Blender 3D and python scripting - part 013.

In today's tutorial I will present the source code with some minor fixes and an early way to fix the skin for the added branch.

Minor fixes are related to some errors in creating and passing data - I added comments.

It is interesting to see how I created and modified the source code step by step because it cannot be moved from one area to another because it is restrictive to the way it works in Blender 3D.

If I had used classes, this would not have been understood.

There are also minor technical details related to the skin, the random function for the thickness of the branches ...

For a source code written on the fly and without a pseudocode defined at the beginning I could say that the transitions between the source code between the tutorials is quite legible.

Here is a screenshot with some skin generated examples for the second branch for vertex position one.

This is the source basket used to create the new branch.

import bpy
import random

# import bmesh 
import bmesh

MinNubmer = -10
MaxNumber = 10

# Clean up the area , uncoment the next two row to keep
# branch after running the script
#bpy.ops.object.select_all(action="SELECT")
#bpy.ops.object.delete()

# Number of branches
branch = 4
# Create the verts array
verts = [(0,0,0)]
# Create the edges array
edges = [(0,0)]
# Create the faces array
faces = []

# define random number for X and Y axis 
def RN():
    return  random.randint(MinNubmer, MaxNumber) / 20 

# define random number for positive Z axis
def RNZ():
    return  random.randint(10, 50) / 10  

# create a list of branch thicknesses
rand_list = []

name_branch = "TreeMesh"
# define createBranch 

def createBranch(branch, name_branch):
    # Create the mesh for branch 
    mesh = bpy.data.meshes.new(name_branch) 
    for i in range(1,branch):
        rand_list.append(RNZ()/30)
        # sort all reverse by thicknesses
        rand_list.sort(reverse=True)

    # generate vertices list for drawing the branch
    for i in range(1,branch):
        verts.append((rand_list[i-1] +0.1,rand_list[i-1]+0.1,RNZ()))
        edges.append((i-1,i))
    
    # sort the list of vertices by last number witch is Z axis 
    verts.sort(key=lambda x: x[2])
    # create branch update and validate, see documentation
    mesh.from_pydata(verts, edges, faces) 
    mesh.update()
    mesh.validate()
    # Create object to hold the mesh branch with the new name for object
    obj = bpy.data.objects.new(name_branch+'_Obj', mesh)
    return obj

# create a new branch     
def createNewBranch(obj_branch, n):
    bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode="EDIT", toggle=False)
    me = obj_branch.data
    bm = bmesh.from_edit_mesh(me)
    bm.select_mode = {'VERT'}

    for i,v in enumerate(bm.verts):
        # select only by the index of list 
        if i == n:
            v.select = ( v.co.x > 0.0 )
            v2 = v    
        else: 
            v.select = False
    # flush and update view 
    v1 = bm.verts.new( (RN()+(v.co.x) + 1.0 , RN()+(v.co.y) + 1.0 , (v.co.z) - (v.co.z)/3) )
    #v1 = bm.verts.new(1, 1, 3)
    bm.edges.new((v1, v2))
    rand_list.append(0.01)
    rand_list.sort(reverse=True)
    # update 
    bm.select_flush_mode()   
    me.update()
    #mesh.validate()
    #bmesh.update_edit_mesh(obj_branch.data)

# use the createBranch
obj_branch = createBranch(branch, name_branch)

# ... and add it to the scene
scene = bpy.context.scene
scene.collection.objects.link(obj_branch)

# this will fix the error ...  mode_set_poll()
bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = obj_branch  

createNewBranch(obj_branch, 1)

# print tool for developing area 
def print_python_console(data):
    for window in bpy.context.window_manager.windows:
        screen = window.screen
        for area in screen.areas:
            if area.type == 'CONSOLE':
                override = {'window': window, 'screen': screen, 'area': area}
                bpy.ops.console.scrollback_append(override, text=str(data), type="OUTPUT")

# used to see the size of radius skin for each vertices
print_python_console(rand_list)

# fix error :  skin modifier is locked when using edit mode.
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode="OBJECT", toggle=False)
# add the skin modifier - NOT FIXED FOR THE LAST BRANC ADDED
obj_branch.modifiers.new(name="SK", type="SKIN")
bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = obj_branch  
# get the skin vertices layers
skin_vertices = obj_branch.data.skin_vertices
# get the layer
skin_layer = skin_vertices[0]
for i in range(1,branch+1):
    # assigns radius for each vertice to sized the branch 
    skin_layer.data[i-1].radius = (rand_list[i-1], rand_list[i-1]) 
    #Indices 0 and 1 are the vertex indices
    skin_layer.data[i].radius = (rand_list[i-1],rand_list[i-1])

# set modes for user 
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode="EDIT", toggle=False)
bpy.ops.object.skin_root_mark()
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode="OBJECT", toggle=False)