Any plans for a tube tool like thing?

Feature Request
#1

Really love all the boolean like functions and triplanar for building up shapes in nomad, but haven’t found a good replacement something like a voxel tube tool.

In another sculpting app I use the tube tool to rapidly build up forms rapidly. It doesn’t just alter the existing surface like a clay brush, but builds new geo too. So you can rough out a whole object/character with it from scratch if you want. You then smooth it out where needed. It’s a lot like building up with real clay.

It uses something like surface detection/ray casting. If you pen tap on the object it will start on that surface. You then drag out the tube and it follows in screen space until/unless it hits another surface, to which it then snaps to.

The only controls are for the diameter of the tube, and how deep it is set in any surface it comes into contact with.

Granted this app is voxel based so I’m not sure how applicable it is. Maybe there is a way just to make a bunch of polygon tubes in a similar fashion and then initialize and voxelize remesh it all? That seem plausible. Just missing a tube tool and ray casting for the end to end hit points.

I can make a video, but basically it is really simple. It ray casts onto the current object where the pen tip is, and then in screen space you can draw out a line. If it hits more geo it will align with the surface of that. Beyond that it has a radius and depth setting. Depth will push it further in or out on a colliding surface.

So would start with something rough like this.

This kind of shows the progression here with the robe.

For now I’m thinking maybe I’ll use this when needed in that other app, then export and import into Nomad for everything else, but would LOVE this kind of function in Nomad.

#2

Yes since Nomad is not voxel based you’ll have to use the voxel remesher to merge the two separate parts.
Or use polygonal boolean if I decide to do it at some point.

For now the only thing I can say is that I plan to make “tube/curve primitive”.
I’m not sure what I’ll do but the idea is to draw a curve/path in freestyle and then you can change a few parameters on it (twist? etc).

Note: it’s not the same thing but you can use the Drag tool along with dynamic topology if you want to make large deformation without caring about the topology.

#3

That sounds good too. It would go a long way to building up basic forms quickly to have a curve prim with radius controls etc. If you can add the ability to have it detect or constrain to mesh surfaces that would be extra awesome. If in this mode you allowed us to draw more than one curve before validating that would be great.

I’m all about the drag and move tools (which I really like in Nomad) as I use those a lot in apps but it’s not quite the same as a tube tool like you said. :wink: :+1:

For a tube tool, the keys are a rapid work flow that works more like a brush that is also a primitive. I’ll keep trying to think of ways that maybe it could work in nomad without you having to re-create the wheel. Some variant of your curve idea might very well fit the bill.

Thank you buy the way for all the responses! However, as your app grows, I hope you take time away for yourself. We need you alive and healthy to keep on creating! :+1:

Documentation and support can really eat up a lot of dev time eh!

#4

BTW- the 3D Coat curves tool is kind of like what you’re talking about. A little like zspheres but along a curve and it will also will take profiles or input meshes that are generated along the curve (like scales, ropes, chains etc.).

Maybe we could reference another mesh object or texture mask in Nomad that is propagated along the curve?

Not saying to copy it, but just another source for an approach to a curves prim to maybe glean some ideas from.