learning Modo (301), need some help
polycount lvl 666
I'm trying out modo atm, and have some questions maybe someone here can answer:
1. When I have a selection with a gizmo (move/rotate/transform) enabled I'm unable to deselect by just clicking outside the gizmo/selection. Instead I have to either toggle back off the gizmo, or switch selection type. Is their any way to change this?
2. The only way I've found to achieve hard edges/smoothing groups is to assign a material to a selection and then modify its smooth angle in the material editor. Is thei a simpler way to do this, similarly to max/maya perhaps?
3. When using lasso selection for edges it requires that an edge be completly encompased befor it'll be selected. I would like to have it so that if any part of an edge is within the selection area it will be selected.
4. Just a minor quirk, but the maya mouse presets don't make zoom (alt+lmb) work by moving the cursor up/down, but sideways instead. Is it possible to fix this?
1. When I have a selection with a gizmo (move/rotate/transform) enabled I'm unable to deselect by just clicking outside the gizmo/selection. Instead I have to either toggle back off the gizmo, or switch selection type. Is their any way to change this?
2. The only way I've found to achieve hard edges/smoothing groups is to assign a material to a selection and then modify its smooth angle in the material editor. Is thei a simpler way to do this, similarly to max/maya perhaps?
3. When using lasso selection for edges it requires that an edge be completly encompased befor it'll be selected. I would like to have it so that if any part of an edge is within the selection area it will be selected.
4. Just a minor quirk, but the maya mouse presets don't make zoom (alt+lmb) work by moving the cursor up/down, but sideways instead. Is it possible to fix this?
Replies
2. You can simply detach the edges, which for all intents and purposes is exactly the same thing. Its how the mesh will end up when its exported into a game engine anyway.
3. Dont think theres any way to do this.
4. You can zoom by simply using the mouse wheel, i prefer using ',' and '.' for zoom anyway tho as i dont like how the mouse wheel zoom works(zooms from the point your cursor is on)
1 and 4, it's a bit about dropping the Maya conventions you have learned so far. modo does things differently regarding how the action centres work. At its default a left click when having a manipulator active will reposition it along the work plane, as that's the idea behind it. Hit Q, or Space, first to exit the manipulator if you want to deselect.
I kinda recommend not using the maya mouse presets. I went from Maya to modo and did the same thing, until I realised it just wasn't very effective with the rest of how modo operates, especially if you plan on learning by watching video tutorials.
Again, I think the biggest hurdle when going from Maya to modo, is to think outside the Maya box. Learn modo, and leave Maya out of it
The main reason I prefer using smoothing groups / hard edges as opposed to edge separation is that breaking an object into multiple elements like that messes with my workflow, as I like to manipulate the shading while working as opposed to after the models complete. If the object is broken up the boundaries of the elements become hindrances when manipulating the geometry of said area.
East: Looks like earthquake beat you to it by seconds :-p, thanks still though
Im actually don't use maya that much, it's just its control sceme is one I've neded up using in alot of different packages (Mudbox, silo, xsi), so I'm overly used to it. I mostly use max actualy, but I find its controls to be more convoluted then mayas.
But I'll give modos default controls a shot.
Earthquake: Thanks for the help
The main reason I prefer using smoothing groups / hard edges as opposed to edge separation is that breaking an object into multiple elements like that messes with my workflow, as I like to manipulate the shading while working as opposed to after the models complete. If the object is broken up the boundaries of the elements become hindrances when manipulating the geometry of said area.
East: Looks like earthquake beat you to it by seconds :-p, thanks still though
Im actually don't use maya that much, it's just its control sceme is one I've neded up using in alot of different packages (Mudbox, silo, xsi), so I'm overly used to it. I mostly use max actualy, but I find its controls to be more convoluted then mayas.
But I'll give modos default controls a shot.
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Yeah modo dosent really have any decent tools for smoothing groups and its a shame, its basicly the exact same system(no system) as lightwave used to have where its all material based.
I tend to forcibly seperate edges because it seems like nomatter what i do, when i bring my model into a different app with smoothing groups set up it dosent recognize them, so i have to re-set them back up when i need to bring my mesh into maya to export which is a pain.