CGTalk - Need Modelling help

Galo

11-05-2002, 04:31 PM

1st solf = solve :D

and to my opinion you cannot color specific poly's and yes it's wise to model you windshields appart from the rest of the car body.

actualy, if i would model a car i would model all part seperated as nurbs, a car is not made out of one part, it has many parts, even the body.

then you can colour the roof any color you want, you can also texture your roof and make it apear as another colour by your texture.

i hope this helped you.

DeathCarrot

11-05-2002, 05:12 PM

Not bad not bad, you can assign a texture to a selection by going, once youve got the polygons selected, go selection -> set selection, double click the triange next to the object and give it a name, or edit its name in the attributes thing (depending on if you have R7 or R8). then give the object a texture, then in the selection box (cant remember what it is in 7) just put in the name of the selection you made. easy
As for the windshield, i have no idea, ive never tried to model a car, just... go with your instincts. :bounce:

malc0lm

11-05-2002, 05:24 PM

Thanks alot guys, will keep posting pics on the WIP if any1 is intrested?

DeathCarrot

11-05-2002, 05:27 PM

yeah, i'd like to see how this develops, how long have you been doing 3D? im guessing from this model and you saying youre now to c4d that you have previous knowledge, as that car is defeneatly not newbieish.

malc0lm

11-05-2002, 05:46 PM

I've been doing some 3D on MAX 4 before this, but I my computer didnt like it very much (Only have an 800mhz ;). So I checked with my friends what 3D prog was the must easy-to-learn and is affordable... So here I am ;)

Galo

11-05-2002, 05:46 PM

Originally posted by DeathCarrot
Not bad not bad, you can assign a texture to a selection by going, once youve got the polygons selected, go selection -> set selection, double click the triange next to the object and give it a name, or edit its name in the attributes thing (depending on if you have R7 or R8). then give the object a texture, then in the selection box (cant remember what it is in 7) just put in the name of the selection you made. easy
As for the windshield, i have no idea, ive never tried to model a car, just... go with your instincts. :bounce:

that's how we all learn a lot fron each other :D

DeathCarrot

11-05-2002, 05:48 PM

Defeneatly the right choice :thumbsup:

pit

11-05-2002, 08:16 PM

@Galo: 1st fron=from :)

Galo

11-05-2002, 09:12 PM

lol

noen

11-06-2002, 01:05 AM

you can have several sets of polys each with their own texture assigned to them as long as they all have unique names - however, the line from one texture to another is going to be sharp - if that is what you want - maybe you can hide the line somehow?

:0

TheSnowMan

11-06-2002, 01:37 AM

Hey,
I am new to this forum, c4d, and modeling. I made a handful ( about 20 ) small models of house hold objects. I want to start moving on to some more complicated objects such as a car or gun. Since I can't find any tuts for those online I figured I could ask around here. With all that crap done and said here goes the questions:

How did you start off with the car ( did you edit a cube..or used splines...hypernurbs...)

can you please just explain a little of what you used at first.. I just need something to push me in the right direction. Please offer any advise you have on how I could go about making a car. Thanks

TheSnowMan
www.geocities.com/thesnowman747

pit

11-06-2002, 07:21 AM

Try these:
http://www.raz.ro/tutorials/masina/car1.htm
http://www.mtmckinley.net/tut11.html
http://www.lightwaveworld.com/Tutorials/Chris/intro.htm

the first might be hard / impossible to do with C4D.

cheers

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 12:38 PM

A short summary on how I did the basic mesh for it (since I'm new tó C4D and fairly new to 3D this might not be the best way how to):

1, Create a box
2, Made a concept art of the car (sorta crossing of a NSX, Testarossa and a Corvette).
3, Extrude the box to fit the lengt to the car (think of the details of the car when doing this)
4, Move the points to fit the concept art.
5, Repeat 3 & 5 to the width of the car

oh, a WIP-pic is attached!

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 12:40 PM

Need help again :(
How do I make the rims (think thats what the inner-things in a tyre is called :P)

any1 got a good tut?

