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Primitives

Fig. 1 Parts generation Section in the Dedicated Inspector.

With Composition Tools it's possible to generate new custom primitives for your model. There are a few important settings which are controlled in the dedicated inspector:

  • Separate (Geometries): each part will be a different Geometry. When disabled, all generated parts will be added to the same geometry. For this reasons, this operators also shows the Geometries Inspector which will be presented in the Geometries Operator section
  • Unwraps: where possible, parts generated will have a default pre-unwrapped set of uv-coordinates. Avoid this if you plan to edit geometries with the Edit Operator (pre unwrapped models don't work well there). In any case, you will be able to add unwraps at a second time with Materials Tools.
  • Pivot Position: position where primitives will be placed when generated. There is also a gizmo in scene to control this.

Below the Parts Generation section, new sections will appear depending on the primitive which you are generating.

The Create Primitive section in the Main Editor Window has a group of buttons, each one generating a different primitive:

Once a primitive is generated, a primitive builder is activated. This builder generate the primitive with default parameters first, then allows you the customization of the primitive parameters in order to build them again. Each primitive builder has its own parameters. Common actions for all the builders are:

  • Apply: Confirm any change and exit the builder (You can always undo this if you change your mind). Pressing Enter will do the same.
  • Close: Remove any built content from the model and exit the builder (You can always undo this if you change your mind). Pressing Esc will do the same.
  • Update: changes made to the primitive parameters are not instant. You need to press this to rebuild the primitive with different parameters.
  • Reset: reset the primitive to its default parameters values and update it.

If you change primitive or even Tools Set while one of the builders is active, the operation will be automatically applied and the builder will be closed.

Last but not least, remember that primitives are generated at the position of the Pivot, which is drawn in the scene view as a target with 2 circle and one central sphere. clicking the target will allow you to move the pivot, or you can write the pivot position from the menu control. After the pivot has been moved, you need an Update to place the primitive at the new position.

Circles

The Circles Builder builds a set of filled concentric circles. There is no options to have an empty circle, but you can always create a filled one and switch to the Edit Tools to cut the interior. Parameters are:

  • Radius (Main Circle): radius of the most external circle
  • Size: number of concentric circles
  • Sides: number of edges each circle will be made of.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to the circles edges.
  • Sub (Tessellation): the hint assigned to edges used to connect circles.

Cylinder

The Cylinder Builder builds a Cylinder (or a Capsule, depending on the parameters assignment). Parameters are:

  • Radius: radius of lateral area of the cylinder.
  • Height: height of lateral area of the cylinder.
  • CapH: height of the caps extensions to the top and bottom of the cylinder.
  • Size: number of strips in the cylinder lateral surface. Each strip is made of a closed set of quads limited by two circles, and the number of circle is always Size+1.
  • Sides: number of edges each circle will be made of.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to the circles edges.
  • Sub (Tessellation): the hint assigned to edges used to connect circles.
  • Caps (Tessellation): the hint assigned to edges used in the caps.
  • Top (Part): when disabled, the top cap is not built.
  • Bottom (Part): when disabled, the bottom cap is not built.

UV Sphere

The UV Sphere Builder builds a Sphere by connecting a set of parallel circles. Parameters are:

  • Radius: radius of the sphere.
  • Size: number of strips in the sphere. Each strip is made of a closed set of quads limited by two circles, apart from the first and last strip which are made of triangles, being limited on one side by a single vertex.
  • Sides: number of edges each circle will be made of.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to the circles edges.
  • Sub (Tessellation): the hint assigned to edges used to connect circles.
  • Bottom (Part): when disabled, the bottom half of the sphere is not built.
  • Left (Part): when disabled, if also Bottom is disabled, the left half of the sphere will not be built .
  • Back (Part): when disabled, if also Bottom and Left are disabled, the back half of the sphere will not be built .

Quads Sphere

The Quads Sphere Builder builds a sphere made only of Quads. This one has few parameters:

  • Radius: radius of the sphere.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to the circles edges.

Donut (Torus)

The Donut Builder builds a Donut (Torus) by connecting a set of circles. Parameters are:

  • Radius: radius of the main Circle in the Donut.
  • Section: radius of the section of the Donut.
  • Size: number of strips in the donut. Each strip is made of a closed set of quads limited by two circles, the number of circles is also equal to size.
  • Sides: number of edges each circle will be made of.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to the circles edges.
  • Sub (Tessellation): the hint assigned to edges used to connect circles.
  • Bottom (Part): when disabled, the bottom half of the donut is not built.
  • Outside (Part): when disabled, the circles and polygons in the external side of the donut are not built.
  • Inside (Part): when disabled, the circles and polygons in the internal side of the donut are not built .

Quads

The Quads Builder builds a Grid of Quads. Parameters are:

  • Width: width of the grid.
  • Height: height of the grid.
  • X: number of rows in the grid.
  • Y: number of columns in the grid.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to all the edges.

Bar

The Bar Builder builds a geometry which has the same structure of a cylinder, but different parameters and different setup,in order to make the primitive look like a bar. Parameters are:

  • Width: width of the bar.
  • Height: height of the bar.
  • Depth: depth of the bar.
  • XYZ ext (Bevel): length of the smooth caps at the beginning and end of the bar.
  • UV ext (Bevel): modulate uv coordinates generation on the smooth caps at the beginning and end of the bar.
  • Size: number of strips in the bar. Each strip is limited by two ellipses.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to all the edges.
  • Bevel (Tessellation): the hint assigned to the edges used in the caps.
  • Bisided (Parts): when disable, the back half of the bar is not built.

Plate

The Plate Builder builds a Plate. A Plate is like a grid of Quads with some thickness (depth) smooth bevels on the sides. Parameters are:

  • Width: width of the plate.
  • Height: height of the plate.
  • Depth: depth of the plate.
  • XYZ ext (Bevel): length of the bevels.
  • UV ext (Bevel): modulate uv coordinates generation on the bevels.
  • XSize: number of rows in the grid.
  • YSize: number of cols in the grid.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to all the edges of the grids.
  • Sub (Tessellation): the hint assigned to all the edges of bevels.
  • Bisided (Parts): when disable, the back half of the plate is not built.

Chamfer Box

The Chamfer Box Builder builds a Chamfer Box. Parameters are:

  • Width: width of the box.
  • Height: height of the box.
  • Depth: depth of the box.
  • XYZ ext (Bevel): length of the bevels.
  • UV ext (Bevel): modulate uv coordinates generation on the bevels.
  • X (Sides): number of internal separations on X direction.
  • Y (Sides): number of internal separations on Y direction.
  • Z (Sides): number of internal separations on Z direction.
  • Main (Tessellation): the hint assigned to all the edges of the grids.
  • Bevel (Tessellation): the hint assigned to all the edges of bevels.
  • Top (Parts): when disable, the top face of the box is not built.
  • Bottom (Parts): when disable, the bottom face of the box is not built.
  • Right (Parts): when disable, the right face of the box is not built.

Cube

The Cube Builder builds a Cube made of linear edges and sharp vertices. It has no parameters

NGon Plate

The NGon Builder builds a Plate which has as base a polygon of a custom number of sides. Parameters are:

  • N: the number of sides. So for example 5 generates a pentagon, 6 generates and hexagon.
  • Radius: radius of the circle used to build the vertices of the custom polygon.
  • Height: height (thickness) of the plate.



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