mathematical mesh generation

[pennamacoor]

hi folks, I wonder if anyone can recommend any applications (preferably cheap or free if poss) for the Mac that can generate 3D meshes using mathematical formulas created by the user (e.g., a surface of a sphere could be represented by the formula: x squared + y squared + z squared = radius squared), and, can export or save-as the mesh as a DXF or 3DS file that can be imported into Bryce. What I most want is an application that can do nothing much more than the above.

regards

michael[/b]

[CADTutor]

That's a pretty specific requirement. I don't know of such an application and I suspect that if one exists, you have a better chance on a PC than on a Mac.

There may be another way of doing what you want. What is it you are actually doing?

[pennamacoor]

That's a pretty specific requirement. I don't know of such an application and I suspect that if one exists, you have a better chance on a PC than on a Mac.

There may be another way of doing what you want. What is it you are actually doing?

Hi, what I'd like to do is define my 3D surfaces in a mathematical manner, explicitly rather than through some kind of sculpting manner, etc (which, of course involves the mathematical anyway, but implicitly), bacause with that form of ex-pressing the surface I can precisely define it and experiment with possibly exciting and potentially unpredictable results; it's a way of relieving oneself of the heavy gravitas of having to always know what one wants, designwise (is why I love Kai's Power Tools, say, e.g., in the texture explorer: one can play and experiment and even retain a childish wonderment at what comes). Once such stuff is in Bryce and/or Amorphium, I can begin to create virtual objects and sculptures that could not really easily be conceived, never mind created using more conventional 3D design applications.

And I have not nor do I want a PC (horrid things) although I am aware of the considerable mass of software for it: I just utterly hate Windoze...

Might there be open source stuff?

regards

michael

[fuccaro]

Michael
Not much helping you but anyway:
Myself I often create mathematical surfaces. In the old days I used programs I wrote in Turbo Pascal to generate script files for run under AutoCAD. Now I write Lisp routines for create 3DMesh objects in AutoCAD –see for example the Mobius strip (http://cadtutor.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=481&start=0) in this forum. Once the mesh in AutoCAD it can be exported as DXF for use in other applications.

As I said: not much helping you. Sorry.

[pennamacoor]

Michael
Not much helping you but anyway:
Myself I often create mathematical surfaces. In the old days I used programs I wrote in Turbo Pascal to generate script files for run under AutoCAD. Now I write Lisp routines for create 3DMesh objects in AutoCAD –see for example the Mobius strip (http://cadtutor.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=481&start=0) in this forum. Once the mesh in AutoCAD it can be exported as DXF for use in other applications.

As I said: not much helping you. Sorry.

Thanks fuccaro. I have now found two solutions (thank the lord for google) in case anyone is interested.

1) an application for the mac (at least) '3D-XPloreMath', which in its latest (beta) version now can export surfaces as Wavefront .OBJ files, which Bryce (and many other 3D apps) can import;

2) another mac (at least) application (written in Java, thus very small and fast) 'MeshSmith', not so sophisticated (in the mathematical realisation of surfaces), which exports .DXF files that Bryce (and most 3D apps) can import.

If anyone is interested in acquiring either or both these free applications, then please contact me at:

m@abgrundrisse.net

And thanks again for all the help.

regards

michael