Slice tool (animated)

Coding Python Support
#1

Is there a script, or “easy” way to create cross sections of a non-trivial mesh which are somewhat parametric/easily re-created on a frame by frame basis/keyable to show the animation of a cross section growing/shrinking?

I tried the cookie cut from view script, but maybe I don’t know what it does or how it works, as the result looks no different than the base mesh.

I’ll probably need this functionality over and over again for various projects.

Booleans won’t work, as far as I can tell anyway.

Thanks for any help.

#2

I think there’s a slice modifier in the tracker. This may not be usable in case you don’t build your Blender though.

#3

check these 2 vids:
http://epii.info/oss/blender/boolean/mbanim0001_0120.avi
http://epii.info/oss/blender/boolean/mbanim0001_0200.avi
If this is what you’re in need of, these results were achieved with the megabool script. Check this thread:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28414&highlight=megabool

latest version of the script:
http://epii.info/oss/blender/boolean/megabool_r15_pre1.py

#4

Well I think Megabool will do it…for now anyway!
Thanks a lot.

#5

You could use a boolean modifier and animate a thin slab to get your cross section.

http://dominomf.com/smcfiles/hunter551_animated%20boolean.blend

#6

Thanks Hunter…I didnt know that could be done with the boolean modifiers. The boolean may have some bugs though, since the faces are not always connected as you cycle through the animation. For example, look at the top face on frame 23. Any ideas on how to fix that?

Also, this doesn’t seem to work for multiple drawing boxes or for complex regions. I haven’t tried Megabool, but it looks like ti thas both of these problems as well. There are other ways of oing this, but the boolean seems the easiest, if it would work properly.