I’m doing a workshop with Maya user and am wondering how to get on the same wavelength. I have a model that he says looks OK (screen grab in edit mode). However it has a subsurf modifier level 2 on it. I asked him if it would be too dense if I applied the modifier before doing a sculpting pass (not necessarily with multires). He doesn’t know about modifiers in Blender and says it would be too dense if I permanently upped the res. Makes me wonder how a mesh of the apparent density could possibly look smooth enough in Maya, if it takes 2 levels of subsurf in Blender to achieve the desired result. Anyone experienced with both Software to guide me here?
I don’t have Maya experience, but subsurface methods are virtually identical between different apps. There may be slight differences in the way things get smoothed, but all of them are going to generate the same number of polygons with each step. (usually each step the faces are divided into 4)
What I’m wondering if a given mesh in Maya without subsurf is as smooth as the same mesh in Blender with subsurf2.
Because it is not a mesh it is Catmull–Clark subdivision (limit) surface.
Just like a NURBS surface isn’t a mesh with a NURBS modifier. In Maya subsurfs are their own type of object.
BTW: the equivalent of Blender’s subsurf modifier in Maya is Smooth Mesh Preview
Thanks for that clarification. Looks like I’m caught then. If I apply the modifier he will consider it too dense, and if I remove the modifier it won’t be smooth enough. He wants me to send OBJ files. I’m wondering what I need to do to send a useful model. This is a rare opportunity to do a character modelling workshop with Steven Stahlberg, so I want to make the most of it.
The obvious answer would be to send it without subsurf and have him apply the Smooth Mesh Preview when he gets it.:rolleyes:
Well then leave the subsurf modifier on…
From the Blender manual
Levels: Defines the display resolution, or level of subdivision for Blender 3D views.
Render Levels: This is the subdivision level used during rendering.
Note:These two settings allow you to keep a fast and lightweight approximation of your model when interacting with it in 3D, but use a higher quality version when rendering.
CCSS are C1 smooth everywhere and C2 smooth away from extraordinary vertices.
You subsurface in Blender by adding a subsurf modifier to a preexisting mesh object. Blender('s developers) doesn’t differentiate between a subdivided mesh and a SDS.
You need to find out if you can use SDS. Just like you need to know when someone says ‘poly count’ do they mean mean triangles, quads or polygons.
If your mesh(sic) is to dense then you need to retopologize it.
If anyone comes across this thread in future, I’ll just wind up by saying I removed the subsurf modifier, exported as OBJ (and associated MTL file), sent them off to Steven and he said they opened fine in Maya. I don’t know if he applied Smooth Mesh Preview or not. I tried loading the file back into Blender and found that it was exaclty the size and position it had been in, and that all three objects (body, eyes, extra object for corner of eye) were there. The mirror modifier had been applied.