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@zeffii
Created April 3, 2014 13:38
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Table of Contents

Installation

  • Place the folder named "mesh_tinyCAD" into 2.7x/scripts/addons/
  • In Blender go to the addons -> mesh-> mesh_tinyCAD Edge Tools
  • Enable the script, install it if you like it.

Addon Information

The addon is a combination of several scripts which should be useful to anyone who has used other CAD software for drafting with some level of precision. The various scripts have short names so it is easy to invoke them from the spacebar menu by typing the first 3 letters of the function name. Additionally the specials menu 'W' has the 5 functions appended to it.

The currently included scripts are:

  • VTX (automatically extends, projects or intersects the 2 selected edges if they are coplanar)
  • EXM (select one edge, extend subsequent edge selections towards that edge)
  • V2X (place new separate vertex at projected intersection of two edges)
  • XALL (intersect all selected edges)
  • BIX (create bisector of two selected edges)

Instructions & Usage

VTX

For auto VTX you must be in (edit mode + edge mode) and have 2 edges selected. When invoked the addon will detect if you are trying to intersect, project or extend two edges. It will internally pick from V, T or X. It will also notify you if the edge aren't coplanar / don't intersect.

  • V : extending two edges towards their calculated intersection point.
file:VTX_V.png‎
  • T : extending the path of one edge towards another edge.
file:VTX_T.png‎
  • X : two edges intersect, their intersection gets a weld vertex. You now have 4 edges and 5 vertices.
file:VTX_X.png‎

EXM

Select one edge (Edge Prime), invoke EXM. Notice that the edge has changed color. Any subsequent edge (Seconary Edge) you select will be checked if it is coplanar with Edge Prime, and if it intersects Edge Prime (by projection) then the newly selected edge and projected segment will be colored.

To finalize and make the geometry real there are two modes.

  • 'Comma': Move the vertices of each Seconday Edge towards the projected intersection
  • 'Period': Creates new edges to fill the projected segment.
Please note that the operation does not modify Edge Prime. It is not segmented by the intersections.

file:EXM_v1.gif‎

V2X

Vertex to Intersection. Select 2 edges. Invoke V2X. Places a new vertex at their intersection.

XALL

This mass intersects a collection of edges. Pick a collection of edges and invoke XALL. It will unselect any edge that doesn't intersect other edges first. Then it races through all combinations of the remaining edges to see if there are intersections. Each intersection is dealt with and the result is added to the collection of edges to check. This process continues until no more intersections are found.

file:XALL_v1.gif‎

BIX

Given two selected edges, this script creates the bisector of these edges. The edges are first checked for coplanarity.

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