be able to do:
Imagine that you have a 3" sphere, and around the middle you create a Projected Curve. Now, select all points on either side of the curve, about 1/2 " each side. Now expand the curve outwards effecting the points progressively. in other words the points that touch the curve are affected 100% and the points furthest from the curve at 0% progressively.

I’m sure this is something that could be done, I just don’t know how to go about it.
Please feel free to ask me anything that would help you help me make this happen.

TIA,
Muggs

Hi Muggs - so, if I understand the underlying request, you’d like to introduce draft to a mesh, correct?

-Pascal

Yes, exactly correct!

Here’s a maybe-way - it will take some fiddling to get the radius and fall-off correct…

  • Make a section curve of the mesh at the parting line.
  • Select the mesh and start CageEdit, select the curve as the control object and set the control to ‘Local’, not Global (default)
  • Drag out a small radius - I’d start with something about the size of the polygon edges there, if that is somewhat consistent. Set the fall off dinstance to maybe 5x that - just a guess.
  • Scale2d the curve from a centroid (or other logical location) very carefully… my guess is this will not be easy to get the first time… Also it might work better to split the mesh with the curve first so that you have mesh vertices right on the splitting plane.

-Pascal

Pascal,
Thank you. I’m heading out right now, but I’ll give this a try tonight, and report back. This at the very least gives me somewhere to start.

Thank again,
Muggs