NURBS vs POLYS

# 1 06-04-2006 , 12:14 AM

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I do not understand something, why is it that in many of the tutorials, the instructor builds a shape using NURBS, and then converts the NURBS to Polygons?

It seams to me that it would be more efficient to just build your object in polys in the first place, its not like there is no sphere in poly primitives, and a smooth seams to have a NURB-like effect anyway… I know I am new at Maya, but I just don’t get the point of NURBS if you want to always convert to polys anyway.

"I'd call that beastial masochistic necrophilia, but that would be like beating a dead horse."

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# 2 06-04-2006 , 01:04 AM

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nurbs are easier to get the general shape, without messing the mesh up much user added image

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www.joopson.com

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# 3 06-04-2006 , 01:14 AM

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Location: Seattle, WA

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it's all a matter of preference. I tend to just start with polys myself. they are both valid techniques.

-Mike
The Maya Toolbelt

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# 4 06-04-2006 , 07:54 AM

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i dont think kurt likes box modeling all that much.

A pint of example is worth a gallon of advice!!

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# 5 06-04-2006 , 12:48 PM

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ok, so if I understand you guys, a reason to use NURBS is that they (for some people) are eaiser to work with, but then why convert them to polys?

"I'd call that beastial masochistic necrophilia, but that would be like beating a dead horse."

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# 6 06-04-2006 , 01:15 PM

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Polys allow better control over details...its incredibly difficult to get good detail when u can only work with control vertices...especially for organic models.
Nurbs help get the general shape and proprortions and keep the model smooth, then you convert to polygons to add detail easier, and then into sub-d if you like to help refine the model even more.

oh, working in nurbs first, also eliminates the amount of vertices that need to be manipulated. You can get a pretty good general shape by manipulating just a few control vertices, as opposed to a lot of polygon vertices.

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# 7 15-04-2006 , 03:36 PM

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hehehe, How many times do we get to talk about this question. well, over time i've found a couple more things to take into consideration.

#1 do you have Deep Paint, if not, texturing nurbs gets really annoying

#2 do you have lots of RAM. If not, high ploy counts will slooooooooooooooowwwww you down.

#3 do you have Zbrush, if not you'll need to practice a while to get those nice smooth object with polygons.

Overall, most people find polygons easier and more forgiving than nurbs. however, DO NOT foresake one for the other, use both and convert when needed or just create a mixed surface model.
On another note, dont forget about your friendly sub-d surfaces and Connect Poly Shape mel.

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