I've been modelling my version of a klingon battlecruiser, so far so good. The problema arises when i do the "feather" plating thing that gives complexity to the wings, i've did them with a shapemerge of the hull with a spline with the design of the feathers. The results are less than satisfactory. is there a "good" way to attain that detail? i've even think'd of leavin the hull flat and do it with a bump map...
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What's the 3d software you are using?
If it's 3dsMax (and 'shapemerge' expression alludes to the possibility it is), then just convert the mesh to Editable Poly.
It's better for the hull geometry if you work with quads.
You can also try to apply a smooth modifier to the mesh itself.
Otherwise ... the problem you are having is not atypical to shapemerge function.
You will have to clean up the object or remodel the plates (which you can also do by adding vertexes and lines to the existing geometry and just extruding the desired parts).
When I was modeling my NX-01, I used existing geometry for all of the hull grids and larger extrusions.
I had to shapemerge windows though ... that pumped up the poly count considerably ...
But that was then, and I know different ways of achieving a same result without ending with too much polys.
as a quickfix to lower the segmentation, by that i mean to add more segments and make it smoother:
add a 'smooth' modifier with autosmooth on set to maybe 60 degrees.... you'll have to fine tune it a bit.. this will break up the surface into smoothing groups.
then add a turbosmooth and set it to 1 iteration and separate by smoothing group. not the best way of doing it, but with some cleanup it'll look better than what you have at the moment.
for your fiddly panelling i'd recommend 'cut'
Hey evalsquito, post your wip in that section. There arenAât so many klingon wips all around.