LDPatternCreator - Release 1.3.6 (was 1.3.5)

[Nils Schmidt]

Hey,

I implemented a quick usability fix today.
As always you'll find the new version here.

Change log:

Usability improvements for 1.3.5 and older:

• The right mouse click does not cancel “Add Triangle” while CTRL is pressed.
  
• “Add Triangle” and “Add Vertex” are no longer bound to the “Vertices Mode”.
  

Fixed Bugs

• It is not possible to “deform” a primitive anymore.
  

Cheers,

Nils

Code:

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Original thread from 2012-05-20:
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Hey,

Here is the new LPC 1.3.5.


Please uninstall older versions of this software before installing a new version.
Your configuration won't be deleted if you have already a version greater than 1.3.1 installed on your machine.

Change log:

New features:

• Triangles which are connected to vertices from primitive/template are not copy protected anymore.
  
• You can merge selected vertices to their average X/Y coordinate.
  
• You can toggle the z-layer of the template lines.
  
• You can display/correct the BFC setting of primitives/groups.
  
• Primitive/template deletion does not delete adjacent triangles anymore.
  
• The template lines are drawn thicker.
  
• "Include Metadata" is checked by default.
  
• Exported LPC subfiles are rotated 180 degrees around the Y-axis.
  
• The subfile/DAT export is improved.
  
• The "superfast" triangulation is improved.
  

Fixed Bugs from 1.3.X:

• The intersection calculation between triangles was defect.
  
• "Remove isolated vertices" removed vertices which belong to a group.
  
• The projection matrices were corrupted.
  

(see full list of tickets for 1.3.5)

I included a short README.pdf in the installation directory.


Cheers & Leg Godt


Nils

[Daniel Goerner]

Thanks, Nils, but I think I'll stick with the previous version for now, because I found a few things that bother me:

Superfast triangulation doesn't work like before. Manual selection of 3 vertices isn't possible anymore as well as that the vertices are automatically deselected after creating a triangle. I used to select 3 vertices for the first triangle and then deselect one vertex, select another and so on. The problem of the impossibillity to scroll while drawing a triangle was also solved that way. This is not possible anymore.

And you still have to deselect "add vertex/triangle" to delete a vertex/triangle. I know, the last version also had this "feature" but it's qite annoying. Though new, and equally annoying, is that you now have to deselect "add vertex/triangle" to even change to triangle or primitive mode.

[Nils Schmidt]

Thanks for your review!

[...] The problem of the impossibillity to scroll while drawing a triangle was also solved that way. This is not possible anymore.

Today, I will release an emergency fix to emulate the desired behaviour. There is also a possibility to "deform" primitives which I have to supress...

And you still have to deselect "add vertex/triangle" to delete a vertex/triangle. I know, the last version also had this "feature" but it's qite annoying. Though new, and equally annoying, is that you now have to deselect "add vertex/triangle" to even change to triangle or primitive mode.

I'll try to fix this behaviour, too.

[Daniel Goerner]

Cool. I just read my "review" again and thought it sounds a lot harsher than I meant it. I really appreciate the work you put in that little program and I'm using it ona a daily basis for more than two months now. It's easy to use and fun to work with, so again a big thanks to you.

[Nils Schmidt]

I just updated the parent thread.

[Daniel Goerner]

[*] The right mouse click does not cancel “Add Triangle” while CTRL is pressed.

Wow, I needed 5 sentences to describe this problem... ;-)

Thanks for this quick fix.

[Daniel Goerner]

Too bad, it still doesn't work. You still can't manually select more than one vertex in "add triangle" mode. By manually I mean, click one vertex, hold STRG, right-click to get rid of the line (but the vertex stays selected), click another vertex and then a third. It is possible to drag a selection around two vertices an then click a third, but these three are still automatically deselected when the triangle is added. So instead of just deselect one vertex and select another to create a touching triangle I have to select three vertices again. I think the definition of "superfast" is different. ;-)

To show you where this is needed:



Here it's not possible to drag a selection around 3 vertices directly, so the manual way is needed.
With the new solution it may be possible to scroll, but IMHO the old function was better. Especially when you have a lot of vertices in a very small space, you can zoom in an find the right one directly.

And the deletion thing doesn't work eiher (but you didn't write that you fixed this anyway)...

[EDIT] Forget my rant (anyway, maybe it helps), I've just seen that you didn't fix the superfast mode, just the scrolling thing. Silly me.

[Nils Schmidt]

I have a new idea (for some reasons I can't restore the old behaviour):

After one triangle was created manually (with three clicks or with one click), two vertices from this triangle will be automatically selected depending on the position of the cursor.

As a result, there is one click remaining to create the next triangle and you can create a "quad" with just four clicks (this was also requested by J.C. Tchang).


The cursor moves to the right.


The cursor moves to the top.

[Daniel Goerner]

I would have to try it to see if it's good (or better, works for me) ;-)

[Nils Schmidt]

Months ago, I got a feature request from Willy Tschager. He suggested that I implement a "spliner" in the LD Pattern Creator program. I know what a spline is and I would also like to see splines in a next version of the program.

