I agree connect is a lot better than cutting in new edges. But it depends on the action. Cut in vertex mode is pretty much asking for a big pile of hurt and headache. Cut in edge mode instead it's much more predictable and reliable. I've never had edge mode cut freak out and try to assign the edge to an arbitrary point…
Note that my example shows a really skewed polygon face. You're pointy end of an elbow was probably defined by actual edges and not these "hidden" triangle dividing edges. Your actual edges never flip like this, only the hidden ones. I wouldn't say this is an issue you run into all that often, or at least not something you…
Hi! Hard edges, soft edges? Best read up here: Making sense of hard edges, uvs, normal maps and vertex counts Wiki contains more info generally. Smooth shading works as well, but because of the gradients in shading the normal map has to compensate more (gradients in the normal map). If the lowpoly is smooth shaded and is…
Hey PolyCount, I recently posted this to 3D p&p but it's kind of getting lost there with no replies so I figured this is probably a more fitting place for it. I'm in the process of trying to sculpt a barrel. I want it to look fairly stylized but i'm having trouble defining the edges and I think i'm getting caught in the…
I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of Smoothing Groups too so bare with me. This is what I know of them so far..... When applying different smoothing groups the angle is what's affected in the process and not the faces though the face is what you apply the smoothing groups to. Any series of connected faces that share the…
Made a quick and dirty tut to show you how I would do it. This is just an example. If you want it it to wrap more times then add more cuts. If you want a different angle then move the vertices on the right lower and you will have the result you wanted. In the same way you can add the normal map no problem. I f you do not…
Many thanks everyone! It is my my first firearm so there is a lot of new stuff I need to learn. I read a couple of things beforehand and know that I need edges that are not too sharp and bake well later. Though I don't really know how big/small the bevel has to be, therefore I used a bevel modifier for all the sharper…
Used Angle and Area weighted normals in Maya 2014+, results are pretty good without any tinkering (compared to Unweighted anyway), but in some cases we still used some scripts to align the normals to look best, mostly on cases where you had a beveled edge with only 2 segments (like a thin polygon strip). Also used them in…
Sorry about the delay, kept forgetting to bring them home. Here's a link for anyone who wants them: MoP's UV tools and misc scripts As usual, just run the .ms file once from inside Max, then look in the Customize menu and you will find a new category called "MoP's Tools" with a bunch of commands in the list. The "Align UVs…
I need to rotate along an edge, in the edge's local angle. I'm not asking how to reposition a pivot location. I want to get the Rotation pivot angle Set to Edge, just like in Scale and Transform options. See my screenshots. Take note of the Z-axis direction in each image, I successfully Set to Edge for Transform and Scale,…