AMT Mesh Blend is a kitbash modeling tool that allows you to manage your
kitbash assets, place them on selected faces and blend them directly
onto your source mesh. The idea behind it came from the Polystein Kit of
Modo.
Simply put, it works great on curved meshes if the border edges of the kitbash pieces and the face are equal (or almost), and of similar shape.
Lets take this screenshot for example, all the kitbash bolts i added to the sphere had square border, and when selecting faces on the sphere the "algorithm" (or trick/technique) i made for this managed to blend everything really well. I'll be providing heavy documentation on the subject in order to help you properly use it.
Everything is almost done so far (the tool is basically a huge part of Kitbash Master, so i kitbashed a lot of code), so you can expect a release tonight (EDIT : or the night after,we're that close from release ^^' ), on gumroad and for 20$-30$, either one of those or in-between.
Here's
a gif of how it works, pretty simple : select borders of you mesh, hit a
button, then select target faces and hit another button.
The blending algorithm always tries to do it's best in order to seamlessly bridge the gaps. Don't expect miracles, or course
If all goes well the tool will be available in 8-12 hours on gumroad,
for the price tag of 25$. A bit more expensive than the other tools,
but the era of cheap plugins is done for (mainly because of current job time constraints)
Looks great, thanks again @Fansub! I know not to expect miracles, but can it handle non-square selections? Like an L shape or if we had a pole in the center, or across the three corners of a cube, etc. Your gifs don't show you breaking things and it's pissing me off
Your gifs don't show you breaking things and it's pissing me off
Haha i love that phrase tho i can understand, these type of tools always fail us on certain tasks once we buy them, and in certain cases this tool will be no exception, or at least for it's first Beta version
To answer your questions one by one : yes, it can handle non-square selections, in fact i'll be demoing it on a messy geo in the trailer
And yes it can handle an L shape... or not it totally depends on what Blending Mesh you're gonna import, some might work fantastically with them, others not so well. Simply changing the default angle might avoid issues in this regard.
And yes, it totally works on cube corners. In fact i would say it works in 99% of cases, the result might not look like what you want when you get out of the tool's comfort zone, but either with angle rotation or simply tweaking the way you did the kitbash piece, there should be a solution in every case
Here's a screenshot that i quickly made for you, nothing here was hand edited, you have cube corners, L-Shapes, triangles with a pole at the center, etc...
haha thanks! The corners actually look better than what I expected to see.
Small(?) request; Could there be a toggle for... When the operation finishes, leaving the grafted geometry as a face selection? I'm doing mostly offline work right now, so I'd like to keep those UVs intact when possible, assuming UVs come along for the ride. For workflow,, I'd just take that face selection and add it to a quick set, and get right back to modeling while having a greeble selection I could refer to at any point.
I'll definitely look into that keep in mind that this process is pretty much like a boolean (tho i don't use boolean), not that it f*cks up your topo (it doesn't, really) but that your history is gonna be doomed, because we just combined two pieces of geometry.
There's a lot of things that i would like to add to this, but just to not repeat the same errors for the past months (doing and tool then not releasing because too much work to do on it) i actually preferred to released a beta of this first, and from there it'll receive updates after updates, until i make the full switch to the Maya API, which is definitely the end goal
It's out ! This is my first commercial tool released since ADN Modeler Tools, woop woop !
[CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD]
AMT Mesh Blend is a kitbash modeling tool that allows you to manage your
kitbash assets, place them on selected faces and blend them directly
onto your source mesh. The idea behind it came from the Polystein Kit of
Modo.
This is really cool! Went ahead and bought it! I'm curious though, I thought I remember talk of you working on a modifier stack for Maya or am I mistaken? Either way I really appreciate your scripts, thank you.
Oh man this is dope, just bought it, can't wait to get home and try this tonight!
Curious if you can use this as a kit bash/obj manager with folders/sub menus as well. There was a neat max plug in that did that (can't remember the name off the top of my head). Either way congrats on the release Adnan !
Hey Malik ! Having a hard time seeing the issue from the screenshots you gave me. Where was your object placed at first ?
If you could make me a quick gif/video i'd let you have my children
Here is a gif showing the issue. As you can see all the history and transformations have been deleted and zeroed. Maybe it is an issue with my build of Maya, i will try it on a clean one tomorrow.
