Lately, I have been amused by a few creations made using Autodesk Maya, which led me to get some inspiration to create my artwork. However, I cannot access Autodesk Maya, whether the original or the indie version, as I cannot purchase it due to the price. So, I try to replicate the creations using Blender as much as possible, despite the differences in the number of vertices. For example, the default cylinder in Blender has 32 vertices, while Maya has 40 vertices, including 2 poke faces.
In one of the videos that I watched recently, the person was able to use subdivision surfaces instantly, which didn’t visually deform the creation overall, without needing to go somewhere else. I asked the Blender Community on the Discord server if it is possible to achieve this goal in Blender. Someone replied that there are differences between Maya and Blender when it comes to mesh.
They said that meshes in Maya are a “pseudo mesh CSG,” but I couldn’t find any accurate information online to confirm this. Furthermore, they stated that it is not possible to create the same stylized rocket in Blender as the two programs use fundamentally different approaches.
I would appreciate it if someone more familiar with Autodesk Maya and Blender could help me with the topic of “meshes” and let me know if it is possible to create the stylized rocket in Blender.
If you didn’t already know, you can make a cylinder like this in blender if you really need one. Just change the options in the pop up menu right after you add the initial cylinder.
As for actually building the rocket (I admit I only clicked through the video and may have missed some nuance) I don’t see any reason you couldn’t build something very similar in Blender, although you might have to use different methods.
The subdivision surface is one of the things that I am having more trouble to replicate because it seems quite easy on Maya to manipulate instead of Blender because it just shows as a preview and, if you apply, it looks awful to edit… Here is another sample:
Of course it is possible… it’s only vertex pushing
The names of the tool, the implemented “features” and as standard defined parameters may differ, but the main task of the (human) modeller is to visualize the geometric shape.
In fact it is a good idea to watch some modeling in different tools… but not to re-make them step by step but to learn form them while watching (even mutliple times) and than transfer / abstract this to the used media (in general; not only blender or 3D software).
This maya tutorial consists in modifying object’s geometry by modifying the mesh, by destroying faces, creating new ones, adding edge loops, moving vertices, cutting the mesh with a knife.
There are exactly same tools in Blender.
There is no use of a CSG technique, here. There is no boolean operation made.
That is a pure polygonal mesh tutorial.
Anyways, Blender has tools to make boolean operations. It has metaballs and remeshing tools allowing to obtain a merging of several primitives into one mesh.
So, even if you are facing a CSG tutorial, there could be a way to mimic this workflow in Blender. And if it is not possible in Blender, you could use another free opensource software to do that : FreeCAD or OpenCascade.
Whatever technique is used. Mesh or CSG, you can, in theory, obtain any shape from it. The only limit is the abilities of software or machine used to compute shape.
That is possible to create shapes made of millions of polygons in Blender, even with an old computer.
You may encounter such limit to create 3D fractals with a ton of iterations.
But a simple cartoony rocket, that should not be a problem.
