Can You Save/copy/insert Deformer Nodes?

[wjpiovano]

Hi.

I have two objects which have each been subject to a different series of deformations. I want to randomly cross these two objects over (as in the genetic algorithm cross, two parents creating a child). I want to do this by randomly selecting a few deformations from each and applying them to a new primitive.

I was wondering, can I just copy a few nodes from each object's deformation chain, and then just add them to the new primitive's deformation chain? If yes, would it be more complicated if the two objects were in different scenes? (I have PLE and can't import objects, only open new saved scenes)

Thanks.

[joojaa]

QUOTE(Will Piovan @ 01/30/08, 05:46 AM) [snapback]280328[/snapback]
If yes, would it be more complicated if the two objects were in different scenes? (I have PLE and can't import objects, only open new saved scenes)

Yes, and no not much

[wjpiovano]

What I'm having trouble actually doing is moving the nodes of one to the other. For example (in pseudo):

create nurbsSphere1
create lattice deformer on nurbsSphere1
move lattice points around
create nurbsSphere2
move nurbsSphere2 control points around

how do I take the modified lattice and apply it to nurbsSphere2? Similarly, how to take the exact modifications of control points over to nurbsSphere1?

I was thinking, just cut the couple of nodes needed for lattice and plug them into shape. I'm not quite sure how to do that, though, and if it would actually work. Different transforms/deformers require a different number of nodes. (All this has to be automated, which is why I can't do it manually).

Thanks.

[rgkovach]

I don't know if i've fully grasped what you're asking for, but have you tried using the Relationship Editor?

When you open the Relatiosnhip editor and set the filter to deformer sets, you should see your lattice FFD node on the left and the nurbsphere1 highlighted in the right colum.

you can just select your second sphere and click on the + button in the editor to add the 2nd sphere to the lattice. If you watch the output to the script editor you can capture the MEL code executed.

[wjpiovano]

Wow yes that works amazingly! As opposed to messing with individual nodes I can just link the deformer to the new object with the editor.

I have to play around with the MEL commands it generates (have to open the editor...etc or it won't work), requires you echo all commands.

---

For the record, what I basically want to do is this (given 3 spheres):
nurbsSphere1 has - lattice, bend, flare
nurbsSphere2 has - sine, twist, squash

Want to cross randomly on nurbsSphere3, so randomly choose from both. Say it randomly chooses
nurbsSphere1 - lattice
nurbsSphere2 - twist, squash
result => nurbsSphere3 - lattice, twist, squash

---

My only other option is to have procedures like

CODE
proc bend(string $object, int $angle, $transX ...)
{
    nonlinear -type bend -angle $angle
    settAttr ($object + ".translateX") $transX
}

That's just rough, but the idea is: check if there's a bend deformer; if there is, get the parameters such as bendAngle and its location and just pass them into the bend proc. (There would be one proc per deformer type). Would be so much simpler with the relationship editor though.

Hope I didn't ramble. And thanks again.