Galo

11-06-2002, 01:15 PM

if i would make them i would make a spline profile and extrude it......

ill try to make an example

Galo

11-06-2002, 01:22 PM

errm, this seams harder than it looks, cant get the right profile for it

DAMN, this is hard, now you notice the lack of modeling tools in C4d R7, aarrgg

geoffr

11-06-2002, 01:33 PM

Check this tut out:

http://www.7thchamber.com/tutorials/Chev/index.htm

I think it's what you're looking for

Galo

11-06-2002, 01:33 PM

that's the one i was searching for

Galo

11-06-2002, 01:36 PM

hmm, that's a hubcap, not a rim

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 01:51 PM

This is the kind I'm talking 'bout:

Galo

11-06-2002, 02:06 PM

allright im getting the hang on this :D

Galo

11-06-2002, 02:16 PM

something like this ?

download the scene file here,...

Galo

11-06-2002, 02:18 PM

i mean here

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 02:23 PM

Thx, but no thx :P
I don't want to download a rim, I wanna make it myself... I'm here to learn, so If u would be kind enough to explain how you did it I would truly appritciate it ;D

Galo

11-06-2002, 02:26 PM

whoo, im sorry just trying to help, if you download the file you can view the stack, then you see how i build it......and then you make your own one...

much more easy to explain :D

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 02:31 PM

Sorry, didnt mean to sound to be cruel.. Don't get me wrong, I truly appricieate (F- in english :/) your/every1's help. DLing the file now

Galo

11-06-2002, 02:40 PM

ahh that's okay,

i just made some splines, then you make sure you make them editable (c) then you group them, go to function > connect and he makes a nieuw combined spline object of all your separated spline objects, then you just extrude it and play a little with the extrude settings....

thats all

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 03:42 PM

This is how the wheels turned out (havnt made any texture for the rims yet... all the crome ones I make look like crap :/)
Fiddled with the DOF-filter also... didnt turn out so great...

Peoples

11-06-2002, 04:22 PM

Hi!

I did a few tries - make the center-piece from a tube with 6 or 5 rotation segments and 2-3 height segments. Make editable and extrude the 6 faces is maybe 4 parts. Now drop it in to a hypernurbs and get it smoothed. For the center you can extrude f.ex some depht and add some bolts. If you need more defined rims (if they're too round) you can subdive all the polys to get it a bit sharper under the HN..

I've spent the last few days trying really hard to make a cool car with box/poly modeling but all my attempts are a bit 'blobby' cant find a technique to get the panels and cuts right. I'm dreaming to make something like this:

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25085&perpage=15&pagenumber=5

...but thats a long way off....I hope someone here could maybe give some hints or show their C4D cars. I have read all the tuts mentioned here at CGtalk but I feeö like I'm a bit stuck at the moment. Here are some of my attempts:

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25843

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 05:00 PM

What is the best way to make details (such as front lights)?
Boolean?
Iv'e tried to make it on the current mesh but with unacceptable results... Thanks to peoples for the tip! ;)

Galo

11-06-2002, 07:52 PM

Originally posted by Peoples
Hi!

I did a few tries - make the center-piece from a tube with 6 or 5 rotation segments and 2-3 height segments. Make editable and extrude the 6 faces is maybe 4 parts. Now drop it in to a hypernurbs and get it smoothed. For the center you can extrude f.ex some depht and add some bolts. If you need more defined rims (if they're too round) you can subdive all the polys to get it a bit sharper under the HN..

I've spent the last few days trying really hard to make a cool car with box/poly modeling but all my attempts are a bit 'blobby' cant find a technique to get the panels and cuts right. I'm dreaming to make something like this:

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25085&perpage=15&pagenumber=5

...but thats a long way off....I hope someone here could maybe give some hints or show their C4D cars. I have read all the tuts mentioned here at CGtalk but I feeö like I'm a bit stuck at the moment. Here are some of my attempts:

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25843

well i don't know i've got a lot of faith in C4d but IMHO..... that car from that thread you like is made in Softimage XSI, don't know if you ever tried that package but it's alot more advanced then C4d, and so a lot harder to make in c4d, and im talking about v 7 havent been able to trie out v8.0 yet so....

