Where to? Top > CSV Scripts Project > Point Cloud Skinner Script v0.14
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This page last modified: 2010/01/11
The script last updated: 2008/11/16
A screenshot of Point Cloud Skinner running on Blender [Zoom]

TODO: Video

Point Cloud Skinner Script

First of all, what is Point Cloud Skinner?

Point Cloud Skinner is a Python script for Blender and allows you to create a surface from only a cloud of vertices. You can get a complete 3D mesh out of just vertices that have no faces.

The name of the latest version

Point Cloud Skinner v0.14

The released date of the latest version

2009/01/18

Download

Point_Cloud_Skinner_v0_14_Pub20100110.zip

Main features

This script, Point Cloud Skinner can skin a cloud of vertices, which means to create a 3D surfaced mesh out of just a cloud of vertices that has no faces.

Video tutorial to start quickly

(coming soon)
If you want to know how to use quickly, it would be the fastest way to see this video tutorial. It has no sound but will help you know the whole workflow to use the script.

The simple workflow to start to use the script

This workflow is the same as what you can see in the video tutorial.

+1. Download the file "Point_Cloud_Skinner_v0_14_Pub20100110.zip" at here.
+2. Unzip it and put the file “t23_PointCloudSkinner1_Umbrella.py” in the folder "%Blender%\.blender\scripts\".
(%Blender% means the install folder of Blender in your PC. If you installed Blender on Windows by default, it will be "C:\Program Files\Blender Foundation\.blender\scripts\", for example.)
+3. Start Blender.
(If Blender has already been running, close and restart it.)
+4.
Have a point cloud to skin. For example, select "Add >> Mesh >> IcoSphere" from the top menu, set Radius to 1.5 in the menu displayed next and click OK. You will get a sphere mesh. Then press the key Tab to go to Edit Mode and press the key X to display the menu Erase. Select Edges & Faces to delete all but vertices. You will get a point cloud of a sphere as the right image.
+5.
Make sure that you are still in Edit Mode and the vertices are all selected (colored yellow). Then select "Mesh >> Script >> Skin Vertices and Make Faces" from the menu.
 
And you will see a dialog window named "Skinning Setups:" like the right image.
+6.
Set the parameters DistForSearch to 1.0 in the dialog for this point cloud.
(Usually you don't have to change the other parameters DistForAxis and GridSize. They would be appropriate in almost of all cases.)
+7.
Click the button Skin. The point cloud will get skinned and you will see the same 3D meshed sphere as the original one like the image below.

To use the script from Scripts Window

You can also use the script from Scripts Window as follows. Make sure that you have already done the steps +1 and +2 of the previous workflow above and arranged the .py script file to the folder "%Blender%\.blender\scripts\".

+1. Start Blender.
+2. Split the area and get window two-pane, and change Window Type from 3D View to Scripts Window in the right window.
+3.
Have a point cloud to skin. For example, a sphere point cloud in the step +3 of the previous workflow above.
+4.
Make sure that the vertices are all selected. Then select "Scripts >> Mesh >> Skin Vertices and Make Faces" from the menu in Scripts Window.
 
The UI will be seen as the right image.
+5. Set the first parameter TargetObject to the Object name that you want to skin, for example "Sphere", which you have created at the step +3.
+6.
Set the next parameter DistForSearch to 1.0 in this case.
(Usually you don't have to change the other parameters DistForAxis and GridSize. They would be appropriate in almost of all cases.)
+7.
Click the button Skin. The point cloud will get skinned and you will see the same 3D meshed sphere as the original one like the image below.

More video demos

If you want to see more about how it works on various point clouds, please check up the following video demos. It will help you know how it works though the previous version of the script is used in the videos.

This video shows how to use the script quickly. It has no sound but will help you know the whole workflow to use the script. [mirror video]
[Using the previous version of the script 0.12]
This video shows how the script skins the point clouds of a geometry and fluid volumetric. [mirror video]
[Using the previous version of the script 0.12]
This video shows how the script skins the point clouds of a suzanne, one of the famous pre-defined mesh in Blender.
[Using the previous version of the script 0.12]
This video shows how the script skins the point clouds of all Clems data, a huge geometry that has around 130,000 vertices.
[Using the previous version of the script 0.12]

Requirements

I confirmed Point Cloud Skinner worked well on Blender v2.45-2.49.

 

 

BlenderArtists thread

You can discuss the script on this thread in BlenderArtists.

Information on Point Cloud Skinner

Here is the page where you can find the reason why I made the script, the list of change logs, the future works and more.

Notes and memos...

Here is the page (under construction) which includes some notes or memos while developing the script.

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