Motor Bike Seat

# 1 06-08-2012 , 12:31 PM

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Join Date: Feb 2012

Posts: 29

Hi,
I'm new to Maya, but wanted a small challenge to get to grips with the features. I've got the Autodesk books and followed a number of tutorials... so I think I'm (sort of) ready!

Anyway, attached is the mesh and my model so far - but looking BAD! Any tips?

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# 2 06-08-2012 , 11:02 PM

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Location: Michigan, USA

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Your topology should follow the flow of the creases. I have attached a version, just based on eyeballing the geo. It will not match your image planes but will give you a better idea of proper edge flow for that shape.

The attached zip file contains the exampleGeo.ma file which was made in Maya 2012.

Good luck.

-Rick

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exampleGeo.zip (145.0 KB, 306 views)

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

Last edited by ctbram; 07-08-2012 at 12:40 AM.

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# 3 07-08-2012 , 10:11 AM

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Hi, Thank-you soooo much for this! I will for sure take a close look at this!! Thank-you so much.

Can I ask how you started this? Was this created with a plane, then extruding and moving down to make the curve?

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# 4 07-08-2012 , 05:10 PM

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The way I did this shape was to start with two cylinders I sized and shaped them and stuck one cylinder into the side of the other and combined them to get the basic shape. Then I made the object live and manually drew the topology on top of the combined shape.

I used Maya and make live, but you could also use 3D-Coat, Topogun, Zbrush, Blender, Modo, etc they all have retopo tools that are a bit easier to use then make live in maya. But this is a fairly simple object and so I wanted to stay in Maya since not everyone has multiple programs.

Here is the combined shape I used as a plug to redraw the proper geo on top of...

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

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# 5 08-08-2012 , 08:26 PM

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Just emailed you... hope you got it ok.

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# 6 08-08-2012 , 10:01 PM

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Location: Michigan, USA

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I got the mail and looking at that engine cover here is another workflow using nurbs curves to create nurbs surface patches that can then be converted to polysurfaces.

Looks like the engine cover for that motor bike is asymmetrical.

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