RCTools updates

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RcTools 5.3Author: Reinhard Claus
Updated April 2013 — 5.3's main new feature TopoClipboard lets you copy map data from a point/edge/polygon/sample selection and paste it somewhere else one the same, or a different mesh into a selection that has the same »shape« as the first selection. Works also for complete selections which makes sense when pasting across two meshes that have the same topology, but differing point orders. TopoClipboard transfers: Vertex Colors UVs Envelope weights (with a remapping option) weight maps tangents point positions (local »shape« of the selected area). Works across different maps of the same type and across scenes inside one instance of Softimage. Other new features are a topology based mirror/flip selection and a couple of new settings for the custom filters like point position compare components, edge on UV border, edge orientation.

The RCTools plug-in is a collection of workflow helpers and filters for Softimage. The supplied popup menu (Script command »rcToolsPopup«) gives you quick access to all the tools. [..] List of features: Peek (Align camera along selected edge/facing selection @90°;) TopoClipboard Flip Selection Mirror Selection Fill Selection Walk Patterned Loop selections Apply Pattern Customizable Filters (by polyon area, aspect ratio, orientation, edge length, point distance and 30 others) subcomponent clipboard subcomponent clipboard booleans (e.g. Select intersection of current and clipboard selection) Cap holes Repeat

local backup: rcTools.5.3.xsiaddon

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rray
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RCTools updates

Post by rray » 08 May 2011, 01:17

Hey folks - Found some time to finish porting the plugin to VBScript. It actually runs faster than the old C# version now

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(March 2013) newest version attached. main new feature is:
Topo Clipboard

Image

Usage: Make a polygon, edge, sample or point selection on a polygon mesh object, then from the Topo Clipboard->Copy menu, select an existing property (UVs, Envelope weights, ..) to copy from. The properties in the selected area will be copied into the clipboard and can be pasted to a different part of the same or a different mesh using the Topo Clipboard->Paste menu.

Important: The two selections must have the same underlying topology for this operation to work.

Such operations so far haven't been possible because the point order differs in different areas of the model/on different meshes. The Topo Clipboard feature though builds a new temporary point order that depends only on the selected topology and is independent from the internal point order.

Limitations: Topo Clipboard can have difficulties with symmetric topologies. It does a "best guess" on how the intended orientation is, but is sometimes unable to figure out the "proper" orientation. A good practice is to temporarily cut an edge somewhere in the selection in order to introduce some asymmetry. This trick can also be used to deliberately rotate the pasted result, by placing the "extra" point in a different corner.

Copy/Paste Form:

Copies the form of the selected area to the pasted area. Orientation of the pasted form will be adjusted to the new area. This function cannot handle mirrored topology, use the "Paste Form (Mirrored)" function if the pasted area is on the other side of a symmetric mesh.

ImageImageImage

Copy/Paste Envelopes:

Copies Envelope weights from the selected area to the clipboard and allows them to be pasted on another area. After pasting, a remapping dialog is shown which allows you to remap the clipboard weights to new deformers, as done here with the finger joints:

ImageImageImage Image

There's an exception to the "same topology" rule here: If the clipboard weight contains the deformer weights of only 1 point, those may be pasted to any number of points you like. Paste Envelopes can handle mirrored topology automatically. To get a normalized result, existing deformer weights will be proportionally reduced so the new pasted weights will fit in fully without modification.

Note that in the current version, envelope pasting doesn't work with partial clusters yet.

Copy/Paste UVs:

Copies UVs of the selected area to the pasted area. Can handle mirrored topology.

ImageImageImage

This can also be used to copy UVs between two meshes that have a different point order, but the same topology:

ImageImageImage

Copy/Paste Vertex Colors/Tangents:

Copies vertex colors of the selected area to the pasted area. Can handle mirrored topology automatically.

Copy/Paste Weight maps:

Copies weights of the selected area to the pasted area. Can handle mirrored topology automatically. Works also with partial clusters.
As ususal, to install, bind custom command "rcToolsPopup" to a hotkey of your choice. alt+r for example.

Plugin & Download Website: http://rray.de/xsi/rctools/
Last edited by rray on 15 Mar 2013, 02:20, edited 12 times in total.
softimage resources section updated Jan 5th 2024

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Memag
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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Memag » 08 May 2011, 01:25

rray wrote:Hey folks - Found some time to finish porting the plugin to VBScript. It actually runs faster than the old C# version now (here at least)

RcTools 4.4 attached - also has a few new features, like a new popup menu (Python) with icons, the "peek" command, updated help, a repeat command (useful for walk loop) - and most of all (well for me) should be maintenance free and compatible for a few up coming versions of Softimage.

