Help with caping a hole - 3DMax

Kiser Designs

I have this project I am working on and I have a large gap on top and bottom of the prop. What is the best way to fill in the hole without getting any ngons or smoothing issues in the future bake?

Thanks

Piflik

Inset to have one completely flat edgeloop and then bridge/cap/connect, whatever suits you fancy...

Sean VanGorder

If this is your high poly, and only being used to bake a normal map, it's perfectly fine to have the cap be one big ngon as long as it doesn't cause smoothing errors.

If you really want to cap it with quads, you might be able to select the open border, see how many edges it has, then create a plane with the same number of edges and position it in the hole. Then attach the plane to the model and bridge the two open borders.

JacqueChoi

chamfer edges AFTER youre done modelling shapes!

:P

Seriously. If you want to avoid nGons, just do it properly.

Otherwise collapse the face. then connect the lines where you want them (it won't be easy, but it's do-able).

Kiser Designs

JacqueChoi wrote: »

chamfer edges AFTER youre done modelling shapes!

:P

Seriously. If you want to avoid nGons, just do it properly.

Otherwise collapse the face. then connect the lines where you want them (it won't be easy, but it's do-able).

The edges are not chamfered, i have been working in sub-d with turbo smooth on so those are control loops, not chamfers.

Thanks for the advice guys, I will try it.

JacqueChoi

ha! bad ascii illustration but try this:


., __________
./ . . . .. | . . . . .\
/_____|______\
| . .. . . | . . . . . . |
|_____| ______|
\ . .. . . | . . . . . . /
.\_____|_____/
..\____|_____/

AnimeAngel

fyi..control loops do not work well with normal bakes. right angels will always cause smoothing errors. chamfer is usually the much better way to go when doing a normal bake.

For filling your hole, I would go into edgeloop mode, select the edge loop and the click cap. if you need edges to flow across it, just use the cut tool to join them up.

EarthQuake

AnimeAngel wrote: »

fyi..control loops do not work well with normal bakes. right angels will always cause smoothing errors. chamfer is usually the much better way to go when doing a normal bake.

lol wat

The mesh shown is the cage mesh, pre-subd. Chamfer is just the name of a max tool, to add control loops.

AnimeAngel

EarthQuake wrote: »

lol wat

The mesh shown is the cage mesh, pre-subd. Chamfer is just the name of a max tool, to add control loops.

I was referring to his comment that his edges are not chamfered but instead he just added edge loops, which gives him all 90degree edges.
Maybe I just misunderstand, or am not clear enough, but to me it appears he will have lots of edge errors when he bakes this, besides the hole in the top he wants to cap

Sean VanGorder

The edge loops are there as support edges for when he applies turbosmooth, which will give the corners a nice bevel.

Spicypixel

I have to agree I get some bad bakes when trying to use 90' angles, but I'm not sure that's the point here

AnimeAngel

Spicypixel wrote: »

I have to agree I get some bad bakes when trying to use 90' angles, but I'm not sure that's the point here

ya its not the point of the thread, just an observation that he may have errors in the bake. another issue entirely sorry to side track it.

Kiser Designs

Thanks guys for all the tips. I am working on the bake now. When creating the lowpoly version of the asset, does the high poly have to fit inside the low poly or vice versa?

AnimeAngel

they should be pretty close but don't have to be perfectly fit together. The one you really worry about, is making sure the meshes fit inside the cage mesh.

lots of good info about the entire normal process including cages here:
http://wiki.polycount.com/NormalMap?highlight=%28\bCategoryTexturing\b%29