Segmented Models

Incomitatum

I am just not getting it.

I have been looking at the armor in Mass Effect, and some of the ships in the new Trinity System for EvE Online. Thin and deep lines denoting the segments in machinery or armor are everywhere; additionally they follow the curves of some very anamorphous and organic shapes.

I am pretty sure this are modeled in, in the highpoly and drawn into a grey-scale map that will be converted into a normal map (following the contours of the object). Going for that rounded but hard edge creases; how do you ensure crease are deep but defined rather than shallow, during a Turbosmooth?

Any examples, work-flows, or tutorials would be appreciated.

Joseph Silverman

It's not really hard at all to get a sharp crease in your hipoly. Two loops close together will get a sharper edge, so, use your cut/connect tool.

Take a look at some other artist's wireframes. Maybe EQ's down here, it's a pretty excellent example of hardsurface modeling:

http://boards.polycount.net/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=2&Number=249669&page=0&fpart=1

Joshua Stubbles

Yeah, it's super easy. The closer the edges are together, the tighter the smoothed edge will be. If you don't use meshsmoothing, it's even easier. Just build the actual object higher res with a sharp corner, and it's a non issue.

Incomitatum

So the term is "hard surface modeling"? That is helpful as well. I use the connect tool often, and suppose I have found a new use for it.

Sage

Here are some tutorials you can look at

Ego farms is pretty nice.
http://lounge.ego-farms.com/showthread.php?t=322

3d palace

http://www.3d-palace.com/

Most of them are worth the wait. I thought the tutorials for XSI are better than the ones for Max when showing off sub d on mechanical objects.

The other thing you could do is download the demo for Modo and all the tutorials that come with it since they have some excellent sub d tutorials on it.

Alex

Incomitatum

"You'll be fine as long as you think of subd edges as little pieces of metal."

I suppose I don't understand what you are illustrating.