Converting between Sub-Ds and Polys

# 1 24-08-2005 , 02:44 PM

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Is it normal for spending hours of creasing in Sub-D mode, convert back to polys to add some detail, come back to Sub-D and have all the creasing lost? I still see the heavy bolded dotted line in the Sub-D model but the creasing is gone. Very frustrating.

I find myself in a huge dilema between using Poly - Sub-D, and just using Poly with Poly Smooth Proxy. I never know when is the best situation to use which method.

I try to stick with Poly as a final stage for texturing as Sub-Ds have apparently issues with texturing.

Any thoughts? What's a good work flow to follow when modeling such as saving poly model as backup or different versions of a model during various levels of completion...?

"Please excuse the crudity of this model, I didn’t have time to build it to scale or to paint it"
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# 2 24-08-2005 , 03:20 PM

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Yep, sorry to confirm, but creasing only applies to subDs and will not translate through geometry. Think of it this way, creasing does not actually modify vertices or faces, it just defines how they will desplay.

regards,
Michael

AIM: mhcannonDMC

"If you love your job, you'll never work another day in your life."

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# 3 24-08-2005 , 03:33 PM

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If what you say is true, that creasing in Sub-D just changes the way the geometry displays in that mode without actually changing it, then I guess I'm confused.

What is the best way to create a Poly object, convert to SD for cleanup, convert back to Poly and retain the same sharp lines as I had in SD mode?

Or follow-up question would be what would be the reasoning to convert back to Poly after a good SD edit...texturing? Can you texture in SD?

"Please excuse the crudity of this model, I didn’t have time to build it to scale or to paint it"
:: Dr. Emmett Brown

Last edited by sjurick; 24-08-2005 at 03:42 PM.

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# 4 24-08-2005 , 03:51 PM

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Originally posted by mhcannon
Yep, sorry to confirm, but creasing only applies to subDs and will not translate through geometry. Think of it this way, creasing does not actually modify vertices or faces, it just defines how they will desplay.

regards,
Michael

Originally Posted by

Hmm, so its similar to a bump map?

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# 5 24-08-2005 , 04:53 PM

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Umm not really, maybe my choice of words was bad. What I meant, is that creases do not add any additional vertices or faces, rather the define shape of the faces will be interpreted based on vertex location and the type of creasing selected. Creasing will show in the modeling window.

Bump mapping is post render "effect" that simulates depth/height on a surface and a bump texture to be assigned to the material's shader. Creases are a modeling feature whereas bumps are rendering feature.

Clear as mud right?

AIM: mhcannonDMC

"If you love your job, you'll never work another day in your life."

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