Outside of specific project requirements, stock 3D certification programs and technical edge cases, there really isn't anything wrong with using triangles and n-gons in subdivision modeling. Flat surfaces are arguably the least effected by messy topology. As long as the corners are supported and the surfaces are co-planar…
So I've been stuck on this for far longer than I would like to admit, and I need some assistance. I am trying to make a thing like a shoelace tied in a very specific manner in a pattern through the hilt of the sword. Picture for reference: I tried a few things but my best idea was manually twisting each face to a similar…
Yea, it's a huge no no for baked maps. While normal maps are a texture, they are not the same as regular textures (Diffuse/Albedo, Specular, Gloss/Microsurface/Roughness etc.) in that they store mathematical values which are essentially encoded during the bake via the tangent basis. Each pixel found in a normal map has an…
Hi all I have problem with smothing groups in MODO (indie) [cant use vertex normal tool kit...] Can someone check this ?! As you can see i have litle hard eges on the two island any one know solution ?! here is picture (left and right uv is have problems with smothing groups. Here is normal map form it: This is just Defult…
@vakdlfjas Welcome to Polycount. Consider checking out the forum information and introduction thread. Placing support loops along the edges that make up the walls of a cylinder will causing pinching. The topology needs to be routed around the existing cylinder geometry so it doesn't interfere with the smoothing behavior at…
@guitarguy00 It really depends on the size of the object and whether or not it will be seen up close by the player. Fastener threads usually aren't something that players are looking at up close. Adding this kind of detail in Substance painter is probably the fastest and easiest route. Using floaters probably makes sense…
Hello, welcome to the awesome world of Subdivision Hard Surface modeling :) Starting out nowadays the amount of available online resource can be a confusing grind to sift through so to make the process a tad easier, here's some pointers I've managed too pickup along the way. So regardless of complexity beginning with as…
@sera3D Hey buddy, read my post on this page with the leaves in it. N-gons are not your enemy. N-gons on uniform curved surfaces can be your enemy. On supported flat surfaces, N-gons flat out don't matter, and will enable you to save a bunch of modeling time and render-time by letting you end your supportloops in one e-z…
I believe that thinking in terms of how subdivison surfaces work fundamentally will help you both in this particular case and in the future, when you'll be facing similar issues. It helps me a lot to understand that, anyhow. Let's take a closer look at your geometry and try to think of what actually happens when you switch…
It's a destructive process so there are two concerns: preserving shape accuracy and avoiding manual work. Manual work is slow and the results are often inaccurate. Tools (used correctly) will be faster and more accurate than pushing points around manually. There's a couple ways to quickly re-build the shape without doing a…