First Aircraft model: Need help

[Marcel]

Here is a small explanation on mechanical modelling with subdivisions.

http://cube.phlatt.net/forums/spiraloid/viewtopic.php?TopicID=413#3480

You should also check out this excellent thread:
http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40373

[Dzignguy]

Marcel,
Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately I must be very dense, for sure, as I have read both of those threads. The SubD thread in particular showed me some of the stuff I needed to do the cockpit and windscreen area but I wasn't able to gleen enough to get me through this problem. Both of those great threads added to my understanding of this method but I still am missing something

I first tried to boolean the engine pod from the wing and the wing from the pod but that was of no use as MAX left me all kinds of wierd vertices and untrimed faces that I couldnt figure out how to get them all cleaned up...... I guess I still dont understand how the meshsmooth effects the original mesh via the various methods used to creat the transition between rounded, curved shapes and those that require less smoothing and cured areas.

However I will just keep playing around untill it comes to me. I'm sure I will stumble onto it eventually, Then I'm sure I will say ....DUHHHHHHH!

Thanks again for the reply!

[Dave Black]

Really, reading the SUB-D thread is a great way to understand what's going on with meshsmooth.

We(Myself and a few diehard CGTalk.com users) are currently creating a "Sub-D" or rather, Meshmooth manual of sorts, so you will have that available to you soon.

Just keep at it, and read that thread!

-3DZ

:D

[koinu]

If I understand what you are asking I'll help: Your trying to mate the engines to the wing section.... Of course you know maya has 10 million ways to do something and 10 millions ways to mess it up...
You can take the faces that you don't need on the wing and delete them (having the engine in close prox. so you know which one's to remove), and remove the faces from the engine that aren't needed. After this you can combine the two obj. After this you will need to go back and merge verts that are close, if you don't you will have open edges and verts that will pull away. You also might have to split some polys to get all your verts to line up. Often not neccessary...
This is the main quick way I pull it off, Using Sub's so soon isn't actually neccessary right now, wait til you have more to smooth out. Hope this helps any..Good Luck

[Dzignguy]

Thanks 3DZ!

I have actually read all 40+ pages of the SubD thread and I thought it was the best description of the process so far.....
My problem is that I have spent a number of years solid modelling architectural features in AutoCAD. The bookeans in the solid modeler is almost perfect and very easy to use. I have had a hard time relating all of my experinece in CAD over to MAX, in so many ways, expecially the quirky way that snaps and spline construction works. I do like many of its features and am now getting pretty familiar with the interface and some of its methods.

I just read the last question in the SubD thread that came in this morning and a little light came on in my dense skull. I'm going to go try extruding the faces of my pod outline by 1 on the wing and see if that starts to make a difference. I will get back later if I have success.....

Thanks again!

[Dave Black]

You know, I started out my career using Autocad 14, got to "Masters Status" with it. Did drafting and design work with Mechanical Desktop too.

Believe me, I feel your pain. The transition for me was quite scary. To this day, I miss alot of autocad's snaps and interface features.

I remeber how cool it was to be able to rotate and object around another object, or base measurements and transforms from different points....in a way that made sense.

I've found ways around all that, and have managed to translate that into max. Now, after many years with Max, I am much more comfortable with it than I ever was with autocad, and if you ever have any questions in the nature of "Autocad does X, how can I get the same feature in Max?" kinda questions, let me know.

In fact, I'm going to create a special section on my forums for you to ask those sort of things.

You can find it here: www.3dzealot.com/forum

It's in the "Welcome to Max" section at the bottom.

If you have any questions about the transition, ask 'em there, and we can discuss it further.

-3DZ

:D

[zarkos]

There's a great tutorial called "Modeling Joan of Arc by Michel Roger" on http://www.3dtotal.com/ . Under the section "Modeling of the sword" on page 3 and 4 he's making a hollow on the sword it's very similar to your problem.

[xynaria]

I hope I'm not misundertanding you here but you seem to be things slightly hard for yourself.
In most cases in real life.. the engine surrounds are not part of the wing assembly itself but a seperated unit rivetted on. Whilst in theory you could use booleans .. this is Max and to be quite honest unless you wanna buy a copy of Power Booleans 2 or try the demo.. I'd forget that.
In a lot of cases just linking the pods and wings along with a bit of judicious texturing would be ok in most instances. If you want to get a tad finnickity you could do what I did with the link below, which was to line up the wing and pod and use LF Shades clean cut script to cut the engine housing to the shape of the wing resulting in a snug fit after a bit of editing, and then just linking.

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=606004

hope this helps. :)

[Dzignguy]

xynaria,

That is one Kick ass model!!! You are right, I'm making things very hard for myself, considering your hint to use the clean cut script. I actually just figured out how to do it the SubD way, attached as part of the wing structure, but I like the idea of doing it your way as I can use it as a seperate assembly to which I will add cowls and landing gear doors, etc. etc. Thanks so much for the pointer to that script!

3DZ,

Thanks a bunch!
I got this part figured out, now I just have to decide whether to leave the pods attached to the wings or do it via Xynaira's suggestion. Thanks for the pointer to the AutoCAD/MAX thread.
I will be frequenting it on a regular basis as I will continue on with the SubD thread. I started CAD back in the 80's with a package called Generic CAD, latter killed by Autodesk after acquisition. I then moved up to AutoCAD 10 and have progressed up through the transititon to the Windows interface.
AutoCad was a real bear to learn for a right brained person like me. Even with a keyboard alias file to simulate Generic it took alot of time to get proficient. I now have over 12 years of experience in AutoCAD and I dont think I could be considered a master. I am able to do whatever is required in my Architectural business. I couldnt do without it now and I dont see how anyone in the design business survives with just a pencil.


Zarkos,
Thanks much for the pointer to Joan of Arc tutorial. I will attempt that one as soon as I get the Connie done. I do want to move on to charachter/organic stuff eventually.

[Dave Black]

FWIW, Dzignguy, "Masters Status" was just a title for a cert. program I was in. Kinda meant it as tounge-in-cheek, not as a statement of my prowess. I dont consider myself a master of anything, save for falure. :D

Glad it's all clicking for you. Hope we can be of more help in the future.

-3DZ

:D

[xynaria]

Dzignguy .. apologies if you already know this... but when you attach something to another piece.. it is really easy to seperate it again should you need to by using the element sub object in editable poly and clicking on any part of that segment.. ...the whole attachment is then highlighted and can be detached again without any fiddling. :)

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