I'm trying to add a pattern to get more grip holding a remote controller. Unfortunately the "Pattern" tool in SharkCAD Pro doesn't allow to spread the pattern along a curved surface. The idea is to create a small sphere (2mm diameter), unify it with the main body and then use the Pattern to create the gripped surface. Or to create a pattern of this spheres along the surface and then unify with the main body.
Any suggestion?

Edited by user Tuesday, October 3, 2023 8:44:38 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Didn't this software have a path array?
Failing that you could always put the surface splines in (array some planes and intersect the surface), add points along a curve (it's a function, or was, where you say how many points and click the curve and it puts them in) then add the spheres to the points

I think that I found an ok solution. Wrap Tool used on array of small circles (here I used 5mm diameter with 10mm center to center spacing) on the surface. Then Explode curve tool on every circle (took some time). Then hide the surface and put a 5mm single point sphere on every exploded circle by using the snap center point button. show the surface again. See attached screendump.
kind regards
Danny

Edited by user Thursday, October 5, 2023 5:55:34 AM(UTC)  | Reason: correced spelling and added a few words

This seems a similar problem to Art's, here: https://forum.punchcad.c...s&t=10027#post38316, maybe useful.

There could be many different parameters for the distribution of patterns like this, a generic tool that could accommodate all of the possibilities would be interesting to try to create. Moment of Inspiration's got a "flow" tool that drapes a surface over another, but whether or not a regular array would still be satisfyingly visually regular if you draped it over this grip topology is an open question. Another possibility is quad mesh shrink-wrapping or manual painting of a quad mesh (a regular hex mesh would probably be better for circular embossed or debossed features) like retopology tools in some other programs to define their locations. Or some variation on Voronoi distribution. I've used a photo editing program that uses some fractal processing to supposedly extrapolate missing pixels to increase the resolution of images, and that's a feature that's touted in the latest version of Rebelle digital painting app that I'm intending to trial. I'm thinking start with a low-res heightfield of the grip and see what fractal distribution could do from there. Lotsa possibilities...

Edited by user Wednesday, October 11, 2023 1:51:20 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified