Cut loop to two equal parts...

[Dimitri]

It is an idea I had shared before in the link below but I do want to share it again because I think despite its simplicity it could be the spark for a very important modelling tool (especially in the cases you need precise modelling). I it is about cutting an object (even a very complex structured object) to two halves equally long.

Imagine that you have a rope (as in the image below) and you want to cut it so that it may be cut to two halves equally long. You just select the long loops constituting it -as is shown in the second image- you click 'cut in the middle' and, there, you do have newly created vertices exactly in the middle of the loops... then the only thing that remains to do is to connect them by the already existent 'connect' tool, produce a new circle loop and loop cut them.

If you imagine another way of achieving such a thing share it please... I would like to hear it...



The previous link I did mention the need for such a tool:

http://wings3d.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=224

[micheus]

Dimitri, maybe it can be applied only to this your example, but if you just "close" the loop in the tip of the rope you will be able to use loop cut without problem.


I'm just curious about how did you create that complex rope?

[Dimitri]

Micheus the thing I mean is some other thing... I do not want to cut the rope to two halves as you show. I do want to cut it as in the image below... but I want to cut it just in the middle of it, so that I may have as a result two exactly equal parts (in the image is cut in an approximate point for explaining the concept).

The whole matter is about being exact, about having two really equal halves of the rope. Have a look to the link I did put in my previous message too... you will find related explanations there too...

(the rope has been made in Blender)

[micheus]

Ok. I understood now. That red line across the rope drove me to think that way.

[Dimitri]

The red line across the rope was for illustrating the method I did think for being able to achieve such a thing: you select all the loops, you click 'cut in the middle' and then you connect the newly created vertices of the loops with each other (so that they may constitute a new circle in the middle of the rope... finally you loop cut the newly created circle...

Having such a very simple command can offer a way for cutting in exactly two halves many other shapes. It can be used for retopo too but this is some other matter, let be focused now in the so easily explainable 'cut in the middle' function. : - )

[ggaliens]

You have to participate more in the design of such a thing. How would the middle be "selected" ?
As a closed loop that exists in the middle ?

I don't think it should be a CUT COMMAND. Of if it is ... it would be PLANE-CUT in the middle ... but still requires some "THINKING". Is it presise even if you have no elements at the"EXACT" middle ?

I think it should just select a loop at the middle. You know ... what if I designed a function called "LOOP VOLUMES" that just reported back LEFT and right volumes. You would use that information to zero in on the thing very quickly ... and might be a more general purpose tool. If implemented right ... it could like in a preview dialog that would move the loop back or forth on "UPDATE".

[Dimitri]

Mark the whole concept is much more easy than the things you imagined (as far as I did understand from what you said). It is just about cutting a line into two equal parts... nothing more. The same thing we do when we select and cut to two halves a single edge. The only difference is that this time instead of cutting to two halves a single edge we are cutting a whole line to two equal parts. It is a command for the 'edges' mode. The idea is very easily perceptible in the image below.

It is a tool which its aim is to cut only the open ended loops, as it is evident (a tool for cutting lines in fact -the term 'loop' is used for closed lines in general-).

The thing that the command has to do is to calculate how long the selected line is and produce a vertice in the middle, exactly, of it.

The reason that such a tool is need is because it is impossible to find precisely the middle point of a line by sight, so that someone may produce a vertice on it.

[ggaliens]

Hmmm. OK ... that's probably easy to do.

[Dimitri]

Yes, despite my not having any idea about programming, it seems that it would not be something difficult to implement. It is so easy as a concept but could be a great aid for many modelling tasks indeed. : - )

[Dimitri]

Hello all... Any thought about this so simple feature mentioned in this thread? Just a 'cut in the middle' command for lines. It looks maybe as an insignificant feature but if someone thinks on it in depth realizes that it could be a very useful tool for cutting in two exactly equal halves none-regular shaped objects (as in the case of the 'rope' in the images above).