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Local TutorialWings 3d Tuts

Lee80Lee80193 Posts: 458Member
edited March 2007 in Tutorials #1
Hello, I have noticed that there really aren't alot of tuts for Wings3d on SFM so i figured that some of us Wingers could get together and post some.

Here is one that i just did in response to a Question from a friend in his wip thread...How to Round out the edge of a cude...this is just one way and im hoping more will be shone as well...:) this is Part one:
roundedgetut1.jpg
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roundedgetut3.jpg
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roundedgetut7.jpg
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Post edited by Lee80 on
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Posts

  • Lee80Lee80193 Posts: 458Member
    Heres part two: if you decide to smooth the arch...
    roundedgetut13.jpg
    roundedgetut14.jpg
    roundedgetut15.jpg
    roundedgetut16.jpg
    roundedgetut17.jpg
    roundedgetut18.jpg
    I hope some one finds this usefull..:)
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    There is also this simple aproach:

    Step 1, bevel the edge.

    Rstep1.gif

    Step 2, bevel the 2 new edges.

    Rstep2.gif

    Step 3, bevel the 2 new outermost edges.

    Rstep3.gif

    Step 4, if needed bevel again.

    Rstep4.gif


    You can vary the curvature by increasing the amount you bevel each time. Here is what you should be left with:
    Rstep5.gif
  • limdaepllimdaepl171 Posts: 0Member
    This is going to be an image heavy thread :rolleyes:

    Here's my contribution: Howto panel rounded surfaces without getting ugly mesh errors :)

    I didn't add screens with dropdown menus. if i mentioned/used a command you're not familiar with just ask (or even better search for it, you might find a few other useful things on the way :devil:)


    01.gif
    02.gif
    03.gif
    04.gif
    05.gif

    Hope this helps :thumb:

    Regards Roman
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    Limdaepl: Instead of deselecting the inside edges. pressing 'L' or doing a select edge loop would acomplish the same task instantly.
  • limdaepllimdaepl171 Posts: 0Member
    You're absolutely right ozy. Thanks for the tip!
    fixed :thumb:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    I watch this thread with interest.
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    Glad to help... BTW here are 2 other Wings3D Tuts that Ive done that might prove helpfull.

    1)Doin Round Stuff...

    2)How to Texture... (wish I had this when I started.)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    When smoothing round stuff how do I avoid this.
  • limdaepllimdaepl171 Posts: 0Member
    The B5 Fan: When you want to do dome-like structures you'd better don't start with a sphere (spheres stink ;)) but rather with any other primitve and smooth that one several times (octahedron, octotoad, dodecahedron, icosahedron and even the cube will do fine).

    Hope this helps :thumb:

    Regards Roman
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    Hmm.......interesting.*makes note*
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    Next question.

    How do I prevent this without changing the hardness? When I make it hard it doesn't look like it's actually part of the ship.
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    The B5 Fan wrote: »
    Next question.

    How do I prevent this without changing the hardness? When I make it hard it doesn't look like it's actually part of the ship.

    Hmm, not sure on that one. perhaps a view of the wire would reveal a solution.

    A thought... Where the edge of the phaser stripe (assuming here :D) meets the top of the hull. make that edge hard all the way around. See how it looks. It would correct the problem for sure. and if you decide you want it soft you could always bevel that edge.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    You are correct it is a phaser strip.

    BEvelling the edge does nothing. Making if I make it hard it looks a little odd, but I am willing to leave it like that.
  • By the way. I have previuosly been asked several times how I made said phaser strip. Does anyone want me to post the tut?
  • LennOLennO5 Posts: 0Member
    For a bevelled effect (and for not using hardness) you will need to add another loop around the phaserstrip, on the surface of the hull. Right now the polys directly connecting to the strip are "too large" – resulting in very awkward normals which give you those shading artifacts (black areas). Right now you do have a bevelled effect which is just waaay to large.
  • I.......kinda get what your saying but I think I tried that and I just get it again but closer in to the strip.
  • LennOLennO5 Posts: 0Member
    The B5 Fan wrote: »
    I.......kinda get what your saying but I think I tried that and I just get it again but closer in to the strip.

    That would depend on your poly layout. Like Ozylot said, wire would help
  • Here.
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    The B5 Fan wrote: »
    Here.

    Could we see a shaded view since you hardend that edge? please....
  • limdaepllimdaepl171 Posts: 0Member
    Here's my tip: Select those edges which you're not sure if you should make them hard or soft. Choose extrude but extrude them by the amount zero. do this by pressing tab and enter a numeric value because you also need to choose a quite small radius (experiment a bit)
    This will not alter your geometry but it will produce those extra loop lenno was talking about both on the phaser stip and on the hull. The one on the phaser strip can be removed as it is not necessary.
    This should help.

    Regards Roman
  • LennOLennO5 Posts: 0Member
    As I said, all you need to do is to add the appropriate loops.

    take a look at the attached pic:

    1 and 2 show what you currently have, with the normals producing shading artifacts. This is because they are smoothly interpolated (soft normals) over a large polygonal area.

    Hardening (3&4) of course will get rid of the shading artifacts, however, as you said the hard edge doesn't look very natural.

