@LouisMarshall Glad the post was helpful. When trying to minimize smoothing based subdivision artifacts, like pinching and stretching, there's two basic strategies that tend to work well with existing geometry: averaging out the differences between the shapes over a wider [preferably flatter] area or constraining the…
@Deqa You have the right idea. Drawing out the shape borders and topology flow over the reference images can be a great way to start the block out process but it may also be helpful to gather additional reference images with cleaner lighting. Single piece tubs and shower surrounds can be difficult to model because they…
@ArcticTauntaun That's understandable: the reality is it's more contextual than absolute. The key is learning when it's ok and when it's not. Sometimes it even comes down to something as simple as budget and object scale. Low budget, small stuff can't be polished to the Nth degree if you plan to make money off it. Using…
@Suosa It looks like you're on the right track. If the mesh subdivides cleanly, without any major smoothing artifacts, then it's generally acceptable to use n-gons and triangles in hard surface subdivision models. Since this model is going through a sculpting pass it may make more sense to try and add these minor surface…
@Octavio I didn't. I made the same shape you did, except I didn't squish the large oval, meaning my cone didn't get squished on one side, meaning my cone had planar faces while yours didn't. I did that only to show you that both of them would meshsmooth nicely, and that you didn't do anything wrong. Also, the shape you're…
What I'm trying to say is: The stack is not pivotal to the way I work. I mean the actual assembly of modifiers subsequently building off of each other. Modifiers themselves are a huge part of my workflow, and I view them as time saving operations to be committed to the model, nothing more. I'm not sure what our disconnect…
@ned_poreyra Nothing wrong with testing different workflows but it's important to focus on the results and evaluate whether or not a given strategy justifies the time spent. Work through each modeling strategy and pick the one that produces the best results for the least amount of time and effort spent. Here's a few more…
@IronLover64 To add to what's already been said: try to simplify the mesh by dissolving and merging some of the extra geometry. Straightening and rerouting the remaining loops into the existing geometry on the back strap should solve most of the smoothing issues. Flat surfaces that are properly supported are relatively…
@Yogifi There's a lot to unpack but the answer to most of these questions is: it often depends. There's a significant amount of overlap between poly modeling and subdivision modeling but they are still distinct processes that require slightly different approaches. What's "right" or "best" depends entirely on how a model…
@PancakeMSTR Overall the topology routing around the major forms is well structured but the undulations in the shape is an issue. There's a lot of stray edge loops coming off some of those cut outs and this disrupts the segment spacing that controls the smoothing behavior of the curvature along the sides. Dissolving some…