primstar 0.9.20-git

This is my first attempt to document the Add sculpt mesh GUI. Domino, can you please answer the questions in the text below ? Thanks

GUI Menu "Add sculpt Mesh"

GUI elements:

*** SHAPE ***

here you can select from a set of basic sculpt types. When you click on the text field, a selection menu pops up. Here you find the set of basic Sculptie types:

• Cylinder
• Hemi
• Plane
• Sphere
• Torus x
• Torus z

Below the sculpty types you find another set of premade sculpties: This set is organised as a hirearchical database. The number of available premade sculpties is limited at the moment, but more premades will be available over time.

At the right hand of the Shape field you find a "File-upload" symbol. If you click on this symbol a file browser pops up. You can upload any sculptmap available on your file system.

QUESTION: What other formats besides simple image formats can be uploaded ? I remember some new development here...

*** GEOMETRY ***

1. X Faces: The number of faces in the U plane
2. Y Faces: The number of faces in the V plane
3. Radius: only for Torus sculpties. tells the radius of the inner hole. value range: [0.05 - 0.5]
4. Clean LODs (only for non power of 2 Geometries)

Notes: 

• Remember that a sculpty always is born out of a simple plane. The numbers above give the numbers of faces in that plane.
• The subdivision and the geometry determine the actual number of faces in the sculpty!
• If non power of 2 facecounts are used, the LOD does no longer make use of "each secnd face"  but some times odd LOD-jumps are introduced. If you want to keep hand on how your sculpty behaves with LOD, then you should check "Clean LOD". If you prefer to keep an equal devided UV-map, uncheck "Clean LOD"

QUESTION: When would i want to  keep "clean LOD" and when would i want to keep euql spaced subdivisions in the UV map ?

*** SUBDIVISION ***

• Subdivision controls the number of sub hierarchies of nodes in your sculptie. It is directly coupled with the subdivision type
• Subdivision type (Subsurf vs. Multires) Subsurf uses a low poly cage (control points) around your sculptie while the Subdivision count determines how many vertices are manipulated with the control points of the cage. Multires gives you the option to directly manipulate the mesh accorsing to the foirst 3 LOD levels of the Sculptie.
• Subdivision type (Catmull vs. Simple) With Simple the subdivision is calculated linearly. Hence straight edges remain straight but get subdivided into "sub edges". With Catmull each level of Subdivision adds more smoothness to the Object.

Notes:

• You will use Catmull for smooth rounded shapes, Simple will be most usefull for sharp edged sculpties likfe cubes..
• If you set Levels to "0" then the number of faces is only determines by the Geometry (see above). In that case neither Multires nor Subsurf will be used for your sculptie.

*** MESH TYPE ***

• Quads : all faces are Quads (rectanlges)
• Triangles: all faces are triangles

QUESTION: Why can i not select Triangles ? Is that not implemented yet ?

*** MAP SIZE ***The map size is a read only GUI element. It shows you the number of pixels in x and in y! Below the top row you also fiond a table of LOD values. This table tells you how many faces you will have iun each LOD level.

----

QUESTIONS: 

1. What are the 2 checkmarks "Save" and "Defaults" for ?
2. when i select 9 X, 9 Y, 2 subdiv, all text elements get a black background. Can you explain exactly why that happens ?
3. Is it correct that "Clean LOD" is irrelevant with Power of 2 face counts? So why is it not disabled then ?
4. What is the general meaning of "black background in GUI elements" ?

Cheers,

Gaia