Rotating an edge straight (2D vector calc. using arctan)

[zoharl]

You should specify what you are trying to accomplish, and exactly what happens when your code doesn't behave correctly. But first please check your code:

} else {
// Type D - 45 degrees vector
$angle = 45;
$invertVal = 0;
}

Meaning add a test in the spirit of:

} else {
if abs($angle - 45) > 0.001
print "Something is wrong\n";

// Type D - 45 degrees vector
$angle = 45;
$invertVal = 0;
}

[DeadlyNightshade]

The script orients a selected vector (2 selected UVs) straight so it's orientation is along the U or V -axis. Comments are in the code explaining each step.

I have no use of "prints" for error reporting as of now, because there is nothing wrong with the code flow. The issue instead is that I do not get the correct orientation when calculating vectors that runs in a north-northeast to south-southwest direction (or vice versa).

By using arctan, the calculated vector is always within the range of 180 to -180 degrees in a polar coordinate system. Then, depending on the return value of calcArcTanAngle(), a shell orientation takes place (rotating the UV shell).

But the issue is that I get an incorrect rotation when calcArcTanAngle(); results in anything between -89.9999 and -45 (type C orientation in the script)

[zoharl]

1. You didn't finish giving your objective: When do you synch the vector with the u-axis and when with the v-axis?
2. I hope that before you gave me your interesting story about needing/not needing a print, you actually performed my test and ruled out numerical errors. Your 'if' isn't fool proof, and you decide at the end that it's a 45 degrees, while it can be something close to 90. You deal with floats and it's a bad habit to compare the way you do.
3. You didn't supply a specific point where it failed to produce what you want. Also please throw your compass into the sea, and simply supply the angle with the x-axis (u-axis?).
Moreover I can't see why you are not able to simply debug this. Take a problematic point and watch your variables value at each line of your code. Since you know for each line what value to expect, you should soon find the bug. If you chose to program in mel and you don't have a debugger, add a print after each line of code (and spare me the print stories, just delete these lines afterwards). In a nutshell: Please debug your code and be more specific regarding your problem (e.g. I supply 100 to line 32 and get 120 instead of 20).

[bk3d]

hmm looks kinda familiar

global proc NinjaUV_AlignUVShellEdge(string $Direction)
{
PolySelectConvert 4;
string $Sel_UVs[] = `ls -sl -fl`;

float $Start_PointU[];
float $Start_PointV[];
float $End_PointU[];
float $End_PointV[];
select $Sel_UVs[0];
float $PointA[] = `polyEditUV -q`;
select $Sel_UVs[1];
float $PointB[] = `polyEditUV -q`;

float $DistU;
float $DistV;
float $Left_Point[];

if ($PointA[0] < $PointB[0])
{
$Left_Point = $PointA;
$DistU = ($PointB[0] - $PointA[0]);
$DistV = ($PointB[1] - $PointA[1]);

}

else
{
$Left_Point = $PointB;
$DistU = ($PointA[0] - $PointB[0] );
$DistV = ($PointA[1] - $PointB[1]);
}


$angle = `atan2d $DistV $DistU`;
//$angle = `abs $angle`;
if ($angle > 0 )
{
$angle = ($angle * -1);
}

if ($angle < 0 && $DistV < 0)
{
$angle = ($angle * -1);
}

//print ("angle= " + $angle);
SelectUVShell;
polyEditUV -pu $Left_Point[0] -pv $Left_Point[1] -a $angle ;

if ($Direction == "Vertical")
{
polyEditUV -pu $Left_Point[0] -pv $Left_Point[1] -a -90 ;
}
select $Sel_UVs;

}