I get this is for training, but you might want to keep in mind how close you'll see those details, and see if it useful to spend time on it. Unless you're making a screw viewer, you don't need to be so picky on details like this.
No idea if that's useful, but I'd maybe start it something like that..? The details I would dynamesh and bake down, however I'm not sure about the topology at the bottom of the handle where I shaded the squares, maybe someone can offer a better idea?
Currently looks like the highpoly uses support loops plus subd which will round off the edges. Adding an actual bevel might help here. One could also map UVs to trims. Here is a test to illustrate what I mean.
Well, it is a 99 pages thread so i didnt read all the tips an tricks... but i guess i will aproach this like the "tire" tip. First podel one part flat, repreat it along a line and then bend it till it become a complete ring
Is this a lot of floating Geo? I may need to make one of these and am trying to make sense of this guy's model. Those large discs on the side look like they're embedded but no edges going to them so must be floating no? same with little screws and such.
Give the demo a try its like $25(dumb) but i think comes with a bunch of cool instructional stuff. Also i wouldn't shy away from recommending Silo, it has a lot of similar features that modo has, but significantly less expensive.
Maybe like so: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1114083/knob.obj Not the best thing on earth, but it should get the job done. You could also try to use a cylinder with many sides,cylinder with 6 sides, use pro boolean and do a cleanup.
Sorry guys, but if i would like to have a miter edge running around the perimeter of the toothed section, how can I introduce the hard edges highlighted in my previous post? I keep revisiting this mesh but with no clean result. Thanks again.
As far as i remember straighten loop takes the endpoints(verts) and creates straight line with the verts inbetween. For easy shapes like that you could also use Slice Plane, place it how you want it, click slice and delete the unwanted part.
of course you can build it that way, from the earlier refs this definitely looked like it was less narrow in the center maybe you should stop showing angles that would help after people interpreted the shape of the one angle you showed before ;)