CGTalk - Texturing a Tree

Rudity

10-31-2002, 07:24 AM

Im texturing a tree that will somewhat look like the picture provided below.
It is currently nurbs and Id like to make it seamless where the branches meet the trunk all the way around.
Im sorta stumped on how id do this.
I could change it to poly's but before i do that i thought id ask how on this forum first.

KICKASS!!

Thanks in Advance.

tsuru

10-31-2002, 09:10 AM

My main question is are you wanting the geometry to be one surface or are you wanting the final render to appear seemless?

I ask because you could leave the tree like it is (or maybe even push the branches into the trunk a little) and then map a ramp on your transparency channel of the branch shader. This will blend the area where the branch meets the trunk in a hopefully smooth manner. I don't know how accepted this is in the industry but it's a nice, quick and dirty little trick I picked up and it lets you avoid trim surface/blend surface hell.

Second thought: I'm not sure what 3d package you're using, looks like maya from my eyes, but are you able to model your NURBS surfaces in different degrees? If you are using maya 4.5 then supposedly it's just a button now to convert from nurbs to polys... However if you have a lower maya version or are using a different 3d package, try either converting your NURBS surfaces to a degree of 1 or creating the tree from the start with degree of 1... then convert the degree 1 NURBS surface to polys. At this point if you 'smooth' aka subdivide the whole poly mesh and you should get almost the same shape the degree 1 NURBS surface had.

Rudity

10-31-2002, 11:47 AM

tsuru your awesome man.
Im gonna be using the ramp transparancy idea.. thats so easy and smart,.. Nice.
Good eye its maya. I redid the tree in poly's today, its about down now. So ill try the transparency trick.
THANKS A MILLION.
Later.
Rudity

tsuru

10-31-2002, 02:56 PM

Okay well that confuses me... if you redid it in polys I don't think you'll have much use for the alpha-limb idea since polys can pretty easily be combined into one surface.

But then again I'm not the driver here so ... :) Anyway I'm glad that it helps! Have fun :P

Rudity

11-01-2002, 04:33 AM

That idea you said helped a million man..
Dont worry if your confused it made me un confused.. I got a whiched idea..
Ill post it when i pull it off.
Thanks man, you lit my lightbulb for this one.. HEHEH

Rudity

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