The properties tab certainly helps. However I am having no luck being able to place the middle of the images at the zero co-ordinates for the X, Y, Z axis, like I can do in blender.
Too bad those were not also included in the properties tab.
Is there a simple way of placing the center of each image at those co-ordinates? It would make it much easier to align?
Something you can do
Say your image is 677 pix x 491pix
So draw a Rectangle by Center 67,7 x 49,1 unity (Center on the Origin)
Add Image snaping the existing rectangle
You will obtain an image centered on the origine by its middles! :)
Free to you to resize it by "Center" for any reason...
Kill or Hide the rectangle for any reason
Thanks. That helps but getting the images all properly aligned is very difficult. And finding good video tutorials on car modeling is even more frustrating. However it is not an issue for Rhino, Fusion 360, Sketchup, Plasticity or other similar apps. Even polygonal apps like Blender have tons of car modeling tutorials
Some recommend using photogrammetry and photo scan a car model and import the mesh into the 3D app as a reference. I have 3DF Zephyr and several DSL camera. but the models are too dense to be imported into MOI
The guys who model cars and car parts for 3D printing for 1/24 and 1/25 scale plastic models recommend apps like Rhino, Fusion, Sketchup. Yet none use MOI3D. Now I think I know why...
I always found MOI3D very easy to use however this car modeling and aligning reference images has me stumped. Never had this alignment issue in Blender. But apparently polygonal apps lack precision for accurate scale model cars.
re:
> Is there a simple way of placing the center of each image at those co-ordinates?
> It would make it much easier to align?
Yes there is a simple way to do that. When you are in the View > Image command you can drag on images to reposition them and if you grab near the center you'll see a "Cen" label that indicates that you grabbed that.
It looks like this while inside the View > Image command:
I can also cook up a script for you that will center all images when you push a shortcut key.
Hi Ken, here is a script that you can put in the "command" field of a shortcut key (Options > Shortcut keys) that will place the center of all background images at 0,0,0 .
script: /* Center background images */ var images = moi.view.getBackgroundImages(); for ( var i = 0; i < images.length; ++i ) { var img = images.item(i); var frame = img.frame; frame.origin.set(0,0,0); frame.origin = frame.evaluate(-img.width/2, -img.height/2); img.frame = frame; }
> I'm sorry you're disappointed in MOI. Car modeling is a quite difficult type of model to create, it isn't really a focus area for MoI.
>You may have better luck using one of the other programs you mention if you need more assistance with tutorials to follow.
>- Michael
I was under the impression that any modeling app that was similar to Rhino, Plasticity or Fusion 360, etc with similar toolsets was capable of car modeling. However not many in that hobby are aware of MOI3D.
So are you saying MOI3D is not capable? Or few users of MOI3D model cars? You comment has me quite confused.
And if you require resources like tutorials specifically for car modeling and you are not finding them for MoI but you do have them for other programs then it sounds like the other programs are a better fit for what you're trying to do than MoI is currently.
Car modeling is definitely possible in MoI, you can find many examples in the gallery: http://moi3d.com/gallery/ but it's an advanced area of modeling.
It is kind of on the border between organic shaping and mechanical shaping.
Overall if you don't have a lot of experience it is probably easier to do with poly modeling.
I 've modeled some cars in Hexagon, Silo and Blender. But I've been told for accuracy to use a NURBS modeling app. Apparently NURBS models work best with 3D printers, lathes, etc.
I do not have a 3D printer, but I would like to purchase one to fabricate custom car parts for 1/24 & 1/25 car model kits as well as bodies for cars not available in kits. These would be for my use only.
I've watched youtube tutorials on NURBS / Curve modeling. Most are using Fusion 360, Rhino and Plasticity. I am trying to use some of the techniques in MOI3D.
Blender also hasNURBS & Curves but not the rich toolset of MOI3D.
