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View Full Version : Curves (NURBS, Splines, etc.)

droberts
08-02-2003, 11:27 PM
Hello,

I want to make an extruded shape such that when its converted to 'editable poly', I don't get millions of vertices all over the place. Instead I'd like it to be converted to some sort of spline in so far as only a few points are needed to manipulate a curve (editable polys seem to consist of straight lines between vertices hence so many). I am trying to figure out how to use the NURBS stuff which has a small button menu showing various operations (all the button images ae mostly black and green). However, when I select one of these buttons, my closed curve turns blue and a small blue square appears at a point on the curve where my mouse is. When I click I can drag a dotted line out of the square but don't seem to be able to do anything with it. I would like to see whether the NURBS tool offers everything that the line shape tools does (especially when it comes sharpening corners).

Alternatively, what's the best tool to use when designing an oddly shaped swimming pool that needs to be hollowed out (booleans seem to crash my system).

Thanks,

Dave
Aldaryn
08-03-2003, 07:36 AM
NURBS offers almost everything, you want to model, sharp corners too. But it needs some experience to work with, and to work with MAX NURBS, it also needs a lot of patience...

The small button menu you mention, is the *NURBS Toolbox*, this contains mostly the operators, and thus, many of the operators need two, or more NURBS objects (curves, surfaces) to work correctly.
You can create a chamfer between two, already drawn NURBS curves by pressing the cahmfer button in the toolbox, and selecting one end of one curve, this is indicated by that blue box, and dragging to the other curve - dashed line appears - and selecting the others curve's end you prefer, by positioning that blue box - again...
The dashed lines, blue boxes, yellow outlines are indicators, showing you which NURBS component is selected to be used in the upcoming operation.

But IMO don't mess with NURBS. With an editable poly any odd shape can be created. And trust me: an editable poly's topology looks like how you've created it. It dosen't needs to be a lots of vertices.

- A.
droberts
08-03-2003, 08:35 AM
Thanks for the reply. I have just found that the two separate nurbs curves need to be attached (albeit not visually joined). I moved onto using 'Lines' (in the shapes tab), but am trying to figure out how to put a surface between two concentric shapes without filling in the middle too.

Cheers,

Dave
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