Hello,
Is there a way to apply a smoothing effect to part of the mesh, and not the entire thing?
For example, if you have a cylinder, and you want the length part to be smooth, but you still want a crisp edge at the ends. or, when you take a more complex structure, such as an engine nozzle, it needs to have a smooth outside, while still preserving the crispness of the rings.
I’m not exactly sure what to call these, i guess Origin would be the best word. When an object is created, there is a pink dot that becomes the origin any transformations (ie. rotate, scale, etc.). Is there a way to reposition this?
Any help is appreciated, thanks.
You can add extra RingLoops at the edges you wnt to stay sharp and slide them close together. You can use Shft-E to Crease them or use an EdgeSplit Modifier (which can use your Crease settings).
The Object Center can be moved with the Center buttons in Mesh tab in F9 buttons.
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yOU can put the cursor where you want the center of the object too, the center on cursor in those buttons.
You can select some verts and in edit mode click edit/vertices/smooth. You can keep doing that until you like it.
You can select some verts and in edit mode click edit/vertices/smooth. You can keep doing that until you like it.
That’s actually a different kind of smooth, it physically moves vertices towards the Object Center and relative to the Median Point (the median of all selected verts).
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Is there an easier way to smooth it, where you don’t need to add more verts?
An addition to the original post. Another question had some up, and it makes more sense to just post it on this thread. If i have the hull of a ship that has set smooth applied to it, and i want to make grooves for doors, and plate separation, how would i do that?
Also, if i wanted to add in windows (and insert glass with a texture backdrop), what would be the easiest way to do so?
Is there an easier way to smooth it, where you don’t need to add more verts?
Click SetSmooth i Links and Material tab (F9) and in Mesh tab click AutoSmooth and change the value to 90 (degrees). The result of AutoSmooth is only visible at render, not in the 3D window.
make grooves for doors, and plate separation
Best (probably only) way, is to cut new edgeloops and space them close together.
if i wanted to add in windows
Either build your model around them, or delete faces and rebuild the window frames from the surrounding edgeloops. Then add a Plane for the window with the necessary Material.
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Forgot to say the EdgeSplit Modifier will do the same as both AutoSmooth and/or Crease, depending on your Modifier settings, and no extra geometry is added, it’s all done at rendertime.
I tried that, Autosmooth would only allow me to go up to 80 degrees, and i don’t see much of a difference between the edge split, and the autosmooth. Both are not producing the desired results. Attached is a picture with the comparison on the mesh. the left side is set solid. the far right towards the base is set smooth with autosmooth, while the one more left of that is the set smooth with edge split. neither one of them are producing the crisp edge that i am looking for.
Attachments
I see, so you want the one on the right to show the ridge behind the nozzle like the one on the left. Easiest way is to cut a Ringloop either side of the existing one:
http://uploader.polorix.net//files/111/Ringloop.blend
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I just tried it, and it worked perfectly. would i basically have to do the same thing to make the indentations for the separation of the hull plating?
Only if and where your camera will get very close up, otherwise you can save a lot of time and bitspace by using texture(s) as bump (Nor) maps. You will need to use it around cockpit doors etc… it’s called Bevelling and not only in Blender so you can search it.
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thanks for your help, i will look into Nor mapping for that, the only problem i can see with that is getting the UV to match up. However there will only be maybe 8 indents at the most, the ship itself is not very big. as for the doors, those will actually have to move, so I’m not exactly sure what would be best to create those so they don’t look fake.