Booleans question

[Inktvlek]

tree as tool, UNION
http://www.student.io.tudelft.nl/io1144677/img/problemen/treeunion.jpg

tree as tool, DIFFERENCE
http://www.student.io.tudelft.nl/io1144677/img/problemen/treediff.jpg

tree as tool, INTERSECT
http://www.student.io.tudelft.nl/io1144677/img/problemen/treeinter.jpg

[Electrofirma]

I'd use the 'tree as tool, DIFFERENCE' then select faces by material and delete them. You'll probably want to create a temporary material to keep from selecting all the tree trunks in your scene.

[Inktvlek]

can you explain how I can select 'by material' ?

[Electrofirma]

Right click the material in Hypershade and 'Select objects with material' is an option.

[Electrofirma]

The root piece should also be pretty easy to seperate out using the uv texture editor.

Just thoughts.

Booleans in Maya have given me enough problems in the past that I don't even think about using them anymore.

[Inktvlek]

Select objects with material doesn't work anymore after I have applied the boolean...

[Electrofirma]

There is no reason that it shouldn't be working. Are you sure that it isn't highlighting the faces (sometimes it is difficult to see the highlighting). Try doing a selct by material, then hitting delete.

I see no reason that the boolean would cause this to not work.

[Inktvlek]

I get this error:

select -cl; select -r transform1.f[0:987] polySurface2.f[0:692];
// Error: No object matches name: transform1.f[0:987] //

[Electrofirma]

OK, I just recreated the scenario with simple objects and it all worked as expected. You might try taking the pieces apart with the UV texture editor.

You could also try working off a copy of the object.

I'd see if Polygons->Cleanup doesn't sort out the error also.

[wrend]

why is it that the union results arent what your looking for? it appears to be the picture for the words you write! im sure you've got your reasons, just curious! ...i guess the only other option i can think of is: the tree reamins solid, and the ground intersects around the edge of the trunk, but nevers penetrates it. if thats what you want, you wont achieve that with a plane and booleans in one operation (as youve found out!). you could union two of your results, after deleteing some faces from one of the ops (does it need to be one piece of geometry?). or, make the plane a solid (waste of geometry) and union them in one op.

[Inktvlek]

Well in a way the union does what I want, but I'd still have to remove the tree above it, that's what I discussed with Electrofirma aswell, only for the other wat round ( roots left instead of trunk).
What you explain would probably work with

1) tree as tool, union
2) tree as tool difference
3) union these 2

=> that's how I wanted it to look, but I want it to be different parts in the outliner...

[Electrofirma]

I think your idea is correct MrKite.

If you want/need the roots below the ground, they have to be seperate pieces. Not only because it makes them easier to work with, but also because having the plane conect to the side of the solid is non-manifold.

The edges that define the meeting of the ground and tree would have three polys each. If you could get maya to union the two pieces back together, which I doubt, any future boolean operations would fail because it would be impossible for maya to differentiate between the inside and outside of the geometry.

Another option I see, if you decided you didn't want the hole, is to do a tree as tool difference, then stick a copy of the stump into the depression. This would make alot of lamina faces and wouldn't really be an elegant solution either.

Bottom Line... You Go MrKite! :wip: :wip: :wip:

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