What modelling method do you prefer?

[wgreenlee1]

After not modeling with NURBs since my Truespace days...I'm really having fun digging into them and rediscovering what I half a** knew about them a couple of years ago.
Mainly yes though,polys to subdivision surfaces..I'm so used to working with polys then subpatch(Lightwave) I'm finding that I'm doing the same with Maya mainly....
Now one thing I do like is Smooth and Proxy Smooth.
Those combined with Mayas history can really make for some intense modeling....
Now for my future ambitions with Maya is combine all aspects of its modeler...
By that I mean to make the most of NURBs,Sub~Ds and Polygon combing with lattice and other deformations like non~linear bend,Flare,sine,squash,twistwave,etc,etc in the animation sections of Maya and ueing them to their fullest.

Now on the other hand what have I actually done with Maya...err oh...nothing...like I say I'm just digging around and having fun,exprimenting and learning.
I'm like a kid in a sand box.just having the time of my life....:thumbsup:

[Nicool]

I'm keen on box modeling. I don't use extrude edge, I start with a box because I prefer working with levels of details... With stages of quality like in drawing : the shape are more and more detailed...:cool:

[Elliotjnewman]

yeah I would agree with that. its like construction lines - getting the general shape there and then adding in the detail.

[Ultimatebadass]

Hmm... polygons i guess. I use the same method Nicool mentioned :thumbsup:

[Grooveholmes]

:shrug: It really comes down to what i'm trying to model.

[onlooker]

Although I am not a seasoned modeler. I appreciate the flexibility of Nurbs throughout a Maya project in it's entirety. :)

[sigma]

Sometimes I like to start with a couple Curves to get a nice outline or particular shape. Then loft a surface, or convert to Polys and start extruding. Sometimes i just start out with a poly cube or cylinder and see where things go.

[Randuin]

poly and then sub Ds baby! :)

[CIM]

Box/volume modeling nowadays.

[Joril]

For organic modelling:
Usually, I start with just one plane, then start extruding loops. Once I get the basic shape/loops right, I start adding details.

[Kosh]

I work with Lightwave and I usually use Spline Patches for larger things, its a little bit difficult to use, but I think it is a fast method for modelling.
I am yet new in 3d modelling, so I don`t know every trick and possibility.

[Scandell]

For organic models i always use polys. Then i smooth them up!

[actarusprocyon]

Same as Joril here...It's pretty fast+efficient.

[kpalazov]

Hey guys, I use a method of modelling very similar to traditional clay modelling.

First I create the volume , very low poly with minor features of the character I am modelling.

Then I change app and add faty tissue..tendons..muscles....other deatils (wringles, poures and so on).

With the face at a highpoly count and undefined topoly I change app once again and drape first Nurbs curves then spring mesh nurbs surfaces over my model.

THe model is exported in Nurbs for speed sake and converted to subd for rendering. Nurbs model is kept for animation..again for speed sake:).

I know it sounds tedious gues...and iface it is difficult the first time around but its incradibly fast and produces models you won't belive you did:)

All the best

Kiril

[Elliotjnewman]

kpalazov - thats a really interesting method you have. I would be interested in knowing what software you use...

Cheers, Ell.

[kpalazov]

Hi Elliotjnewman,
I mainly jump between maya and Zbrush, the key to the whole process is Zbrush. If you'd like to see some recent work of myn using this process check this thread out::

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=61894

The modelling in ZB took under an 1 and half and tweaking and deatiling took around half an hour. All up with the initial volume creation its around 3-4 hours of work. Before I started ZB my models were of lesser quality and and took maybe 4-5 times as long...I recommend ZB if your serious about modelling in the future!!

cheers

Kiril

[Remi]

Primarily I box model...unless I think it can be done otherwise, which lately hasn't happened. Really happy with the results of box modeling...adding detail here and there instead of all over.:thumbsup:

[rebo]

What comes out of experienced Zbrush hands is indeed fantastic, but i find it very difficult to model with only the basic push/pull tools. I wonder how you use these to create the very realistic fatty cheek tissue and the lips.

Have you considered the normal map approach to reproducing your model and then animating. It can work wonders.

[ambient-whisper]

actually zbrush gives you the ability to use move/rotate/scale with a falloff so its not just push/pull :)

[rebo]

AW do you know of any great sculpting based tuts for zbrush, the ones on the site are really basic. I would love to learn how to use the more advanced sculpting features.

