Is there a way to measure distance over a surface between 2 points in VB?

Hello everyone,

The function Point3d.DistanceTo(other_point) measures a straight line between two points.

But I would like to measure the closest distance over a surface between two points.

So imagine a random organic surface with two points on it, how would I calculate the distance between them, while 'traveling' over the surface? Is there already a function in VB for this?

Thanks!
Fernando

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on October 23, 2013 at 5:49pm

You'll need to create a geodesic curve. This is not a fast operation but I think it's the only option you have. Have a look at Rhino.Geometry.Surface.Shortpath method. This returns a curve the length of which is the distance you're after.

If your surface is always a sphere, or cylinder or some other simple shape, there may be faster ways to figure out the distance.

David Rutten

david@mcneel.com

Seattle, WA

Permalink Reply by Fernando Conti on October 24, 2013 at 9:44am

Hi David,

I have looked at the Shortpath method. So do you mean I have to create a curve with this method, then check the length, and adjust the points until I have the correct length?

Thanks!

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on October 24, 2013 at 12:18pm

Yup. Creating a Geodesic and measuring the curve length is the only way to do it without writing a substantial amount of code yourself.

David Rutten

david@mcneel.com

Seattle, WA

Permalink Reply by Fernando Conti on October 25, 2013 at 3:08am

Okay thanks! That is not a problem, the checking loop can be a bit optimized to keep the checking time down.

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