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View Full Version : [Rhino] NURBS Modelling Efficiency

stefanvverk
08-01-2004, 01:19 PM
Hi,

I recently started a new Rhinoceros project. The plan was to make a Lego vehicle, modelling a few bricks and copying them all over so it would be an easy model :)
The modelling is not the problem, not at all. Rhino is a very easy program, so modelling isn't the obstacle. The number of NURBS / Polygons is, in fact, a much bigger problem.

I made the bricks from a simple box, rounding the top edges, and creating the typical round "top", also with rounded edges. Very simple you'd think.
In fact I'm at like 10% of my vehicle and already getting a mess. Here's a wire-frame:

http://www.flashex.com/fotoboek/wire.jpg

As you can see on the image, the model is as complex as ***, making it really big and slow to work with.
The rendering is, again, no problem. All the boxes and stuff are a simple render for Brazil (3DsMax).

Here are 2 renders:

http://www.flashex.com/fotoboek/57.jpg
http://www.flashex.com/fotoboek/58.jpg

My question is:
How can I make the model less complex, less "massive"... You'd think, the model being just boxes and stuff, it would be a very light, simple model. In fact it's the other way around.
Is there a way to make the model a bit less complex, a bit more "light", so it won't be a massive polygon / NURBS count when I reach the 100% ??

Thanks for reading and I hope you can help me out.

Cheers !
swampthing
08-01-2004, 06:06 PM
It would seem to me that if you're modelling the little "pegs" that are snapped inside other blocks, which it appears you are from what i can make out of the screen grab, that you're wasting quite a bit of geometry on things that will never be seen unless your planning on having the construction of it be animated.

If i'm seeing things and that's not what you're doing then obviously disregard.
stefanvverk
08-04-2004, 12:34 PM
@ swampthing: You're kinda right... I got the Lego book here in front of me, which helps me model the truck piece by piece. With that comes the fact that every block that's needed for the "real" truck, is also modelled within my model. I planned to cut them out later, when it's finished, because you're right, they are making it more complex.
Although that "complex"-problem showed up earlier then I hoped for. So... anyone else any ideas ?
AmbiDextrose
08-06-2004, 10:41 PM
Have you tried using blocks in Rhino? A block is a peice of geometry (surface or poly surface, except groups, I think) that you can import in other projects. This can decrease the size of the file greatly. Another thing that will probably help is working in layers.
CiaránMurphy
08-08-2004, 11:51 PM
I don't know if Rhino has thge notion of "instances" but if it does then that would be the obvious way to go.

In a model like this you will probably have dozens of bricks that are identical, so instead of creating individual copies of each one you start by creating one of each part. Then you just create instances of them... I know that in C4D and Max allow you do this. It really keeps file size down and speeds things up in general because instead of having hundreds of identical but individual items you only have a few dozen parts that are cloned.

Hope this helps
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