In most cases in layout planning, objects are planned as bounding boxes. A bounding box is the smallest cuboid that encompasses all parts of an object.
This method of abstraction is recommended for rough planning because it speeds up the process and keeps you from getting lost in details. For example, a table is represented using a single bounding box. In detailed planning, objects are refined with boxes to the extent that it makes a meaningful difference for the planning process.
However, there are situations in which creating rounded geometries or rounding boxes is desired. In such cases, you can approximate rounded geometries using multiple boxes. The following guide explains how this works easily without making the objects too detailed.
Instructions
In most cases, it is sufficient to represent rounded geometries using four offset cuboids with a square cross-sectional area.
- Position the first cuboid with a square cross-sectional area.
- Create a duplicate of the first cuboid and rotate it by 45°.
- Duplicate the first cuboid two more times:
- Rotate the first duplicate 20° clockwise.
- Rotate the second duplicate 20° counterclockwise.
Info: The duplicates are always moved to the position of the first cuboid before being rotated.
If you absolutely need a higher resolution, you can repeat step 3 with smaller angle intervals.
Note: A finer resolution than using four cuboids is not recommended, especially when rounded geometries are used very frequently (e.g., rollers). Otherwise, the rapidly increasing number of boxes may cause performance issues!
Additional Info on Performance in VR: In addition to highly detailed planning (a very large number of boxes), hidden or duplicate boxes should also be avoided when creating objects.
Examples of Rounded Geometries From Our Library: