Curves

I remember when i was making Super Blender Galaxy i had need for some kind of curve algorithm for marios flying abilitys, and for the star launcher platforms. I managed to use a script in making an set of orientated empties to produce the curve path.
Now that I am currently working on assets for a new project i want to make all/most of what i was in need for back then. kinda like revamping my style. So in my search for making a custom/procedural curve i found that the Catmull Rom curve worked best, but i didnt know that at firsts so i accidentally stumbled onto other types of curves that may suit other applications other that what i needed.

my needs only were demanding a curved path, but as i moved forward i realized i could access the objects vetex matrix and apply the curve formulas over the entire object allowing for an entire 3d object to move though the curve like a latice(in some sense). This gives rise to trail effects that i had always been wanting in the game engine. I cant stress how valuable i thinks this file is.

So just to show what can be done i’m gonna give some example blends at the basic level of what i’m trying to convey.
please understand that these are just tests.

catmull_rom_spline_example3d.blend (203 KB)

catmull_rom_spline_example.blend (203 KB)

cubic_spline_example.blend (202 KB)

I havent made a contribution in a while. Here are some curve files i was implementing.

here are some shader files martinish help out with. I owe him some thanks. it still needs some tweaking though. I dont like how z_axis is aways facing up seems like it makes it flip around.


Attachments

final2.2_curve.blend (1.18 MB)final3_curve.blend (1.56 MB)

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Very nice demo!

It looks really great, can’t beleive no one has commented on it.
I’ve done some trails before, but they weren’t anywhere near as complex.

I bet you could do some great stuff with this. The ones from the first post were a little processor intensive, but the shader ran really quickly on my PC.

@ Smoking_mirror yea i think it may be the title of the thread. Maybe if i the title was trailing effects. Yea many things can be done with it.

I went back the the file and was messing with tubes, and i made this demo model. Its not textured good it just has a color gradient. It is able to keep the mesh shape pretty well in the curve. this is perfect for tracers and other things. I will put a file up soon.

.


the next image is just to show what shader file 2.2 does. Seems like this shoud be getting more outthere a little more. I guess i did explain well what these files can do. so in the fire shader curve. the textures are acually scrolling along the curve giving kinda like a “God of War” sword trail effect.


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Oh I just noticed this thread. It’s amazing to see someone using those curve equations to do an amazing simulation like that! Keep it up.
Btw, How about using the bezier function built in mathutils? It might give you better performance and code clarity rather than pure trigonometry.

Here is a new curve shader test. I made this with some of martinish’s old refraction stuff. still tinkering with it. tell me what u guys think.


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​http://www.mediafire.com/download/7jai52rhhfop2ap/testing.blend

also here is a weird tweak of that file. its a uvsphere and the curve distance set to .2. so the sphere just wants to stay a sphere. lol
looks like a water drop hence the file name.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/t1cccwimboytly1/water_drop.blend


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yea i made it just for that. i havent looked at it in a while, but doing that should be easy. let me have a go at it. thanks for becoming a member. was hoping this thread wouldn’t get burred. Its actually a very valuable asset.

That water-drop demo is brilliant! I could play around with it all day haha

thanks i’m glad its finally getting some deserved appreciation. so much can be done with it.

here is the file of the thruster demo.


https://www.mediafire.com/?m3w6d54wd25xvwz

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Wow some nice fast effects here!

here is another file its kinda better. i added some stuff from an old game of mine.

https://www.mediafire.com/?ycq7bm6fd894kxs


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Thanks a lot @cuervo1003 for sharing all those blends ! just goes to show again that blender has a lot of potential…

oh just wait. I’m gonna have something real nice soon.

Cool thread here!

Wow! Really cool! Thanks for sharing!

So pretty! : D And it’s wicked fast! But the waterdrop demo breaks for me :confused: Running on 2.73a here.
Anyway keep at it!