hard surface modeling excercise

# 1 17-10-2011 , 07:33 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

I wanted to practice modeling complex unified hard surface parts.

I saw some parts that someone modeled using Max and was very impressed. I wanted to compare what I could model in Maya to the Max parts I saw so I picked this motorcycle fork brace thingy.

The basic process was to create the main individual shapes and systematically boolean union them together and then clean the geometry up until I had a single unified piece. This is about 10 primary shapes all merged into a single all quad component. I am guessing I spent nearly 20 hours fiddling with it. The boolean method was used for about 80% of the work. The rest was a combination of things like edge extrusion, curve lofts, and such.

It is pretty close but I am not 100% happy with it and will probably model it again. If you look close you can see the bottom part that has the four torx screws does not have the insides modeled yet. I got to this point and since I am considering doing it again I just stopped here. The brake part that attaches to it looks to be an interesting challenge as well and I plan on modeling that and some of the other interesting shapes.

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: wheelBrace_01.jpg
Views: 946
Size: 35.2 KB
ID: 49048

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

Last edited by ctbram; 17-10-2011 at 08:48 PM.

Quote

# 2 17-10-2011 , 07:38 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2011

Posts: 135

Rad dude.

May I ask how you're rendering that to get it so pristine? And is that a regular software material like a blinn? or is it Mia mat?

Quote

# 3 17-10-2011 , 07:40 PM

The thin red line
Join Date: Aug 2009

Location: England

Posts: 4,472

Looks good Rick any conclusions with maya and max, Im glad to see I make a screw head the same way you do.............dave

Avatar Challenge Winner 2010

Quote

# 4 17-10-2011 , 07:56 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Thanks Dave.

Travis: I just used standard maya blinn materials. I like to use blinn's because they show surface flaws very well. There is no sight wall in this image. I like to use a simple sight wall to get some ground reflection and simulated shadows from the final gather but I was in a hurry.

I think I did a post on fast render settings without lights. But basically I just set quality to production or production fine trace and turn on final gather. In the camera attributes I set the focal length to 85mm (to reduce perspective distortion), and set the environment color to a medium grey.

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

Last edited by ctbram; 17-10-2011 at 08:59 PM.

Quote

# 5 17-10-2011 , 08:11 PM

SM Tea Boy
Join Date: Apr 2002

Location: Prague

Posts: 3,228

Very nice looks almost like Escher has opened up a copy of Maya

Dave user added image

From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"

Quote

# 6 17-10-2011 , 08:45 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2011

Posts: 135

Thanks C. Appreciate the info.

Quote

# 7 17-10-2011 , 08:56 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Dave: No lie! It I saw a photo of that part that had been modeled in Max about a month or two ago and it has been driving be insane trying to think how I would model it. So this weekend I sat down and set out to see how hard it would be and although it is a chore it can be done in Maya.

Daverave: I can't really compare the modeling to Max as I have not really used max since version 4. I have just seen a lot of hard surface stuff created in Max and you don't see a lot of hard surface stuff done in Maya, so I am guessing there must be a reason. To be honest it baffles me a bit because I have watched a couple Max modeling tutorials but never really thought that there was anything that would make hard surface modeling easier in Max. Although I have never seen anything this complicated modeled in any package.

I only have images of the completed parts (I think I even posted them in the forums because I thought they were examples of some fantastic hard surface work) and it was driving me insane trying to sus out how he built them. In something like alias, or inventor, or solid works where I can simply stick all the bits together with boolean union and click edges and say fillet or round, and Bob's your uncle. With Maya it was a chore but I am happy to say it can be done.

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

Last edited by ctbram; 25-12-2011 at 04:06 AM.

Quote

# 8 17-10-2011 , 09:17 PM

The thin red line
Join Date: Aug 2009

Location: England

Posts: 4,472

Isnt that the fun Rick, I could have gone with the easy option for my M4 and done one with straight armour..............dave

Avatar Challenge Winner 2010

Quote

# 9 17-10-2011 , 10:14 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Daverave: Thanks for pointing out the screw head. The original one I made was flat and it was optimized. When I got a closer look at the reference I noticed it was rounded and I made it starting with a 12x12 sphere instead of the default 20x20 but it still looked a bit to dense and I intended to go back and optimize it but forgot. This is the optimized one, basically the same process started with half a 8x9 sphere.

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

Last edited by ctbram; 17-10-2011 at 10:20 PM.

Quote

# 10 17-10-2011 , 11:53 PM

Lifetime Member
Join Date: Feb 2010

Location: Australia

Posts: 4,255

well dont there Rick....looks like a lot of hard work. Not sure if I personally would want to get that intense just yet.

cheers bullet

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

Quote

# 11 18-10-2011 , 01:09 AM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

One thing about using booleans to join things is you can just endlessly keep finding bits of the topology you can improve. I tweaked a few bits. Pretty much done tinkering on this guy. I want to make the brake and disc assembly because they also look like a good challenge.

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

Last edited by ctbram; 18-10-2011 at 01:13 AM.

Quote

# 12 18-10-2011 , 08:00 PM

Lead Modeler - Framestore
Join Date: Feb 2003

Location: UK

Posts: 6,287

Hey Rick

Looks great. Pretty straight forward job for a man of your calibre!!

Will you stop mentioning the 'B' word LOL .....it burns us preciousssss!!!

Jay

Quote