Scatter Replicant Across Surface

Scatter Replicants Across Surface

ScatterReplicantAcrossSurface.jpg

This demonstates how to create an array of objects, using the replicator,
and place them on the vertices of an object and align them to the vertex normal.

This network creates a procedural surface using 2 curves, affected by noise, and
fed into a sweep. Then a selection of the vertices (of the sweep surface)
is fed into a replicator, which places the objects and aligns them to the normal.

The slightly tricky part is aligning the replicant to the normal of the point.
To do this, the normals(nx) are extracted using a SopTo chop,
and then added to the position (tx), and used to place a null component.
This is used as the lookat node by the replicant (geo component).
ScatterReplicantAcrossSurface.tox (7.2 KB)

I didn’t look at the network yet, but curious if you had tried instancing before moving to replicators?

Instancing is super nice with the “rotate to vector” options most of the time, but sometimes you need to get a little OOPy. :nerd: (e.g. if each replicant contains index driven generative animation.) I’m stoked on this. I’ve needed this before and settled for less graceful solutions. Thanks Tom!

I have tried instancing, copySop with stamping, and replicating, and they each have their advantages and limitations. Instancing is insanely fast, but somewhat limited in its variation. CopySop Stamping offers more variation (index driven animation of an upstream parameter) but is way slower. But nothing beats the replicator for infinite variation. And with python scripts inside, we have real Object Oriented animation. I’m a big fan of this way of working.

Very nice example. Yes that’s what Replicator is made for - generalized procedural shape/image generation. Also try the new auto-homing in the latest Official - you have a lot of geometry and SOPs whose viewers are usually black, and now finally there’s a way to auto-home them all, described in the release notes.

See: derivative.ca/wiki088/index … 17.2C_2016