PDA

View Full Version : ngons, booleans, combining objects

zhaolicong
03-06-2011, 02:01 AM
I've been modeling for a few years now and I was just wondering what were some general opinions people have about ngons for hard surfaces.

I've always tried to keep four sided faces on everything but currently I'm working with a guy who seems to have learned to use booleans whenever he needs to make a hole in an object. He also just uses ngons instead of trying to continue the edge.

I feel like I have a good grasp on what you need to do for organic modeling but not so much for things that won't deform. I'm wondering if this kind of practice is bad or does it just not matter if the object is not deforming.

Also I was curious if it is better to connect objects that have been combined or just leave their meshes separate?

ie my groupmate made a monitor by separating the screen and stand and then just combining them. Would you connect them into one flowing entity, just leave it or does it not really matter?

Thanks
Kev3D
03-06-2011, 12:51 PM
I dunno why you'd combine two objects, if they're separate objects in real life, keep them as separate objects.

Just using booleans without cleaning up afterwards is probably not a good idea. If you are going to do it, you're going to have to get in there and seriously retopologise afterwards if you want it to be a smooth model.

I guess, though, it really depends on what you're modeling. If it's something small that you'll only see it briefly in the background, say, you'll be fine with what ever quick and dirty tricks you can to get it done quickly.

With regards to 5 sided polys etc. if the surface is flat or curved in only one direction you can often get away with it without any visible pinching.
tburbage3
05-30-2011, 05:21 PM
I think what it boils down to is the intended use of the model.

Some renderers (off-line or game engine) don't support ngons, and many subdivision surface algorithms don't like them as well.

I think ngons are fine for a straight hard surface poly model so long as they don't cause rendering issues related to smoothing. Naturally, they are very liable to become non-planar...
CGTalk Moderation
05-30-2011, 05:21 PM
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.