Hmmm you sure ? there's one with a .rar file named MESHBLEND_10Beta_Rev01.
Either way, just going into your gumroad library and downloading the tool should get you sorted
I'm to sleep now guys, launch was a total success, with only one bug reported (Malik's report) and already fixed thanks to a friend. Now we all know what needs to come next : MORE FEATURES.
Congrats on the successful release of Mesh Blend! So far the stitching seems to work really well. But the curvature on the other hand still needs more work imo. Atm it seems to only bend the border edges and not the part itself.
-Is there going to be a way you can Re-name the mesh thumbnail, rather than it being named Blend_randomNumber? -Maybe a way to update the mesh rather than recreating a new item?
this tool is fucking awesome. I just think its missing a few things. P.S cant wait for folders and sub-folders.
Yo ! My inbox is flooded with questions in regards to features, so i'll just post this up here :
- Full switch to the Python API is the next big thing, so no
support for Maya LT but it's the only way to further improve the
tool, sorry !
- Folders, sub-folders and categories are coming right after that.
- Making the command repeatable with G !
- An online updater will be integrated in the next releases.
- Bug reporting system, too.
-
A custom deformer algorithm for the tool will later on be integrated,
allowing you to follow (or not) the curvature of your input faces.
- Support for Alphas will also follow. Basically an Alpha to subD converter, have a few ideas on this matter.
- With the API switch, we'll be able to control the bridging algorithm, which is gonna be neat (but fucking hard to make xD ) !
-
Mesh painting. This one is the ultimate feature for me, you'd basically
be able to paint the floaters in realtime on your surface, then apply
it once you release the mouse.
And
that will be it for now, there are probably gonna be more feature
underway, but i'd say this is where the plugin is headed also keep in
mind that the structure in here is not 100% authentic, i might do one
before the other, etc...
As you can see
this one is gonna grow up a lot during the coming months, so any help
(by reporting bugs, suggesting features, spreading the word if you like
it, etc...) is gonna be more than welcome !
@chrisevansart yes naming will come after the Python switch i'll need to restructure the tool a LOT with the switch, so it's better to do it now then wait and keep doing MEL updates.
Thanks Malik ! I encourage everyone to tell me what they liked and didn't in this thread, in fact please please please do ! Knowing what people like will help me improve it, and what they don't like fix or add it, so on to your keyboards !
In regards to the UI suggestions : Yes i'm gonna do something like that just need to move to the API first to avoid any convoluted MEL code.
Hmm why add color in the background ? i actually wanted to add a nifty color setting later on for the user to customize the different colors.
Also, how has the bridging algorithm been working so far for y'all ? That was probably the biggest challenge in the tool, but having it released is quite neat now !
Cant seem to get mine to load. I've put the folder into my scripts directory, and using the MEL command gives me a syntax error. // Error: Line 1.15: Syntax error. And when i manually load it up, nothing shows up in the UI of the plug-in.
You've most likely put it in the wrong directory, or used the wrong call to the script. This is the directory you need to put the AMT Blend Mesh in :
C:\Users\Username\Documents\maya\201X\scripts
And the command to call the script should be the following :
source "AMT Mesh Blend/MeshBlend.mel";
If this doesn't work, then copy paste the path in which you've put the tool along with the command you're using to call the script.
You're right thanks. Having a different issue using it though. When I blend a mesh it will for some weird unknown reason delete some edge loops on my object. As well as adding some in places I don't want them. LIke this...
Before
After
Its super annoying. Tried deleting history, and export and importing
It doesn't ""delete" them, it snaps them to the closest point of the kitbash asset. In your case you'd probably do a quick inset and it'll snap those vertices instead of your loop.
It doesn't ""delete" them, it snaps them to the closest point of the kitbash asset. In your case you'd probably do a quick inset and it'll snap those vertices instead of your loop.
Tried that. Doesn't work. See how it deletes the edge loops on the edges of the mesh, that's what I'm talking about. No matter what I do it deletes them and adds odd lines on other parts of the mesh that the blend isn't even touching.
Ok that's really weird, do you have a few minutes to record a quick gif please ?
I made a quick test : created a cube, added support loops, then started blending it. No error on my side, so i'd like to see when the process fails on yours.
I'd recommend this tool for anyone wanting to make Gifs btw, it's absolutely stellar : ShareX
Hmm not quite sure what is causing this. First thing that comes into my mind is the merge vertex operation in the script, but that one works on a 0.01 value, which is super small.
