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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
@Keet I'm sorry! You're the only tester here. Please try version 1.1.2 .
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
The dialog resize is now perfect! This allows to enlarge the preview which is important when you have more complex models.
Testing I recently needed a model(-part) that looks like a trapezium on top of a thin box. With the 3DShapeGenerator I created the trapezium and the box as two separate objects because of the 8-point limit. Then I made the bottom of the trapezium and the top of the box invisible, stacked the trapezium on the box, and exported/imported to get the model I needed. If done very precisely Sweet Home 3D will merge the points where the box and trapezium touch. I set textures to each side and scaled/rotated where necessary and exported again. I manually edited the obj and mtl files to merge all materials into a single material. The export with the set textures created the correct faces with the correct texture placement (the f lines in the obj file). For this model that worked more or less: the front texturing looked as a single front although you can still notice the split between the box and trapezium front. This is not something that you can fix with Sweet Home 3D and I still needed Blender to fix the front and back texture placement.
Now to create that same model with the 3DModeller. Select all four vertical edges and split them. Select the four new points at the center of the split edges and lower them (Z value) to the correct height for the bottom box. Select the four points of the bottom box on the left side and move them to the left. Select the four points of the bottom box on the right side and move them to the right. This should form the required model of a trapezium on a box.
What I found
Image 01 shows that when you select the four middle points that all values X, Y, and Z still have a value. Only the Z value should show because the other values are different for each point. In other words: only the same values should display, the others should be empty (empty, not 0). This is the same as in Sweet Home 3D when you select multiple objects and only the same values show in the width, depth, and height spinners. It tells the user not to touch those values because they are not the same.
Image 02 shows how it looks when the box sides are moved to the left and the right. Compare this to the image from Blender that shows the same. Notice that blender has quads for faces, not triangles. In Blender a box starts with 6 quad faces and only after export and import/export in Sweet Home 3D the faces are split into triangles.
Because the 3DModeller only uses triangles there is no edge between the two top points of the square. This is a very difficult problem to solve. You can't automatically add the missing edge because you don't know where such edges should go in more complex models. I would say use quads and let the save/export split it into triangles when the model is finished. That starts with the box using quads. The first edge split will add the correct edge as in the Blender image. However, I'm not sure if the used Sweet Home 3D functions are capable of quad faces.
The easiest way to solve this is to allow the user to create an edge between two selected points. With the added edge before the extrusion of the box side the result will be correct. And if you allow creating and edge you should try out if you can add creating faces. That could be limited to only triangle faces by selecting two edges or three points to create the face.
Area select I noticed that when you drag an area to select points/edges/faces it also selects those hidden behind the selected area. See if you can limit this to only the visible items in the selection area. In most cases you don't want the hidden items to be included in the selection.
This is a fantastic but very complex plugin. It will take a lot of time but every step will make it better. Consider that this might be too much work for a single developer. A collaboration with other developers might be wise. For example, I think Xlance has experience/code for texture alignment. That's one less problem to worry about when you collaborate.
Keep it up, you are doing great!
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
@Keet Thanks for testing it. 1. Modeller3D will never be as powerful as Blender or AOI, but... 2. I tried to reproduce what you did.
2.1 I selected all the side edges.
2.2 I subdivided all the edges.
2.3 I reduced the height of all selected vertices.
2.4 I selected the top 4 vertices and used Inset several times.
2.5 After saving and applying the texture (25%), this is the result.
Working time < 1 minute.
3. What's the issue with the textures?
4. About coordinates. The plugin displays the coordinates of the first selected point (even if edges or faces are selected). By modifying the displayed coordinates, all selected points/edges/faces will be modified accordingly based on the difference between the entered values.
@Xlance Thanks! Your suggestions Rotate and Scale is very good. I'll see. I know about flickering, I don't like it too but I'll try to improve it. BTW Relatively the same happens with Roof Generator preview.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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[Edit 1 times,
last edit by dorin at Mar 27, 2026, 11:08:31 AM]
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
Modeller3D will never be as powerful as Blender or AOI ...
Why not ! Still, if you can't beat them, join them AOI has a GNU license and done in java, so you could examine its generation tools (e.g. lathe, extrude ... etc) for reference
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
1. Modeller3D will never be as powerful as Blender or AOI,
And you shouldn't try! If someone needs those extensive features then those are the programs to use. Your plugin should offer the basics so that most users don't need to step out to those complex programs. Those basics are difficult enough to implement as you have found out.
2.1 I selected all the side edges. 2.2 I subdivided all the edges.
You are right. When the diagonal edges are split too and those center points are included it works as intended. I'm not used to that because Blender initially has quads and doesn't require those extra splits and points. That also keeps the face count lower. What you showed works, so no problem there. I just have to remember to include diagonals for division.
