This is a quikly prototype to add random rotation to every component, but I have some doubts about how it could be works with curved surfaces...
Check it and keep the discussion update.
Bye
Thank you Paolo for your reply. We were able to generate the panels to flip they way we liked using your modified definition.
We anticipated the vectors (highlighted in image below) that determine the direction of the component's build will be a problem when populating a curved surface. Do you think there is a way to tell an individual component to change its vector direction depending on which direction the component is facing on the populated surface?
Sure, I think it is possible.
example: you can read the surface curvature finding the closest point on the surface of the hexagon centroid, and using this value as input to set the rotation...
In the attached file you can find an incomplete idea build on Luis Fradugata definition.
Curiosity: How do you plan to build the exagons on the curved surface?
I look at the first part of your definition, maybe you will change something in the future if you want to keep every exagons on a different plane.
Or can you morph the component?
The enclosed Definition works on any surface, you can control the X and Y number of divisions and how the arcs are contructed.
Re-reading the initial post, I missed to be able to rotate the components individually, but it'd be easy to modify the definition and insert a text list with the shifting numbers for all the components instead of the random way. I'll amend the definition when I have some free time.
Just set a surface to the TargetSurface component to make it run.
I hope this is useful and please share the result is you can!
We were able to follow and understand the logic you guys set up for building the component and determining the coordinate direction. we are going to try and figure out a strategy for dividing the surface equally in order for the components to be the same size in order to modularize for fabrication. The goal being for the components not to deform along the the target surface so we don't kill our budget creating a hundred different molds.
we'll upload the progress as we move forward with this.
I'm glad the definition was helpful, I remember seeing some old treads about populating surfaces with the same hexagonal component, I'll search on my computer at the office tomorrow to see what I can find.
When you say you need to populate a vertical curved surface, is this a single curvature surface? If so this may of interest for you.