cylindrical UV stretched seam bug - WIP Star Altar

13

Comments

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    Before I could answer you just made me laugh a lot... :)

    Thank you for your kind words. For now I don't really care about deleting the lights. It's just a 3 light set I made for working, nothing special. ;) So it's easy to make experiences.
    You may be right about the crystal Dartan, cause if it doesn't shine nothing it doesn't really look like a crystal.

    I actually got to this result thanks to you EP. :) Really went to see shaders and the crystal came from a glass shader! ;)

    And I have to say, I also like the columns as they are now. It gave another live to the model!! :)

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    If you wish to see what I did, I do have the crystal with shader applied at ShareCG.
    http://www.sharecg.com/v/67244/view/5/3D-Model/Large-Vertex-Crystal-and-shader

    I've been thinking of revisiting it, as I have an idea in my head that using a color gradient in the maybe the transparency and reflection channels may give a prismatic look.


    Whatever you do with the shaders, you may wish to include caustics in your scene to enhance the crystal. I have a nifty little trick to get a white light to split into component colors, such as what happens in real life with light passing through a prism.


    In Carrara, and probably many other render engines (excluding the modern un-biased renderers) a white light is just that, white, so it can't break apart. However, if you place three lights in exactly the same spot with exactly the same orientation, and have them the exact same brightness, but one light is red, one light is blue and one light is green, then the cumulative light looks white. When caustics are enabled, the light splits when passing through the clear and refractive surfaces in your scene. You need to be cautious with the brightness as it is cumulative. So, the three lights set at 33% brightness should look like one light set at 99% brightness provided that gamma correction is not turned on. I haven't tested this with gamma correction.

    Nice!!! I will download that crystal right away! ;)

    That's really a great trick!!! It makes all sense!!!! You're a mad genius!! :D (You probably don't know Avatar - The Last Airbender anime, you would laugh a lot if you knew where this sentence come). Have to try that!! :)

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969


    Nice!!! I will download that crystal right away! ;)

    That's really a great trick!!! It makes all sense!!!! You're a mad genius!! :D (You probably don't know Avatar - The Last Airbender anime, you would laugh a lot if you knew where this sentence come). Have to try that!! :)

    Mad? You can't prove a thing!

    Genius? Well, I think I am, but I have yet to take a vote! I'm afraid of the results. Although when I had a vote to see if I was a pompous, it passed by a landslide, so maybe this one will pass as well? :lol:

    I saw the movie. Does that count?

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    LOLOLOLOLOLOL

    Don't know, didn't saw the movie yet, so I don't know if that joke of the mad genius appear in the movie. But it's from a very funny and genius character that create lots of crazy things but always in a genius way!! I always laugh a lot when I say this!!

  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584
    edited December 1969

    Nice detailing on the pillars, with the sigils and whatnot :-)

    But you know, that's still Harry potter's wand.... lol

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    lolololol

    really don't know... haven't seen any of Harry Potter's movies after the first...
    really can't say why, I'm just crazy about fantasy... have to see them to be able to answer appropriately :P

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    In vertex room, is there a way we can make an object non selective, so that we can select polys really close without select that particular object?

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    If there are polys getting in the way of other polys that you want to work on, you can go to View-->Hide Selection. When you need to see the polys that were hidden, just go to View--> Reveal hidden.

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    That actually does not help in this particular situation. I have to see it.
    Am creating a creeper around the columns ;) And I really need to see the columns.
    I am being able to do it fine, just thought it would be faster if I could have a way of never select the column.

    Thank you Ep :)

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    I got it. Thanks. I thought something was in front of the polys you wanted to edit.

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    That also happens a lot... as you probably know better than me ;) The hidden "tool" is actually very handy.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,583
    edited December 1969

    In vertex room, is there a way we can make an object non selective, so that we can select polys really close without select that particular object?
    Kind of, yes... but not in the Vertex Room. Allow me to explain:
    Instead of adding another vertex construction into the same vertex object, make a new one.
    Now, instead of modeling in the vertex room, before you even construct anything, close out of the vertex room altogether.
    In the Assembly room, select the new (but still empty) vertex object and click on the edit tool in the upper left, just under the menu bar.
    You are now vertex modeling in the Assembly room and the only thing you can select is the current vertex object.
    So go ahead and construct a new 3d shape and start modeling.

    Using this method, you can model directly around other objects in the scene easily, as you can select polygons, edges, and vertices straight through anything that may otherwise block its select, except for itself, of course. Then if there comes a time when you need to hide any object in your scene, click that edit icon again (now it's a hand instead of a wrench) to get out of edit mode, hide anything you want, and select the vertex object and go back into edit mode.

    This is very handy. You can make stuff invisible, then go into edit mode and make the selections you need, and then get out of edit mode. Now make the stuff visible again and go back into edit mode and what you've selected last time is still selected and ready for you to edit. I became increasingly more and more fond of modeling in Carrara doing this stuff.

    Using multiple vertex objects to create one object has an added pleasure of giving you more flexibility in UV Mapping. You can also hide these things individually from inside the Assembly room without going into edit mode, add individual modifiers, etc., Then you put everything together in a group when you're done. I believe that (I haven't tried it myself yet) you can even export the whole group as an OBJ and bring it back in as one object, if you'd like. Just make sure that, if you need separate shading domains, to give them all unique names before doing so - as the process will combine everything together into a single mesh - if you chose it to export that way. During that same process, you may also convert any procedural shaders into texture maps ;)

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    Nice!! Didn't know we could model in the assembly room.
    Will try this!! ;) Think it can be useful to lots of things :)

    Thanks Dartan!! :)

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975
    edited December 1969

    Nice!! Didn't know we could model in the assembly room.
    Will try this!! ;) Think it can be useful to lots of things :)

    Thanks Dartan!! :)

    It's looking good, Tania, you are getting the hang of Car a lot quicker than I have, well done. Dart, EP what about Anything Glows?? Or is a crystal too far into the cold colour spectrum for it? Or a close-in Spotlight?

    Wacom...mentioned this in another thread. I can take it or leave it, but to be honest, I am much much happier with a track ball. My right thumb can move the cursor in a flash across the screen or make the most wee changes. All without dragging a mouse round the work surface which made my arm, neck and should ache, not to mention RSI. It takes a day or two of surfing the net to get used to it, then I just jumped right into all my 2D illustration design programmes and will never to back to a regular mouse. I draw in Illustrator with it with little aggro. It comes with extra buttons you can set to do things as well.

    http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/product/wireless-trackball-m570?crid=8

    Cheaper on Amazon whether in US or UK. I love it...been on it for a year with same battery every day!

    Tania, keep creating!

    xx :) SileneUK

  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311
    edited December 1969

    Hi Tania :)

    There's a plug-in available from Fenric, which generates Ivy,... it may save you some time. (I think it's free)

    If you want to make the creeping vines manually,.
    Use a sweep path to sweep a small square or circle along a path you create around the column. (pic)

    Use "soft selection", and change the selector to only select polygons, then you should be able to select the creeping vine, and work with it easily.....or , as Dart suggested, work in the assembly room on a separate vertex object and use the column object as your guide.

    hope it helps ;)

    vine.jpg
    1371 x 725 - 191K
  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    Thank you Silene!!

    About wacom, I just can't live without digital pen. I'm very used to realistic hand drawing with all those nice and soft shades and gradients. Just can't paint like that with any kind of mouse, probably cause I'm very used to pencil drawing. For me it's the best choice.
    But you are very right in one thing - for who is not so used to hand drawing, probably there is better solutions, cause a wacom will require lots of hand training to give nice trace. For me is more the opposite - I open photoshop with the wacom and suddenly have all my drawing skills backing me up.
    I can also say that I use it mostly for digital painting, I mean, for the brush tool. For most of other things I use the mouse.
    I am painting right now so it was really funny that you brought that up :P

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited March 2014

    3DAGE said:
    Hi Tania :)

    There's a plug-in available from Fenric, which generates Ivy,... it may save you some time. (I think it's free)

    If you want to make the creeping vines manually,.
    Use a sweep path to sweep a small square or circle along a path you create around the column. (pic)

    Use "soft selection", and change the selector to only select polygons, then you should be able to select the creeping vine, and work with it easily.....or , as Dart suggested, work in the assembly room on a separate vertex object and use the column object as your guide.

    hope it helps ;)

    EP had already spoke about sweep path. To be honest, haven't figured it out how to use it yet. Also admit that didn't tried to much, but it starting to seem the best solution. Can you explain a little better how to use it?

    By the way, where can I find that plug in. It got me curious! :)

    Post edited by MysticWings on
  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,173
    edited March 2014

    Here is a little help on sweep paths. Excuse if you already know this.

    I've put in a primitive cylinder just to have something to sweep around.
    - insert a vertex object. Then use :construct: :grid: . Then make a simple shape. I made a simple X.
    - Back in the assembly room, put your grid facing up at the bottom of your pillar (next to it).
    - Then, with the grid selected, click the hand in the upper left to start vertex modeling in the assembly room.
    - The grid becomes a mesh with vertexes and polygons.
    - Click the polyline tool on from the top menu (you will have a choice of a number of types of lines).
    - Click in the assembly room to draw your polyline. Then arrange the line so that it wraps around the pillar. This will be a little tedious until you get used to it.
    - Then double click both the grid and polyline (with shift key held down if necessary) to make sure both are selected.
    - Choose :construct: :sweep: and a number of sweep types will appear in the properties tray. Choose the kind of sweep you want.
    - click on the polyline.
    The grid will be swept up and around the pillar.