    The solution (5&6) is to add to additional loop, forming a 3 edge bevel, wish will give correct normal smoothing, and appear as a bevel. Of course in it's current state it doesn't look exactly nice, but this is because the phaserstrip is somwhat lowpoly.

    I am not sure whether this mesh is meant to be subdivided, if it is, the correct beveled edge (or better–correctly looped edge) will give better results (7) as opposed to the way to organic shape your original layout would produce (8). Vary the edge distance to control the bevel size for both subd and not-subd.

    /
    limdaepl wrote: »
    Choose extrude but extrude them by the amount zero.

    I wouldn't suggest an extrusion by zero as this will produce VERY hard to clean up areas. In fact you'll have double edges, hard to spot if you need to do any modifiaction on the part and a pain in the ass really. In some apps this will even produce doubled polygons in certain areas so your better of adding a loop using a loop cut (which works in this case) or manually.
  • limdaepllimdaepl171 Posts: 0Member
    LennO wrote: »
    *answering*

    I was faster nevertheless :p
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    Here is a quick little one...

    It demonstrates the use of the bend command. Makes pipe work very simple.

    STEP #1:

    To start you will need a set up like this.
    created by selecting the edges, cutting into 5 segments and connecting the loose verts.

    BendStep1.gif

    STEP #2:

    The first thing the bend procedure requires is the rod center, seems to work well when you pick a point on the side of the bend.
    once selected, right click to advance to the next step.
    BendStep2.gif

    STEP #3:

    Next, select a point at the top end of the pipe, make sure its on the same edge as the first point was.
    once selected, right click to advance to the next step.
    BendStep3.gif

    STEP #4:

    This can be done a number of ways from here, you can select a face, edge or vertex to do this. In this example ive used a vertex to set the bend direction. a small arrow will appear to indicate the direction.
    once selected, right click to advance to the next step.
    BendStep4.gif

    STEP #5:

    At this point the pipe will be able to be bent freely as you move the mouse. Keeping an eye on the number in the top left of the screen will allow you to bend the pipe to precision degree amounts.
    BendStep5.gif

    Hope this helps, so you don't get all bent out of shape in making pipes. ;D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    There's a bend command?:o
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    The B5 Fan wrote: »
    There's a bend command?:o

    Yes, you need to activate the advanced menus in the properties to use it.
  • Lee80Lee80193 Posts: 458Member
    Sweet!
  • OzylotOzylot332 Posts: 0Member
    New Tutorial time!! ;D

    This one demonstrates the use of several of the advanced commands which are accessed by right clicking on regular commands. Probably the most useful of these is the advanced flatten command.

    so lets begin:

    We are starting off with an irregular shape, could be an aircraft intake or something, but it will be an interesting vent when were done.
    FlattenTut01.jpg

    1) Switch to edge mode by clicking on the appropriate icon at the top of the screen or by pressing 'e'. We are going to cut the edges into 10 sections using the cut command. (this can also be done by pressing '0') You will automatically be switched to vertex mode, with the new verts selected.
    FlattenTut02.jpg

    2)We are now going to create new edges between these verts by using the connect command (can also be done by pressing 'c')
    FlattenTut03.jpg

    3)Now switch to face mode by using the icon at the top or by pressing 'f'.
    next we select the new faces that have been created. There should be 10 of them. We now inset the selected faces by about 70%.
    FlattenTut04.jpg

    4)At this point we are now ready to use the advanced extrude command. Right click on extrude. (it is important to pay close attention to the info bar at the bottom of the geometry window when using the advanced commands. The text there will guide you through the process)
    FlattenTut05.jpg

    5)The first thing that the advanced extrude command asks for is a direction to extrude along. as you can see here I have selected an edge for this. A small blue arrow indicates the chosen direction.
    FlattenTut06.jpg

    6)After extruding the new parts beyond the outer face, we are now ready to use the advanced flatten command. For this procedure you need to hold down Ctrl while right clicking on the flatten command.
    FlattenTut07.jpg

    7)The first requirement of the advanced flatten command is a direction or normal. As you can see here I have selected the lower face of the object, however in some situations it could have been better to select one of the extruded edges. Right click to accept this selection.
    FlattenTut08.jpg

    8 )Next thing the advanced flatten asks for is a reference point for the selected faces to be flattened to. Again I have selected the lower face on the object.
    Right click to accept this selection.
    FlattenTut09.jpg

    9)Had I used a different reference point on that last step I could have avoided this, the slight amount of overhang from the extrusions can be corrected by a simple Move>Normal
    FlattenTut10.jpg

    10) and this is what we are left with. I hope you have learned something useful ;)
    FlattenTut11.jpg
  • Forcemaster2000Forcemaster2000331 Posts: 0Member
    Wow! You guys make wings3d much cooler looking than I thought it was!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]2 Posts: 3Member
    I was sure I'd already replied to this but anyway:

    Nifty. It looks to be better than the simple way I use.
  • JeffrySGJeffrySG321 Posts: 477Member
    I'm not sure if you guys are aware of Puzzled Paul's Wings3d Tutorials, but they are they best Wings3d Tutorials I have found, and they are the ones that really got me up and running on Wings3d. Hopefully they will help out a bit!

    Puzzled Paul's Tutorials

    cheers!
    Jeff
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