Cineversity

Hi everyone!

I want to animate object’s polygons and preserve the orginal shape, but I can’t do it.

The process I followed was:
- Convert a torus object to editable object
- Convert object to polygonal group
- Apply fracture object and plain effector to animate polygons.

The problem is the shape isn’t soft as the original and when I apply hypernurbs to the object each polygon changes. I know is because I break the object and the borders change with Hypernurbs. But I think there will be a solution to this.

Anyone have an idea to fix this? ot maybe another way to animate something similar. I attach the scene file.

Link:
https://app.box.com/s/81os3dx916nvnzl19kw6

Hope you can help me.
Regards.

Hi Iaec,

I hope I get the idea. Let me know if that (below) isn’t your target.

You split the modified Torus in polygons and they should be small and rotated during the early state.

Then the parts complete the torus and—in that moment—the smoothness of the SubDivision-Surface (HyperNURBS) has to smooth everything. (Is that the idea?)

Would a Connect Object help here? (See image) ... or do the parts have to be smooth and in its original shape all the way during the animation, as if they would have never been split? IS that example the target object or just an example?

All the best

Sassi

If the “chunks” have to be unchanged—smooth and rectangular—all the time, you need to invest some work. Why is that? Because the HyperNURBS takes the smoothing part out of the neighbors as well, In the moment you split them and even worse move them into a distance position, the option to use them is cone. That is why I asked if that object above is the final or just an example.

In any case, find the smallest “unit” which is repeat—as in this torus for example. Select ever even, than every odd polygon and create two Polygon Selections. Now place them in a SubDivision Surface (HyperNURBS) and after the subdivision is set, use the Current State to Object. Create a copy. Select them via Selections tags and delete group one (even) then on the copy group two (odd).

In this way you keep the large chunk size and the smoothness of the object. In the case above you need to set that little segment to Radial, with 36 clones in the Cloner Object, with zero radius.

If needed introduce a Connect Object if the “seam” smoothness is not perfect.

For more organic objects, that might be some work. A good selection strategy, as in my Speed-modeling series, might help here.

The easiest way would be to have an Plug in or option that Splits the polygons group-wise after the SubDivision Surface (HyperNURBS) into Polygon Groups, based on the original not subdivided Edge selection of all edges. I couldn’t find a plug in—but somehow I think it exist—it might be years ago that I have seen it.

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A complete different story: The whole idea nearly complete “Parametrically”.

I subdivided the object until a smooth surface was established. Then I selected a loop along the profile and used the EdgeToSpline function (Mesh).

This spline is the core of the attached file. The build of the torus is completely adjustable, and if more elements are needed, a copy of the Lathe/MoSpline as well as some parameter adjustments—and done.

Please explore the file, as I do not know if the file above was an example or the final, this is my current alternative. If you are familiarized with the set up, a massive change can be done in a minute, such as double the Lathe/MoSpline group and double the overall groups. IF something like this is more often needed, Selection Objects or the Search (OM) function might help, but certainly to set up an interface with UserData and XPresso. :o)