The Origami Forum

Hi, I recently downloaded Robert Lang's program for drawing CPs: Treemaker
I quickly opened the program, and set to work drawing a simple tree for a human figure. When I press "scale Everything", however, it messes everything up and puts everything in different place (example, if I had a point on the edge of the paper, it would put it in the middle)

Has anyone else had this problem, or am I going insane???

TreeMaker is NOT a program for drawing CPs. It's an application that takes a stick figure tree, and allocates paper, so that each flap is the specified length. Then, when everything is how you want it, you can have it output a base CP.

If you want nodes to lie on the edges/corners/symmetry axes, you have to select these options. If you want flaps to have a certain length, you have to type that in.

Read the manual. It's not long and drawn out at all. It shows you how to use it step-by-step.

just go to the "help" in the program.
there is a lesson there of how to use it.

I did! when I went there, it showed how to use it... ...but when I make a perfectly symmetrical tree, I hit the scale Everything button, and bam! I have an asymmetrical base... ....an origamimasterjared, you are right, I misphrased that....

At the beginning, set the paper dimension to 2*1. Then draw half of the stick figure. This way, you do not have to worry about symmetry. You can still fix nodes to certain positions.

Do you have a symmetry line set? In the inspector window you can set properties of the paper when no nodes or edges are selected. There is a box to check to use a symmetry line, and you can choose to use diagonal or book symmetry. You also must set conditions for the nodes if you want the base to be symmetric. Select two nodes (by holding shift and clicking) and use the condition "2 nodes paired about symmetry line" or if you want a node on the symmetry line, select "node fixed to symmetry line". There are also more conditions such as fixing nodes to corners and edges and making nodes collinear or next to each other in the finished base.

The initial tree that you draw has little bearing on the finished design that Treemaker comes up with. The conditions determine what the program does, even if it looks like it should turn out symmetric. I probably gave you an overdose of information here and listed things you already know, but it should also be very thorough. If you have more problems, feel free to ask.

viewtopic.php?t=599
viewtopic.php?t=3278

Hi folks.
I tried using Treemaker for my models several times but i failed. i always draw a stick figure, pair all nodes, fix them where needed... but always..the crease pattern (after scaling everything) appears to be kind of weird. I don't remember the term, sorry.

so the question is:
how do i get a right pattern that is used in the majority of designs.
here is the picture, that illustrates my problem:
[img]http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3093/patv.png[/img]
I'd appreciate if anyone could tell me (us all) about that.

Go to the tab "View",and scroll down to "Creases view",you will get a black and pink pattern to show you the creases. Those circles you're seeing,are ony important in the designing process,and could be left out.
Did that answer your question?

I have been using treemaker for a little while now, but I can't seem to make a plan view base. Does anyone know how? I have followed the tutorial, but after I add the new nodes to make an active path along the axial and scale everything, it moves the previously existing nodes around.

I would also like to be able to expand a new node to absorb all the extra paper, (which I was essentially trying to do above), does anyone know if that is possible on the current treemaker?

I would also like to be able to expand a new node to absorb all the extra paper, (which I was essentially trying to do above), does anyone know if that is possible on the current treemaker?

Yes, it's possible.

After you've created the new node, select the node, which makes it movable; select its attached edge, which makes the edge expandable; then select Action>Scale Selection, which will move around the node (subject to any conditions you've placed) while it tries to expand the edge as much as possible.

HTH,

Bugfolder[/quote]

Thank you Bugfolder, that helped a lot.

Also, does anybody know how to permanently change the view settings? The indices are making it look really cluttered and so I turn them off, but as soon as I change views they're back on

Also, does anybody know how to permanently change the view settings? The indices are making it look really cluttered and so I turn them off, but as soon as I change views they're back on.

Unfortunately, there's no way to customize views. That would have been a nice feature, for sure.

I agree. Maybe in the next version of treemaker? I might email Lang about it

Origamist388 wrote:Go to the tab "View",and scroll down to "Creases view",you will get a black and pink pattern to show you the creases. Those circles you're seeing,are ony important in the designing process,and could be left out.
Did that answer your question?

Actually no. I was asking not about changing view, but creating this. I meant when i create something TM calculates pattern in a very simple way and very weird - see top right picture.

In langs designs there are only bisected triangles in the pattern. I want to do that way!