Hi, I am trying to model the roof, got no idea how to cut adjacent edges, Booltool doesnt seem to handle that (even having modifier applied), does anybody have an idea (except manual cutting w KNIFE and removing the rest ) ??
Or maybe not to bother w/modelling and solution would be to bake large roof tile w/shingles and remain w/flat roof solid textured only ?
It’s not such a complex piece of geometry that you even need to cut it. You could subdivide, slide, snap, and merge verts all the way.
But if You want to cut it, well, without a volume booleans aren’t going to work.
I recommend you try the new Intersect option. If you don’t have it in your menu get the latest test build.
And after some vert deletion and merging (cleanup):
Is this what you had in mind?
I’d try to substitute one half with cube, face of which has larger size and same slant; then boolean with other part of the roof.
Yes,basically it’ll do the job, some ‘minor’ detail remain however-how to distribute arrayed shingles along the surface
having them cut to the edges as well…??
Not the easiest thing to do and looks like particle objects are easier to manage than Array in this case. Maybe even several systems.
Just because you can attach particles/instances to a face?
Yep, but the question is :how to distribute them evenly - ie. combine Particles and Array in one ? ))
Additionally have no idea how to adjust/control location of the shingles-to have them above referenced face ?
Found: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/5156/how-to-distribute-objects-evenly
but it does not help i am afraid…
Just for the gigs https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jc-MYQyNgO8#t=170
Particles can be set to ordered fashion. There still is some weirdness and it’s not one click solution but could be exploited imho.
http://www.pasteall.org/blend/31768
Woah! My debt to you increases, you helped still one more time in one shot ! Thank you !!
It needs some experimenting w/Emitter based Particles rather than Hair(which is assumed to be a random nature).
Think the faces need to be separated to have independent alignment of the particle sets - like here:
Does the reference face has to be World aligned to work properly for the particles?
I succedeed planting the shingles on the face but they are tilted to the face, i mean: particles are aligned to ortho World origin while face has been rotated to World orig-how to fix it?
Yes, one face - one particle system, different shingle for it, looks like so. Scale better be applied for particle object; it can be changed on Particle tab but you never know… I usually leave rotation alone (Alt-R it) for the particle object and then see if it needs to be rotated. If yes then rotate it in Object mode. Hate this stuff being different Up.
Here is a bit different file - 2 PS one has Rotation checked, another -not. When its not checked shingle needs to be rorated and then rotation applied. Only then it will update PS rotations. When there Rotation is checkmarked it updates while you rotate. 
.
Also i do not remember particle objects forming several layers while they fill the faces (Resolution adjustment). No idea what’s going on there tbh.
http://www.pasteall.org/blend/31773
Thanx, I ll check it out. I hate those ‘never knows’ also-too many fully undescribed, unpredictable factors but still free…
What I feel and will try out is: all object shoild firstly stay in primary location where created - in World Ori, after distributing properly shingles on a face I ll try transform to needed location.
One thing is unclear to me though:
Oh, I thought that was an image texture. You actually modeled those shingles?
If your final render will be small enough that you can get away with a bump map I would prepare a shingle bump texture using Z-depth.
It’s faster, plus if the house blueprints change you won’t tear your hair out trying to remodel.
If your final render will be in large enough dimensions to justify modeling all that I would try a Boolean or Intersect approach.
If you use a particle system I’m not sure how would go about trimming off the ones that go over the edge. Maybe an add-on to make particles real… I think I read of such a thing at one point.
OK, but converting Particles to REAL in Modifiers tab doesnt just make them real=editable ?
Particle Objects are positioned on Emitter plane based on their Origins (shingle Origin) so yes, in edit mode bring Origin to where you would want to ‘stick’ them.
Make Duplicates Real or Apply on Particle System (PS) tab makes objects ‘real’
Edit: while they share common data. Select in Object mode and menu Object- Make Single User turns them into “individualities”.
Provided that PS Grid option works at all (i tend to think there’s something broken every time i try it) one could make “border” row PS on a separate plane and cut it as needed after making just this PS “real” thus hopefully taking off some stress from pc.
There is another option - newly developed Sverchok addon, node based geometry creation. Maybe somebody over in that thread can come up with something working for your case if you ask there.
Distribution on a face works relatively well, could be usefull, edges to be adjusted manually(after convertong Particles to real objects) BUT: above shingles can be controlled along one axis ONLY-vertical rows need to stick together /one control only: by Resolution and Render->Size or Velocity->Size/.
If its Perticles->Emitter->Grid :where is the other axis’ alignment control for the ‘Grid’ ?
A grid by its definition is to be X-Y, isnt it?
Grid Resolution parameter is X = Y so it is basically particle^Grid. You need to adjust particle object size appropriately.
Particles do not take in account Emitter object’s individual faces normals for rotation if PS is set to generate from Faces - it’s usually where Emitter object’s Normal gizmo point; they do if it is Vertices.
Wiki says:
Particles are set in a 3d grid and particles near/in the elements are kept.
where elements are likely assumed to be Verts, Faces or Volume of the Emitter. Even more interesting is explanation ofInverted Grid
Often times particle objects tend to change orientation when switched through certain combinations of options. They seem to not take into account if Emitter face is subdivided; on some occasions they do.
In general, it’s like weather conditions combined with walking over mine field. Could be that this is due to Depsgraph deficiencies there were talks about.
You are correct. What I read about, I think my source of info was outdated. No add-on necessary.
I am curious, what led you to choose a particle system approach over an array-based approach?
And if I may ask, what is the meter-looking gradient graphic (black-red-white) beneath your Properties Shelf?
‘In general, it’s like weather conditions combined with walking over mine field’ …see I am not alone in that feeling, no risk-no fun they say but for production purposes it brings more pain than profit.
Replying in order:
To the Particles brought me a feeling that i am completely f-ed up trying to align array of shingles to a roof surface, sorry guys but i dont get all that Blender philosophy w/Origins. I used to have (most CAD software) World Origin and-if modified-a transformartion of that origin-> User or Local/Origin. In Blender I am completely lost and these are -as mentioned by EPPO above: results obtained by the weather conditions/air pressure/whatsoever random.
Now I can see I need to go back to an array, align manually/visually and KNIFE the edges. Finito.((
Yeah, I switched too many addons and honestly speaking need to check what is really is/does )))
Instead of array and particles maybe this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s9ikE1RktY
@ Quantum Anomaly -
to choose a particle system approach over an array-based approach
i’d say arrays don’t do triangles or pyramids (if only maybe Advanced Array which is still separate branch).
Using face duplication would save on geometry, no doubt however it is not flawless. While it works on examples like in video
roofs are in different department. Yes it tiles but as soon as you would have simple mesh editing to add or remove some face from the ‘duplicating’ geometry blender might change tile orientation 90 deg. There are no means to correct this except redo completely object.
Here’s an example where Knife project failed when i was using planes to ‘cut’ the roof. See the orientation changes.
Object to duplicate should be created in Coord center and it ‘sticks’ to any angle of ‘duplicator’.
