Nope, it's just quite amazing. I'd like to donate to you for your work. If you would dm me information I would like to thank you.
Oh, this is really kind of you, appreciate it, but totally unnecessary. I love this addon (fills a huge gap imo) and I am happy to donate time to give it the love it deserves.
(unofficial) Version 0.2.62 - added cross-part node IDs visibility toggle - sidepanel refresh - refined node auto-symmetry logic (symmetrized new node entries gets placed under the existing counterpart instead of the end of the nodes section, retaining every extra parameter defined in the same line)
(unofficial) Version 0.2.63 - REUPLOADED - added "Reload JBeam from Disk" button into the Item sidepanel - Find Element by ID now works with nodes and beams, accepts simple beam references like this regardless of the order: f1r-f2r (works by auto-complete also, using the cursor's position in Text Editor) - Auto-symmetry now works with beams too, it can symmetrize a full mesh essentially, except triangles Triangles are not handled really well by this addon unfortunately, but I'm planning to expand this feature to include them. Make the current form work reliably first and then we'll see how it goes.
Thank you, this is excellent work! One question though, would it be possible to make like a jbeam reload button? I typically use the add-on together with np++, but it gets rather old having to go through the menus to reload the jbeam every time. Or is there an easier way to go about this?
"Reload from file" button is definitely a good idea, thanks! May I ask why don't you use Blender's built-in text editor? (I know it is a bit limited, but gets the simple jobs done) I added a button on top of the side panel, which opens it up in a split-screen.
Believe it or not, I’m somewhat blender inept. Last time I tried it something got messed up really good, so I've been avoiding it ever since.
From what it looks like the beam devs are going in the direction of virtual stuidio code program Tom has been self working on the blender jbeam editor. Which is pretty goated.
Reuploaded the file, added "Reload JBeam from Disk" button. I'm using AI code assist, which is quite a fun process, my part in this story is negligible.
(unofficial) Version 0.2.64 - added pop-up window offering to remove remaining unused text documents after deleting jbeam objects. - added "Delete Unused Texts" button to the Item sidepanel - added a "BeamNG Vehicle Folder" import option, which replaces the previous .pc file integration system and handles viewport visibility for jbeam and regular meshes (name-sensitive) based on part configurations. By default, it also imports .dae files, but this can be disabled in the import panel. Imported part configurations can be opened in the Text Editor, saved, and reloaded using the buttons next to them. - modified the auto-symmetry function to handle more complex situations, such as using "f2r" and "f2rr" nodes simultaneously. It now accepts JSON lists as values. The default is: [["l","r"],["ll","rr"]].
Cool I didn't know there was an editor in development so I had to make my own Unofficial Jbeam Editor can you provide your feedback on mine? Btw I tried yours but it doesn't show up in the N-panel after installation in 4.3 and 4.4.
Wow, you've built yours on a very solid foundation, full of innovative solutions. It was a big dilemma for me, which direction to approach this from, to what extent it's worth involving 3D editing in the equation, whether it would help more than the extra attention its supervision requires, and whether users trust the tool enough that they wouldn't want to see the jbeam file during every editing steps. Considering that the use of text-based editing is unavoidable for more complex tasks, I would suggest that we focus on helping with its interpretation rather than completely redesigning its editing. It all depends on how we define the tool's function: do we need extensive features, or will it be used solely for moving nodes? Who is the target audience? Can it be an alternative for hardcore users? And what is the happy medium that doesn't alienate either group? Are you sure mine is active under the add-ons tab? Don't run both at the same time, they would very likely conflict, and disable the official tool also.
Thank you for your thoughtful response! The truth is, I don’t have much experience with .jbeam editing, especially from an advanced user’s perspective. My main goal was to solve the frustration I had with the official JBeam editor, which felt cumbersome and not particularly user-friendly when it came to creating and editing nodes, beams, and triangles. I also found that there was no straightforward way to adjust scope modifier properties. This led me to think that integrating Blender’s native mesh editing might offer a more intuitive approach, allowing users to work within Blender’s familiar environment while still interacting with the JBeam node and beam system. I also found it odd that triangles and edges had to be separated, and there were instances where elements would disappear entirely after making certain edits, forcing you to restart from scratch. It was a confusing and frustrating experience, and I wanted to create something that would solve those issues. Since I don’t have the deepest experience with BeamNG or advanced JBeam needs, I’m not sure how well my approach aligns with what other users require, but it worked for me and addressed the issues I had. I’ve double-checked that all other JBeam addons are disabled, and I made sure to delete them before installing yours to avoid potential conflicts. It's supposed to show up in the Sidebar right? If you're open to it, I'd love the opportunity to test it if I had access to your Git repository.
From a software perspective, you truly succeeded in integrating the process to the greatest possible extent within Blender, reaching the maximum for interaction and overall user experience. I think your approach could be equally important and necessary for some users. For me, it was important to create a closer connection between the raw text document and real-time 3D visualization, to speed up navigation between them, and to more easily identify potential errors with color-coded representation. I'm hesitant to delve deeper and deal with the anomalies you mentioned for now. My abilities are terribly limited; I'm modifying the official version with AI assistance. The fact that I'm discussing software development with an infinitely experienced developer like you is in itself ridiculous. Therefore, I cannot provide any greater insight than the uploaded files, these are all I have. Could I ask you to try out one of the other previous versions uploaded here?
(unofficial) Version 0.2.65 - added dots for node visualization - dynamic thresholds now show calculated values in the panel - added nodegroup label to the nodes, it can be used as a filter also - fixed issue causing hidden nodes+beams reappearing when deleting something (triangles are still problematic)
Oh, I didn’t realize I needed to import a JBeam file first before the addon would appear in the sidebar—my mistake! I had assumed it would show up immediately after installation. Thank you for the kind words. Now that I’ve explored your addon, I really understand what you meant about the need for a closer connection between the raw text document and real-time 3D visualization—that makes a lot of sense. I’ll probably end up using both addons together: mine for modeling the nodes and beams, and yours for tweaking and refinement.
