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Graviton Flipper Device by SPOCK
🕑 Added 2023-04-01 22:40:07 +0000 UTCSo, we're getting close to beta now. Anthony is doing a great job with all the different packing algorithms. We're now focusing on streamlining the interface so it's both intuitive and easy to use.
So, how is SPOCK different from FLEX and SYNTH? Good question.
Keep in mind KIT OPS uses KPACKS and SPOCK and FLEX use DPACKS. More on that later.
SYNTH, while the most powerful, has a larger learning curve and takes a lot of finessing to achieve results. That said, it is the only product that works with any KIT OPS INSERT (KPACKS) and can do Boolean operations as well. So, you can create some truly stunning compositions with it-- if you can take the time to learn it properly. That said, it is also *significantly* slower than the other 2 products.
SYNTH is good for creating full corridors, robot parts and iterations of products with details and control. It can create variation of just about any object you can think of, but the variations may not be as varied as the other 2 products.
FLEX is based on SIMPLE SCIFI and uses Geometry Nodes to create all the scene geometry. It also can create amazing 2D displacement, texture and dot lighting maps at just about any resolution you want, including 32-bit formats. Because of limitations of Geo Nodes, the placement of the DPACK objects is mostly random, but you have amazing control over the density and scale of objects. It also is the fastest of all three addons.
FLEX is great for creating sci-fi landscapes, hyper detailed alien walls, spaceship hull surfaces and that sort of thing. Mostly at a very large scale.
SPOCK fills in the gap between SYNTH and FLEX. It's much, much faster and easier to use than SYNTH, and has much more controlled placement ('packing') of objects than FLEX. This means you can create more organized groups of objects vs the complete randomness of FLEX-- while still having the super ease of use of FLEX. It's a tad bit slower than FLEX but the generators aren't designed for multi-million face models. Unlike SYNTH and like FLEX, it uses instances to speed up processing and allow for more detail. But unlike FLEX, it doesn't use Geo Nodes because they can't do the myriad of packing schemes that SPOCK uses.
SPOCK is good for creating details with inherent organization, like circuit boards, tech walls, cockpit interiors, and more. It has the ability to *wrap around* manually place hero objects as well as automatically place a fixed number of hero objects which can then be avoided by the next SPOCK iteration. Overall, I think people will use SPOCK for more structured greeble/nurnie effects.
KIT OPS uses KPACKS which are actually folders full of .blend files, called INSERTS that have been stored in a format KIT OPS understands so as to know how to operate when adding them into the scene. For instance, an INSERT may have a number of different objects associated with it, some of them cutting into the *target* object, others cutting into the INSERT itself, and of course unions as well as plain meshes. There are tons of KIT OPS KPACKS available. Some can be found at the KPACK repository: http://cw1.me/kpacks
SPOCK and FLEX use DPACKS which are also comprised of a .blend file, but which has specially constructed Collections inside them. Both SPOCK and FLEX require a specific format for their DPACK collections. SPOCK is a bit different from FLEX and while a FLEX DPACK is compatible with SPOCK, not all SPOCK DPACKS are 100% compatible with FLEX. We may update FLEX so that it will be backwards compatible with SPOCK at a later date.
I know this is a long winded explanation, but I thought many of you may want to know more. We are still accepting here on Patreon those wishing to beta test SPOCK. Just DM me and I'll get you on the list. We're finishing up now and just need to provide some documentation for beta testers.
