Modify the vertices of a Simple Shape Polygon

[Kevin Kipper]

Is it possible to modify the position of the vertices that define a simple shape polygon?  Preferably in some way which visibly shows the new location of the points in the interface.

[dandelO]

You can change the coordinates of a Simple Shape Shader by using 'position in terrain/texture' in the node, coupled with a transform shader for the new orientation.
I can't remember if it translates live to the 3D preview but I managed to rotate a flat circlular shape on the Z axis to show a face-on(North/South) circle in World-space when I was experimenting with procedural eyeballs...

[dandelO]

Think there's a thread called 'eye test', not sure if I put a clip in it, though.

[Dune]

This reminds me again to go for a feature request; the ability to set your corner points into the terrain. That would be a very handy feature. 

[jo]

Could you clarify that please Ulco? Not quite sure what you're getting at.

Regards,

Jo

[Dune]

I've just added a feature request at the alpha forum. I mean that an rectangular SSS has 4 corner points, which are not individually changeable. If you could 'pick' any of these points and drag it to form a non-rectangular shape, that would mean you could basically make all kinds of simple shapes. To make a series of irregular fields for instance. Same with a polygon of 3 or 5+ points. More would probably be unnecessary or unfeasible.

[jo]

Hi Ulco,

Ah, I get you. What you're actually talking about there is essentially being able to draw vector shapes. Think of drawing in Illustrator. That will happen at some point, almost certainly, but it's a ways off still. It's not something that the simple shape shader as such would be able to do, it would be more like you could choose to draw a square using one vector tool and a circle with another, just like Illustrator or Photoshop with vectors aka paths. You could then move the control points of the shape however you wanted.

Regards,

Jo

[Dune]

Thanks Jo. I'll be patient, but that's what I mean indeed.

[PabloMack]

Could you do what you want to do to bring in an object with the shape of your choice as, say, an OBJ? You would only need a simple modeler in order to do that. Are you wanting to change it for what it looks like statically or are you wanting to change it through time as an animation? (I am just trying to understand your question.)

[Kevin Kipper]

Hi Everyone, thanks for all the replies.  What I'm looking for is what Dune suggests because currently selecting the polygon mode for a simple shape eventually limits you to a circle or oval shape.  What I'm trying to do is create an irregular mask but have some control over where it happens in the terrain.  Having control over the individual points that make up the polygon shape in the simple shape node would be the easiest and most effective way to do it, because I can still use the border falloffs that the node has to create smooth transitions.  An alternative would be to use a paint shader but this lacks a way to smoothly blend the values used to paint the mask.  If there was a way to perform a "Gaussian blur" to the painted shader that might work for me too.

[Dune]

Another possibility of course is paint a soft mask in Photoshop...

[Oshyan]

Use lower Flow values in the Painted Shader and you can create your own softer edges (the Brush Faloff already does this to some degree though). Or do it the way Dune does, as he suggested, pain the mask in an external app.

- Oshyan