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The Befuddlements of Butterpaw
About Truespace Archives
These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.
They are retained here for archive purposes only.
The Befuddlements of Butterpaw // New Users
Post by butterpaw // Sep 13, 2007, 6:53am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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Ok.. here goes...
I've encountered a problem several times with trueSpace75 .. and finally, this time I got out of it without having to reinstall.. (ok, so I should have asked questions sooner, and yes, my wrists have been slapped already by a windows-savvy friend who says I'm leaving tracks all over the registry doing that - yeesh can't get away with anything!) Oh, and I suppose you're going to remind me to rtfm and stop just messing about :p
Yes, you're right, but blame it on my mom ... when I was four, and getting too much in her hair, she handed me a broken clock and a screwdriver - no I did not fix it .. but I took it all to pieces and put it back together with everything in place.. and knew that the little coily thing was what was broken. I didn't know the name of any of the parts even that broken mainspring. Trouble with computers is.. eh well, yeah...
Today the problem occurred because I was looking back in previous postings about truePlay and saw the little helper wizard guy.. so I tried to get it into truePlay (never did, and really should have read ahead). However trueSpace grabbed it so I saw him in his little striped suit - I remember him as the helper agent from X-Stitch Studio (a cross-stitch design software, that I still use sometimes) The only thing is that I couldn't hear his voice (so that's a question, but not the main one) and yes I checked out the audio. He was quite chatty in text, even commenting when I stuck him in different frames.
Well, I moved on from that and tried to get the explorer bar into truePlay (was that wrong?) I did get it there, but trueSpace75 greedily grabbed it up too.. opening up just for the occasion, even though I warned her not to.
So then I found myself stuck with 'Explorer' where the tab labeled 'Space 3d' had been, and my upper tabs '4 view' 'default' 6.6 and whatever (sorry not in front of me) missing - nothing much left to click on around there. Ok so I restarted trueSpace75 with ctrl, checked default and let her load, but no dice, got the exact same thing back I had left. so.. I decided to try what I had tried before, but had failed.
I clicked load layout and went to the first instance of the default layout file I came across (I'll explain just where in a minute) .. the poor dear cried out, turned grey and froze to death ... might as well have used a curare tipped dart on her. <butterpaw plays mournful dirge> So I ctraltdel'd outta there and laid her to rest. However, by this time I had poked around more in the folders, and seen some things, so I decided to try again and I when I tried to load layout, I ignored that enticing first-encountered default layout file, and instead I looked for the tS folder (know where that first one was now?) .. I found the same default layout file in the tS folder and clicked that one.. <ta-daaaaa!> all fixed! <butter does happy dance> <tS75 shines sweetly at butterpaw>.
My question is this.. is that other default layout file supposed to be sitting in the trueSpace75 folder along with all those dll's and the tS folder?
Ok, I'll get back to some much needed rtfm-ing - well, not til tonight of course, because now, my lunch break is over .. back to the salt mines.. er library, hi-ho! hmmm... I wonder if the 7.5 manual is in print? ... I could order it .. curl up in a cozy chair.. and rtfm in comfort (takes a lot of time, paper and ink printing out a few pages at a time)
Thanks for reading and ... oh! did I say I love my trueSpace75 .. even though I'm only just getting to know her (mine's a girl - your mileage may vary)
^_^
Caveat : butterpaw is both more and less of an idiot than you might imagine
rtfm = read the friendly manual (I don't cuss) :rolleyes: well, at least not in public! :o |
Post by Norm // Sep 13, 2007, 7:31am
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Norm
Total Posts: 862
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Sounds like you were tinkering with layouts and closing windows and you end up with a portion of what ts was when you first installed it. There is a file in the ts directory called default.ctx, which houses your last known layout and configuration, among other things. trueSpace seeks out this file when it fires up. If it finds the file it loads it and if it does not find this file it goes into itself and pulls out the predestined default configuration and loads it instead. So if you loose your trueSpace windows and panels or such, shut down ts or kill it in taskMan if neccessary, delete the default.ctx file from your /ts directory and restart ts.
I am a bit lost on the wizard guy and his voice and such. Hopefully someone will know where you are comming from and comment :)
Alas no ts7.5 manual in print. Last manual to be printed is and will be the ts7manual. Besides the new pdf manual has tons of vids so you need your laptop for them :) |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 13, 2007, 8:58am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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Thanks so very much Norm! that's a big help.
note: I did not close any windows manually when that happened, but possibly when that other [layout?] that was meant for truePlay loaded, it did that.
and yes.. I should have added the link for the post I found the wizard in ... I will look for it and post it.
Re: the manual.. ok .. I will be sitting at my desk a lot (or doing a lot of printing) no laptop/notebook I'm afraid :p but yes, those videos are very nice!
thanks again!
^_^ |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 21, 2007, 4:07am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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Well... Befuddlements is plural.. and for anybody who might know 'Perils of Pauline' they are episodic as well...
Here is the latest... the teapot tutorial.. I got up to the point of blend .. select the two curves .. and eh well.. I just can't quite figure it out.. I'd be grateful for some assistance/instructions .... ( for a fairly bright six-year-old :p) ..
I think possibly some knowledge I don't have, maybe be assumed in the tutorial.. but maybe just my inability to interpret the instructions correctly .. eg. would be nice to know just what the control handles look like. ;)
Many thanks, and here's
8552
a pic of where I I've reached so far... |
Post by frootee // Sep 21, 2007, 4:39am
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frootee
Total Posts: 2667
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what chapter and page number is that butterpaw? |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 21, 2007, 4:59am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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Oh thanks frootee, it's chapter 1 (1.2 page 9) I got through page 8 ok I think.. what you see in the image is my failed attempt to comply with instructions on page 9.
