Creating a folding scheme

Creating a new Folding Setting

Via the main navigation, go to Resources > 3D > Folding. You can now arrange, create and remove folding schemes in the same way this is done for other resource types.
Click the “add new” button to create a new folding setting. Then double click this new item, or click the “edit” button. The folding editor will launch.

Selecting a document

The easiest way to create a folding scheme is to assign a default document. This way you have a visual reference to work on.
To assign a default document, select a “Document resource” in the material source panel.

You can also add a mask, a mask is used for transparency and enables us to visualize the die-cut. To assign a mask one has to select an asset. 

This asset should be a black and white image. A pdf file can also be used.

It'ss important to use a black and white image, because grey pixels will be converted to black or white depending on their brightness.
Black pixels will be transparent, and white pixels will be opaque. [see example below].

• Front/Back: switches between the front and back view of the document
• Wireframe/Preview: switches between the technical view and the 3D preview of the document
• Show Mask: shows or hides the selected mask for the document
  
  

Folding properties

• Allow mouse interaction: Allow dragging of panels in the 3D view (if turned off, individual panel settings are ignored)
• Calculate collisions: Calculate collisions when interacting with the 3D model. (if turned off, individual panel settings are ignored). Collisions are ignored when playing a predefined sequence.
• Adjust camera target position: Tries to keep the document in the center while dragging panels in the 3D view.
• Render panel outlines: Renders a line/border around each panel
• Enable effects: Enables lighting effects for the folding. An extra panel "Lights" is shown in which you can control the settings of the effects.
• Start position:
  
  • Folded: The 3D view is initialized with each panel in its folded position.
  • Unfolded: The 3D view is initialized with each panel in its unfolded position.
  • Initial rotation: The 3D view is started with each panel and camera position as saved in the preview window.
• Back print die cut mirror axis: For the back print, the second page of the document is used. With this setting you can define if this page is mirrored over the X or the Y axis.
• Mask: The default mask to be applied in the folding scheme editor preview.
• Invert mask: Inverts the assigned mask (in this case white areas will be masked)
• Background color: The background color of the 3D view.
• Icon set: Define an iconset to use when showing the 3D folding in a standalone viewer

Creating the folding scheme

Each folding setting contains at least 1 panel, called the “root panel”. Click on this panel to select it. Once selected, you can change the properties of this panel.
You can do this in the “panel properties” tab, or by dragging/resizing the panel visual. Other panels will always be folded to the root panel.

To add more panels click the plus sign on the corresponding side where you want the panel to be created.
A fold is automatically created between two panels.

Panel properties

• Panel name: Allows you to name each panel. This comes in handy when creating an animation sequence. The root panel cannot be renamed.
• Panel width/height: Set the width and height of the panel.
• Minimum rotation: The minimum rotation
• Maximum rotation: The maximum rotation
• Initial rotation: If “initial rotation” is selected as the start position of the folding setting, this rotation value is used when the folding is initialized.
• Start rotation: unfolded position
• End rotation: folded position
• Ignore collisions: Collision detection can be turned on and off for each panel. This can be overruled in the folding settings panel.
• Allow mouse interaction: This will allow the end user to interact with the panels and the 3D preview while respecting the limitations set on the individual panels. Rotating the entire model, folding panels.
• Crease top/bottom/left/right: This will simulate the thickness of a crease when a panel is folded. This way a panel can be folded 180º towards another panel without touching it.