Re: [Bf-committers] Prospective GSOC [Harshit Mehta]

2014-03-16 Thread Harshit Mehta
Hi,

Thanks everyone for going through my ideas.
I am dividing my reply in two parts.


*** Improvements in decimate
I agree that it would not be right to disturb the generic way modifiers
are, but a decimate as a brush could be done.
Further, selective poly-reduction could be done by making vertex groups but
won't it be too cumbersome to repeat this process for vertices
in different parts of mesh?  I feel, brush could be very much handy in such
cases. Many scultping softwares like zbrush and sculptris have
such tools. ( http://www.pasteall.org/pic/68339 )

For internal symmetry detection (previous mail), I plan to use algorithms
of partial and approximate matching explained in
http://lgg.epfl.ch/publications/2006/mitra_2006_PAS.pdf

For mesh reduction considering color, texture and other vertex
properties (previous
mail), this paper provides extension of normal edge
collapse technique:
http://goo.gl/snnt89


*** Tool-matching from other softwares
Space-bar search is very handy and it would be only wise to improve it
further rather than bringing in new competitor (too much clutter).
I understand the constant maintenance my idea requires and how it could
annoy seasoned blender users. I would love to implement
tool-matching part as an addon outside soc for people migrating from other
softwares.


Harshit Mehta
Email: harshitmehta2...@gmail.com
Phone No: +918058412102
IRC nick: Harshit22
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Re: [Bf-committers] Prospective GSOC [Harshit Mehta]

2014-03-16 Thread Harshit Mehta
Hello,

This is in continuation of my previous mail.
If http://goo.gl/snnt89 doesn't works, paper in pdf can be seen at
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=288280.

I am sorry for any inconvenience caused.



 Harshit Mehta
 Email: harshitmehta2...@gmail.com
 Phone No: +918058412102
 IRC nick: Harshit22

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Re: [Bf-committers] Prospective GSOC [Harshit Mehta]

2014-03-15 Thread Harshit Mehta
Hello,

I have already stated a part of my work (improvements in decimate modifier)
i wish to do for GSOC '14. I said in previous mail that i would love to add
one more modifier. Instead I thought of a search feature in blender.

While switching from Maya to blender, one problem i faced was finding
similar tools. What is called 'decimate' in blender is 'reduce' in maya,
'optimize' in 3ds max.  So i plan to develop a search menu on info panel
header (or add a new panel altogether) where user selects his previous 3D
software and searches for a menu option present in it. In return he gets an
equivalent one in blender with directions on how to reach it i.e

panel -- region -- menu -- tool/option

It could compensate need for tutorials (and googling) for artists already
used to other softwares . I know blender's workflow is quite intuitive but
such a search facility would definitely be a worthy addition. It would be
just simple queries answered from offline database.

Other than matching commands across softwares, i also plan for a
micro-search engine. If I query ' add edges' i should get various ways of
doing so maybe 1. knife 2. loop cut and slide. This is a very primitive
example. It would be able to perform searches of higher complexities. A
professional software much appreciated for its good help is MATLAB from
mathworks. I don't wish such huge help but a small (small size of blender
is one of its positive points) and efficient one removing dependency on
internet.

I am eagerly waiting for feedback from developers on my both ideas. Once I
get it I could proceed further with my proposal.


Harshit Mehta
Email: harshitmehta2...@gmail.com
Phone No: +918058412102
IRC nick: Harshit22
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Re: [Bf-committers] Prospective GSOC [Harshit Mehta]

2014-03-15 Thread Grigory Revzin
Hi

Since the Spacebar-menu already is a kind of a micro-search engine,
mabye it's a better idea to focus on its improvement? I don't feel
there is a need for a new panel if Space-menu's there.
You can start with adding aliases/keywords for some operators (e. g.
Set As Bind Pose Maya-esque alias for Apply As Rest Pose) to help
searching for the operators. Space-menu can display the hints on where
to find the operator in the UI, like it does with hotkeys. Keywords
can be used to handle your add edges example.
Also, a way to access modifiers from the space menu would help, etc etc etc

- Grigory

On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 4:26 PM, Harshit Mehta
harshitmehta2...@gmail.com wrote:
 Hello,

 I have already stated a part of my work (improvements in decimate modifier)
 i wish to do for GSOC '14. I said in previous mail that i would love to add
 one more modifier. Instead I thought of a search feature in blender.

 While switching from Maya to blender, one problem i faced was finding
 similar tools. What is called 'decimate' in blender is 'reduce' in maya,
 'optimize' in 3ds max.  So i plan to develop a search menu on info panel
 header (or add a new panel altogether) where user selects his previous 3D
 software and searches for a menu option present in it. In return he gets an
 equivalent one in blender with directions on how to reach it i.e

 panel -- region -- menu -- tool/option

 It could compensate need for tutorials (and googling) for artists already
 used to other softwares . I know blender's workflow is quite intuitive but
 such a search facility would definitely be a worthy addition. It would be
 just simple queries answered from offline database.

