Cutting holes before or after a mode is subdivided?

phaedarus

Hi everyone,

I am modeling a fuselage of a small civilian propeller plane and I'm having difficulties dealing with cutting out the windows.

I'm modeling as much as I can using subdivisions (Hpyernurbs as its called in my app). I'm also attempting to keep everything in quads, which has been recommended as the ideal way to go.

With my approach to the windows, I projected some splines to use as trace objects for the knife tool to cut out the profile of the window and pilot/co-pilot door from the low poly fuselage. As I've been doing this, I'm running into shading and edge termination issues. The subdivided topology is also difficult to work with.

I'm wondering, would I be better off cutting out windows and other openings after the model has been subdivided or should I try to wing it with a low poly model to SubD? I retained a copy of the original fuselage without the door and window cuts just incase.

I would imagine that the problem is much with the same with other vehicle types. How would you approach subD cuts of a similar nature?

I have attached screenshots of the low poly model with wireframe; subdivided model with wireframe, subdivided model without wireframe and the actual subdivided model in its non-parametric form.

Thanks.

EDIT: Looks like I posted in the wrong subforum, can this be moved to the technical subforum? Thanks.

JonathanLambert

Cut the holes out before subdividing but make sure your mesh has adequate tessellation to avoid artifacts when the subdivision algorithm is applied.

Noren

In this relatively simple case: Before subdividing. It will make later changes much easier. Unless you plan to add grooves etc. after you got the main form right.Then it may make sense to simply go one or two iterations higher before you add all the detail by hand. Destructive workflow, though. On the other hand: Having to add and adjust lots of support geo by hand doesn't make things easier, either. So know, when you have to take a step back and remove and redo edges instead of shifting a lot of geometry.(Also depends on the available tools, of course.)
Don't get very detailed in one area while you haven't laid out the forms in other places of the element you're working on.
Also keep in mind that grooves also offer the opportunity to split the mesh and easily end a high detailed area. That crease to the left of the windows ( which already is a bit wonky at the top) looks like it might be the start of a new element in real life. Then you're left with a very simple form for the window piece.
If you have a simple form like that and know exactly what you want, you can also build it flat and then bend it or deform it. (Depending on your tools.)
But that makes more sense with more elaborate and difficult detail.