Modeling in 3D Studio Max?

Hello newbie just arrived needing to get straight into yacht design using 3DS Max 5.

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Looking for a tutorial on Spline Mesh Modelling atm

 

3D studio Max

trying to make a yacht hull

at the moment all I can do is edit solids converted into meshes


I tryed subtracting a boolean plane from a shape, but all it did was cut the object

without using a solid object as a cutting tool it isnt subtracted

I tried attachting a sequence of splines the applying a cross section modifier

and then a surface modifier

but it didnt appear to work

got any tips?

 

This isn't the answer you're looking for, and maybe someone more experienced with 3DStudio Max will step in and provide an answer, but I think you would find it far easier and faster to use dedicated hull design software or Rhino (see: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1401) to get your basic fair hull shape - I love 3D Studio Max for importing models from other programs and rendering them, but find it difficult to impossible to do percision modeling of hull shapes in it.

 

I also use separate modeling and rendering programs. The typical combined rendering/modeling simply doesn't work for such jobs. I do use rendering programs a lot but only for things they are good at.

/Claes

 

dont do it, for yacht design 3D Max is not the program. i've tryd and also found it difficult to impossible to create precise hull shapes. (did see some excelent boat examples in 3ds at turbo squid wondering if they were imported) books like "inside 3D Max" cover some hull design by lofting but 3DS Max misses other essential yacht design features. 3D max forum at: http://www.3dcafe.com/cgi/Ultimate.cgi

 

Thank you very much for the links, think I saw the same thing at turbo squid, some guy making a Biking ship- but his tutorial wasnt 3DS Max, I think I will have a go at rhino- will investigate the 3dcafe, havent been there for a while.

 

loft method boat in max

loft method boat in max
----------------------
weeeeel off the top of my head guv.
Start by drawing your three elevations as splines.
[Best if they are to the same scale]
Loft one elevation and use the fit controller on the deformations dropdown
[On the modifier tab of the loft object]
Make sure the 'make symmetrical' button is unchecked.
[The one with the padlock on]
Use the 'get shape' to select one of your other elevations and rotate it round to the right position.
Do the same with the other and your there.
To make small adjustments tweak the points on the fit controller dialogue.
Thats how I would have done it... before the accedent...

Looking for work,
Joeg

 

another way

alt draw Xsections and loft along a straight spline
use the % along path to set the spacing between the xsections and the 'getshape' to select each one in turn.

 

Or

Turn the spline Xsections in to nurbs and use the blend modifier on the 'surface creation' dropdown on the object modifier tab.

Move the mouse over a spline segment and it will highlight blue, drag to another to create a surface.

For this to be effective each Xsection should have the same number of vertices and they should be roughly aligned. The easiest way to achieve this is to create each by copying the previous one and editing the position of the vertices, start by drawing the most complex Xsection (probably in the middle somewhere)and working outward.

 

Or u can also join the nurbs curves together... and using U-loft to create the surface... try joining the vertices of the splines as close as u can with the least tension. Its still possible. then using U-loft is going to be much easier with a single cross section being a single spline.

Good luck ..

 

Thanks for the tips I will give them a go, I found Aaya and Alias much easier for surface modelling and surfacing a mesh accross joined splines- I'm pretty sure 3dsMax doesn;t have the same funcionality... right?

Although from the sounds of it your U-loft tips could be exactly what I need to play with, to avoid these dreadfull sausage shaped hulls and start getting some real hydrodynamic shape into them