 Other than matching commands across softwares, i also plan for a
 micro-search engine. If I query ' add edges' i should get various ways of
 doing so maybe 1. knife 2. loop cut and slide. This is a very primitive
 example. It would be able to perform searches of higher complexities. A
 professional software much appreciated for its good help is MATLAB from
 mathworks. I don't wish such huge help but a small (small size of blender
 is one of its positive points) and efficient one removing dependency on
 internet.

 I am eagerly waiting for feedback from developers on my both ideas. Once I
 get it I could proceed further with my proposal.


 Harshit Mehta
 Email: harshitmehta2...@gmail.com
 Phone No: +918058412102
 IRC nick: Harshit22
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 Bf-committers mailing list
 Bf-committers@blender.org
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-- 
Г. Г. Ревзин
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Re: [Bf-committers] Prospective GSOC [Harshit Mehta]

2014-03-15 Thread Bastien Montagne
IMHO this would better be done as a separated addon… Can see how it 
could be useful for people coming from other softs, but default 
Blender user would not like to see its app too much cluttered with 
compatibility stuff - we already have custom keymaps, and those are a 
PITA to maintain for core devs. :/

So not so sure we'd like that kind of project as GSOC?

Bastien

On 15/03/2014 15:05, Grigory Revzin wrote:
 Hi

 Since the Spacebar-menu already is a kind of a micro-search engine,
 mabye it's a better idea to focus on its improvement? I don't feel
 there is a need for a new panel if Space-menu's there.
 You can start with adding aliases/keywords for some operators (e. g.
 Set As Bind Pose Maya-esque alias for Apply As Rest Pose) to help
 searching for the operators. Space-menu can display the hints on where
 to find the operator in the UI, like it does with hotkeys. Keywords
 can be used to handle your add edges example.
 Also, a way to access modifiers from the space menu would help, etc etc etc

 - Grigory

 On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 4:26 PM, Harshit Mehta
 harshitmehta2...@gmail.com wrote:
 Hello,

 I have already stated a part of my work (improvements in decimate modifier)
 i wish to do for GSOC '14. I said in previous mail that i would love to add
 one more modifier. Instead I thought of a search feature in blender.

 While switching from Maya to blender, one problem i faced was finding
 similar tools. What is called 'decimate' in blender is 'reduce' in maya,
 'optimize' in 3ds max.  So i plan to develop a search menu on info panel
 header (or add a new panel altogether) where user selects his previous 3D
 software and searches for a menu option present in it. In return he gets an
 equivalent one in blender with directions on how to reach it i.e

 panel -- region -- menu -- tool/option

 It could compensate need for tutorials (and googling) for artists already
 used to other softwares . I know blender's workflow is quite intuitive but
 such a search facility would definitely be a worthy addition. It would be
 just simple queries answered from offline database.

 Other than matching commands across softwares, i also plan for a
 micro-search engine. If I query ' add edges' i should get various ways of
 doing so maybe 1. knife 2. loop cut and slide. This is a very primitive
 example. It would be able to perform searches of higher complexities. A
 professional software much appreciated for its good help is MATLAB from
 mathworks. I don't wish such huge help but a small (small size of blender
 is one of its positive points) and efficient one removing dependency on
 internet.

 I am eagerly waiting for feedback from developers on my both ideas. Once I
 get it I could proceed further with my proposal.


 Harshit Mehta
 Email: harshitmehta2...@gmail.com
 Phone No: +918058412102
 IRC nick: Harshit22
 ___
 Bf-committers mailing list
 Bf-committers@blender.org
 http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers



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Re: [Bf-committers] Prospective GSOC [Harshit Mehta]

2014-03-15 Thread Bastien Montagne
Imho, 1) and 2) are already available through the vgroup option? And 
anyway, they would not be OK in modifier world IMHO, you could however 
think of a Decimate brush in sculpt mode, no idea how much it could be 
wanted...

3) and 5) Sounds interesting.

And we’d need to know more about that mysterious new modifier! :P

PS: do not hesitate to candidate to GSOC, even if your project is not 
yet complete, there is a period after inscriptions are closed where 
projects can be refined, they are inspected by mentors which can ask 
more precisions, etc.

Bastien

On 13/03/2014 18:34, Harshit Mehta wrote:
 Hello everyone,

 I am using blender since last two years. Before that I was onto Autodesk
 Maya (student version). This winter I got chance to download blender code
 and build it. I tried it on windows with MSVC9 following wiki. Since then I
 am trying to get myself familiar with source code. Recently I am also
 trying to solve few bugs. That's for my introduction. Now I turn to my main
 purpose of contributing Blender through GSOC 2014.

