[Bf-committers] Sculpting proposal for Google SoC

[Nicholas Bishop]

  I'm interested in getting input on a Blender project for the Google
SoC. (Thanks to Tom M for the idea.) Here's the overview:

* Integrate SharpConstruct's modeling tools into Blender:

   SharpConstruct has sculpting tools similar to ZBrush, or to use a
Blender example, the B-Brush script. As the author of SharpConstruct,
I expect adding the sculpting tools to Blender will be relatively
easy; the hard part will be familiarizing myself with Blender's
existing code.
   This step will involve adding at least displacement and smoothing
brushes. The displacement brush is the basic tool that adds or
subtracts depth from the model. The smooth brush works just like
Blender's smooth tool, except it only affects the area being brushed
on.
   Time permitting, SharpConstruct has two other brushes, pinch and
grab, that could also be implemented in Blender.
   SharpConstruct's website is http://sharp3d.sourceforge.net


* Multi-Resolution Modeling (MRM) tools:

   Once the sculpting tools are done, the fun part begins. MRM stores
each level of subdivision as a level of detail rather than simply
replacing the model's previous topology. This allows for the following
work-flow:
+ Sculpt the model at a high level of subdivision
+ Switch to a lower level of subdivision
+ Make a large changes at the low-res level
+ Return to the high-res level, where the high-res details will be
reintegrated with the modifications from the low-res level
+ Continue sculpting at the high-res level
   The primary advantages to this technique are that it's easier to
make large changes to the model even after a lot of small detail
modeling has been done, and that it's possible to do this with a
higher level of interactivity with the user, because the computer
isn't bogged down with a high-res mesh.
   MRM will be a more difficult task than the sculpting tools, because
I haven't ever implemented MRM before. However, there are plenty of
papers available with possible algorithms.

I'd be happy to hear any questions or comments on this proposal.

-Nicholas Bishop