AlphaForge — Documentation & User Guide

1. Installation (Blender 4.2+)

AlphaForge is packaged using Blender's modern Extension architecture.

- Open Blender and go to Edit > Preferences.
- Select the Get Extensions tab on the left.
- Click the top-right drop-down arrow (gear menu) and select Install from Disk...
- Locate and select the AlphaForge.zip file.
- Ensure the checkbox next to AlphaForge is enabled.
- The add-on is now ready in the 3D Viewport Sidebar (N-Panel > AlphaForge).

2. Quick Start Workflows

A. Standalone 3D Lattice (From Image File)

- Press N in the 3D Viewport and open the AlphaForge tab.
- Click the Open button (folder icon) to load any PNG (RGBA alpha or Black & White silhouette).
- Adjust Thickness and Bevel under Geometry Dimensions.
- Click Generate Lattice to spawn a beveled 3D profile lattice at the 3D Cursor.

B. 1-Click Architectural Surface Replacement (Sandwich Panel)

- Select a building facade, window pane, or gothic arch mesh containing an alpha texture.
- Click Detect from Selected. AlphaForge automatically analyzes the material node tree, UV coordinates, and 3D orientation.
- Click Generate Sandwich. The tool seamlessly replaces the 2D window surface with a flush 3-Layer Hybrid Sandwich Panel (Front Alpha Glass + 3D Extruded Core + Back Alpha Glass).
- To adjust depth or bevel, tweak the settings and click Rebuild Selected to update the panel live in-place.
- To cancel or revert, click Revert to Surface to restore your original untouched wall geometry instantly.

C. Surface Conform to Curved Objects (Cylinders & Columns)

- Select your generated AlphaForge panel.
- Under Surface Conform, use the Eyedropper to select your curved column, cylinder, or dome.
- Adjust the Offset (e.g. 0.001 m to eliminate Z-fighting) and click Conform / Wrap to Surface.

3. UI & Parameter Reference

Image Input Section

Extraction Settings

- Channel:
  * Auto (Alpha / B&W): Intelligently detects whether transparency is stored in the Alpha channel or derived from RGB brightness.
  * Alpha Channel: Forces extraction from the 4th RGBA channel.
  * Grayscale (B&W) / Red / Green / Blue: Extracts boundaries from color or brightness values.
- Invert Mask: Flips the extraction area (treats black as solid geometry). Viewport material preview updates live in real-time.
- Threshold (0.01 - 0.99): Sets the edge cutoff point. Default 0.50 delivers crisp boundaries for standard masks.
- Optimize Topology: Straightens diagonal pixel staircases into clean polygon runs.
  * Tolerance (px): Pixel tolerance for dissolving redundant vertices along straight lines.
  * Sharp Corners (deg): Minimum corner angle (default 22.0 deg) to strictly preserve mechanical corners while keeping curves smooth.

Geometry Dimensions

- Thickness: Physical extrusion depth along the profile normal axis (e.g. 0.05 m).
- Bevel: Procedural chamfer width applied to edges (e.g. 0.002 m) for realistic specular highlights.
- Target Width & Height: Real-world dimensions in meters. Automatically computes aspect ratios when loading images standalone.

Action Buttons

- Generate Lattice: Creates an open-back 3D extrusion ribbon profile mesh.
- Generate Sandwich: Creates a closed 3-layer panel with 1:1 front/back transparent cap faces and solid beveled extrusion walls.
- Rebuild Selected: Re-extracts and rebuilds the active panel in-place, preserving exact 3D positioning, orientation, and arch curvature.
- Revert to Surface: Safely deletes the generated panel and restores the original untouched 2D surface geometry with 100% precision.

4. Automated Material & UV System

- Cap Faces (Front & Back): Retains exact 1:1 2D UV mapping corresponding to your original alpha texture or glass material.
- Intermediate Wall Faces: Automatically unwrapped via optimized Smart UV Project (66 deg Angle Limit, Scaled Margin, Axis-Aligned Vertical) to ensure seamless PBR texturing with zero distortion.