Peoples

11-06-2002, 08:02 PM

If you made the car with hypernurbs - when the car body is ready - make the HN editable and delete the useless hypernurbs object. Now you should have a mesh with more polys than the original. Select some polys where you want your headlights. Extrude inner with max angle 180° 0.5 - then extrude -4 - extrude inner again 0.5 and finally extrude back +4. Set selection from selection menu. Grow selection four times and double click the selection you just made (the red triangle in the objects panel) and click deselect. Now you should have just the outline polys of the lamp selected (the polys that make the cut). Use subdivide with hypernurbs box activated - this makes the shape a bit more round. You should now have a seam for the lamps. You can now select the "glass" polys and split them to an independent object - and delete the "glass" polys you just splitted from the carbody. This is kinda hard to explain but hope you get the idea. You have to model the bulbs off course but that´s pretty easy with some spheres and oiltanks f.ex............:hmm:

malc0lm

11-06-2002, 08:23 PM

Peoples, gr8 tips! But I gotta ask 1 dumb question:
What do u mean with "split" (First time user on C4D so take it easy on the C4D-slang:P).
Are there I way do do this w/out having to make the HN-cage editble (in case I mess up, witch I useally does)?

Peoples

11-06-2002, 08:29 PM

Upper menus: Structure -> Edit Surface -> Split - it copies the polys you´ve selected. Then you should make a new HN for the splitted polys so they fit to the rest of the body - and remembre to delete the polys from the body-mesh. This is just one way I've learned to make some headlights and cuts - it's a good way to save it b4 making the HN editable - you can of course use the same tech whit the HN still active but it usually makes very round and not accurate cuts cause there are too few polys. The more polys the tighter corners. But the key is to experiment - this is just one way and it isn't the best one..

Keep working - I haven't given up my hope on C4D and car-modeling allthough I'm pretty frustrated at the moment.......:bounce: :bounce: I'm going to build the car of my dreams even if it took 6 months....

Galo

11-06-2002, 09:02 PM

Hey, im rying to make a car as well, this is pretty fun :D

Galo

11-06-2002, 09:25 PM

damn man this is way 2 hard in C4d.... this wont work at all...

AdamT

11-06-2002, 10:17 PM

Regarding the best way to make cutouts in the car body, I recommend using Edge Extrude Pro's spline extrusion method. If you don't have the plugin--you should get it!

I used EE Pro to make all the cutouts in my model:
http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20310

TheSnowMan

11-07-2002, 02:22 AM

Ok here is a stupid question but I am still knew to this c4d so here it goes. I found a car blueprint and i want to use in making the car. How can I put it in the program so I can model around it? If anyone understands the questions I am asking please help me..

-TheSnowMan-
www.geocities.com/thesnowman747

Per-Anders

11-07-2002, 02:58 AM

two main ways, 1) you can load each sidde as a backdrop to your viewports in their viewport settings dialog 2) you can make a plane that's the right proportions, and map a texture with your blueprint onto it, then add a display tag to the plane and change it's setting to gourad shading or quick shading. (you will need a plane for each projection, and of course they will need to be orientated the right way.

benifits of the first way are that the viewport bakcdrops will match the original blueprints resolution automatically (otherwise you have to go into the general settings and change the texture maps resultion there). downside is that you have to tint your image before you take it into c4d so that it doesn't interfere with your geometry as you build it.

mwa

11-07-2002, 11:16 AM

I would recomend every one new to C4D to go trough the tutorial mentioned before. I know rhat it seems massive I waited proberbly 5 months until I finally started with it and that was a pitty cause I learned more about cinema in thoose 3-4 nights it took me to almost complete the tutorial (still has interior left to do) then I've done in months before.
--Magnus--

mwa

11-07-2002, 11:17 AM

The link disapered: http://www.7thchamber.com/tutorials/Chev/index.htm
--Magnus--

malc0lm

11-07-2002, 11:44 AM

AdamT, Im at school right now so I cant check this but Im curios ;)
Does Edge Extrude Pro wrk w/ 7.3? Im wondering because one of the 8:s new feature is EE...

EDIT:
Is it worth to by this plugin, or should I just upgrade to XL8?

AdamT

11-07-2002, 05:51 PM

Yep, EE Pro works with both R7 and R8. I think it's well worth the $20 even if you have R8. While R8 does have edge extrusion, it doesn't have the invaluable extrude-to-spline function, or the patch function.

malc0lm

11-07-2002, 07:41 PM

Does any1 have a good tut or can explain how to make realistic Headlights?