Hey rray, you rock!
Go have some sleep, you deserve it.

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Hirazi Blue » 08 May 2011, 11:06

Great news... :-bd
This deserved a new separate thread IMHO, so I went ahead and created one... :-
Stay safe, sane & healthy!

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ActionArt
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Re: RCTools updates

Post by ActionArt » 09 May 2011, 17:44

That's fantastic!!! Thanks so much!

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by rray » 11 May 2011, 23:31

You're welcome! :-bd
______

.. And it doesn't seem to stop.. :-t In another coffee and cupcake fueled frenzy I added a few new features to RCtools today...
What's new?
(4.4 -> 4.5) Updated rcCustomPointFilter with position and distance filtering. Subcomponent (poly/edge/point) clipboard commands: Copy / paste / boolean union, intersection, difference, subtract, swap. Removed Snapshot commands (Similar functionality is provided by subcomponent clipboard update). Accellerator keys update.
See the help file for usage details.

Website: http://rray.de/xsi/rctools/
Attachments
rcTools45.zip
updated help popup picture, fill fix, sharp edges fix
(555.43 KiB) Downloaded 1025 times
Last edited by rray on 12 May 2011, 21:40, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: website upd.
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Maximus
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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Maximus » 11 May 2011, 23:41

Damn this update is pretty sweet!
Thanks a lot, this is really fantastic work!

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by rray » 11 May 2011, 23:49

Glad that you like it!

Here's an online version of the documentation:
http://rray.de/xsi/rctools/doc.htm
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Memag
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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Memag » 12 May 2011, 00:55

Essential tool kit.
Thank you Reinhard!

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Kzin » 15 May 2011, 17:13

thx for the update, really useful tool.

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Rork » 16 May 2011, 11:39

Hi Reinhart,

Thanks for the continuous development of this tool :-)

Would it be possible to select polygon 'islands' from something like this?

Image

It's a polygon tree leaves model, all leaves are disconnected polygon sets.
To give it more life, it would be nice to randomly select a bunch of leaves, so I cluster them and assign a different material/texture to it.
Maybe the custom filter options would do the trick for this??

cheers,

rob
SI UI tutorials: Toolbar http://goo.gl/iYOL0l | Custom Layout http://goo.gl/6iP5xQ | RenderManager View http://goo.gl/b4ZkjQ
So long, and thanks for all the Fish!!

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by rray » 16 May 2011, 13:54

Hi Rork,

it sounds like this would be possible with the random polygon filter followed by the "grow to island" command.
But you'd have use a lower value for "selection propability", like if you aim for 50% of the islands and you have 5 polygons per island, you'd have to use 0,1 (0,5/5)
Cheers,
Ray
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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Rork » 16 May 2011, 14:01

Hi,

I'll try to install the addon and see what happens :)
It would be nice if I can select stuff with this method. Makes my trees a little less static.

cheers,

rob
SI UI tutorials: Toolbar http://goo.gl/iYOL0l | Custom Layout http://goo.gl/6iP5xQ | RenderManager View http://goo.gl/b4ZkjQ
So long, and thanks for all the Fish!!

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by rray » 16 May 2011, 14:10

Cool let me know how it works, (btw using internal "Grow selection" a few times might be faster than the grow to islands command for a high number of islands.)
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druitre
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Re: RCTools updates

Post by druitre » 16 May 2011, 14:42

Ha, I was just doing the very same thing to see if it would work (random select/grow to island) while you two were here idly chitchatting :)
So, I can confirm it does indeed work and does what Rob wants.

Very nice toolset, Rray, thanks!

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Rork » 16 May 2011, 15:00

yup, does work just fine :-)

Image

me happy :ymhug:

P.S. I used the custom filters: "polygon sides","orientation vector" and "random vector". I quickly select one 'polygon leaf' for the max. derivation, and add the set to the selection. Very cool.
SI UI tutorials: Toolbar http://goo.gl/iYOL0l | Custom Layout http://goo.gl/6iP5xQ | RenderManager View http://goo.gl/b4ZkjQ
So long, and thanks for all the Fish!!

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Re: RCTools updates

Post by Ramon » 16 May 2011, 20:07

Poorly that with new rcTools not work with Plugins that need Xpopmenu (OrenoXPOP)

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