    You then have a number of choices. For example, if you have modeled a piece of ivy, you could replicate it on the surface of the new model.

    c_click_sweep_path_copy.jpg
    600 x 800 - 206K
    6_select_x_and_polyline.JPG
    315 x 428 - 27K
    4_polyline_tool.JPG
    270 x 181 - 17K
    a_Setup_vertx_in_assembly_room.jpg
    600 x 800 - 182K
    Post edited by Diomede on
  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    Thank you very much!! :) I knew nothing about sweep paths so it was very useful.

    I have already made a creeper (just a little bit) but it took me a really amount of time. The tedious part you do here with the polyline, I'm doing with a very narrow and long cylinder, so it actually seems simpler to do it like this. :)

    Will try it tonight, since the afternoon is being for painting ;)

    I'll post the result :)

  • SileneUKSileneUK Posts: 1,975
    edited December 1969

    diomede64 said:
    Here is a little help on sweep paths. Excuse if you already know this.

    I've put in a primitive cylinder just to have something to sweep around.
    - insert a vertex object. Then use :construct: :grid: . Then make a simple shape. I made a simple X.
    - Back in the assembly room, put your grid facing up at the bottom of your pillar (next to it).
    - Then, with the grid selected, click the hand in the upper left to start vertex modeling in the assembly room.
    - The grid becomes a mesh with vertexes and polygons.
    - Click the polyline tool on from the top menu (you will have a choice of a number of types of lines).
    - Click in the assembly room to draw your polyline. Then arrange the line so that it wraps around the pillar. This will be a little tedious until you get used to it.
    - Then double click both the grid and polyline (with shift key held down if necessary) to make sure both are selected.
    - Choose :construct: :sweep: and a number of sweep types will appear in the properties tray. Choose the kind of sweep you want.
    - click on the polyline.
    The grid will be swept up and around the pillar.

    You then have a number of choices. For example, if you have modeled a piece of ivy, you could replicate it on the surface of the new model.

    Ah Dio, you do know the way to a newbie girl's heart! Knowing just what we need when we didn't know we could even have it. xx ;) SileneUK

    PS....that goes for Dart, EP and lots of other chaps on here too!!! %-P

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    Agree!!! This guys are conquering me ;)

  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311
    edited December 1969

    Thanks diomede64 :)

    The sweep path will take any line or shape, and Sweep it along any Path you create,..

    For a curling vine like this, your best bet for making the Path, is to use the "Interpolated curve"
    this is a Flexible curve shape which can be easily repositioned into the shape you want, by selecting and moving the vertices.

    Once you've made a path,. the next step is to make a shape to sweep along the path.

    For a Vine, you could use a little square,. (you can add "smooth" to the final model to make it look rounded)

    Once you've made the shape,. Select it, then go to the "Sweep path" tool on the top tool-bar,. then select the Path you want to sweep the shape along.

    This will use the original shape ( the square you made) and make a new model from that, using the Path to create the length of the shape.

    Once you've done that,. You'll be left with the Path you created,. (you can delete or re-use that).
    and the original shape you created will have become part of the new model.

    If you make a little leaf model, and use a Surface replicator, you can easily add leaves to your Vine.

    Hope that helps :)

    Vine_column.jpg
    768 x 739 - 81K
  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    Many many thanks for all these help!! :D

    I actually thought it would be really hard and difficult to do something like these. Then I tried with what I knew and it was like "ok, it's not that hard, it will just take me some time". And now I see it can be even easier!!

  • TangoAlphaTangoAlpha Posts: 4,584
    edited December 1969

    That's cool - something I'm gonna need to learn too. And thanks also for the tip about vertex modelling in the assembly room. :-)

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    Tim_A said:
    That's cool - something I'm gonna need to learn too. And thanks also for the tip about vertex modelling in the assembly room. :-)

    I guess it's just something we've taken granted since the introduced it in C7. I think it was C7. I remember it being a big selling point.

  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    Ok, working with polyline has shown to be really really difficult....
    Every time I try to do a new point, it doesn't matter in which view, it always get completely out of place. It seems like polyline work mostly in a 2d manner... So if I put the second point in what it seems a little higher, it actually put the point on the same horizontal plane than the first one and it goes far away in a perspective way. Really strange to work...
    If my columns were straight I could do an interpolated curve from top view around it and then pull in the verticality of the column... but they are not and from top view I see the larger parts but not the others.