Kuechmeister Swagger has youtube tutorials modeling cars in MOI3D and Plasticity. He is a very gifted modeler, BUT I find his videos too difficult to follow without audio narration. Not sure why someone would produce a tutorial with no narration. Ed Ferguson has a great tutorial on modeling a customized 1950s truck however it is a bit short on some of detail on the modeling techniques.
I marvel at some of the awesome car models some artists create in Sketchup. IMHO if it can be done in Sketchup or Plasticity, then it should be doable in MOI3D. Not sure why more are not.
I love MOI3D. just annoyed at how difficult it is to align blueprints/reference images and the lack of car modeling tutorials. Sorry, but I really see no good excuse for either.
re:
> But I've been told for accuracy to use a NURBS modeling app. Apparently NURBS
> models work best with 3D printers, lathes, etc.
That seems like an oversimplification to me.
It really depends on the specifics of what you're going to be doing with the models.
If your model is a car body with no exact circular holes in it, there isn't really any accuracy issue in play there.
If your model is a mechanical part that needs to match up with other separate parts, then accuracy is a big concern.
It's also possible to use a hybrid approach - use poly modeling with sub-d smoothing for smooth organic shaped areas, then convert sub-d to NURBS using MoI's converter and then apply booleans or trimming in NURBS. This is getting to be a more common approach because it's easier to get smooth-all-over organic shapes in sub-d but easier to make precise things like exact circular holes in NURBS. So the hybrid approach kind of leverages the strongest areas of each system.
re:
> I love MOI3D. just annoyed at how difficult it is to align blueprints/reference images and
> the lack of car modeling tutorials. Sorry, but I really see no good excuse for either.
The "excuse" is that both car modeling itself and producing tutorials are both difficult and time consuming areas of work.
I am NOT anti-MOI3D. I think it is an awesome 3D app. And a bargain at it's price. To get the functionality of MOI3D in Blender would cost close to MOI3D's upgrade price at BlenderMarket for addons like BoxCutter, HardOps, Machine Tools, Fluent, etc.
Plasticity is a relatively new player on the market, yet it seems to get more attention from the 3D community (especially Blender users).
I've considered purchasing Plasticity (it's price is great) but I truly dislike it's UI. MOI is much more user friendly. But again it SEEMS like it is more favored by the car crowd.
In one day of playing with MOI, I was able to build models. It took me over a year (on and off) to get comfortable with Blender since it's new UI in 2.8 or 2.9.
Hexagon3D was a bit of a struggle, but a lot easier then Blender.
Silo was more straight forward as my first 3D experience was with Wings3D which has a very easy to use UI and second only to MOI for ease of use.
I have no intent on abandoning MOI3D. I think it has unlimited capabilities which also includes car modeling.
Just confused by it's like of attention from the 3D community and what appears to be a lack of sharing by it's users (I do not mean users on this forum) unlike other apps.
I mean no disrespect, I am only voicing the heart felt opinion of a 70 year old man who has had close to 25 years as a 3D hobbyist ( Wings3d, Hexagon, Silo, Blender, 3D Coat, Curvy3d, e-onsoftware's Vue, DAZ Studio, UV Mapper Classic).
You have forgotten the regretted Amapi who was the first to mix SUbDivided Polys and Nurbs in a version who is never released! ;)
Only some happy few have it!
I am familiar with Russian 600v car models in Sketchup. I've downloaded a few he has uploaded to Sketchup's 3D Warehouse. He is awesome. But uses a lot of plugins in Sketchup. And the cost of Sketchup Pro is too pricey for me.
I do have an user account on Vizcom where I have uploaded a sketch or photo of mine as well as a 3D model I blocked out in Blender and refined in 3D Coat.
I have taken a few of these Vizcom renders into Photoshop and Rebelle to give them a paintery look. But I was never truly satisfied with the results.
I am not a big fan of these AI apps like Vizcom, Stable Diffusion or Midjourney.