2.4 I selected the top 4 vertices and used Inset several times.
I didn't use inset because I wanted only two sides, not all four. But it does work very nicely.
3. What's the issue with the textures?
No issue, but it will appear with more complex models and changing faces. As long as it doesn't show up no worries.
4. About coordinates. The plugin displays the coordinates of the first selected point (even if edges or faces are selected). By modifying the displayed coordinates, all selected points/edges/faces will be modified accordingly based on the difference between the entered values.
Ah, now I understand. You MOVE all selected points relative to the first selected point. A very nice feature but not what I expected! I expected the changed value to be set for all selected points like in Sweet Home 3D. You should find a way to have both options: select move or set. The option of setting the same value has a very good reason, it allows points to merge (remove double vertices). And merged points creates merged edges which are important for correct smoothing. (Remove the doubles!)
The current version already offers the most used/needed features. I managed to remove a side of a cube by deleting the diagonal edge but it should be possible to remove individual faces (but keep the edges that are shared with adjacent faces)
wishlist import existing objects (if necessary you can limit it too models with <1000(0) vertices) Create a face by selecting two edges or three points
For a much later version: curve edges (like walls in Sweet Home 3D: multiple splits in the edge to simulate a curve but allow the user to increase the number of splits for a smoother curve). round/bevel selected edges
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
wishlist import existing objects (if necessary you can limit it too models with <1000(0) vertices) Create a face by selecting two edges or three points
Please Add Colored Axis (with labels ) like in Roof generator. Thank You
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
Why not ! Still, if you can't beat them, join them
If I had wanted that, I would have studied hard to learn how to use them and wouldn’t be struggling to make plugins. There’s also MeshLab or FreeCAD, which do similar things. To me, all these programs seem very complicated and require a lot of practice. That doesn’t mean my plugin is much simpler, especially since it will likely become much more complicated in the future.
AOI has a GNU license and done in java, so you could examine its generation tools (e.g. lathe, extrude ... etc) for reference
I drew a lot of inspiration from AOI for some of my own plugins (Multiplier, DistributeElevation). As for the source code, it wasn’t much help to me since I couldn’t make sense of it. Nevertheless, it remains a great source of inspiration. For example, Outset/Inset was inspired by AOI.
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
Guys, take it easy on the piano on the stairs—the keys are going to flow. Did you forget that I'm old and don't know how to code? All your suggestions are appreciated, but for now I need to set some priorities: 1. For the next official release (1.2): - Add axes or something to help with spatial orientation. 2. For future versions: -rounding edges and corners; -rotating and scaling the selection; -controls for the above; -a brief user manual. 3. After version 1.2, I’d like to get back to my roofs.
@Keet
You MOVE all selected points relative to the first selected point.
That's not quite right. At first, all the boxes were set to zero, and the entered values were added to or subtracted from all the selected points. That didn't seem right to me because no matter what I selected, it didn't show me any values. So I decided to have it display the coordinates of the point (or the first selected point if there are multiple). When I change the coordinates, the difference is added to or subtracted from all selected points (including the first point).
---------------------------------------- A computer program does what you tell it to do, not what you want it to do. Murphy's Law When all else fails, read the instructions. Murphy's Law If you don't like "AS IS", DIY. Dorin's law
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Re: Modeller 3D plugin
Many thanks to @Keet and @Xlance for taking the time to test the plugin and offer their recommendations. I ask for their forgiveness for not being able to fulfill all their wishes. That's all I could do for now.
Modeller3D version 1.2 Here are some news in this version:
Improved movement around the object. Now it can be seen even from bottom.
Improved Undo/Redo functionality when using the Ctrl+Z (Undo) and Ctrl+Y (Redo) keys
Improved the movement of the selection using the right mouse button. It now follows the direction of the axes.
Change the selection color to red for all selected items.
Added floor grids and 3D axes similar to those in Blender. I set their orientation to the natural mode (Z vertical). This might confuse some people.
Fixed how it works in full-screen mode.
Fixed the flickering that occurred when selecting with the rectangle tool.
Added Select All button (Ctrl+A) to select all points/edges/faces at once.
Improved calculations and appearance (texture) of the torus and partial torus (bent cylinder).
Added translations for 17 languages. AI help and a lot of manual work on my part.
Don't be fooled by the fact that it looks like Blender. It's much less powerful than Blender. What I think it does have going for it, though, is that it offers 10+ customizable shapes that you can use as a starting point for modeling.
Now I think I can go back to the other plugins, especially the Roof Generator. Hope you have fun with this plugin.
Also available on SourceForge and PluginManager.
---------------------------------------- A computer program does what you tell it to do, not what you want it to do. Murphy's Law When all else fails, read the instructions. Murphy's Law If you don't like "AS IS", DIY. Dorin's law
