pandemonium_engine_docs/tutorials/3d/procedural_geometry/surfacetool.rst

.. _doc_surfacetool:

Using the SurfaceTool
=====================

The :ref:`SurfaceTool <class_surfacetool>` provides a useful interface for constructing geometry.
The interface is similar to the :ref:`ImmediateGeometry <class_immediategeometry>` node. You
set each per-vertex attribute (e.g. normal, uv, color) and then when you add a vertex it
captures the attributes.

The SurfaceTool also provides some useful helper functions like ``index()`` and ``generate_normals()``.

Attributes are added before each vertex is added:

.. tabs::
 .. code-tab:: gdscript GDScript

    st.add_normal() # Overwritten by normal below.
    st.add_normal() # Added to next vertex.
    st.add_color() # Added to next vertex.
    st.add_vertex() # Captures normal and color above.
    st.add_normal() # Normal never added to a vertex.

When finished generating your geometry with the :ref:`SurfaceTool <class_surfacetool>`
call ``commit()`` to finish generating the mesh. If an :ref:`ArrayMesh <class_ArrayMesh>` is passed
to ``commit()`` then it appends a new surface to the end of the ArrayMesh. While if nothing is passed
in, ``commit()`` returns an ArrayMesh.

.. tabs::
 .. code-tab:: gdscript GDScript

    st.commit(mesh)
    # Or:
    var mesh = st.commit()

Code creates a triangle with indices

.. tabs::
 .. code-tab:: gdscript GDScript

    var st = SurfaceTool.new()

    st.begin(Mesh.PRIMITIVE_TRIANGLES)

    # Prepare attributes for add_vertex.
    st.add_normal(Vector3(0, 0, 1))
    st.add_uv(Vector2(0, 0))
    # Call last for each vertex, adds the above attributes.
    st.add_vertex(Vector3(-1, -1, 0))

    st.add_normal(Vector3(0, 0, 1))
    st.add_uv(Vector2(0, 1))
    st.add_vertex(Vector3(-1, 1, 0))

    st.add_normal(Vector3(0, 0, 1))
    st.add_uv(Vector2(1, 1))
    st.add_vertex(Vector3(1, 1, 0))

    # Commit to a mesh.
    var mesh = st.commit()

You can optionally add an index array, either by calling ``add_index()`` and adding
vertices to the index array or by calling ``index()`` which shrinks the vertex array
to remove duplicate vertices.

.. tabs::
 .. code-tab:: gdscript GDScript

    # Creates a quad from four corner vertices.
    # Add_index does not need to be called before add_vertex.
    st.add_index(0)
    st.add_index(1)
    st.add_index(2)

    st.add_index(1)
    st.add_index(3)
    st.add_index(2)

    # Alternatively:
    st.index()

Similarly, if you have an index array, but you want each vertex to be unique (e.g. because
you want to use unique normals or colors per face instead of per-vertex), you can call ``deindex()``.

.. tabs::
 .. code-tab:: gdscript GDScript

    st.deindex()

If you don't add custom normals yourself, you can add them using ``generate_normals()``, which should
be called after generating geometry and before committing the mesh using ``commit()`` or
``commit_to_arrays()``. Calling ``generate_normals(true)`` will flip the resulting normals. As a side
note, ``generate_normals()`` only works if the primitive type is set to ``Mesh.PRIMITIVE_TRIANGLES``.

If you don't add custom tangents, they can be added with ``generate_tangents()``, but it requires
that each vertex have UVs and normals set already.

.. tabs::
 .. code-tab:: gdscript GDScript

    st.generate_normals()
    st.generate_tangents()

By default, when generating normals, they will be calculated on a per-face basis. If you want
smooth vertex normals, when adding vertices, call ``add_smooth_group()``. ``add_smooth_group()``
needs to be called while building the geometry, e.g. before the call to ``add_vertex()``
(if non-indexed) or ``add_index()`` (if indexed).