Question about stacked Extrution deformers [SOLVED]

#1

Can I feed the newly created polygons from an Extrude Deformer into an other Extrude Deformer ?
I want to preserve a parametric workflow on an object by making an Inner Extrude (negative offset) on all polygons and then later Exttrude inwards (negative extrusion) but on the new polygons created from the last deformer.
Is there any “secret” selection like C1,C2 for caps ?

I know this can be done with Scene Nodes but those are a demo and don’t want to use them.

EDIT: I solved it … few seconds after posting this … how do I delete this post ?

#2

Just post the solution, it will advance the forum’s hive mind :slight_smile:

#3

Maybe also Maxon’s Py-ParametricTool could be of help here: https://labs.maxon.net/?p=3158

#4

@keppn I had to make a selection from the object and feed that selection to the second deformer.
Although it worked for me I don’t think it can work for everyone because it depends on the case.
In my case that solution wouldn’t work if I needed the inverted selection.

@MighT42 Never thought of using Py-ParametricTool cause when I use the latest version of C4D I automatically asume that all old plugins won’t work . Still don’t know why some old plugins can work in future releases.

#5

Simple answer: Because Py-ParametricTools got updated shortly before the release of R23 to be compatible.

And a long one:
You may have heard about the Scene Nodes (recently) and especially the new core (for some years now). Users are waiting for quite a while for such improvements and Maxon obviously seems to have developed larger parts under the hood during last years. Yet, from what we know by now (e.g. scene nodes rather disconnected from the C4D we know), C4D will probably be transitioned inside out into the new world part by part. And while C4D for many years was an extraordinary example of back- and upward compatibility (plugins developed for R13 will with very few exceptions run in R19 as well), it’s more or less inevitable, such massive changes require changes in plugins making use of them (e.g. a module used by a plugin got replaced by a completely different one). Inevitable at least if Maxon would like to eradicate problems they may have introduced in the past. And after all that’s the main motivation for such a rebuild, isn’t it?.
For plugins written in Python this was so far relatively easy and quick. R23 now changed (in accordance with VFX reference platform) from Python 2 to Python 3, causing maybe some more work on this side as well.
For plugins written in C++ it is way more complicated and I don’t want to go into too much technical detail, but currently it indeed needs at least a new compile of a plugin more or less for every major version of C4D.
Not a nice situation, as you will need a new plugin release with every version (maybe imposing additional cost for the plugin update…). Neither for the plugin developer nor for the user.
Yet, it’s technically more or less inevitable.
I am pretty sure though, judging from C4D’s history, Maxon will eventually settle with an equally stable plugin interface, and those golden years of compatibility will return. Also lets not forget, some other DCCs around have never had a single phase of long term plugin compatibility.