Getting Started with Real GreebleZ!

If you have not already done so, please read through the Real GreebleZ! manual sections describing the interface functions in detail.

A Simple Greebling Session

Start by making a SDS rectangle form the "Top" viewport with vertex counts of twenty-one and dimensions of twenty meters in both directions. Having a one meter grid activated will simplify this step. Put the object in face edit mode. Adjust the viewport so you are looking at the rectangle from the side and a little above.

This will let us see the results of our work.

For "tradittional" looking greebles the SDS object should be in polygonal mode; this is the default rendering type for an SDS rectangle and thus requires no change. It is worth mentioning here that any alterations to the initial object, setting object type, combining faces, etc. is best done before performing any greebling operations; this will simplify operations in the case of undoing greebling operations.

If you have not already done so, start Real GreebleZ!. The default interface configuration consists of the first iteration of greebles construction and the nurnie addition controls. Uncheck the "nurnies" checkbox as it will not be needed for our work here.

Next, click the "Random" button.

This will select random faces on the object.

The result should look something like this.

If you want more faces to be considered for greebling operations click random again, if you would like fewer faces selected, hold shift and click random; this will remove random faces from the selection. Selection operations are not recorded by Realsoft 3D or by Real GreebleZ! and as a result you can select and unselect faces at any time during in a greebling session without reservation.

Set the value of the "Subdivion Likelyhood" slider to "40".

This will result in about forty percent of the selected faces being subdivided into quads.

If you are anxious to see some greebles, set "Extrude Likelyhood" to 70,

and click the "GreebleiZe!" button.

The result should look something like this.

Unfortunately this did not demonstrate very many of the options available in Real GreebleZ!, so click the "Undo" button to go back to the unmodified mesh.

Click the numeric field of the "Extrude Elevation Min" slider and enter the value "-0.5".

This will result in the maximum inset of the extruded faces being fifty centimeters. If this minimum is set to a value of at least zero, no inset faces will result.

Click the numeric field of the "Extrude Elevation Max" slider and enter the value "0.8".

This will result in the maximum extruded height of the faces being eighty centimeters.

To summarize, the current settings will result in face extrusion height values anywhere in the range of -50 to +80 centimeters .

To check the results of this click the "Extrude" button.

Click undo to return to the unmodified mesh and adjust the settings if desired and check the results again.

Continuing with the mesh in it's unmodified state we next adjust the face scaling. Set "Face Scale Min X" to "95" and "Face Scale Max X" to "100". Do the same for the Y scaling pair of sliders.

This will result in the extruded faces being scaled from ninety-five to one hundred percent of their current size, in the face's X and Y directions.

The next settings change will add a slight tilt to the faces on both the X and Y axes of each face.

Set the "Face Rotation Min X" slider to "-2" and the "Face Rotation Max X" to "2".

Do the same for the pair of Y rotation sliders. Leave the Z rotation slider values at zero.

Again, click the "GreebleiZe!" button.

The results should be something like this.

At this point more greeble constructions can be added the the currently selected faces, by clicking the "GreebleiZe!" button again. Alternately Real GreebleZ! provides facilities that make it a simple to add greeble constructions to the side faces or to faces that are as yet unmodified.

To add greeble constructions to the faces that have not been operated on, click the "All" button while holding down the "Shift" key. This will unselect all faces. Next click on the "Original" button.

This selects all of the original faces of the object, then while holding the "Shift" key click on the "Top" faces button.

This results in all of the original faces, that have been operated on (thus now in the top faces group as well), being unselected. If fewer selected faces are desired, click the "Random" button while holding down the "Shift" key, this will subtract random faces from this selection. Additional greeble constructions are added to these or any faces by clicking the "GreebleiZe!" button.

Nurnies

Continuing with the current object, uncheck the "Greeble Construction" checkbox.

Then, click on the "Nurnies" checkbox to activate the nurnie additions control panel.

The "Operate On"cycle gadget can be left set to "Top" faces; this setting is only considered in the case of clicking the "GreebleiZe!" button. Adding nurnies by way of the "Add Nurnies" button will consider the currently selected faces.

Set the "Nurnie Likelyhood" slider value to "90".

This will result in nurnie additions being added to about ninety percent of the selected faces.

Select the nurnie object type with the "Nurnie Shape" cycle gadget. Any shape will serve here, with the exception of the "User" nurnie object.

Now set each set the pairs of nurnie dimension sliders to minimum values of around 0.1, and maximum values of about 0.25.

This will result in nurnie dimensions ranging from ten to twenty-five centimeters.

Set both X and Y "Nurnie Offset" slider pairs of sliders to a minimum values of -0.2 and maximum values of 0.2.

This will result in the nurnies benig offset up to 20 centimeters from the center of the face in bioth positive and negative X and Y directions.

Leave the "Nurnie Altitude" slider set to zero, this will align the the "bottom" of the nurnie object with the surface of the face it is being applied to.

Currently "Nurnie Rotation" only works with user nurnies, therefore these sliders can be left at the default zero values.

Click the "Add Nurnies" button.

If the results are unsatisfactory, click the "Undo" button and adjust the settings.

The results will be something like this.

This is just one way to approach using Real GreebleZ!. It can also be used as simply an extruder tool with precise control over the parameters, or to recursively place copies of objects on selected faces, again with precise control over parameters; dimensioning and placement in the case of nurnies.