topic Improve Xform by adding support for parameters/variable arrays in Libraries & objects

Improve Xform by adding support for parameters/variable arrays

Nader Belal — Sat, 12 Oct 2019 14:50:21 GMT

Hi there,

I would like to suggest that Xform should undergo an improvement by adding support for input parameters/variable arrays, just like other GDL functions such as values{2}

Xform:
Is a 3D transformation matrix stack that with it you can move, rotate, scale, shear, tilt any object all at the same time.
It's syntax is as follows (see GDL Guide):
XFORM newx_x, newy_x, newz_x, offset_x,
newx_y, newy_y, newz_y, offset_y,
newx_z, newy_z, newz_z, offset_z

And as you can see it needs 12 parameters/variable inputs and that is a lot

But if you specify for instance
Xform{2} paramArray

were paramArray can have the full stack then you only need it once, and with the possibilities of improving GDL object parametricity will increase substantially

Re: Improve Xform by adding support for parameters/variable arrays

Piotr Dobrowolski — Sat, 12 Oct 2019 19:47:29 GMT

dim _something[]: _n=1

_something[_n]=xxxx: _n=_n+1
....
_something[_n]=zzzz: _n=_n+1

or have the array handy

for _i=1 to 12 :vardim1(_something)
put _something[_i]
next _i

Xform get(nsp)

I did not try but should work, as it works in other non array aware commands.

Piotr

Re: Improve Xform by adding support for parameters/variable arrays

Nader Belal — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 11:16:48 GMT

@Piotr

I know that trick, and the other one using parameter buffer, but try to follow my logic.

Any GDL object is already loaded to the memory will all it's data (including parameters), so why I have to load a second time the same values and data in memory just to make xform funtions, KNOWNING that their is some GDL functions such as values{2} that accepts array variables and parameters !!!

By the way, did you read the section of the link that I have posted ???

Re: Improve Xform by adding support for parameters/variable arrays

Piotr Dobrowolski — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 06:46:45 GMT

There are "problems" with discussing the obvious...
I am of course PRO...

I remember discussion regarding the commands related with NURBS...when the answer was that those commands were not supposed to be "human operated" ;P... I think the answer regarding Xform would be the same...

Piotr

PS I do not use xform much, I rather split the tranformations - becuase it is way easier to find what is not working...(either code...or the commands like some do not after mul*)

Re: Improve Xform by adding support for parameters/variable arrays

Nader Belal — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 20:30:46 GMT

@Piotr

Well to be honest, I understand why Nurbs are not supposed to be human operated, since that the amount of settings that any GDL scriptor is quiet high in comparison to that of the rest of GDL functions, but I understand your point of view and I totally support it, besides I have never doubted you being a pro.

Splitting the transformations into various steps is cool, but their were cases that I have seen that using xform was much better, but I managed to harness that beast to a great extense point.

Anyway, I believe that GDL for what it was intended to be, and what it can project in the future have good future, and that's why I'm calling for improvements ... just like the thread I once created asking for improvements to the GDL Reference manual, you basically you will see the same issues repeated by many people in the past years.

Re: Improve Xform by adding support for parameters/variable arrays

Ghaleb Khadra — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 14:54:54 GMT

Hi All,

Thank you for posting your ideas on the forum.

I'm glad to say that we took notice and we have added this Wish into our Wish database.
(For future reference, you can refer to it as Wish 12539)

I hope we see this get implemented in the future

I wish you all a fantastic day!
Kind regards,
Ghaleb