Explode Node
UPDATE: I made a small improvement to the Explode node. See next comment...
The Explode node takes a path and breaks it into its constituent line segments and bezier curves. The node includes a "closed" checkbox. Set to closed for most complex shapes (like text paths), set to open for paths like quad curves or open arcs that you want to leave open.
Explode requires my make_curve custom node (included). For text you will want to break each letter into individual contours before exploding; this requires the Frederik's custom contours node (also included).
Zipped demo and screenshot attached. The demo shows the word "Explode" exploded with each individual line or curve slightly rotated to show where the breaks are. You can instead attach basic shapes (quad curve, polygon, ellipse, arc) to see what they are made of and what happens when you check or uncheck the closed option. I also include a simple table that shows the type of each fragment (line or curve) along with its length.
I have also attached a movie of a text path shattering into zillions of glass shards. So that's one thing you can do with the explode node. You could also use it to highlight or modify the individual serifs on a serif font. But its real purpose is to facilitate various geometric manipulations by breaking complex paths into simple components to do things like finding the intersection points between a path and a line. I will be releasing an intersect node soon that does just that.
I believe there are many other possible uses. Please explode things and share the wreckage with us!
John
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explode_screenshot.png
337 KB
- glass_kaboom.mp4 1.33 MB
- explode.zip 5.57 KB
explode_screenshot.png
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Support Staff 1 Posted by john on 23 Mar, 2019 09:00 PM
Attached is a zipped NodeBox network containing an improved version of the explode node.
Instead of forcing you to declare whether the incoming path is open or closed, I removed that port and added a new node, is_closed, inside the explode node. Explode now automatically senses whether the path is open or closed and acts accordingly.
You may also want to retrieve the is_closed node and use it in other projects. It's handy and does not require a custom node.
Enjoy!
John