I think it maybe because im using a mouse and not a tablet :(

[ambient-whisper]

nope.:/ but ill explain what to do.

what you do is import the model first. place it in the scene.
after placing it go into edit mode. this way you can sculpt the model, and a number of options are made available to you.

if you use the "draw" key ( q ) you can use the "push/pull" method of doing things. its pressure sensitive so thats always nice. if you make your brush size of 1, coupled with the move tool ( W ), you can basically get vertex level editing, which is great if your model is still very low resolution.

set the shape you want and then smooth the model a few times ( using the divide button under tools/modifiers/deformations ) after dividing the model. use the smooth slider and smooth it until it looks right.

increase your brush size and sculpt.

so basically increasing the brush size gives you a larger falloff for modelling, you can use "qwert" to switch between the different modes ( draw/sculpt, move, rotate, scale ).

also. if you feel that you only want to smooth a certain region of the model, press ctrl and mask an area.( i think its alt+ctrl to unmask ) then go into the tool/modifiers/selection and do an invert. this way the area you masked will be turned white which you can then use for subdividing. when thats done just get rid if the mask. ( you can also use images as masks so you can do complex subdivisions and sculpting methods that are almost like using stencils.

i think that should be enough to get you up to speed.

[kpalazov]

HI rebo,
My apologies for a late reply. Not much more to add as
A-W has answered your question very well.
The one thing I will add , based on your comment on experience level, is that 1st, I am not a proffesional by a long shot and have very little experience:)...and thats the beauty of ZB....it allows anyone to produce fantastic work..

BTW instead of creating a volume in another applcation you can use Z-spheres to do this within Zbrush....very useful for mapping out the inital volume...taking it back to another app for further definition and then back to ZB for detailing.

good luck

Kiril

[ambient-whisper]

yup. you can use zspheres for that:) but some apps can do that kind of work just as quick :) the beauty of zspheres however is that they can be very easily reused and changed into a new character within seconds. but since my current toolset lets me do things just as quick i rather use that :D. but its just a personal preference. but still currently there just isnt anything else out there like zbrush for detail work ( and when siggraph hits itll get even better by a long shot. )

[kpalazov]

heheh..what a tease!!!...

Thats very interesting A-W , would take away the hassel of importing and exporting models all the time, I would expect you probably have more control also....thanks for sharing:). I had not really considered introducing a Z-sphere type workflow to creating characters, outside of ZB.

Cheers

Kiril

[dazrenius]

I guess that my methode is weird because i really like to model using spling technique. And i'm using 3sd max 5.....its because i can get the results exactly they way that i want. But nevertheless, the process is painstalking.

[Elliotjnewman]

ive never used splines for complicated organic stuff but i have seen some amazing stuff produced that way, plus it must be handy having it as nurbs output.

[Nefarius]

The only use NURBS, and most of the time I use sweeps and blends to create the surfaces I want.

[Wolfzbane]

I work in Lightwave, and I mostly start with a box and make extensive use of the SubPatch method. Of course, it's not a solution for every kind of object but I get good mileage. :thumbsup:

[MatrixNAN]

Well Houdini Nurbs have something called pasted where you can apply different facial features interactively or whatever you want for that matter and you can tie them up in a script and do it for crowds simulations with random values so that the people all look different all based off the same character model with just a library of features. So houdini is very cool in that respect. Plus its competely procedural. They also have better SubDs than Maya. Now maya has a very good Insert Isoparam and then you can sculpt out the surface. I first do a revolve so that I get a solid piece of geometery with no holes in it. Then I edit it into the general shape I want then I insert isoparm and move back and forth between editing the nurb and doing sculpts. To cut holes in Nurbs I perfer to do detach instead of a project curve and trim. In houdini when I subD Mesh model I like doing the building blocks general shape and then go in and add more detail. I use a subdivide level inorder to get an idea of what it looks like in smooth mode and low poly at the same time. So basically I am modeling in forward in the history and back at the same time. Its something you can do in houdini because it is totally procedural. Thats my basic work flow.

Cheers, :beer:
Nate Nesler

[Elliotjnewman]

so why is Houdini's Subds better than those in Maya???


L.

[ambient-whisper]

theyre not... and they are.. :)

i feel that the setup for modelling in houdini needs a large revamp. definitely doesnt have that "refined" feel. but that said. the control you can have in houdini over your geometry .. how you setup your network ..blows maya out of the water.

because everything revolves around the node system you can make your own setup to use only a single piece of geometry to create all your morph targets for a given character. in the style of mirais setup. you can rewire the network so you can reuse edits from one morph into another really easily.

if you setup your network in a certain way. you can achieve heirarchy subdees as well. say for example

object.
-edit
-edit
-edit
-----smooth node 1x
-----edit
-----edit
-----edit
----------smooth node 1x
----------edit
----------edit
----------edit


now you can go back and forth between levels and insert edits between the smoothed operations. also another plus, is that you can use all your poly tools on this. because in houdini subdees are actually just polys until render time. so you got that advantage.

[Teyon]

Just chiming in to say I love Lofting my nurbs surfaces in Rhino. I wish Maya and XSI's NURBs handeled the same way. I tried them out and it was like re-learning how to walk. However, I have recently found the benifits of Poly and SubD modeling, so I may soon be leaving my Rhino behind if I can get up the cash to buy LW or Max....not sure that'll ever happen though.

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