    Maybe I just need to get some practice with it...

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,173
    edited December 1969

    Ok, working with polyline has shown to be really really difficult....
    Every time I try to do a new point, it doesn't matter in which view, it always get completely out of place. It seems like polyline work mostly in a 2d manner... So if I put the second point in what it seems a little higher, it actually put the point on the same horizontal plane than the first one and it goes far away in a perspective way. Really strange to work...
    If my columns were straight I could do an interpolated curve from top view around it and then pull in the verticality of the column... but they are not and from top view I see the larger parts but not the others.

    Maybe I just need to get some practice with it...

    I feel your pain. You are going to find that there are usually several different ways to get the same results in Carrara. For something like this ivy-wrap, I am going to suggest one way to get easier control of the polyline tool when you have a base vertex object to work on, or some other reference object.

    - make a temporary mesh, and draw the polyline on that.

    Yep. That is it. You will be able to draw the polylines on the temporary mesh, select only the grid and polyline (not the temporary mesh), and the sweep tool will still work. You can then just delete the polyline and the temporary mesh.

    In these screenshots, I made an irregular shaped object by inserting a cylinder and a cube. I was able to "wrap" them in a vine by inserting a temporary vertex mesh, drawing the polyline on that, sweeping, then deleting the temporary mesh. For this example, I used a simple vertex cylinder and used the modeling in the assembly room method to cover the base objects with my temporary vertex cylinder.

    10_render.JPG
    555 x 507 - 21K
    8_sweep_result.JPG
    447 x 560 - 44K
    6_polyline_along_wrapped_mesh.JPG
    441 x 513 - 35K
    4_wrap_object_in_new_vertex_object.JPG
    332 x 409 - 28K
    1_wrap_irregular_object.JPG
    480 x 463 - 37K
  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    That seems a good solution since the points of the polyline, if we spot in an edge of the mesh, normally goes to that edge.
    When I wasn't being able to do it in assembly room, I went to model room to try and that was happening in the column.

    Thank you!! :)

    I actually have my creepers almost finished in another method, but I'm really happy to know this cause I like to make plants and creepers so I will need it a lot in the future. Also the end result is much better.

  • 3DAGE3DAGE Posts: 3,311
    edited March 2014

    HI Tania :)

    My bad,. i should have given you more details on working with the curve tools to create the vine shape,..

    I wouldn't use the polyline for this, since it makes fixed lines and vertices,.. a curve is better since the segments are flexible,
    when you make a curve, or interpolated curve, carrara calculates the curve,.
    so, when you select the first vertex, and move it,... the curve will be recalculated,. like a rubber rope,.. (the other vertices will move)
    this allows you to move the vertices, or edges of the curve into the shape that you need.

    The polyline creates rigid vertices or edges,. so, when you select and move a vertex, Only that single vertex moves, the other vertices in the line remain fixed in space...and that makes the process of creating smooth curves a lot harder, and much more time consuming.

    Both the Curve, and interpolated curve, take a bit of practice to see how you can draw shapes with them, but once you've spent a few minutes experimenting, you should be able to create whatever curve shape you want.

    In 3D modelling, (especially drawing lines) you should be working in a 2D mindset,. work in flat views to draw lines, since when you try to draw in 3D space, (where is the cursor) how deep into 3d space is it ?,.. so, stick to drawing in 2D views,... then make the shape 3D.

    When you work with the interpolated curve,.
    Use the top view to create a spiral around your column, keep the lines separated, so you can easily select them and adjust the shape of your curve in the other views (see pic)

    You can also use other tools, such as the "Scale tool", to shrink the spiral curve around the column.

    Once you've got enough line to make the vine, you should switch to a multi-view, such as the quad view.
    this will make it easier to zoom in and select the parts of the line you want to move.

    Move the curve line into position, and then sweep the shape along that path to create your new Vine model.

    You can now work on the Model, and if you enable "Soft selection" on the right hand side panels, (See pic)... then you can select and move the polygons in a flexible way. this allows you to move the vine closer to the column, or adjust the curvature and height of the model.

    Pic's to help

    spiralquad2.jpg
    1651 x 863 - 287K
    spiralquad.jpg
    1660 x 1003 - 340K
    spiral.jpg
    1669 x 988 - 293K
    Post edited by 3DAGE on
  • MysticWingsMysticWings Posts: 226
    edited December 1969

    wawww.... you know you are all awesome!! What detailed explanations you give.

    And I will really go try cause just find out that I had lot of work doing the creepers in that other way... but I did it in the wrong columns... I had rescaled them and the ones I was working on were the previous ones... :S So instead of trying to fix them, I will try do them like this. :)

Sign In or Register to comment.