Engrave numbers on a curved surface

# 1 27-09-2011 , 04:10 AM

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Hello all,

I'm trying to engrave some numbers around a cylinder to make it look like a the kind of lock you use for a suitcase for example:
user added image

Any advice on that? Do I have to use the smooth modifier at level 10 or something? I'd like to have it be part of the geometry and not via texturing (displacement maps/bump maps) if possible, what would be the best way for such a thing?

Note that my surface will be a smoothed cylinder not a 10 faces polygons like on the picture.

Thank you very much.

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# 2 27-09-2011 , 04:39 AM

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One way would be to use the text tool, write out your numbers, then use a bevel operation to create the thickness of the numbers. Then use a non-linear bend to bend the beveled text around your cylinder, and then use a boolean operation to cut the deformed text into your cylinder.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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# 3 27-09-2011 , 08:18 AM

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I know you did not want to use bump maps but here is something I tossed together really quickly using a bump map and it does not look to bad and would be far lighter then trying to model the numbers in. I did this is like ten minutes so it's not set up like your lock but more like a briefcase tumbler. I also just grabbed times new roman font so it does not match your reference.

This holds up very well even at the shallow angle of the on 3 1 6 on the top row.

If you add a normal map to this using the low poly mesh you can do this in around 52 polygons per tumbler.

Displacement mapping would be the next easiest and it would create physical geometry. However, Maya's software displacement is kinda hinky. Mental ray's displacement node is better quality but then you are locked into mental ray as your render engine.

NextDesign's suggestion would be the best for actually modeling the numbers. You can just make convex numbers and then cut the result in half and reverse the normals to get the inset number. It is just getting the bevel around the outer edge will be hard and then trying to unify them will also be tricky. I would try to make a long strip and then use a bend deformer to create the ring.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 28-09-2011 at 12:28 AM.

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# 4 27-09-2011 , 09:37 AM

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you could just model the whole thing flat. use a bend deformer.input pi in the curve attribute and you get a cylinder.

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# 5 27-09-2011 , 11:12 AM

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to be honest I am agree with bump map quicker, but Answer of NEXTDESIGN and HONETDOM are good.
just use deformers and there u go.

user added image

Moh.Murtaza Mohammadi

knowledge is power

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# 6 27-09-2011 , 05:25 PM

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I already said "I would try to make a long strip and then use a bend deformer to create the ring." at the end of my original post.

Also, if you want a game quality low poly model. You could use floating geometry for the hi poly concave numbers and normal map them along with the hi poly tumbler onto the low poly tumbler.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

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# 7 27-09-2011 , 05:26 PM

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Thanks everyone for all those replies, I'm going to try those methods and see what looks best, hopefully today if I get a break from work.

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# 8 28-09-2011 , 02:55 AM

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So I tried 2 of the 3 methods, the last one being the one where I apply the numbers on a strip then bend it to make a cylinder.
The boolean worked well but if I have to connect all the edges from the boolean operation to the edge of the cylinder I'm losing the roundness of it in some areas.
user added image

The bump looks god from far away but if I get too close the edges are not sharp at all, I have a smooth iteration of 4 and for some reason it doesn't let me go higher.
My bump map looks just like diffuse map with sharp edges, didn't add any blur to it.
That's how it looks:
user added image

What do you think, how could I get a clean result?

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# 9 28-09-2011 , 03:04 AM

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For the bump it's not smoothing but texture resolution that controls how it looks close up. But you cannot get to close because a bump map is an illusion of light and is given away if you get to close or in silhouette.

With the boolean method you are going to have trouble unifying the numbers to the surface because you are going to get a ton of geometry.

You should rarely if EVER, need to smooth to 4 levels of subdivision.

If you do try to unify the number to the surface you should do it BEFORE you apply the bend modifier. But you are going to get some hellishly heavy geometry!

NOTE:If you blur the bump map image it will soften out those edges.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 28-09-2011 at 08:05 PM.

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# 10 28-09-2011 , 03:16 AM

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Ah I think I've found the perfect way to do it! I've heard about splines before for detailing geometry:
https://cg.tutsplus.com/tutorials/aut...el-in-3ds-max/

Hopefully the techniques used here will apply to Maya too, I only have 4 more days for this project and still a lot to go...

EDIT: Just realized that's was one of your proposition ctbram for reversing normals, my bad user added image

didn't understand it that way the first time. I guess i'll model the numbers then...