There were also a couple of curious and unexpected things happening when I would click on the object or try to edit.. like the model space turning green or blue or patches of colors, or the model instantaneously relocating and resizing (large!) into the upper left-hand corner and mostly off the screen (hard to capture an image but I will try tonight. I'm not sure this was really related to my tutorial difficult though.. If I can reproduce and capture after a full reboot of my computer, then I'll try to present this .. tonight, if I can) |
Post by frootee // Sep 21, 2007, 5:14am
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frootee
Total Posts: 2667
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Hi butterpaw.
I could be wrong but it looks like you have the wrong toolbar selected (according to the pic you posted).
When you have the correct toolbar, and need to select both curves, you may have to use the Ctrl key to make multiple selections.
HTH
Froo |
Post by trueBlue // Sep 21, 2007, 6:14am
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trueBlue
Total Posts: 1761
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I can see the Control Handle in your screen grab. The vertice that is selected has a yellow line with a green (highlighted) dot. Left mouse button select, hold, and drag the green dot to reshape the curve. |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 21, 2007, 8:07am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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Thanks trueBlue!
I just didn't know what I should be looking for.. I'll try again now that I know that ^_^ |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 21, 2007, 8:10am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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frootee, I'm sorry about that .. was not where I had been in the process - when I got stuck I just saved the object - so I went back and snagged the image afterwards.. for the email. not the best reporting :p
^_^ |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 24, 2007, 8:44am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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1.2 NURBS Editing in Model view, pages 7-10 in the 7.51 manual
Before you read of my frustrations and confusion, please note that I am a total beginner with this, and the interface of trueSpace is also completely new to me. Those with some modeling experience, and those who have experience with previous versions of trueSpace, will probably have found this tutorial pretty straightforward.
So, anyway, I jumped in at the deep end here and got myself totally confused:
I'm still stuck on this, and frustrated .. because I should be able to do it.. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time and energy on it.
The point at which I get stuck is the 'blend tool' - no icon is indicated, and I've found a couple that mention blend. I am unable to select points from both curves...(I know about using ctrl, but that doesn't work with anything I've tried for this tutorial)
Maybe I'm using the wrong blend tool? Maybe there is another one I've missed? I've gone carefully through everything up to that point (many times) whilst trying to analyze where I'm going wrong, and have shown this below in my 'expansion of the tutorial'
What exactly is this teapot supposed to look like?
It's embarrassing to admit this, but I'm really not sure what I'm working on, since it does not look like any teapot I'm familiar with. Is the protuberance a spout? could it pour? or is it a handle?Could it be a cartoon? Should it have a face, perhaps? I just can't tell..
It's a funny little teapot, sorta cute and nothing like anything I've seen before. The point is.. this is NURBS modeling.. not polygonal modeling .. a totally different technique producing results with quite a different look
butterpaw adjusts her attitude to a more positive mode. :D
(thanks Norm, for reassurance!):)
I think the tutorial might need some amendmentsThe addition of the icon for the correct Blend Tool would be a big help.. perhaps it just got lost in production?
A video for this tutorial would be a wonderful addition!
I'd be grateful for any help on this - Thanks!
Please have a look at my pages, and let me know if you can spot any place I've gone wrong so far.. I'll try to add the rest of what I've done (another page, I think) asap.
In any case, I'd like to complete this, and add this additional procedure to my 'skills toolbox'.
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/1033/teatpottut01awo4.th.png (http://img250.imageshack.us/my.php?image=teatpottut01asg1.png)
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3259/teatpottut01bzc9.th.png (http://img228.imageshack.us/my.php?image=teatpottut01bzc9.png)
I have not added text instructions to page 3 yet (I'll update this page soon), but if you are familiar with NURBS editing, I you should be able to see what I've done.
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2066/teatpottut01cwi4.th.png (http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=teatpottut01cwi4.png)
Thanks!
----
@ trueBlue : I was not able to reproduce exactly what you described. Perhaps I am not using the correct blend tool?
@self : wow! I seem to have learned an awful lot already, from pursuing this:p |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 25, 2007, 3:15am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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I stumbled into this version of teapot .. not sure if I used the blend tool which the tutorial used, and now I'll have to go back and try to reproduce what I did, since I can't remember.
(yesterday, car repairs gobbled up everything I had saved up for a new computer, so my brain got a little fried >_< )
If you haven't read my post above... please read it too, and help me if you can ^_^
Whatever it is, this is a nice tool.. easy to see and manipulate. ;)
http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/images/editor/menupop.gif8621
http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/images/editor/menupop.gif8622 |
Post by Jack Edwards // Sep 25, 2007, 3:22am
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Jack Edwards
Total Posts: 4062
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The blend tool is likely the "Blend Surfaces Tool", it's with the other Nurbs tools and the icon is two gray nurbs surfaces connected by a red surface. Let me know if you're still having trouble finding it and I'll post a screen grab. |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 25, 2007, 3:45am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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Thanks Jack! Are you saying that's the one which should be used for the Teapot Tutorial mentioned in my previous post?
If so... I can experiment some more with this. |
Post by Jack Edwards // Sep 25, 2007, 5:13am
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Jack Edwards
Total Posts: 4062
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Yeah. It just creates a surface that joins two existing nurbs surfaces.
It's an odd looking "teapot"..... |
Post by butterpaw // Sep 25, 2007, 8:40am
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butterpaw
Total Posts: 831
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I recognized the icon from your description, thanks! ^_^
So, I guess if I've made the 'teapot' to a shape that more or less pleases me, I may be about done..
I'll play with the Blend Surfaces Tool a bit and then try to make those copies.. whew! |
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