Unfortunately, I am not able to write a strong user story for that request, because there are tricky questions to answer.

A spline is simply a function which is interpolated between a sequence of vertices.

The function is used to generate positions for "virtual vertices" which are not added directly by the user.
These vertices interfere with triangles which are already created. Therefore, virtual vertices will delete and create old/new triangles.

Question 1: How can the user determine the sequence order?
Question 2: What are the rules/conditions for the virtual vertex generation and placement?
Question 3: What are the rules/conditions for the manipulation of triangles which are connected to a spline?
Question 4: How should the spline be integrated in the GUI to be user friendly?

I need more discussion and user input on that feature, please.

[Nils Schmidt]

To increase the quality of the generated DAT output, I want to include Unificator.exe in the next release.

The final post-process will be then:

1. Unificator optimises the vertex coordinates if the LDRAW path was specified (default settings: -us/-ut = 0.005)
2. Rectifier converts the triangles into quads.
3. LDPatternCreator replaces colours if the replacement was defined by the user.

[Daniel Goerner]

I've stumbled over a bug while exporting. Somehow triangles vanish, vertices are merged that aren't supposed to be merged. Look at the 22 and 129 colored triangles in the attached file:

This is how it's supposed to be:


And this is how it's exported:


Is that something I did wrong? I wouldn't care so much if the green part wasn't replaced by something I'd like to mirror. I tried exporting from 1.3.3 (the version I work with) as well as 1.3.6. I even tried recolor every 2nd green triangle to avoid transformation to quads. Every time the same result...

I think it's a problem with rectifier. Is it possible to export the dat without processing through rectifier?

[Philippe Hurbain]

I don't think that present version of unificator correctly manages direct color... (and far away from my main computer where I could verify

[Willy Tschager]

Nils,

I would use the spline feature mostly to draw clean borders and those would be the starting point of my pattern. This feature would help eliminate variations in the thickness of the borders and would pose an end to much guessing if all vertices are placed correctly to get angles and thickness right. The spliner I have in mind should work as following:

• Based on the background image you would place a spline (the white line) much like in a vector graphics program. This would be a guideline. It would be an internal LDPC thing and not written to the LDraw part if not as a meta command.
  
• Once you've got the spline right, you would tell the prog to divide the spline in a number of straight lines of equal length (the small red lines). The spliner would show you a preview and bases on that you could increase or decrease the number of the straight lines (though this is optional) an Undo would do the same job.
  
• Established the number or lines you would scale them (thick red quad) until it covers the underneath scanned border.
  
• Crucial is how do you cope with the overlap on the inside and the gap on the outside. Anyway once the straight lines are enlarged the spliner would transform them in fine quads - though I don NOT consider this the most important part. I would be more than happy if the entire spline with the straight small/thick lines is nothing more than an internal LDPC helper to guide me in the placement of the vertices of the border itself. So it could perfectly function as the feature in Adobe Illustrator where you are able to transform every spline into a guideline not showing up in the final drawing.
  

hope this helps understanding what's all about.

w.

[Nils Schmidt]

I don't think that present version of unificator correctly manages direct color... (and far away from my main computer where I could verify

I did a sourcecode review and made a test (with direct colors for a quad, a triangle and a primitive).
It was successful

[Nils Schmidt]

No, not yet. - The green part seems to be OK to me.

Here are the solutions:

1.) We are talking about a detail which is about 0.05 millimetres wide. Consider to simplify it, or remove it. [simple]
2.) Scale the pattern up (e.g. by factor 10) and scale it down after the export [complex, but it should work]

[Daniel Goerner]

How does scaling work? What tools do I need? Is it a problem with rectifier or something else?

[Nils Schmidt]

The root cause for this problem is hidden in the LPC export algorithm.
LPC merges all points together which are closer than 0.01 LDU (0.004mm).

The 0.004mm distance is very small and sufficient for practical use. Even part 98138 (the smallest patterned part AFAIK) has only a pattern precision of one digit behind the decimal point.

As a result of this issue, I will implement a new options menu for the DAT export.

[Daniel Goerner]

I've simplyfied the pattern and deleted a few vertices, now it works fine. Anyway, I know now how to avoid this problem. Thank you.

[Philippe Hurbain]

No, it's not a problem with Rectifier. I disabled it (by removing rectifier.exe file from LPC folder). LPC whines a bit but creates an output file with only triangles... and the teeny purple triangles have already been "eaten" by nearby green triangles. Resulting LDraw file attached.

[Daniel Goerner]

I tried that too and LPC just created a new rectifier.exe...

[Daniel Goerner]

Is there a way to add unofficial primitives to LPC, or am I just too stupid to find it?

[Nils Schmidt]

At the moment, it is only possible if you import them as a subpart an replace the exported "s\...dat" entries manually with the correct primitive reference.
A configurable dynamic primitive list is next on my list. Thank you for this feature request!