DUPLICATE PLACE

[Anonymous]

Anyone used this tool?
Try to duplicate place one curve, onto another curve. It places based on teh CENTRE PIVOT position of the target curve, which makes this command totally useless.... It should be based on pivot position.... No matter where i put Pivot, it places based on centre of gravity ot target object..... This is total BULLSHIT.
Is there any workaround this?..... I couldnt do it.

Hope someone from alias reads this!

[donest]

Mostly, there are two times when I use this tool. Each time I want it to behave exactly as it does. One is to reproduce a COS when I might have deleted the original curve. The other is when I have revolved a curve and deleted the original. I want these duplicates to be EXACTLY where the original was and that is what I get. Are you saying that you would like to duplicate a curve and have it be somewhere else other than on the curve that you are duplicating?

[Anonymous]

No surface involved...... just a curve, placed and copied along another curve.
It doesnt really work!

Thanks for answering mate 🙂
Add me in msn...we can discuss this further, besidees other things.
ravenzep@hotmail.com

Regards

[JohnDixon8251]

It is unclear what you are trying to do, but I do understand why it is not doing what you want. The tool is really meant for placing multiple copies of objects along surfaces. For instance, creating a pattern of divots or spikes that follow a surface. So if you use a sphere or cone and copy it along a curve on surface or isoparm etc. you will find that the spheres (or cones) will be sitting on the surface and following the normals of the surface (if desired). I agree that when dealing with copying curves it is a bit hard to control because it is, as you have said, basing it on the center of gravity, at the ground (in other words, if the edit point were centered and then moved straight down to the lowest point of the curve).
You could calculate the distance from that edit point to the point you want to be on the curve and adjust it using that information, but there is probably an easier method, depending on what your actually trying to accomplish. The tool does work very well for creating patterns etc. with objects as described.

[Anonymous]

Well, the tool should work for a single curve, or whatever curve, and based on pivot position. That s pretty logical.
Regarding easier ways.....if this tool worked fine, there would be no easier way.

It s not a easier way to animate a curve along a profile curve, and take snapshots...right?

What i use, and is the hard way, is to use construction planes, and use the other duplicate tool that comes after this one in the palette menu, and place the construction planes along the path curve, then copying a reference curve to each plane, manually.

So this duplicate tool, is quite a waste of time, sorry. I cant understand why the heck it wouldnt seem logical to place things it according to the pivot point, whoever coded it.Alias works based on pivots, which is great. Oh well, never mind. I doubt Alias Wavefront would do this in such an unthoughtable way. Hardly. I wont moan anymore.LOL.

Regards

[donest]

John...I think he is talking about CurveEdit>Duplicate Curve. Not Edit>Duplicate.

[JohnDixon8251]

No, he is actually talking about Transform-Duplicate Place. I am not really sure what he is trying to do though.
I wonder if Transform-Place might not work better.

[Anonymous]

Yeah... that works better...with a lot more work.

[kevinRichards]

do you have a screen shot for what you are trying to do? depending on what your trying to do, you might want to just just Copy/Paste and snapping divisions. the little triangle next to the snapping tools is a option panel for snapping. setting the snap divisions allows you to create little blue marks that the tool will automatically snap to. this atleast allows you to place a curve in equal increments along another.

the duplicate place tool is mainly used for place multiple copies of a single object along another curve/surface. it this allows you to modify the target object and all of the duplicated instances will update. it probably should have been called something like an duplicate array or similar.


think of ...
-small stitches along a seam
-diamonds on a ring
-hipster diamond studs on a belt
-keys on a keyboard
-spikes on a dog collar

[Anonymous]

I dont really need help.... thank you anyway. I know alias inside out.

i just wanted to comment the tool is SHITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT ! Autodesk business.

That s all


Bye

[kevinRichards]

Ravenzep.

Im certain we(the folks that replied) did not intend to offend you by trying to help out.

you stated that you hoped someone from Alias reads this... and that is me. if i understood what your trying to do, I can submit the feedback into the system. This is the only way to improve the tools.

in the Help Menu there is a "Submit a feature" this is also one way to get request into the system.

KR

[digiformer]

I guess he is trying to put a copies along a path and the objects should angle depending on the curves direction change.
Just as Transform-Place or a path animation with snapshots do - with a lot more work.

You are right ravenzep, the tool appears to be noncontrollable. And its also making me sick that a fast solution seems to be right before your eyes, but its not posible to force the software to do the last little step.

I tried to use offset Curves wich pass the center pivot of the object...but then other chaos threw me off the "home straight"...
Then it helped to move the original curve, the copies will follow. So its possible to place the copies where you want.

I have the same problems with some rig-tools.

But btw., the "i dont want help, i just wantet to tell you its sh***********t" thing is stupid.
And please dont glorify the alias|wavefront age. A lot of us have been there, too. Quite a few of "unthoughtful coded" things came along through the years. You sure know that.

Hope you calmed down again...

[Anonymous]

LOL mate.... From your answer i can see you perfectly understood me. Great 🙂
I love ALIAS.....and will always too. Alias rocks 🙂

I was just frustrated at seeing 1 tool not working as it should. Because alias works brilliantly. So i expect brilliance :)...heheheh

I use alias since it was called power animator....been a long long time.
Thank you from your post. I u nderstood yuo perfectly:)

Regards!

[digiformer]

Im glad i did not cause even more frustration 🙂

Regards back!