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Help making realistic canopy

V

viking

Messages
31
Country
denmark
Hello!

I'm a novice in 3ds Max and modeling. I have found a tutorial, and try to follow this step by step. the tutorial is about modeling a Supermarine Spitfire in 3ds Max.

So far, it have been going well, but now then making the canopy, I can't make it visually realistic. Please see my pictures. What I have done is selecting each polygon individuel, inset it once, then extrude it once.

In the first picture, it is there I don't have turned on NURMS, and here it looks ok, but picture 2 shows the canopy with NURMS, and it looks terrible.

I hope to get some advises, how to make my canopy more realistic.

Sorry for my english :-)

Best regards

Henrik Viking
 

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I found that tutorial on the web and had a read through. Before you get really tied in knots with NURMS or other build-it-rough-and-smooth-it methods, I suggest you next try Milton Shupe's C162 tutorial series. Lots of us started out there.

To be blunt, the model in the Spitfire tutorial resembles a real one like a Volkswagen Beetle resembles a Ferrari 355 and it's difficult to get realistic, accurate modelling that way. Some use NURMS a lot in their modelling, but they start with more accurate mesh and there are various methods to keep the essential details in the end result. Hopefully Bill O might chime in here, he uses that method.
 
Hello Viking,

Seems to me that you need what it is called "support loops" in the right spots before you apply any smoothing modifier (aka NURMS, Turbosmooth, etc.)

This is about topology and deals with support loops:

Perhaps you want to watch this video about using smoothing groups:

But the way, your airplane is looking good!
Sergio.
 
Arrimus 3d, the guy is good, I have learned a lot from his tutorials. I have to thank Lionheart for turning me on to his stuff.
 
Hello!

First thanks for your replies :).

To Hairyspin, I know the tutorial of the C162, but as I remember Milton Shupe use boolean to cut his windows. In the Spitfire tutorial, you are making windows by selecting each polygon and inset and extrude them to make each window in the canopy.

To Antaris, I think you are right. It is also my thought, but where would you lay the extra loops? In my opinion, there are many lines/edges around the windows. As I am a novice, I can't figure out that I'm doing wrong. Can it be in the corners of the windows it goes wrong?

regards

Henrik Viking
 
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If booleans are a problem to you then you'll obviously need to find other ways. The videos posted above should help, good luck!
 
It's just a case of adding more edges and delete edges that make a bad topology with nurbs active. It'a a lot of strategy and experience, it's not all tutorials. avoid triangle mesh, etc. To say sincere I make an airplane and all was going good before to stump with the canopy. was a nightmare, almost a case of deleting and redoing again.
 
I found the solution:):).

What I had forgot was to make edges across the long windows frame edges. See the attaced picture.

Thanks to Antaris for the links to the movies.

Best regards

Henrik Viking
 

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With Nurms, to 'control' sharp edges, you need to add a row of Edges, sometimes two rows of edges.

I found that when you have a 'corner' edge, like the glass meets the canopy on your canopy issue, you will either need a very very close secondary edge next to it, or you can select a row of Edges and experiment with the 'Weight' and 'Crease' settings in the RH control panel in Edges mode. Weight will be 1.0 and Crease will be 0.0. Turn Weight to 0.0 for a seam on your Canopy and see how that looks in Max. You might also try 'Split', where you select a band (row) of Edges and Split them, so that your glass is one part, the canopy is another. That helps to keep the edges crisp, (sometimes).

Also try setting Nurms to 2 notches or Iterations. Add more control edges to improve radius' if you do not want 2 Iterations of NURMS.

When doing 'control loops' which are edge lines up close to a corner, imagine the two outside edges being where the curve begins, and the middle one is the arc point where they bend at their highest apex.

By the way, that Canopy would be excellent for a German aircraft, like the BF109. Nice work.


I love Nurms mode. :D
 
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