How are the objects modeled in the files provided with carrara?

Hi all

A question I have been wondering for years. The objects provided with carrara. Some of them I was just looking at the drum kit.

Are complex, I remember the same thing when I looked at the voltmeter. They have very few complex parts. They don't open in the model room.

Some have round holes which in carrara would require bolean operations and are too complex for the spline modeler. How are they made? What format are they.

How are they in Carrara if they are not carrara format models. I hope this question makes sense.

Thanks

8068

Comments

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,214

    a lot use splines and open in the spline room

    others have been converted to primitives which means they could be anything, spline or vertex

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,214
    edited June 2020

    the voltmeter parts are all spline objects and open in the spline room

     

     

    Post edited by WendyLuvsCatz on
  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,331

    I took a look at that voltmeter. The video is not helpful to answering the questions. The top layer has a lot of splines that seem to be inaccessible to the selection tool. I don't use spline modeler that much. So, I'm not sure how to access those curves, either. Also, the degree of subdivision along the curved edges looks pretty low. Not sure how to make the skin surface smoother. Finally, I notice that converting that model to polys so that it can be edited in the vertex room produces a horrible-looking mesh. Surface topology is very poor! So, the real question is, how do we properly edit that model? And how was that particular model made? 

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,214

    the video was just a quick look by me in reply to the question to show that they are in fact models

    not a tutorial blush

    I don't know a lot about splines, can only move bits around and mostly only make bottles, bowls and goblets myself

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,331

    I understand smiley

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570

    But the video clearly demonstrates something really, Really cool! I never really use splines - ever. This may just change now that I see that we can animate their shape via the spline editor along the timeline like that! So Cool!

    Something to keep in mind, The vertex modeler came later to Carrara, which likely explains why so many of the example files are spline models. I'd imagine that the folks creating these fine example files really know how to make the spline modeler sing!

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,331
    edited June 2020

    Agree, that is cool! Seems like the Carrara spline room isn't quite as developed as the vertex room, though.

    Post edited by Torquinox on
  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,235
    edited June 2020
    Torquinox said:

    I took a look at that voltmeter. The video is not helpful to answering the questions. The top layer has a lot of splines that seem to be inaccessible to the selection tool. I don't use spline modeler that much. So, I'm not sure how to access those curves, either. Also, the degree of subdivision along the curved edges looks pretty low. Not sure how to make the skin surface smoother. Finally, I notice that converting that model to polys so that it can be edited in the vertex room produces a horrible-looking mesh. Surface topology is very poor! So, the real question is, how do we properly edit that model? And how was that particular model made? 

    It's been a while since I've done much using the Spline Modeler, but I took a look. Here are some screen grabs that might help.

    You create shapes on cross sections and can navigate to those cross sections using Sections > Go to (or Previous or Next). In this case I used the 'Go to' and entered cross section 3. I then selection the object and went to Edit > Ungroup:

     

    From there the smaller pieces could be selected and I could go to Arrange > Break Apart Compound:

     

    Here, as an example,I was able to select just the circle and the outer rectangle and used Arrange > Combine as Compound:

     

    And got this:

     

    And finally, here I just selected various pieces and dragged them out and tried to see what could be further broken apart:

    ungroup1.jpg
    1105 x 1066 - 108K
    break_apart.jpg
    847 x 1032 - 77K
    combine.jpg
    412 x 673 - 31K
    combine2.jpg
    459 x 556 - 15K
    more_broken.jpg
    1175 x 867 - 74K
    Post edited by DesertDude on
  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,235

    If the model isn't smooth enough for you you can try Geometry > Surface Fidelity and increase the percentage.

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,214

    they are very powerful if you know what you are doing, the meshes render beautifully with nice edges, bevels and curves

    I know from looking through the object browser

    I can do simple profiles and yes like the metaball modeller are animated along the timeline 

    I have been playing with the metaball modeller quite a bit too

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,987
    Torquinox said:

    I took a look at that voltmeter. The video is not helpful to answering the questions. The top layer has a lot of splines that seem to be inaccessible to the selection tool. I don't use spline modeler that much. So, I'm not sure how to access those curves, either. Also, the degree of subdivision along the curved edges looks pretty low. Not sure how to make the skin surface smoother. Finally, I notice that converting that model to polys so that it can be edited in the vertex room produces a horrible-looking mesh. Surface topology is very poor! So, the real question is, how do we properly edit that model? And how was that particular model made? 

    It's been a while since I've done much using the Spline Modeler, but I took a look. Here are some screen grabs that might help.

    You create shapes on cross sections and can navigate to those cross sections using Sections > Go to (or Previous or Next). In this case I used the 'Go to' and entered cross section 3. I then selection the object and went to Edit > Ungroup:

     

    From there the smaller pieces could be selected and I could go to Arrange > Break Apart Compound:

     

    Here, as an example,I was able to select just the circle and the outer rectangle and used Arrange > Combine as Compound:

     

    And got this:

     

    And finally, here I just selected various pieces and dragged them out and tried to see what could be further broken apart:

    wow never even seen that 'reak apart compound'!  evil producer used to be a dab hand in the spline room too

     

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,331

    Thank you all for all the extra info. That should help. yes

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,169

    The "Movie Night" challenge included a requirement to use the spline modeler for at least one item in the scene.  There may be some useful tips in the WIP thread.

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/31940/holy-smokes-an-update-carrara-challenge-v-movie-night-work-in-progress-wip-thread/p1

  • TorquinoxTorquinox Posts: 3,331

    Thanks! Good topic. I found copies of the Carrara 3 and 5 handbooks on ebay. I'll have to decide how much interest I have in going further on that.

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,570

    So Cool!

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