Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0: The Ultimate Tools for Spline Curves in 3ds Max
Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0: The Ultimate Tools for Spline Curves in 3ds Max
If you work with spline curves in Autodesk 3ds Max, you know how tedious and time-consuming it can be to clean, repair and manage them. Whether you import them from vector drawing software or CAD software, such as Adobe Illustrator or AutoCAD, or you create them in 3ds Max, you often end up with messy, overlapping, duplicated or broken splines that need a lot of manual editing.
Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0 3ds max
That's why you need Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0, two powerful plugins by Spline Dynamics that will make your life easier and save you hours of work. These plugins are designed to help you with all kinds of spline operations, such as:
Select, attach, detach and delete multiple shapes using smart filters by size, length, proximity, similarity, wirecolor or layer. You can also filter by open/closed condition or by material ID. You can use these filters to quickly isolate the shapes that need attention or editing.
Optimize, normalize, weld vertices, reduce number of vertices, attach selected, explode splines/segments, remove duplicated curves, fix gaps, restore damaged segments, eliminate garbage and more.
Detect and remove overlapping splines/segments within a shape or between different shapes.
Rebuild your splines with evenly distributed knots, without losing any detail.
Support for materials and material IDs in all operations.
Reverse spline direction and material IDs.
Get real-time information about your splines on the viewport or on a dialog box. You can see data such as number of shapes/splines/vertices/materials/material IDs in the scene or in the selection. You can also expose data on the viewport such as vertex ticks/numbers or material IDs for better visualization.
These plugins are compatible with 3ds Max 2012 and higher, and they are ideal for any spline-based 3d model or project, such as architectural plans, animation paths, terrain contour lines, logotypes, vector text and more.
In this article, we will show you how to use Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0 to improve your workflow and achieve better results with your splines in 3ds Max.
How to install Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0
To install these plugins, you need to download them from the Spline Dynamics website: https://www.splinedynamics.com/product/spline-cleaner/
You can either purchase a lifetime license for $30 (regular license) or $150 (corporate license), or you can try a 10-day trial version that will let you manage up to 300 shapes / 10,000 splines maximum at a time.
Once you download the zip file, extract it to a folder of your choice. Then run the installer file (SplineCleaner_Installer.mse) as administrator and follow the instructions on the screen. You will need to enter your license key (or request a trial key) and select the 3ds Max versions where you want to install the plugins.
After the installation is complete, you can find the plugins under the category "Spline Dynamics" on the Customize User Interface dialog box. You can assign them to any toolbar, menu or keyboard shortcut as you wish.
How to use Spline Cleaner v1.73
Spline Cleaner v1.73 is a plugin that allows you to perform various operations on spline curves in 3ds Max. It has a simple and intuitive user interface that consists of four main sections: Filters, Operations, Splines Info and Settings.
The Filters section lets you select shapes by different criteria, such as size, length, proximity, similarity, wirecolor or layer. You can also filter by open/closed condition or by material ID. You can use these filters to quickly isolate the shapes that need attention or editing.
The Operations section lets you apply different actions on the selected shapes or on all shapes in the scene. You can choose from a variety of options, such as:
Optimize: reduces the number of vertices of the splines while preserving their shape.
Normalize: rebuilds the splines with evenly distributed knots.
Weld Vertices: merges overlapping vertices within a tolerance value.
Reduce Vertices: removes unnecessary vertices that are aligned with their neighbors.
Attach Selected: attaches all selected shapes into one shape.
Detach All: detaches all splines/segments into separate shapes.
Delete Duplicated: deletes duplicated splines/segments within a shape or between different shapes.
Delete Overlapping: deletes overlapping splines/segments within a shape or between different shapes.
Delete Short: deletes splines/segments shorter than a threshold value.
Delete Long: deletes splines/segments longer than a threshold value.
Delete Small: deletes shapes smaller than a threshold value.
Delete Big: deletes shapes bigger than a threshold value.
Delete Garbage: deletes empty shapes or shapes with no segments.
Fix Gaps: closes small gaps between vertices within a tolerance value.
Restore Segments: restores damaged segments by connecting their vertices.
Reverse Direction: reverses the direction of the splines/segments and optionally their material IDs.
The Splines Info section shows you useful information about your splines on a dialog box or on the viewport. You can see data such as number of shapes/splines/vertices/materials/material IDs in the scene or in the selection. You can also expose data on the viewport such as vertex ticks/numbers or material IDs for better visualization.
The Settings section lets you adjust some preferences for the plugin behavior and appearance. You can set options such as:
Tolerance value for welding vertices or fixing gaps.
Threshold values for deleting short/long/small/big splines/segments/shapes.
Number of knots for normalizing splines.
Color for displaying vertex ticks/numbers/material IDs on the viewport.
Font size for displaying vertex numbers/material IDs on the viewport.
To use Spline Cleaner v1.73, simply select one or more shapes in your scene and choose the filters and operations that you want to apply. You can also select all shapes in the scene by clicking on the "Select All" button at the top of the plugin interface. You can undo any operation by pressing Ctrl+Z on your keyboard.
How to use Spline Refiner v1.0
Spline Refiner v1.0 is a plugin that allows you to rebuild your splines with evenly distributed knots without losing any detail. This is useful for improving the quality and smoothness of your splines and making them easier to edit and manipulate later on.
To use Spline Refiner v1.0, simply select one or more shapes in your scene and click on the "Normalize" button on the plugin interface. You can adjust the number of knots per spline segment using the spinner below the button. The default value is 10 knots per segment but you can increase it if you want more detail or decrease it if you want less detail.
You can also use Spline Refiner v1.0 together with Spline Cleaner v1.73 for better results. For example, you can first optimize your splines using Spline Cleaner v1.73 to reduce their number of vertices while preserving their shape and then normalize them using Spline Refiner v1.0 to rebuild them with evenly distributed knots without losing any detail.
Conclusion
The benefits of using Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0
By using these plugins, you can achieve many benefits for your spline-based projects, such as:
Save time and effort by automating tedious and repetitive tasks.
Improve the quality and accuracy of your splines by removing unwanted or unnecessary elements.
Enhance the smoothness and appearance of your splines by distributing the knots evenly.
Make your splines easier to edit and manipulate by reducing the number of vertices and segments.
Preserve the original shape and vertices of your splines while optimizing or normalizing them.
Support for materials and material IDs in all operations.
Get real-time information and feedback about your splines on the viewport or on a dialog box.
Customize the plugin settings according to your preferences and needs.
These plugins are compatible with 3ds Max 2012 and higher, and they are ideal for any spline-based 3d model or project, such as architectural plans, animation paths, terrain contour lines, logotypes, vector text and more.
Conclusion
Spline Cleaner v1.73 and Spline Refiner v1.0 are two powerful plugins by Spline Dynamics that will make your life easier and save you hours of work when working with spline curves in 3ds Max. These plugins are designed to help you with all kinds of spline operations, such as selecting, attaching, detaching, deleting, optimizing, normalizing, welding, reducing, fixing, restoring, reversing and more. You can also detect and remove overlapping or duplicated splines/segments within a shape or between different shapes. You can also rebuild your splines with evenly distributed knots without losing any detail. You can also support for materials and material IDs in all operations. You can also get real-time information about your splines on the viewport or on a dialog box. You can also customize the plugin settings according to your preferences and needs.
If you want to try these plugins for yourself, you can download them from the Spline Dynamics website: https://www.splinedynamics.com/product/spline-cleaner/
Y