Nurbs, polygons, subdivs ... hmmm

[Xtrude]

I kinda think that people gain proficiency in one or two, or the other...

most of all it is I think, personal pref, also the same feeling which determines which app is best for you... and yea, what you want to do with things....

try em all out, methods, apps, approaches... and see which is most intuitive for you... then further practice, and study... soon you will begin to see the more important aspects of things, and you will then start to comprehend the finer differences in features that each different toolset/app offers... then you pick again which really works for you and you needs...

[Kaftan]

NURBS is an obsolete technology, to my knowledge and there is no point in learning to use it. Although I think it might still be used in Architectual/CAD programs.


after reading posts below: Oh, that's what I get for pledging my soul to the dark masters of subdivision modeling ;)

[yann22]

Sorry, but NURBS are far from obsolete and if you want to be a versatile modeler, you should know them. They can be incredible timesavers, e.g. if I want to model some curtains for a room i can do that in 30 seconds with NURBS, while I would never think about doing that with polys or SubDs. They are also resolution independent and you get perfect curves, at least with Renderman. If you're using Maya, you can convert them to Polys or SubDs at any stage. Here's some very comprehensive training material on NURBS in Maya:

http://www.3dbuzz.com/xcart/product.php?productid=35&cat=1&page=1

[amz23]

Hello,

I think NURBS are a matter of personal preference, for non-organic models mostly. I myself love NURBS, I started modeling with them in rhino before I modeled complex things with polys.

As RabbitRun said, I think NURBS cannot be ignored... yeah if you're modeling a human face/body it would be really troublesome using NURBS, but for a car? I'd definitely use NURBS... just take into account that NURBS surfaces are generated with "source" curves: you want to modify that car hood and make it rounder? Just pull some control points and regenerate the surface (in Rhino at least, in Max they regen automatically)... with polys you'd have to pull many vertices, and keeping smooth curves just takes more time...

So, it all depends on what you're modeling, it really is better to know how to use the best tools everytime ;)

[CaptBlack]

xtrude is right man, try every method and program you possibly can and absorb everything like a sponge. I'm kinda new to 3d my self and my opinion is sample everything and see what works best. Sorry to basically repeat what others have said but thought you might like see it from a fellow 3d beginner.

[Ralle]

Thanks for your replys. I see, there is no simple answer :)
As I understand now, it is a question of personal reference and workflow. The result is important, not the way - right?
But for example, in question of a good topology, outclasses one modeling-technique the others?

[Xtrude]

ah... :D

Good mesh is just that... achieved by adhering to some good basic modeling principals, most already developed and agreed upon, so as to ensure certain results for certain reasons.

In subd modeling there's always the choice between poly by poly vs box modeling... this is personal preference in my opinion, and though it would be best to learn both methods... good mesh can be achieved employing either method... mesh theory is the same regardless... a loop is still a loop, an edge still an edge... :D

I prefer box modeling as the volume is always there so to speak... but some times following an image it is just as handy to go poly by poly... and... for those who like volume, but crave mesh bliss, they can have the best of both worlds with new topology tools found in several apps... it's all good in the world of modeling these days... :D

On the other side, when all is said and done, there are many who would do organics within ZBrush, or craft up hard surface models using Nurbs, splines... and their works really rock... so who is to say?

Really depends on what you wish to do, end result wise... As a hobbiest, one can go nuts with whatever, on the other hand, someone who is interested in a career might best look further into what the perspective fields, and companies, require or prefer respectively...

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