Merge Topo Array - getting the index

[Peter Agg]

Hey list,

I'm trying to use ICE Modelling to combine a number of meshes so I can write a single deformer which acts on them all. I've got a group with all the meshes in so I can just plug that into the Merge Topo Array just fine. However I need to record the index of the object the verticies were created from so I can use it as an ID in the Random Value node. Anyone know of any way to doing this at the moment?


Cheers,

Pete

[Julian Johnson]

Keep thinking there must be a better way but here's a first go (if I
understand correctly what you're doing):

http://www.exch.demon.co.uk/xsi/files/merge_topo.rar

(Some funky stuff when trying to use the Mesh_IDs and Switching Context
in the tree on the deformed object so had to use a workaround).

Julian

[Ciaran Moloney]

Hey Julian, how did you create the MeshID attribute? I didn't see it being set anywhere...through scripting?

Here's my take on the problem. The downside is that I'm using a loop, but that's the trick that helps me find which group a mesh is in...

Ciaran 

On Wed, Oct 3, 2012 at 10:30 AM, Julian Johnson 

[Vincent Ullmann]

You could try something like this.... worked for me in a bigger
Compound. But sometimes XSI-Crashes, when you add new Objects to your Group.

[Julian Johnson]

@ Ciaran,

That's very nice! Yes, my ICE Attributes are just scripted in....

@ Vincent

I had just been looking at your earlier example this lunchtime:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/xsi_list/utMwDX74NSY/mbaghEem8VAJ

for summing vector lengths to see if it was usable here. It obviously
was. Great stuff.

[Peter Agg]

Cheers for the examples, looks like I was on the right kind of lines. Eventually I ended up just being less lazy and applied the deformer to each mesh individually. Whilst not quite as sophisticated it meant I actually had more control anyway.

Still, a good one to know for the future.