Trying to Cut Out of an Object

# 1 18-03-2013 , 01:39 PM

JBRANS747
Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: Ohio

Posts: 3

Does anyone know the best way to go about modeling this piece for a masquerade mask I am trying to make?

I have found a tutorial and asked a few people and they suggested that I take the image into Adobe Illustrator and do a live trace. This worked and I was able to get the vector image into Maya. My issue now is that I need to "cut out" all of the objects in the middle, but I have no idea how to go about doing that.

So far, I have used bevel plus on all of the closed paths. Then I deleted all of the curves. After that I tried to use a boolean; however, that only worked for one object. Then I tried combining all of them except for the outer object and tried a boolean again, but the object just disappeared.

I have also tried the make hole tool, but that is even worse. I have attached the object I am trying to model as well as what I have so far in Maya, if anyone has any ideas on how to create this, a better way to go about modeling this object, or if what I said makes no sense, please let me know!!

Thanks!

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# 2 18-03-2013 , 01:42 PM

EduSciVis-er
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Does it have to look like a seamless piece of material? I would probably try creating several of these components separately, that way you could even duplicate parts and tweak them.

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# 3 18-03-2013 , 02:42 PM

The thin red line
Join Date: Aug 2009

Location: England

Posts: 4,472

I would use transparencey to create the cut out parts, had a quick go..............dave

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# 4 19-03-2013 , 07:49 AM

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what else you might try is the tool "Texture to Geometry" in the Modify tab -> Convert -> Texture to Geometry. most often it didn´t perform in a "clean" way like I was hoping it would do, but give it a try and play with the settings. one advantage is that your object gets different shaders applied. for your shape, black and white would be perfect. then go to " hypershade -> Edit -> Select Objects with Material " and delete holes. simple as that.

everything starts and ends in the right place at the right time.

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# 5 19-03-2013 , 09:52 AM

The thin red line
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what else you might try is the tool "Texture to Geometry" in the Modify tab -> Convert -> Texture to Geometry. most often it didn´t perform in a "clean" way like I was hoping it would do, but give it a try and play with the settings. one advantage is that your object gets different shaders applied. for your shape, black and white would be perfect. then go to " hypershade -> Edit -> Select Objects with Material " and delete holes. simple as that.

Originally Posted by Falott

Falott I find "texture to geometry" to be one of the worst tools in maya if you have any setting that work please share, another way to do this is create a path in photoshop or illistrater export to maya as a ".ai" file then use the "project curve on mesh". I have done the ".ai" file but do not have "project curve on mesh" on my version of maya if some one would give it a try to see how good or bad it is.................dave

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# 6 19-03-2013 , 10:32 AM

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I projected your curves on a nurbsPlane - all at once and tried to trim, but maya crashed at the first trim (300+ projections) you might try to project and trim the curves in smaller groups. unfortunately I´m at work and don´t have the time to do it myself. I added the projection file.

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everything starts and ends in the right place at the right time.

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# 7 19-03-2013 , 01:21 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: May 2011

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I've found in the past that cinema 4d handles vectors from illustrator ok. I tried extruding the path in c4d then exporting it to Maya as an obj, although some of the detail went missing somewhere along the way. Don't know if you could get access to c4d or a trial version.
Hope this helps

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# 8 20-03-2013 , 01:06 AM

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use NURBS to create a planar of the larger peices, then for the detail use project curve onto surface tool and remove the peices u dont want.
finally convert the shape into a polygon and extrude it out.

there are sevral different ways to do this, they are more or less simple but require repetitve work. ( like most things in maya).

let me know if that works or you need more explainng.

thanks

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# 9 28-03-2013 , 07:45 AM

JBRANS747
Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: Ohio

Posts: 3

Thank you so much to all who replied.

This piece has literally been driving me nuts for about a month.

Alinspired, I tried this method for about 4 hours, made about 100 holes and then the program just stopped allowing me to use the trim tool. Very unfortunate. Boolean does the same thing, it just can't handle all of the cuts.

Daverave, I talked to a professor who also recommended a transparency as the best way to go about this. He was telling me that I need to work with Hypershade to make rules on how the materials would work. He said that if I use a blinn, then I need to make some kind of rule that doesn't allow specularity where the holes should be. He was explaining it all so fast that I got lost. So, if anyone knows their way around Hypershade I am all ears. The project is due next Tuesday, so I am kind of desperate at this point.

Thank You
Jenni(fer) user added image

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# 10 28-03-2013 , 09:46 AM

SM Tea Boy
Join Date: Apr 2002

Location: Prague

Posts: 3,228

apply an mia_material_x to the obj then in the hypershade connect the outalpha to the opacity cutout

I recorded a short video as connections in the hypershade can be a bit confusing if you've never used it before. I'll post it when it's done uploading

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# 11 28-03-2013 , 10:26 AM

SM Tea Boy
Join Date: Apr 2002

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trans - YouTube

Hope it helps sorry about the audio i have a cold
Dave

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?"

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# 12 28-03-2013 , 02:26 PM

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If you want thickness transparency and cutoff opacity in mentalray could be limiting.

Vray has some features that would work.

But for this I would consider using illustrator and then import the line art and use bevelplus in maya. Some of the bits are quite thin so you may have to fidget with those a bit.

I'd do an example but maya is currently borked on my systems. Hoping maya 2014 will be more stable with my hardware.

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# 13 05-04-2013 , 03:08 PM

JBRANS747
Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: Ohio

Posts: 3

Ok, So i know that I said that Alinspired's method stopped working, but I stepped away from my computer for a few hours and then went back and the method started working again. So, I got all of my holes cut out by projecting the curve onto the surface.

NOW, my issue is that when I go to convert the NURBS to POLYGONS the geometry that I get causes multiple points and faces that are making the object very difficult to work with. If anyone knows how to convert it without these issues please let me know!

All advice is welcome user added image

Jenni

PS. David, thank you very much for the tutorial on the transparency, it was very helpful!

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# 14 06-04-2013 , 03:27 PM

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I don´t know how you converted the nurbsSurface, but with the tool Convert NURBS to Polygons you might try these settings (reset settings first):

1) Tessellation Method: Count and set it to 10000 or any number which gives enough resolution.
2) Tessellation Method: General with "Per span # of iso params; Chord height ratio to something like 0.01
3) Tessellation Method: Standard fit with small numbers.

If none of it works, you might upload your scene and I can give it a try at work with a very nice plugin we use there called nPower - MAYA Power Translator. In case you´re interested please alse tell if performance is an issue - I mean polycount-wise.

everything starts and ends in the right place at the right time.

Last edited by Falott; 06-04-2013 at 03:29 PM.

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