Hi, any ideas how to get flow along curve to work on non planar curves?
The objects never actually follow the target curve properly, it needs manual adjustment on the base curve.
See attached.
Thanks
flow along curve question.zip (16.0 MB)
can you post a few screen shots of what you are seeing so we can tell what the wrong result it?
Hi, I uploaded the rhino file on the post, can you open it?
I am attaching also a screenshot not. Left ring is the final outcome, but had to change the flow objects to adjust to the target curve (non planar, white curve on the blue ring). āThanks!!!
Hi Kyle, any idea how to resolve this issue?
Might help if you include the bad result in your file. Right now Iām not really sure what you want.
Hi, please see attached. Bad result is on the blue ring (base curve 1). And the good expected result base curve 2 ( and twisted objects on the base curve) and red ring. The stones should follow the flow of the target curve as they are in the red ring after I changed the objects manually. Thanks
flow along curve question-bad result.zip (14.4 MB)
It appears the problem is the objects are not oriented as desired when flowed along the target curve. Flow does not have any knowledge of the adjacent surface.
Have you tried using FlowAlongSrf? Create a target surface, UnrollSrfUV/Squish it, position the objects along the flattened surface, and then use FlowAlongSrf.
it is the same issue, and flow along surface it is more work.
Flow along curve is not a problem if the target curve it is a planar curve. But as soon as the target curve is not planar, it does not work.
It works, but not as you want because it does not know the orientation of the surface. How is Flow supposed to know you want the objects to be oriented relative to the surface?
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Solution:
Create a surface which will be used to flow the objects and unroll that surface and the target curve.
DupEdge
Loft with straight edges between the duplicated edges
Split with Isocurve at the end of the target curve.
UnrollSrfUV the new surface and the target curve.
Flow the objects from the base curve to the unrolled target curve on the unrolled surface
FlowAlongSrf the objects from the unrolled surface to the surface
Thanks! I was hoping there was a solution for the flow along curve, which is a quicker method. I know array along curve has the same issues and has been fixed, perhaps FAC is next
Davids solution is great and he beat me to it -
Iād go that way-
fwiw, array along curve is getting a MASSIVE rewrite for v9 and is going to blow more than a few minds for this type of work.
see details here-
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thanks guys! I know array along curve will change , I was hoping the same was happening for flow along curve. I use flow along surface sometimes but it takes longer for more complex surfaces, have to break the surfaces, unroll, etc. Extract isocurves and flow would be quicker, if it worked :-), but looking forward to new array! it will solve some of the jewelers problems!
Hi @theoutside
Are there any plans to get flow along surface working better/more efficient in V9? Glad flow along curve is getting attention.
Iām currently using the standard workflow David posted but I need to further unwrap my linework after its flown on a surface. Iām doing stencils on cups and in order to avoid distortion and to make the designs look proper I have to tweak the original linework using history, then unwrap the flown curves yet again for the stencil. Also I have to split the cup surfaces for coloring for the client which breaks history.
It would be great if splitting surfaces and altering linework would not break history and get more attention in V9. In fact history needs work Iām hoping itās going to get more attention for V9. And flow should be made more robust often times, picking the surfaces orients linework or objects in the wrong direction and then picking the exact same points orients the objects correctly I run into this constantly.
RM
@Trav would know better than I would what the status there is-
You can see the list of new WIP Features at the following link.
I think the Array along curve will be reviewed and improved. I am not sure about the flows. I raised the issue of the flow along curve (because it is one of the most used in jewellery) in the last training for ART (2024?) when they said they were reviewing the array. I use record history and change the objects on the base curve but then have the same issues with history, if I do booleans etc.
Hi @Trav
Looks like nothing planed for making history better, argh the one thing that could make life easier is ignored by McNeel.
RM
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Hi! there is a way to sort out this easier!!! When you do flow along curve, there is an option to ātarget surfaceā on the command of the flow along curve, and it works, the objects flow perfectly on the curve. It is much easier than doing all the workflow for the flow along surface.
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