I got stuck on tutorial

[vitamin]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to CG and Wings 3D so please have mercy on me

I was trying to follow this simple car modeling tutorial:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wings_3D/Tu...topography

And I got stuck on step saying:

Scale edge Radial | radial Z | Scale to point. Select same point as illustrated. Scale to 0%.
(Holding shift will make snapping to 0% easy.)
This is faster than two separate vertice flatten operations.

I cannot figure out how to make those two operations in one turn - 'scale radial Z' and 'scale to point'. I tried different ways but always end up with some badly deformed model like in picture below:




I'd appreciate it very much if someone could help me out. I really would like to finish this tutorial and start learning new things in Wings 3D.

Thank you in advance for your response.

[Fonte Boa]

I cannot figure out how to make those two operations in one turn - 'scale radial Z' and 'scale to point'.

With that edge selected, call context menu (right mouse button click) and:

(a) Click on .Scale Radial. command using left mouse button; then
(b) Click on .Radial Z. sub-command using right mouse button

At this moment, as you can see at work area botton, at Info Line bar, Wings will be waiting you to "Pick Point" before execute the command (usually this ever happens when you click on a command using right mouse button).

Then use the original tutorial picture as reference to find the adequated point (the blue point in the picture).



Maybe you will have to go back some steps in your trial once your model seems already deformed and maybe you cant find an appropriated point to Scale Radial.

[vitamin]

With that edge selected, call context menu (right mouse button click) and:

(a) Click on .Scale Radial. command using left mouse button; then
(b) Click on .Radial Z. sub-command using right mouse button

Thank you very much for these instructions. The highlighted part (step b) was all I needed. I tried so many different options but would never thought that I could use right mouse button for this.

It worked like a charm and now my car looks much better:




However today as I was trying to follow next steps in this tutorial, I had problems with using 'mirror' tool. I noticed that when I used this tool from RMB faces edit menu, the mirrored part was created but it wasn't actually a mirror. I mean, it looked as it should be (exactly the same) but when I was trying to select something on the original part, the selection wasn't transferred to the newly created (mirrored) part. But when I used 'virtual mirror' from the tools menu - it worked OK. Could you please explain it to me - what is the difference between those two options?


p.s.
Thank you very much also for all your videos on YouTube. They are great help for me and make my first steps into 3D modeling much much easier. So once again many thanks for making them.

[Fonte Boa]

However today as I was trying to follow next steps in this tutorial, I had problems with using 'mirror' tool. I noticed that when I used this tool from RMB faces edit menu, the mirrored part was created but it wasn't actually a mirror. I mean, it looked as it should be (exactly the same) but when I was trying to select something on the original part, the selection wasn't transferred to the newly created (mirrored) part. But when I used 'virtual mirror' from the tools menu - it worked OK. Could you please explain it to me - what is the difference between those two options?

I think i've already found the answer!

Face|Mirror command just mirror the object around the selected faces.
(ever keep your attention in Info Line when your cursor are over a command: in this case, there is a difference between click with left or right mouse buttons - you can read the instructions there).

Tools|Virtual Mirror|Create command creates a virtual mirror "condition", ie, everything you do is duplicated at both sides of objects, better saying, at both sides of virtual mirror plane (until you call Tools|Virtual Mirror|Freeze, when you finished that "virtual mirror session").

[vitamin]

I think i've already found the answer!

Face|Mirror command just mirror the object around the selected faces.
(ever keep your attention in Info Line when your cursor are over a command: in this case, there is a difference between click with left or right mouse buttons - you can read the instructions there).

Tools|Virtual Mirror|Create command creates a virtual mirror "condition", ie, everything you do is duplicated at both sides of objects, better saying, at both sides of virtual mirror plane (until you call Tools|Virtual Mirror|Freeze, when you finished that "virtual mirror session").

Thank you for this straightforward explanation. Today, at last I finished my first 3D model ever



But I'd like to ask about that smoothing tool. What is it for actually? A smoothed preview gives me a roughly estimated view of my model in a game maybe? Or let's say that I would like to model a real car from a reference image - does it mean I need to model while having that smoothing turned on?

[Fonte Boa]

But I'd like to ask about that smoothing tool. What is it for actually? A smoothed preview gives me a roughly estimated view of my model in a game maybe? Or let's say that I would like to model a real car from a reference image - does it mean I need to model while having that smoothing turned on?

I cant say much about game preview, because i dont work in this area.

The fact is: in Wings, subdivision (Body|Smooth) is a destructive operation, ie, if you performance it and continue to work, you wont be able to undo it.
So Smoothed Preview (Shift+TAB) is the way to visualize your work subdivided without have to really subdivide it.

[vitamin]

Oh, I see now (or at least, I hope I'm beginning to understand this). So this subdivision tool can be compared to, for example mesh smooth modifier in Max - am I right?

BTW, could you tell me please why Glen Southern wrote about box modeling (so the technique that Wings 3D uses) that we might have difficulties when working with blueprints? Here's a quote from his article 3D Primer :

It is not as easy to work with background reference images for this type of modeling

[oort]

vitamin,
I can't think of a reason why he would say it is more difficult to use image planes with box modeling???

Here are a couple of videos that micheus did showing two methods of using image planes. He added an options dialog to the image plane command in Wings 1.5.1 snapshot but there was a small bug that has been fixed but not released yet. So if you want to play with image planes (blueprints) you will have to use Wings 1.4.1.

oort


Blueprints method 1

Blueprints method 2

[oort]

Here is a video by DinosaurWithRobotEye. He uses a single image plane to create a sword. It is a long video and he rambles a bit but it is entertaining. If you enjoy listening to a DVD commentaries you will enjoy it... if not then you may not. Rated PG for language...

oort

Sword by image plane

[puzzledpaul]

BTW, could you tell me please why Glen Southern wrote about box modeling (so the technique that Wings 3D uses) that we might have difficulties when working with blueprints?

I'd imagine that one reason someone would say this would be the fact that there is a difference - in both size and shape - between smoothed and unsmoothed mesh.

So, when user is trying to follow the curves of an aircraft fuselage (say) ... do they place their geometry in a position such that it's (more) correct after smoothing ... or before ... and accept the changes?

Similar issues invariably occur during re-topo ops too.

All depends on the degree of accuracy being sought and what the model's purpose is, methinks.

pp