NEW interactive "inset extrude" addon!

[JoS]

LAST UPDATE 2011-06-09

Hi!
Today i can proudly present to you my new fully interactive inset extrude addon!

Link to Wiki

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:
http://vimeo.com/23468100




how to use:
move mouse cursor horizontally to control inset
click and drag vertically with LMB to control extrusion
release LMB when finished

TODO:
document code
investigate slowdown in combination with subsurf modifier - any ideas?

Ideas for future (speculative):
individual faces mode
interpolated displacement for the complete selection.
merge functionality with howardt:s inset addon?
inset/extrude edges

DONE - quantized values when holding Control key
DONE - increased sensitivity when holding shift

any and all kinds of feedback is welcome

also i'm not a very experienced coder so if any
of you gurus sees some innefficient code please let me know

[Change Log]
2011-05-15:
* automatically assigns the I key when the addon is registered
the script handles numeric input together with matematical operators
2011-05-24:
* Improved calculation of normals
2011-06-09:
* bugfix for corners of islands meeting in one vertex
* correct selection update at non manifold edges
* smooth shading now considers original mesh

[AnandhaRaja]

better post video demonstration.

[JoS]

ok, added video

[Meta-Androcto]

thanks JoS,
I'll test this over the next few days & get some feedback to you.

[Carrozza]

Thaks JoS, looking at the video this add-on could be a godsend!
I'd love to help testing but don't know how to download and install the add-on.
Also, if you accept suggestions, I'd insert a way to input values with keyboard for precision modeling.
Keep it up mate!

[AnandhaRaja]

Thanks jos

i creating installer for blender add-ons collections, can i have permission to add you add-on in my installer.

[ktysdal]

Thank you very much Jos! This looks awesome, testing now

I'd love to help testing but don't know how to download and install the add-on.

I got it working by
1. Copy the python code from his link
http://www.pasteall.org/21466/python
2. Paste it into a text document, save it as mesh_inset.py into the blender addon folder. (blender-2.57\2.57\scripts\addons)
3. Enable it under User Preferences /Add-On / Mesh / Inset Extrude

if you want to assign a hotkey then
1. Go to User Preferences / Input / 3d View / Mesh then press "edit" and "add new"
2. Assign the keyboard shortcut you want
3. paste "mesh.inset_extrude" into the text field

(he explains how to assign hotkey in the video)

[Carrozza]

I did just that but "Inset Extrude" doesn't show up on the list of available add-ons.

[zeffii]

@Carozza
- what version of blender are you using (what revision)
- the content of mesh_inset_extrude.py (what you call it doesn't really matter) must look exactly like it does in the link, no extra formatting characters from your browser like "saved in mozilla"

use the copy to clipboard feature, and paste into a fresh file
- make sure to be saving it as a .py and not .txt.py

[howardt]

Beautiful job on the interactivity of this, JoS!

[HiRes]

great! i was waiting for a long time this tool!
i'll try it tonight.
thank you!

[Carrozza]

Thanks Zeffii, that "copy to clipboard" feature solved the problem, I was copying from Firefox and probably that would make the code dirty.

JoS, your plugin *IS* a godsend!
Just tried with my typical difficult situation: inset some faces on a sphere: perfect result!

extrudeinset.jpg

Feedback:
1) after performing the inset action if I click on the values on the Tools panel Blender just revert back to Object mode discarding the changes.
2) would be nice to have a keyboard modifier to quantize the inset / extrude action (like holding CTRL to make it steps by 10, ALT steps by 1, something like this).

Great stuff here!!!

[RickyBlender]

install the first post pastall script in the addon in 36456
and i can see the script in the mesh addon panel

but don't see the inset button in the tool shelf

so where is it ?

now is ther only one script files or several files like there was in the older version ?

thanks

[ktysdal]

One observation I have is that this tool doesn't seem to like selections on flat planes.

Example:
Add Plane/ Select Polygon/ Subdivide with 3 "Number of Cuts" and select 3 polygons in the middle and inset extrude = error (see attached image)

but if you curve the same plane just a little and try again, then it works.
It probably has something to do with the normals I guess..

PS. I'm loving the move by normal feature.

[Josip Kladaric]

Awesome, this is simply awesome.

[Carrozza]

RickyBlender, I activated it by searching with space-bar.
I noticed problem adjusting parameters with Tool shelf, so it's something which need to be fixed soon.

[RickyBlender]

i look at the video bu cannot make it work !

is there a key to assign here
and if you don't have a key assign to this script how do you start it?


thanks

[AnandhaRaja]

• i added some loop cuts to cube
• and selected some of the middle faces
• after i pressed the (I) key

i got following error.
ERROR.jpg

[Richard Marklew]

Incorrect inset with a subdivided cube. Any doubles removed and normals recalculated before the inset.
video demo: http://screencast.com/t/yI8Rf6Z98Q

[JoS]

Thanks for the feedback guys, keep it coming.

@ new_blender:
i'd rather fix the most obvious bugs before releasing it officially,
but yes, you are more than welcome to add it to your installer
also thanks for the bugreport

@Carrozza
i'm aware of the tool panel bug, and i have thought about adding a key for quantized inset. first some bugfixing though

@ktysdal:
thanks for the bugreport, it's just a division by zero, gonna add an exception

@RickyBlender:
have you tried assigning the tool to a shortcut as i show at the end of the video?

@richard marklew
hmm, strange bug will look into it


EDIT:
update fixing bugs reported by RickyBlender and Richard Marklew
also @new_blender, could you post a screenshot of your mesh, when the bug happens? (try with new version of the addon)