Modeling a vintage TV - Having Bevel issues

[chromecity]

You see how the grey plastic creases at the corners, but then resolves in a rounded, beveled edge?
Hi Will,

I'm aware of a lot of the issues surrounding bevels, but in this case, I don't actually know what you mean when you said that bit about the grey plastic creases at the corners. Kinda hard to see with the small picture - can you highlight what you mean by that part? There are usually a few ways around these bevel issues, but right now I just don't really understand what you're up against. Thanks.

[GruvDOne]

Ok, well.. do you see the grey frame around the actual screen? There is a line, a crease if you will running down the corner. The top edge of the corner is 90 degrees, but the bottom edge is met with a rounded shape.

I know the ref pic is small, it is what was given to me...

Here are some shots from my still early model....

http://web.mac.com/williefrazier/Site/Blank_files/Picture%2016.png

http://web.mac.com/williefrazier/Site/Blank_files/Picture%2019.png

Here you see the hard edge in the corner. The corner that meets the screen needs to be rounded... when I attempt it (this was just the first basic bevel attempt), I get this:

http://web.mac.com/williefrazier/Site/Blank_files/Picture%2018.png

http://web.mac.com/williefrazier/Site/Blank_files/Picture%2017.png

This result is typical regardless of what I try. In this shot, the bevel tool is set up to make NGons, but disabling that doesn't matter. I tried creating extra edges and such, but it made no difference.

Hope this clears things up for you a bit. Thanks in advance for any help.

[chromecity]

Hi Will,

Thanks for your clarification. The usual approaches would probably apply in that situation, like trying to tweak a phong angle in the phong tag, using separate HyperNURBS weights for different portions of the mesh, and so forth. But if that's the only reference image you were given, are you sure your interpretation of that crease is correct? Perhaps the lines you see emanating from the corners are just the result of an anisotropic sort of sheen in the material?

[GruvDOne]

Hi Will,

The usual approaches would probably apply in that situation, like trying to tweak a phong angle in the phong tag,

I did try that, actually, that was the first thing I did... I use this technique regularly.

using separate HyperNURBS weights for different portions of the mesh,

That was the second thing I tried.. ultimately, it too came out looking funky.


But if that's the only reference image you were given, are you sure your interpretation of that crease is correct? Perhaps the lines you see emanating from the corners are just the result of an anisotropic sort of sheen in the material?

Yeah, I am sure. I remember TV's like this. The screen was always rounded in the corners, and the rest of the box was very, very square. Fabrication machines and molds can do almost anything...

I understand why the mesh artifacts exist... but I also feel there must be a way around it.

[AWOL]

I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but I would do it like the jpg and zip:ed .c4d shows. The outer corner can be made even more sharp if you like of course.

[chromecity]

Unless I am missing some nuance, regular weighting seems to work fine:

http://www.chromecity.com/C4D/ConsoleTVBevel.jpg

[GruvDOne]

I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but I would do it like the jpg and zip:ed .c4d shows. The outer corner can be made even more sharp if you like of course.


Wow... you know... I see stuff like this, and I think to myself... "You've been doing 3D for 3 years now, and you still can't figure stuff like that out on your own?" I tell ya what... I feel like a freaking hack sometimes. Your example is perfect, and while I am more than grateful, I can't help but feel like I am maybe in the wrong business sometimes.

Thank you

[GruvDOne]

Hey Jeff, saw your post after studying AWOL's file. I am curious about something... how did you make your HN weighting look like a Vertex Map? And.. my attempts at edge weighting my HN'ed model still resulted in unsavory artifacts. Worked for you.. not for me... dunno why....


goddamn am I ever feeling discouraged....

regardless... thank you both, very very much

[chromecity]

Hi Will,

Whenever you first adjust the weighting in any way, a HyperNURBS weight tag will be applied to your geometry. If you select that weight tag in the Object Manager and have any sort of shaded viewport, you'll see that blue/red weight representation.

[GruvDOne]

Hi Will,

Whenever you first adjust the weighting in any way, a HyperNURBS weight tag will be applied to your geometry. If you select that weight tag in the Object Manager and have any sort of shaded viewport, you'll see that blue/red weight representation.

Ahh yes... I do know of the HN weight tag, but I don't think I have clicked on one since the R8
days. Thanks again.

[leed]

you can also do it using a Loft nurbs. might have a bit more control over it...

Lee

[AWOL]

Wow... you know... I see stuff like this, and I think to myself... "You've been doing 3D for 3 years now, and you still can't figure stuff like that out on your own?" I tell ya what... I feel like a freaking hack sometimes. Your example is perfect, and while I am more than grateful, I can't help but feel like I am maybe in the wrong business sometimes.

Thank you

:)
No problem. The hn weighting is also a perfectly good solution, I just prefer the more manual control with extra cuts. I like a very slight round corner on everything.

[WhItY]

The HN-weighting is really a nice and mostly clean solution. Maybe next time I will use HN instead of a bevel which gives often bad phongshading results..

As always... many roads lead to Rome :)

Julian

[Per-Anders]

It's the wrong sort of bevel. Bevel the edge itself (as it is in the original object) not the point :

http://www.peranders.com/general/tv_bevel01.jpg
http://www.peranders.com/general/tv_bevel04.jpg
http://www.peranders.com/general/tv_bevel02.jpg
http://www.peranders.com/general/tv_bevel03.jpg
And then after extending out the outer edge and of course bevelling that slightly (always do bevels that go accross one another seperately in C4D for good corners).
http://www.peranders.com/general/tv_bevel05.jpg

[Per-Anders]

If you then want to accentuate a difference in diameter between inside and out it's much simpler, all you have to do is scale the inside points up, this gives you the change you want and works well with HN:

http://www.peranders.com/general/tv_bevel06.jpg
Decided to very quickly mess around a bit further and do some rough trim and a quick render with stoch gi :
http://www.peranders.com/general/tv_bevel07.jpg
With a bit more work on the insde edge (just some more points and placing them manually) which would take all of ten minutes you should end up with a nice smooth perfect result.

[3DBond]

Anyone else have a love-hate relationship with Per? :D

Thanks for the lesson!

[scanmead]

Anyone else have a love-hate relationship with Per? :D

Thanks for the lesson!

Yes. ;)

.. and it's always the "simple" shapes you think will take 5 minutes and end up making you :banghead: , that make you think "Per-Anders wouldn't be having this problem".

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