Does anyone know of a package that can generate random noise in a 3D surface. I'd like to be able to apply a height map or a randomizer function to a 3D solid like I can to a terrain to create realistic bolders, quarried stones etc from simple shapes. Assigning a bump map looks OK except the edges are still square and smooth. Right now I'm limited to creating a mesh and fiddling with the points or doing the boulean union/difference in nurbs. A 3d heightmap that got the edges right or something that could randomise the location of each mesh point by X,Y,Z would be great. Do any programs do this?

Wings3D has a couple of things that might be useful for this - but you'd really have to try them to find out for yourself :) Example of the workflow, to get the idea. Create a cube (right click for menu), select as an object. Object | Duplicate -> Free (and repeat to make a few - using shift+D will repeat the last action, so you can make a lot quickly) Change to vert mode (press v or vert icon) Select all verts (cntrl A) Vert | Deform -> Crumple -> Random (drag mouse and selected verts move around, distorting the cubes) Can also make a random selection of the verts by using Select | By -> Random -> 10%, 20%.......90% (then use Deform crumple again if you want) Some of the other tools in the Deform sub menu might be of use, together with careful use of Vert | tighten. Obviously, using cubes is a bit limiting, but this is just an example - make something with a bit more detail to use on the above procedure and maybe give it a try? (No problem storing/recalling specific selections, btw, if you want to limit tweaking (there's also a 'Tweak' tool) to particular areas. Hope this helps pp (apols for the step by step, if you're already a winger)

There is a plug-in for Truespace called Meltmesh that can make pretty good rocks from basic primitives, especially if you sculpt the surface later. In general, I think what you really need is a fractal generator for 3D objects (as opposed to heightfields) rather than a randomiser, which would just make furry or un-naturally jagged surfaces. I can't give specific help on this, but it might make the search a bit more focussed. Maybe you could make a heightfield, then deform it to look like a rock. Mick ;)

You didn't say what program you were using. MAX has a nice noise generator which I use to create rocks, that does pretty much what you want. Plus there are a couple of free plugins that can further distort the mesh. If you don't have a modeling program that allow this, you might try downloading Wings, as mentioned, and modeling in that. It's a decent program, and if, as it sounds, you're using Bryce, it could expand your possibilities immensely.

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Thanks Everyone! Wings sounds like the best bet. Can't afford to get truespace just yet and didn't really get the hang of max the times I tried it. I'm using Rhino now which is a nurbs program. I generates shapes with functions which tend to smooth surfaces. For example, I did a jet body and wings. When I unioned the nurbs the nose bent up. My choices now are to force a large number of nurbs or mesh points on each face and edit point by point or to slice rotate and patch faces. The problem is it take hours and I don't always apply the same degree of roughness to each unit. Iv'e got a model of stonehenge with 94 separate stones just for the large ring. It sounds like wings can turn the editing from months into hours. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks!

Attached Link: http://www.geocities.com/paulthepuzzles/rocks.html

Method as above with a few scales/rotates etc on randomly selected objects thrown in. Standard opengl render with default lights ex wings. All started as cubes - I worked on 32 - if doing the job 'properly' I'd pick the 'best', discard the junk and carry on etc. This lot took about an hour or so - since time's been mentioned :) Oh, yes, also a couple of magnet moves on some verts to distort along a particular axis. pp

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=253587&Start=1&Artist=jstro&ByArtist=Yes

I did this version of Stonehenge in Wings (rendered in Vue). Wings works great for making stones, just as pp described. Storing and using random selections in conjunction with Crumple, Move, Tweak, etc. Each stone in my model is unique, and I think the whole thing probably took less than a day. jon

 
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Attached Link: http://www.castironflamingo.com/tutorial/pte/index.html

Parametric Terrain Editor generates gray scale bitmap images that are heightmaps. You can export the image and import to Bryce terrain editor.

Someone wrote a noise plugin for MilkShape recently. And it has some nice mesh-smoothing/poly-reduction features now. Great for creating rocks, asteroids, and other irregular shapes.

I've just been looking at the site for Art of Illusion (free download), which appears to have the randomizing function required here. Haven't got the link to hand, but it's in Google. Impressive gallery there too. Just off to download it! Mick ;)

The AoI site is dead-link city as far as prog downloads are concerned. Don't know why. SO -- no success so far. M.

Attached Link: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=15063&release_id=124154

Went through this link and managed to download it. M.

bryce does this you can export stones from bryce and its stone-maker is a random object generator BT

bantam grass does rocks (allledgely) though I havn't tried it.I suspect it's a bump map though.

Attached Link: http://bantam3d.com/

Yup, it rocks - literally *s* It makes grass and rocks. See link and picture. Willy

Ok, I confess - the surface structure were a few mouseclicks in Poser 5 material room. Some "cloud" and "noise" functions. But very convincing. The original pebbles are up here. Willy