Can you send me your mesh (or just a part of it) for me to try it on ?
Hmm not quite sure what is causing this. First thing that comes into my mind is the merge vertex operation in the script, but that one works on a 0.01 value, which is super small.
Can you send me your mesh (or just a part of it) for me to try it on ?
Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience !
but thtas basically it if your maya setting is lets say in meters and this piece is small, than excatly that happens. had that happen to me before
I'm also a lucky one to get this script for $25. Its working very nicely! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhmneqnBq4 Are you thinking to add more blend meshes in the future? Architect, body parts, decoration etc. would be useful as well, not just mech!
I'll be adding more assets yeah, it's definitely not the top priority as i'm more focused on the tool itself right now, but rest assured i've partenered with a bunch of artists to create kitbash libraries for this and i also encourage anyone interested in doing so to contact me
No lets talk the real deal ! MESH BLEND 1.1 is out (check your inbox)! This new update includes :
- batch face island placement to Blend/Float assets on all your different shell faces.
- The faces of your kitbash asset are now automatically selected once you create one, giving you a lot of possibilities. Thanks for the suggestion @throttlekitty !
Nice tool, can't wait to have the python version. I would suggest for the rotation an extra one Random ( maybe with a min and max rotation value). A good example would be in spPaint tool (https://www.highend3d.com/maya/script/sppaint3d-for-maya)
Some kind of array could be interesting like on a selection having multiple mesh duplicated along the length with a control of the amount .. Looking forward for what you have planned anyway...keep the good work
SPaint is probably my favorite plugin of all times in Maya yeah i'll be doing a random rotation input, too.
The array thing i dunno, we'll probably see that for later, like wayyy later x)
@Dumbanana woops sorry for not answering earlier ! A modifier stack or something that allows non-destructive workflows in Maya is what i something i'll keep working on later, but for now the focus is all on this tool
Replies
edit: Im curious as to how you handle the curvature of the surface?
Simply put, it works great on curved meshes if the border edges of the kitbash pieces and the face are equal (or almost), and of similar shape.
Lets take this screenshot for example, all the kitbash bolts i added to the sphere had square border, and when selecting faces on the sphere the "algorithm" (or trick/technique) i made for this managed to blend everything really well. I'll be providing heavy documentation on the subject in order to help you properly use it.
Everything is almost done so far (the tool is basically a huge part of Kitbash Master, so i kitbashed a lot of code), so you can expect a release tonight (EDIT : or the night after,we're that close from release ^^' ), on gumroad and for 20$-30$, either one of those or in-between.
-R
Here's a gif of how it works, pretty simple : select borders of you mesh, hit a button, then select target faces and hit another button.
The blending algorithm always tries to do it's best in order to seamlessly bridge the gaps. Don't expect miracles, or course
If all goes well the tool will be available in 8-12 hours on gumroad, for the price tag of 25$. A bit more expensive than the other tools, but the era of cheap plugins is done for (mainly because of current job time constraints)
Haha i love that phrase tho i can understand, these type of tools always fail us on certain tasks once we buy them, and in certain cases this tool will be no exception, or at least for it's first Beta version
To answer your questions one by one : yes, it can handle non-square selections, in fact i'll be demoing it on a messy geo in the trailer
And yes it can handle an L shape... or not it totally depends on what Blending Mesh you're gonna import, some might work fantastically with them, others not so well. Simply changing the default angle might avoid issues in this regard.
And yes, it totally works on cube corners. In fact i would say it works in 99% of cases, the result might not look like what you want when you get out of the tool's comfort zone, but either with angle rotation or simply tweaking the way you did the kitbash piece, there should be a solution in every case
Here's a screenshot that i quickly made for you, nothing here was hand edited, you have cube corners, L-Shapes, triangles with a pole at the center, etc...
Small(?) request; Could there be a toggle for... When the operation finishes, leaving the grafted geometry as a face selection? I'm doing mostly offline work right now, so I'd like to keep those UVs intact when possible, assuming UVs come along for the ride. For workflow,, I'd just take that face selection and add it to a quick set, and get right back to modeling while having a greeble selection I could refer to at any point.
