#Different Modelers?
5 messages in this thread
Could someone explain what the NURBS & MeatBalls modelers do. What is missing
from 3DS3 that these other modelers add?
-Andy
>What is missing from 3DS3 that these other modelers add?
I'll take a shot at this, Andy, not because I'm any expert, but because I'm
after the Holy Grail of modeling like a lot of others.
The Shaper/Lofter combo in 3DS works just fine for nearly any geometrical shape
you'd like to construct. Even if you can't loft the whole thing at once (say,
with undercuts using Deform/Fit) you can always loft separate parts of a model
and then either Attach or Boolean them together. Where it falls down for many
is in the modeling of organic shapes.
Most organic shapes have a lot of curves in them and, to top it off, have such
nasty things like arms and legs which need to be modeled separately (the
shaper/lofter won't allow you to model multiple polygons on a path that join up
to one polygon). If you model organic parts separately, it's a royal pain to
join them to torsos, necks, etc. and have the resultant join be as smooth as it
would be in nature. And complex curved surfaces are very difficult for the
Shapter/Lofter to construct.
That's where all the various options come in: SKIN, SMOOTH, Metaballs and even
Nurbs. All of them attempt to solve these problems in different ways. If you
look at some of the examples recently posted by the MetaReyes group as to what
can be done with their product, I think you'll quickly see that these models
really couldn't be constructed with the Shaper/Lofter alone.
If most of your modeling is non-organic and you're happy with the
Shaper/Lofter, then don't worry about these other options. Otherwise, join the
search.
Hi Mike,
<< I'll take a shot at this, Andy, not because I'm any expert, but because I'm
after the Holy Grail of modeling like a lot of others. >>
FWIW, here's my holy grail in a nutshell:
1) Besides the usual polygonal tools, you start with metaballs composed of
various geometric primitives, and…
2) Freeform quadric B-Splines or NURBS, with the capability to use the control
curves most any way imaginable to construct a mesh.
3) After using metaballs to rough-out a design, the implied isosurface can then
be converted to a quadric B-Spline or NURBS surface for detailing, including
the use of trim curves/surfaces.
4) Then, individual components can be Booleaned/Trimmed and filleted together,
OR converted to a polymesh for use with something like Bones Pro/Smooth.
5) Any modeling operation can be animated, or any animation method can be used
to model.
That's all I ask <g>.
BILL
>> here's my holy grail in a nutshell<<
Sounds good to me.
-Tim
>>Could someone explain what the NURBS & MeatBalls modelers do. What is
>>missing from 3DS3 that these other modelers add?
Andy,
you can find a DemoRendering in the IPAS library that will show you a little
bit of the capabilities of the NurbsPatchModeler. The filename is flowers.jpg
and it took me about three hours for modeling and designing.
Natural, organic modeling with 3DS is very hard to do. This is the reason why
we developed this modeler. I will upload other demo pictures in the next weeks
to show you some of the features.
Peter K.