This node version superseded the boolop command (obsolete):
[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=89&t=1028025&highlight=boolop](http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=89&t=1028025&highlight=boolop)
By Zohar and friends.
[u]Usage:[/u]
1. Download the plugin and put it in your %MAYA_HOME%\bin\plug-ins
(e.g. c:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2013\bin\plug-ins\).
[http://svn.code.sf.net/p/mymayaplugins/code-0/trunk/boolPro/](http://svn.code.sf.net/p/mymayaplugins/code-0/trunk/boolPro/)
The link includes the source and binaries for Windows Maya 2010-2014.
Thanks to @sit10, we now have binaries for Mac x64 2012-2013.
2. Load the plugin inside maya: Window> setttings/pref> plugin manager
If the plugin doesn't load on windows you are probably missing vcredist, so install the one for your platform:
[http://www.microsoft.com/download/e...ls.aspx?id=8328](http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=8328)
[http://www.microsoft.com/download/e...s.aspx?id=13523](http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=13523)
For more troubleshooting
[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=7277884#post7277884](http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=7277884#post7277884)
3. Select a few meshes.
4. Run the python script 'connect_boolPro.py' (copy-paste to script editor) :
[](http://%20https://sourceforge.net/p/mymayaplugins/code-0/8/tree/trunk/boolPro/)[http://svn.code.sf.net/p/mymayaplugins/code-0/trunk/boolPro/](http://svn.code.sf.net/p/mymayaplugins/code-0/trunk/boolPro/)
5. Create a button shelf from the script.
Additional notes:
- boolPro can accept more than two meshes, and it's preferable that way, since the inner data is kept as double precision, and thus doesn't suffer from the following limitation that can break a chain of booleans:
[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=89&t=1040477](http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=89&t=1040477)
To connect a new object to the node, first create a new item slot with the 'Add new item' button in the plugin attribute editor, then use the connection editor to connect the new object to the slot similar to the connections that are already there. See also the next note.
- To setup the plugin manually (without the python script), see post #33 on:
[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=7568531#post7568531](http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=7568531#post7568531)
It can be used, for example, to set the boolean operation before connecting complex objects to work on.
- boolPro tries to preserve the original input meshes topology. Thus the meshes are not triangulated before the boolean op. In can of problems the first thing to do is to triangulate the input meshes.
- If the operation fails, first check the validity of the input meshes. Each input mesh should pass the Mesh> Cleanup with all the parameters on. If the problem persists please post here a link to your two meshes (.obj or .fbx).
-
Boolean operations are defined for solids. Thus, any input object should be watertight and with planar faces (preferably triangles). Whatever booPro does with other objects is magic, which might fail.
[u]Limitations and future work:[/u] - Please send me compiled versions for your platform, and I'll add them. - Add CGAL boolean operations as an alternative to carve lib. CGAL uses exact computation, which makes is slower, but robust to the more trickier meshes. - boolPro preserves normals, and preservation of UV coordinates and vertex color should be added. - BUG: In a boolean operation (e.g. union) between two objects A and B, if A is fully contained inside a face in B, then the face would disappear. Temporary solution: refine the face (Mesh> smooth). See post #79 on this thread. [u]Changes[/u] 28-Mar-2012: Added normal preservation 27-Mar-2012: Added preservation of the original topology as much as possible (doesn't triangulate the meshes before the boolean op).