TheSnowMan

11-07-2002, 08:04 PM

When I go to this site

http://www.7thchamber.com/tutorials/Chev/index.htm

most of the words are on top of each other (overlapping) and I can't read it. I was wandering if anyone else is haveing that problem or is it just my computer. If it doesn't overlap for you can you see if there is a way where you can just download the whole tutorial, and can you give me the link to it. Thanks

I also have another question...
When you told me to add the blueprint as a backdrop I tried to do that but can't figure out how. Sorry but I am still new with cinema.

TheSnowMan
www.geocities.com/thesnowman747

jeff_C

11-07-2002, 10:39 PM

Snowman, I'm the guy that wrote that 7thchamber tutorial. A couple people that have had that overlapping text have their browser fonts set to 'larger' or 'largest'. It works fine (IE 5+) for me if they are set to medium (in the browser under View menu). Not sure about Netscape or others...

Of course, the PDF's are always an option too, though not complete, and not likely to be completed...

Jeff

AdamT

11-07-2002, 10:54 PM

Malcolm,
Here's a good headlight tutorial: Headlights (http://www.3dcar.kg/tutorial/less02.htm)
It's for Max, but can be translated pretty well to Cinema.

mwa

11-07-2002, 11:37 PM

To jeff_C !
I'm very glad to see that you're her, gives me a chance to thank you for your excellent work on that tutorial. Probarbly one of the best I gone trough so far.
Thank you!
--Magnus--

TheSnowMan

11-08-2002, 12:28 AM

Jeff,
You were right it was the font size..mine was on largest...mostly because I never new you could change the font size...it works fine now and I will be starting on your tutorial today....just want to say thanks ahead of time because it looks like a great tutorial covering everything....

jeff_C

11-08-2002, 06:11 AM

Magnus, thanks for the kind words. The tutorial took about a year to write (working painfully slowly in whatever free time I could find) so hearing any form of appreciation is music to my ears, thanks!

SnowMan, glad the font size thing worked. I dunno how to make the pages so that they force a specific font size, as you can see I clearly know little about web design!

The boxmodeling technique as shown in the tutorial is not the solution for everybody, because it tends to require you plan your whole approach before you start. Some car shapes are also a lot more suited to starting from a box, but others would be much harder. Initially I made a couple cars using the "build polys as you go approach", but got a couple requests for a tutorial and I couldn't very well write "step 1, place a poly, step 2, place the next poly" so I devised a method of producing it from a box (which seemd to be the "in" thing at the time. I think in general you can be a lot more 'free' in your approach if you build as you go, but sooner or later you run into places where you still have to figure out how to make it all come together.

With the advent of certain plugins like cutter, edgeextrude pro, saw, etc., alot of the techniques in my tut could be improved, or even discarded. For example, Saw could be used to make the 'double knife cuts' I refer to in the tut *after* the basic geometry had been shaped. That would have made it loads easier, but I didn't have that option at the time!!! Oh well...

That's not to say there isn't still at least a little useful stuff in that tutorial though!

If I had to do another, I'd probably go the same way AdamT did there, but keep the body one piece until the time came to chop up the panels & doors. Also, I have no v8 experience, but one would have to think the edges and HyperNURBS weight control would be of some help.

Jeff

bry

11-08-2002, 02:19 PM

Hi,
this post is originally from my thread:

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=253172#post253172

but since Peoples invited me to come to this thread and talk about my car model, I posted it here too.

"I'm learning a lot as I do it, because this is my first car model and I had never modeled anything so technical before.

The way I chose to do it was to use blueprints as the viewport's background. I made them appear in real size so I wouldn't have to worry about measures when modeling. I also took a lot of reference photos with as many details as I could get.

Then, I started modeling each individual panel at a time. I think it's extremely dificult to model an entire car as a single mesh, though there may be advantages to do so at the beggining and then spliting it to create the individual panels.

I started experimenting with splines but I gave up, I was going nowhere.
I then started to use box modeling techniques I developed as I modeled along, experimenting a lot.

I used no plugin at all, just plain simple C4D XL7."

Any doubt, just ask.

Bry