ezm0(Easy Modular Offset) is a modeling utility similar to the Photoshop Offset filter (used to create tileable texture maps). The ‘wrapping edges’ concept is applied to a 3d volume, allowing the texture artists’ traditional offset -> fix seams -> remove offset tiling workflow to be used for 3d assets.
ezm0is implemented as an Add-on in Blender as an extension of the Tools panel in Object Mode context. It destructively wraps meshes around a cubic tile space; in this way opposite tile edges can be aligned, hidden, or merged in Edit Mode in order to create tileable 3d objects.
Basic 3d ‘Tileset:’
‘Making of’ showing how ezm0 was used to facilitate tileability:
It will offset any geometry, although it’s not optimized for super high-poly stuff. You can see an example of a sculpted object (130,000 tris) being offset and repaired in the following demo (skip to the 3min mark for the hi-poly part, there’s also narration via the closed captions):
I’ll also share a recent test using my addon, screencapped from the Clay viewport in a 2.8 build - I’ve developed this project due to my interest in recreating 8-bit style tilesets in 3d:
I’m confident my concept hasn’t been implemented anywhere else (outside of 2d image editors). My Offset tool rearranges the tiling edges of an object to be adjacent with each other in editable space, where they can be manually poly-modeled to be seamless- similar to the process of creating a tiling texture. Although I have seen and do enjoy SynaGl0w’s work, I don’t consider the two addons to be comparable or competing - if you need seamlessly tiling texture maps depicting piles of randomly placed objects, P’N’T is a more streamlined solution (although his results can be duplicated with my Addon). On the other hand, the intended use of my Offset tool is 3d modular assets/tilesets, and P’N’T doesn’t compare for this application. And concerning Ambi’s texture patcher, it performs image manipulations only, whereas I am developing a modeling tool.
My Blender Market page is live. I’m asking $10 for my work, however I’ve implemented an ‘early adopters’ sale (50% off!) to encourage those interested to try it out. Thanks for looking!
I’m not on Gumroad at the moment - I’m not sure the level of interest in my Add-on justifies paying their membership fees, but of course this could change. Is there any particular reason you prefer Gumroad over other storefronts? If I am able to do a Max/Maya port, Gumroad is one option at that point.
This is an exciting update for me: I’ve implemented Z (up/down) offset which was a major goal in my roadmap. This feature streamlines the creation of modular walls, corners, and transition tiles. I’ve also implemented a ‘cleanup’ function which prevents edge-to-edge precision errors when assets are exported to a game engine.
I’m currently QA testing; I hope to go live with EZMO Version 1.1 on Blendermarket by October 1st. The following video shows a Suzanne being offset:
You’v got a roadmap for future ‘features’?
How about a “modular” for landscape: select a landscape mesh and “extract chunks” from it.
Image on first post should explain better my question: “…As an example, here’s a 17 part terrain I made with decreasing detail as you go outward…” https://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?394110-Addon-WIP-Ant-Landscape-XY-Offset
How about over ten years ago, on this very forum. https://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?105564-Tiling-script
Though I never got around to doing scaling symmetries (spirals, etc) and the like. Seems like mixed mirror and rotation would be a useful addition to your script. And if you could implement a version that supports arbitrary scaled, deformed, and offset boundaries for each of the faces, I’d gladly pay four times what you’re asking. As it is, I’m fairly certain you can do the same thing with the array modifier.
Here’s an example of hexagonal tiling geometry, made with a couple array modifiers:
EZMO’s ‘Slice/Delete Out-of-Bounds’ functions can work as a crop tool, just place the part of the landscape you want to extract inside the tile boundary and everything outside will be cropped. The extracted chunk can then be offset and developed into a repeatable tile.
Thank you. The idea of creating a fully modeled 3d ‘texture’ and then baking it into maps is interesting. This isn’t specifically what I use EZMO for, but I’m looking forward to seeing how others will utilize it.
Your work is quite cool (like an early Tissue) but it’s apples and oranges to compare it to EZMO. The core concept and intended purpose just aren’t similar, despite using similar terminology. Please refer to my previous comment on EZMO vs the Piles N’ Tiles Addon etc
Blender’s default tools - probably, although I have never seen a modular environment kit that isn’t composed mostly of basic planar shapes - But even if so, EZMO could help to simplify and streamline the process.
[SUB]Version 1.1 is live on my Blender Market page [/SUB][EDIT: due to Bmarket bug, v1.1 is delayed until 10/3]. As last-minute QA I livestreamed random level art creation, here is the result - a low poly, mini-tileset which seems like it would fit in some kind of re-imagined Quake II roguelike:
I just got the Blender Market email and downloaded but I don’t think the file has been updated yet, it’s identical to the copy I downloaded in July except for removal of a duplicate python main statement and there is no new file.