Newb question

[vuce]

OK!
I am very ashamed for asking this to hundreds of people that may read this thread. But I gotta ask lol
I just started learning cinema for about 2 weeks now and am learning by watching tutorials....and i just follow whatever he says and all of a sudden, i feel stupid and useless because i have no idea WHY i have to click on certain things....Google helped a lot but!
One thing google couldnt tell me is ....what is "normals"???
THe guy in the tutorial did this "reverse normals" and did something and if i do the same, i get the same result, of course. But what is "normals"??? When specifically do you use reverse normals and align normals??
I do have the manual of cinema 4d but the explaination wasnt clear to me so I ask you gurus.
Thanks

Now, dont make fun of me :D

this might help (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_normal)

[Erik Heyninck]

A surface normal is a vector that is perpendicular to the surface it stands on. It indicates the direction of that polygon and its length carries other info. It can be represented by an arrow or a short line.
Its "normal" behaviour is to point outwards. It can also point inwards. That means that the poluygons "active" surface is on the inside. In that case you have to reverse the normal so it points outwards.

Normals are also used in so-called normal maps. Here they carry information on shadowing effects etc. and as such create better visual effects that bump maps.

[TastyKellogg]

ah thats much better

Thanks
But now, how do I know that my "normals" are inverted? How do I see those arrows??
Also, i heard that you can configure your cinema 4d so that when the normals are inverted, they appear certain colors? Can anyone tell me how ?
Gosh I need to buy a book. hehe

Thanks!

[Srek]

By default the front of a selected polygon will be shaded orange and the backside blue. You can switch to the line display for normals in the viewport settings.
Cheers
Björn

[abdelouahabb]

hi
here is another tip to see your normals, it worked some days, i dont know if it's a chance :cool:
just unchek the "backface culling" in the viewport setting :scream:

[LemonNado]

Gosh I need to buy a book. hehe


I can recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/CINEMA-Workshop-Arndt-von-Koenigsmarck/dp/0240808975/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215694493&sr=8-1

From Beginner to Intermediate.
Cheers
Rainer

[TastyKellogg]

Thanks all for replies!
I learned Maya in school but then I decided to go into motion because Maya was so darn hard. Cinema comes a lil bit easy to me so I like it.
Thanks all

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.