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Zedex · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 4:07 pm

I've worked through various modelling techniques with 3dsmax, mainly Box modelling, patch modelling and NURBS and it seems NURBS is the only one that really lets me get any control or detail over things?
Which technique would be best for modelling characters that are both organic and have flat/sharp things on them like armor, etc.

It isn't for a game so polygon count isn't a problem, just the amount of detail and control I can get. If you haven't already I suggest going to www.blizzard.com, and downloading the trailers for diablo 2 and warcraft 3, it's amazing what they've done with 3dsmax, it's worthwhile to go and watch them trust me, it'll blow you away. Anyone know what technique with 3dsmax they've used to make those movies?

Icannon · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 4:24 pm

max 4's nurMs improvements seem to bridge the gab between it's already good organic modeling capabilities and the boxy/technical stuff of which can be very time consuming. i havn't tried it yet but i know it has new edge control and subdivision tools.

dont even bother with max's nurbs - get rhino if you want to do nice technical things.

maya's nurbs seem popular for the kind of work you want to do, but that's because maya has nurbs actually worth learning.

Darklighter · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 4:39 pm

blizzard uses Subdivision mostly, so yeah, like Icannon said, take a look into the new Nurms shiz in r4.... and get the Meshtools script for it and start using Editable Polys, there's nothing better than using all that shiz together, i've been doing 300% more work lately cuz of the new r4 stuff, 's just cool....

Meshtools here

Kickass Video on using Meshtools to model a head

[This message has been edited by Darklighter (edited April 14, 2001).]

waylon · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 5:22 pm

I read an article where the artist who modeled the crow went into a bit of detail on how he did it. I don't have the link anymore, but the gist of it was that he did most of his work in plain old "edit mesh" mode. Though that was specifically for the crow. The rest may have been done using different tools.

Zedex · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 5:32 pm

Son of a, all those wasted hours learning all the techniques but the one I want, lol

I've gone through the tutorials that came with R4 but none of them include nurms? I searched for nurms in the help topics / user reference and nothing comes up either, I'll look around for some nurms tutorials, unless nurms is another name for one of the other techniques, but I've never heard about it until now :/ Anyone care to explain?

Thanks for that video, it was interesting!

KrassOtti · member Member # Joined: 07 Mar 2001 Posts: 112

edit: ok go here for the interview: http://max3d.3dluvr.com/interview.html

it's pretty good

Waylon: I think that's on www.3dluvr.com [not exactly sure about URL, but it's 3Dluvr, might be .org or something]

They have it in the interview section or somethin like that

[This message has been edited by KrassOtti (edited April 14, 2001).]

Darklighter · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 6:31 pm

Nurms is just one of the subdivision methods in the MeshSmooth modifier

xmmx · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 6:38 pm

hey zedex nurms stands for non-uniform-ratio-mesh-smooth, it is an option for meshsmooth output. by choosing it, you have the option to control how much certain parts of you mesh is smoothed.
and i would have to agree that meshtools it the way to go very easy and quick.

Zedex · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 6:44 pm

Ahhh I see now, do you have any nurms/meshsmooth tutorial URLs? I'm going up shit river without a paddle without any tutorials lol...is it just like box modelling, editing vertexes and edges to get the shape I want?

With NURBS I can move around vertices in the perspective viewport easily but with box modelling it isn't so easy. With Screen on instead of View it's a bit easier but it still seems difficult.

Darklighter · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 6:51 pm

get to know the new SubD control levels under Meshsmooth and check out the HSDS modifier....
cept anyway, what i was gonna say is, don't go with what Blizzard is doing, just do what you like working with most, if nurbs does it for you, that's all good, maybe check out Rhino, that's a kickass lil nurbs modeller a lotta max ppl use....

but if you wonna try the SubD shit anyway, check out the 2 videos under documentation on the MeshTools site

[This message has been edited by Darklighter (edited April 14, 2001).]

xmmx · Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2001 6:55 pm

have you tried playing with surface tools they are great for organic modeling and allow for sharp angels if needed.

Zedex · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2001 2:56 pm

No I haven't tried surface tools although from the tutorials I've read, NURMS is easier to control and is less time consuming (I could be wrong but that was the feeling I got). I'm going through 3 tutorials on nurms modelling (the only 3 I could find after 40 mins of searching!), hopefully I'll get something out of it. I read all there was on NURMS in the user reference of max but it wasn't too helpful, it just said what it was. Thanks for the help, I'm getting meshtools now and am OMW to learning NURMS

xmmx · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2001 4:35 pm

In Max you have a lot more control with surface tools then nurbs. Max dose not have a whole lot to offer in the way of nurbs. but i haven't really played with them in Max 4 so i could be wrong. but in the end just go with what you like.

Darklighter · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2001 5:29 pm

seriously, just Subdivision modelling doesn't do the trick for EVERYTHING, check out each of the techniques and use them when it's appropriate....

and i like surface tools, really easy.... and i like SubD modelling.... and kladfjs;dl i could never get into nurbs, just not my thing....

some good Surface Tools Tutorials:

Surface Tools Head #1

Surface Tools Head #2

Surface Tools Nose