Parameterized surfaces in Blender
I was searching for a way to create a parameterized 3D surface in Blender when I found the XYZ Function Surface function of the 3D Function Surfaces add-on by Martin Buerbaum.
I saw that it wasn't enough for my needs, so I rolled up my sleeves, and implemented a couple of modifications (as I knew nothing about Python or Blender, I was quite pleased that I succeeded in this), most importantly I added helper functions to make the formulas easier to construct; tube-like surfaces can now be closed; the script can now create more objects at once and I also fixed the wrapping and some internal stuff.
Martin was very kind to review my changes and suggest some modifications, and I'm happy to say that the new version of the add-on is available from the Blender Extensions SVN repository here! I hope it makes its way, in one form or another, into a future release of Blender.
Oh and the thing I made with it? A 3D-printable version of a statue I designed about 9 years ago - available from Shapeways.
I saw that it wasn't enough for my needs, so I rolled up my sleeves, and implemented a couple of modifications (as I knew nothing about Python or Blender, I was quite pleased that I succeeded in this), most importantly I added helper functions to make the formulas easier to construct; tube-like surfaces can now be closed; the script can now create more objects at once and I also fixed the wrapping and some internal stuff.
Martin was very kind to review my changes and suggest some modifications, and I'm happy to say that the new version of the add-on is available from the Blender Extensions SVN repository here! I hope it makes its way, in one form or another, into a future release of Blender.
Oh and the thing I made with it? A 3D-printable version of a statue I designed about 9 years ago - available from Shapeways.