Originally posted by Strang
I had a question, do any modelers here like to model with meshsmooth applied, and go down to the sub-object level of your choice, then use show end result? so you can see your low-poly ‘cage’ and in real time model and see your results??
Yep, now and then. If I need to tweak a curved surface I usually do that with show end result on. There are scripts so you can bind it to a key and toggle it on and off easier 
Also is there another way ,besides instancing, to have your high-poly model beside your low-poly cage. model on your fave sub-object lvl and have it update in real time to the left or right of your cage?? that way your cage and meshsmoothed version dont get all tangled and hard to see…
Depending on your object, you can model half, and use a mirrored reference with a meshsmooth to see how it will look. Important to use reference and not instance. I have a tendency to have the character I’m working on to the right, then have a copy of the bodypart I’m working on a little to the side as an instance. For example, working on arms, you can detach the arm from the body, make an instance and place it so it’s easier to model for you.
If you model with the arms at a 45 degree angle for skinning later, you have to struggle with not being able to use x/y/z constraints since the arm is rotated. Detach the arm and make an instance, rotate it so that it’s aligned to x/y/z and model on that instead. Since it’s an instance, you can see how the whole char will look
Clever use of referencing helps too if you want to mesh smooth one part and not the other.
last, what scripts does everyone here use? i just got cspolytools, took some advice from a modeler that sub-ds a lot. i am running meshtools also but i think max 5 has all those tools already, someone plz correct me if i am wrong…
Well, there’s that show end result script, and max 5 comes with meshtools 3 on cd2, then there’s cspoly tools, some of bobos tools comes in handy now and then, an updated layermanager and some cool polysculpt tools from herman saksono aka hormon ( http://maxres.cgworks.com ) and the solidify modifier. There are more, but these are the ones I can think of now…