Section: does the GDL object know that it's intersected?

[Sam Karli]

Hi,
is there any mean to pass a GDL object placed instance that it's being cut by the actually opened section?

There are many objects (like doors, windows) that has a delicately modeled internal structure (cause it's a model) but in 90% of the placed instances it's called zero times since it's not cut.

It would be a nice thing to hide all these internal structures behind an if/then selection that isn't selected when it's not in a section.

[Pertti Paasky]

It should be possible by text add-on. First the section marker object writes it's position, angle and id to the text file. Secondly, the object reads the data and compares the data with the object's coordinates. The object should know which sections are intended to cut the object, there must be a parameter for the id.
The object knows the story where it is placed, but i don't know how it recognizes the section it is viewed.
If the object is complicated and no section line crosses it then you can make the object simpler.

[Barry Kelly]

With GLOB_VIEW_TYPE you can determine if your view is a section or elevation but I don't know a way of determining if the object is actually being cut.

Barry.

[matjashka]

Sam,

What is shown when you cut through a window or any other 3D object is determined by its 3D detail (complexity) which may automatically change by scale if script allows for that. If you don't want any internal (invisible) geometry to slow you down when a section is generated, that geometry has to be eliminated in the source object itself or you must eliminate the object from that view. Otherwise, 100% of it will be called, like you said.

Apart of GLOB_VIEW_TYPE mentioned above, I don't think the object will know if it's cut by a marker. Now, there's a way to create cut planes within the GDL itself, but that's another story.

[Sam Karli]

Hi and thanks,

my problem is that when You develop large (real word size, I mean) objects or work at detailed models when it's not enough to have a contour of the object being cut: You need to depict/model the internal structure.

But if You have many instances of the object (of the same type), You will end up modelling the nothing (using much memory to store it), most if instances' vertices being never seen.

However it's not a bad idea to control object's detail level by overriding MVO setting for cut elements, though it's not easy to make a layperson to understand this