use floating geo to mimic the space between the plates instead of actually modeling the plates? much easier to conform to your main mesh shape. the sweep modifier works pretty good for this.
If you want to make holes by hand, just start with a basic plane with a level of subdivision you need and make holes there and just apply the bend modifier to bend your plane into a cylinder.
mmm i was just wondering if you were using like a vert modifier, isnt there one of those that allows you to pull on a vert and it pulls surround verts so its smooth?
If you want just an outline, why not duplicate the mesh and add a black material, add a shell modifier to it, and invert the normals? I think that's a very easy / common way to add outlines.
I spent ages in google maps trying to find the exact location to get the river geometry right but couldn't find it! The PathDeform modifier in Max seems to work well for the river banks.
It's probably just using functions from the ProOptimizer modifier (the version of PolyCruncher that was built in starting with 2010) to create the lowpoly, that'd explain why it doesn't like older copies of max for that step.
Some weapons do have 2 barrels (that is if attached grenade launcher counts as barrel). Although my guess is that it is a parody of "heavily modified" weapons. Just look at the scope, ironsights combo.
It's been a while since I've used Max but you might be able to drop an "Edit Normals" modifier on top, select all of the normals in the viewport and then hit "Make Explicit" or something to that effect.
you could try to lay this one out on a flat surface add all the indentations You want, apply turbosmooth once or twice and then use bend modifier so it forms a cylinder
Create a few straight bricks use the bend modifier? Create a few bricks arrange the verts by hand? Trace the bricks out with a closed spline, convert it to edit poly and bevel or extrude?