SurfDeform Mini-Tutorial
polycounter lvl 18
Here's a quick Mini-tutorial on how to morph complex geometry to simple NURBS shapes...
Here we have a simple sphere converted to NURBS, and a common situation you see in sci-fi models... a curved surface with several small depressions.
These are the wire-frames of the final objects.
This is the final modifier stack.
1.TurboSmooth - makes your model look awesome
2.SurfDeform - Morphs the Plane (Plane13) to the Nurbs Sphere (Sphere01)
3.FFD(box) - Makes a free form deformation box around the plane to simplify the points that have to be moved. I'm not sure this makes too much of a difference, but seems like the best way to do it. I didn't try this dense of a mesh without the FFD modifier.
4.Editable Poly - Herpa Derp.
With the Plane13 object selected as shown by figure 1, in the "SurfDeform" modifier I pushed the "Pick Object" button and selected the Sphere01 object, as shown by figure 2.
I then fiddled with the nobs... as shown by figure 3.
Here's a brief explanation in image form!
I hope this is helpful!
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This may be common practice, but I just figured it out today and wanted to share with the group. I remember Ghostscape showing me a way to do this a few years back, but it seemed more complicated than this, but also allowed for more complex geo deformation... @Ghostscape, you still got that tutorial? I remember being impressed by it!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Here we have a simple sphere converted to NURBS, and a common situation you see in sci-fi models... a curved surface with several small depressions.
These are the wire-frames of the final objects.
This is the final modifier stack.
1.TurboSmooth - makes your model look awesome
2.SurfDeform - Morphs the Plane (Plane13) to the Nurbs Sphere (Sphere01)
3.FFD(box) - Makes a free form deformation box around the plane to simplify the points that have to be moved. I'm not sure this makes too much of a difference, but seems like the best way to do it. I didn't try this dense of a mesh without the FFD modifier.
4.Editable Poly - Herpa Derp.
With the Plane13 object selected as shown by figure 1, in the "SurfDeform" modifier I pushed the "Pick Object" button and selected the Sphere01 object, as shown by figure 2.
I then fiddled with the nobs... as shown by figure 3.
Here's a brief explanation in image form!
I hope this is helpful!
____________________________________________________________________________________
This may be common practice, but I just figured it out today and wanted to share with the group. I remember Ghostscape showing me a way to do this a few years back, but it seemed more complicated than this, but also allowed for more complex geo deformation... @Ghostscape, you still got that tutorial? I remember being impressed by it!
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Replies
Question: Wouldn't it make more sense to always throw the turbosmooth below the SurfDeform and FFD, to avoid pinching on meshes that don't already have a lot of geometry?
very good point... I did a test and put the TurboSmooth just after Editable Poly and the result was actually better
On top, it bends the crap out of the mesh and the holes have soft bevels around them...
The way you suggest the whole thing is very smooth...
It's subtle, but better, If your mesh is more complicated it would be more noticeable
Thanks Raz
Also, this thing pinches at the top of the sphere pretty badly, definitely not the best way to do this, but it's fast.
Thanks.
This will forever be part of el workflow.