There's a lot of things that i would like to add to this, but just to not repeat the same errors for the past months (doing and tool then not releasing because too much work to do on it) i actually preferred to released a beta of this first, and from there it'll receive updates after updates, until i make the full switch to the Maya API, which is definitely the end goal
This is my first commercial tool released since ADN Modeler Tools, woop woop !
[CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD]
AMT Mesh Blend is a kitbash modeling tool that allows you to manage your kitbash assets, place them on selected faces and blend them directly onto your source mesh. The idea behind it came from the Polystein Kit of Modo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImY6h2eSOa4&feature=youtu.be
The tool is just getting started, and you can expect to see shitload amount of features during version 1.0 !
The tool will be available for 25$ in the first 5 hours, then the price will stay at
35$, so go grab it while it's fresh !
If you could make me a quick gif/video i'd let you have my children
Curious if you can use this as a kit bash/obj manager with folders/sub menus as well. There was a neat max plug in that did that (can't remember the name off the top of my head). Either way congrats on the release Adnan !
As you can see all the history and transformations have been deleted and zeroed. Maybe it is an issue with my build of Maya, i will try it on a clean one tomorrow.
@TeriyakiStyle if only it was that simply xD I'm definitely looking into options in this regard, tho.
Also, folders and subfolders support will be available soon-ish, either this weekend or during next week
Either way, just going into your gumroad library and downloading the tool should get you sorted
I'm to sleep now guys, launch was a total success, with only one bug reported (Malik's report) and already fixed thanks to a friend. Now we all know what needs to come next : MORE FEATURES.
With that said, good night !
-Maybe a way to update the mesh rather than recreating a new item?
this tool is fucking awesome. I just think its missing a few things.
P.S cant wait for folders and sub-folders.
- Adnan
Updated that "faces" issue
In regards to the UI suggestions : Yes i'm gonna do something like that just need to move to the API first to avoid any convoluted MEL code.
Hmm why add color in the background ? i actually wanted to add a nifty color setting later on for the user to customize the different colors.
Also, how has the bridging algorithm been working so far for y'all ? That was probably the biggest challenge in the tool, but having it released is quite neat now !
C:\Users\Username\Documents\maya\201X\scripts
And the command to call the script should be the following :
source "AMT Mesh Blend/MeshBlend.mel";
If this doesn't work, then copy paste the path in which you've put the tool along with the command you're using to call the script.
Having a different issue using it though. When I blend a mesh it will for some weird unknown reason delete some edge loops on my object. As well as adding some in places I don't want them. LIke this...
Before
After
Its super annoying. Tried deleting history, and export and importing
I made a quick test : created a cube, added support loops, then started blending it. No error on my side, so i'd like to see when the process fails on yours.
I'd recommend this tool for anyone wanting to make Gifs btw, it's absolutely stellar : ShareX
Can you send me your mesh (or just a part of it) for me to try it on ?
Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience !
if your maya setting is lets say in meters and this piece is small, than excatly that happens.
had that happen to me before
@TeriyakiStyle so you basically want to remove the color and leave everything as gray ? not sure i understood that one x)
Its working very nicely!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhmneqnBq4
Are you thinking to add more blend meshes in the future?
Architect, body parts, decoration etc. would be useful as well, not just mech!
No lets talk the real deal ! MESH BLEND 1.1 is out (check your inbox)! This new update includes :
- batch face island placement to Blend/Float assets on all your different shell faces.
- The faces of your kitbash asset are now automatically selected once you create one, giving you a lot of possibilities. Thanks for the suggestion @throttlekitty !
- Fixed the bug report of @SilkyPigeon .
-And changed a few things in the source code in order to optimize the tool a bit more.
Guess what's coming up next ? Folders and sub-folders ! Then we'll attack names, etc...
The Python transition has started and is going smoothly. I won't stop updating this one until it release tho, so no worries about that
I would suggest for the rotation an extra one Random ( maybe with a min and max rotation value).
A good example would be in spPaint tool (https://www.highend3d.com/maya/script/sppaint3d-for-maya)
Some kind of array could be interesting like on a selection having multiple mesh duplicated along the length with a control of the amount ..
Looking forward for what you have planned anyway...keep the good work
The array thing i dunno, we'll probably see that for later, like wayyy later x)
@Dumbanana woops sorry for not answering earlier ! A modifier stack or something that allows non-destructive workflows in Maya is what i something i'll keep working on later, but for now the focus is all on this tool