Welding Verts--3DS

TicTac

I've got a problem with my smoothing groups on a model I'm working on, and the guys over at Interlopers.net suggested I weld some verts to help get rid of it. I've got no experience in this "optimizing" end of modeling, and I need some help. (I figured this is a good community to ask :P)
Here's my problem,
On the left, unsmoothed. The right is Autosmooth with a setting of 45 degrees. What I want is to smooth the edges (I chamfered the main ones,) but I keep getting these ugly smoothing problems >.<

Any ideas?
-Tic

ParoXum

Add loops horizontally.

TicTac

Can you explain that a little better? This is virgin territory for me xD

vcool

Finally registered. :P

You should post the wireframe, 'cause it's not obvious what welding you are talking about.

renderhjs

what he means is that if you add more intersections in your model the obvious smoothing triangle will be reduced and most likely blend in better if you devide it with the others.

Sometimes when working with smoothing groups and your model has to few triangles you get the kind of effect you have right there - which is a smoothing group that might not blend to a result you desire. So you need to control it better and one way of doing that is to cut into your model (a split loop perhaps, because its quick and clean) so that it results into more triangles and a better way of averaging the smoothing groups on the model.

Calabi

Heh, I've just been learning this myself.

I've somewhat figured out how this works. As renderhjs said sometimes the smoothing can get lost or go the wrong way you have to try make the geometry flow

If the difference between the geometry is to high then you have to separate the elements in someways. One way as Paroxum suggested is to cut off the smoothing errors with edges or surround the element with edges so that the smoothing is confined has enough edges to flow a bit better.

Another way is in Wings 3d you can set edges to hard(I think thats smoothing groups in max), and then separate the smoothing to the elements you want instead of just the whole being smoothed.

If you look at my thread you can see I have some major smoothing errors which I'm beginning to sort out.

http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=64730

TicTac

Thanks everyone, and what's up vcool? xD
I'll post the wires up later tonight, and thanks again for explaining that in-depth

TicTac

Wireframe.

renderhjs

1.) rotate the view so that you can see the front better
2.) right click in that viewport and click "quickslice", you will see a dashed line where you can define your cut - make it at the 1st 1/4 of the model and rightlick to apply

that should add a splitloop (easier though with polyboost, max2010 or some custom script)