 I am writing this mail to get feedback on my ideas for proposal. I wish to
 modify decimate modifier by adding a brush facility to selectively reduce
 meshes.

 1**. One could adjust brush size (part of mesh under impact) as with other
 brushes. Decimate need to be operated in edit mode then.

 2**. Use of brush strength parameter -
 With lower brush strength, only edges (low cost) with lengths below certain
 threshold will get collapsed. Other low cost edges will only get shortened.
 If artist feels edge shortening doesn't affect mesh shape largely he can
 with subsequent brush applications get edge collapsed.
 So in nutshell there would be a length threshold below which edges will get
 collapsed. As brush strength increases, this threshold will also increase.

 3. Symmetric reduction by specifying plane of symmetry
   It would be useful for human body like meshes. Apply reduction on one half
 and other also gets mesh-reduced. Symmetry could also be made to be
 calculated without POS specification. This option would be manifested as a
 check-box.

 4. Within current edge collapse, option could be added to replace edge with
 its midpoint instead of moving one vertex to another. Again that would be
 more useful for symmetric objects. I doubt unsubdivide would also give
 similar results. So may not be much of new addition.

 5. I would love to try implementation of  hoppe's energy criterion for edge
 (to be collapsed) selection instead of cost factor (length * curvature).
 This would also take into account contributions of texture coordinates,
 border edges, and surface discontinuities and select as per lowest energy.

 Maybe, addition of all above features along with existing ones will create
 a lot of clutter in decimate section. I wish to completely separate brush
 implementation from existing one and add point 3,4 and 5 (ones which
 finally turn out worthy) along with current collapse, un-subdivide and
 planar.

 I understand what i have stated above would be much less for a typical GSOC
 project. I also have plan for adding a new modifier but am currently in
 search for its implementation techniques. As soon as I figure out
 sufficient about it, I will write back again. My purpose of writing this
 mail was only to get feedback on my ideas on decimate modifier.

 Thanks for going through my mail. I am wait eagerly for feedback from
 developers.

 Harshit Mehta
 Email: harshitmehta2...@gmail.com
 Phone No: +918058412102
 IRC nick: Harshit22
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 Bf-committers mailing list
 Bf-committers@blender.org
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[Bf-committers] Prospective GSOC [Harshit Mehta]

2014-03-13 Thread Harshit Mehta
Hello everyone,

I am using blender since last two years. Before that I was onto Autodesk
Maya (student version). This winter I got chance to download blender code
and build it. I tried it on windows with MSVC9 following wiki. Since then I
am trying to get myself familiar with source code. Recently I am also
trying to solve few bugs. That's for my introduction. Now I turn to my main
purpose of contributing Blender through GSOC 2014.

I am writing this mail to get feedback on my ideas for proposal. I wish to
modify decimate modifier by adding a brush facility to selectively reduce
meshes.

1**. One could adjust brush size (part of mesh under impact) as with other
brushes. Decimate need to be operated in edit mode then.

2**. Use of brush strength parameter -
With lower brush strength, only edges (low cost) with lengths below certain
threshold will get collapsed. Other low cost edges will only get shortened.
If artist feels edge shortening doesn't affect mesh shape largely he can
with subsequent brush applications get edge collapsed.
So in nutshell there would be a length threshold below which edges will get
collapsed. As brush strength increases, this threshold will also increase.

3. Symmetric reduction by specifying plane of symmetry
 It would be useful for human body like meshes. Apply reduction on one half
and other also gets mesh-reduced. Symmetry could also be made to be
calculated without POS specification. This option would be manifested as a
check-box.

4. Within current edge collapse, option could be added to replace edge with
its midpoint instead of moving one vertex to another. Again that would be
more useful for symmetric objects. I doubt unsubdivide would also give
similar results. So may not be much of new addition.

5. I would love to try implementation of  hoppe's energy criterion for edge
(to be collapsed) selection instead of cost factor (length * curvature).
This would also take into account contributions of texture coordinates,
border edges, and surface discontinuities and select as per lowest energy.

Maybe, addition of all above features along with existing ones will create
a lot of clutter in decimate section. I wish to completely separate brush
implementation from existing one and add point 3,4 and 5 (ones which
finally turn out worthy) along with current collapse, un-subdivide and
planar.

I understand what i have stated above would be much less for a typical GSOC
project. I also have plan for adding a new modifier but am currently in
search for its implementation techniques. As soon as I figure out
sufficient about it, I will write back again. My purpose of writing this
mail was only to get feedback on my ideas on decimate modifier.

Thanks for going through my mail. I am wait eagerly for feedback from
developers.

Harshit Mehta
Email: harshitmehta2...@gmail.com
Phone No: +918058412102
IRC nick: Harshit22
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