Need help understanding script, tech support doesn't know: Code 10. Please help

Studying ‘RhinoScript 101’ by David Rutten, Page 58 Geodesic Curve Line 10, ‘10’:

Can someone please explain to me what that Numerical Literal, ‘10’, is accomplishing on L10 of this script. Thanks. This should be easy for an experianced programmer…

L10 arrV = GetR2PathOnSurface(strSurfaceID, 10, “Start of geodesic curve”, “End of geodesic curve”)

The RhinoScript Code:
Option Explicit

Call GeodesicCurve()
Sub GeodesicCurve()
Dim strSurfaceID
strSurfaceID = Rhino.GetObject(“Select surface for geodesic curve solution”, 8, True, True)
If IsNull(strSurfaceID) Then Exit Sub

Dim arrV
**arrV = GetR2PathOnSurface(strSurfaceID, 10, "Start of geodesic curve", "End of geodesic curve")**
If IsNull(arrV) Then Exit Sub

Dim dblTolerance : dblTolerance = Rhino.UnitAbsoluteTolerance() / 10
Dim dblLength : dblLength = 1e300
Dim dblNewLength : dblNewLength = 0.0

Do
	Call Rhino.Prompt("Solving geodesic fit for " & UBound(arrV) & " samples")
	Call GeodesicFit(arrV, strSurfaceID, dblTolerance)

	dblNewLength = PolylineLength(arrV)
	If (Abs(dblNewLength - dblLength) < dblTolerance) Then Exit Do

	If (UBound(arrV) > 1000) Then Exit Do

	arrV = SubDividePolyline(arrV)
	dblLength = dblNewLength
Loop

Call Rhino.AddPolyline(arrV)
Call Rhino.Print("Geodesic curve added with length: " & dblNewLength)

End Sub

Sub GeodesicFit(ByRef arrVertices, strSurfaceID, dblTolerance)
Dim dblLength
dblLength = PolylineLength(arrVertices)

Dim dblNewLength

Do
	Call SmoothPolyline(arrVertices)
	Call ProjectPolyline(arrVertices, strSurfaceID)

	dblNewLength = PolylineLength(arrVertices)
	If (Abs(dblNewLength - dblLength) < dblTolerance) Then Exit Do

	dblLength = dblNewLength
Loop

End Sub

Sub SmoothPolyline(ByRef arrVertices)
Dim arrCopy : arrCopy = arrVertices
Dim i, j

For i = 1 To UBound(arrVertices) - 1
	For j = 0 To 2
		arrVertices(i)(j) = (arrCopy(i - 1)(j) + _
			arrCopy(i)(j) + _
			arrCopy(i + 1)(j)) / 3.0
	Next
Next

End Sub

Sub ProjectPolyline(ByRef arrVertices, strSurfaceID)
Dim arrProjPt, i

For i = 1 To UBound(arrVertices) - 1
	arrProjPt = Rhino.BRepClosestPoint(strSurfaceID, arrVertices(i))
	If Not IsNull(arrProjPt) Then
		arrVertices(i) = arrProjPt(0)
	End If
Next

End Sub

Function GetR2PathOnSurface(strSurfaceID, intSegments, strPrompt1, strPrompt2)
GetR2PathOnSurface = Null

Dim ptStart, ptEnd
ptStart = Rhino.GetPointOnSurface(strSurfaceID, strPrompt1)
If IsNull(ptStart) Then Exit Function

ptEnd = Rhino.GetPointOnSurface(strSurfaceID, strPrompt2)
If IsNull(ptEnd) Then Exit Function

If (Rhino.Distance(ptStart, ptEnd) = 0.0) Then Exit Function

Dim uvA : uvA = Rhino.SurfaceClosestPoint(strSurfaceID, ptStart)
Dim uvB : uvB = Rhino.SurfaceClosestPoint(strSurfaceID, ptEnd)
Dim arrV() : ReDim arrV(intSegments)

Dim i, t, u, v
For i = 0 To intSegments
	t = i / intSegments
	u = uvA(0) + t * (uvB(0) - uvA(0))
	v = uvA(1) + t * (uvB(1) - uvA(1))
	arrV(i) = Rhino.EvaluateSurface(strSurfaceID, Array(u, v))
Next

GetR2PathOnSurface = arrV

End Function

Function SubDividePolyline(ByRef arrV)
Dim arrSubD()
ReDim arrSubD(2 * UBound(arrV))

Dim i
For i = 0 To UBound(arrV) - 1
	'copy the original vertex location
	arrSubD(i * 2) = arrV(i)
	'compute the average of the current vertex and the next one
	arrSubD(i * 2 + 1) = Array((arrV(i)(0) + arrV(i + 1)(0)) / 2.0, _
		(arrV(i)(1) + arrV(i + 1)(1)) / 2.0, _
		(arrV(i)(2) + arrV(i + 1)(2)) / 2.0)
Next

'copy the last vertex (this is skipped by the loop)
arrSubD(UBound(arrSubD)) = arrV(UBound(arrV))

SubDividePolyline = arrSubD

End Function

Function PolylineLength(ByRef arrVertices)
PolylineLength = 0.0

Dim i
For i = 0 To UBound(arrVertices) - 1
	PolylineLength = PolylineLength + Rhino.Distance(arrVertices(i), arrVertices(i + 1))
Next

End Function

Hi Justin-

GetR2PathOnSurface is a function defined further down in the script- the second parameter, 10 in your example, is ‘intSegments’, the number of segments in the path. :

"Function GetR2PathOnSurface (strSurfaceID, intSegments, strPrompt1, strPrompt2) 

-Pascal

1 Like

Thanks for the feedback.

Justin