You've really got me excited here...

What about NURBS for exterior architecture? For interior? Faster than SubD?

"If you're making a mechanical shape that can be created by some outline curves and also involves cuts and precise holes in it, then NURBS is not only way faster but also more precise (because cutting pieces with one another works better)."

So - if I wanted to make one of the Transformers from the movie - your description makes it sound like NURBS would actually be the only way to go for speed and accuracy...

What a great feeling - I am finally understanding all this stuff. :)

> What about NURBS for exterior architecture? For interior? Faster than SubD?

It is a little hard to say absolutely without seeing some actual models.

For some kinds of things there are specialized tools that are neither NURBS nor SubD that are tuned up for constructing specific types of objects. Architecture is an example of this - there are special modeling tools focused just on producing architectural designs which have things like a window tool, a door tool, a roof making tool, etc... If you want to create something that falls within the area that such a tool was designed to create, then that will be faster than any kind of general purpose modeler.

As far as choosing between a general purpose NURBS and SubD approach, I would say NURBS would be generally be a better match, it will more closely match a kind of "draw from blueprints" type approach.

In fact, that is not a bad way to also describe the difference - if you can imagine a technical specification for a shape being drawn on a drafting board, that will usually mean it has the distinct kinds of profiles and well defined forms that work well with NURBS tools.


> So - if I wanted to make one of the Transformers from the movie - your description
> makes it sound like NURBS would actually be the only way to go for speed and accuracy...

I would have to take a closer look at how they were shaped.... It's possible they may have a lot of "character" elements in them as well, like don't they have a kind of face on them?

- Michael

Make a car wil be more accurate with a nurbs program than a subD program for example ;)
That will not say that you can't make a car with a subD prog ;)
But in industry production you don't use SbD for make a car, for make images of car you can ;)
Take a look at this ;) http://www.etereaestudios.com/docs_html/nixus_htm/nixus_index.htm
Nurbs are integrated into the process of conception it self as drawing tool!
Look also this tut http://www.etereaestudios.com/training_img/sentinel_tutorial/sentinel_tutorial.htm

In SubD it will be more difficult to input simple curves so easy ;)
In a nurb prog a curve can be used as a tool for "cut" a volume, in SubD it's an another story ;)

In Moi you can use curve as tools of drawing ;)

Moi + T-Splines plug in is what i was thinking of...?

angeliclight Nurbs is where you should look at even if you design like Zaha Hadid http://zahahadidblog.com/category/projects

Hi Yannada - MoI + T-Splines would be interesting to explore at some point. But it isn't really like adding one plug-in, it would mean adding an entire different toolset for polygon and point cage manipulation. It's quite a lot of stuff to add that is very different from MoI's current toolset.

- Michael

1048.11 In reply to 1048.10
Hi Micheal, I am glad you show some interest on T-Splines, I understand is going to take time but is not imposible.
T-Splines is one of the most, if not the most talk about topic with in the design world, and i can see why, for first time blobism, (organic design) can take place within the same app. subds to nurbs, nurbs to subds and so on....amazing dont you think so.

Hi Yannada, it is definitely cool. I think that in the future there will be generally more convergence like this.

The big unknown is how to merge many different toolsets into one application in a clean way. A lot of times trying to merge a lot of diverse functions into one application leads to a very complex and difficult to use application...

- Michael

"So - if I wanted to make one of the Transformers from the movie - your description makes it sound like NURBS would actually be the only way to go for speed and accuracy..."

It can sound that way but not all the time for mechanical models. The transformers are all sub-d models as is this one I made in Amapi 8 after watching the movie. One thing that counters the percieved need for NURBS if it is mechanical is if the accuracy is really needed for the "thing". If it is just to convey an image instead of prototype work then maybe not.

Allot of individual parts for a transformer will need to be tesselated and while MOI has one of the best OBJ exporters I've ever seen it's still not as good as a built by hand sub-d model as far as putting only the exact polys you need on the mesh in the first place.

Hi Grendel, that's certainly something that is more of a "character" model rather than what you'd think of as a mechanical CAD model. SubD and characters definitely go together well.


> as far as putting only the exact polys you need on the mesh in the first place.

Sure, placing every single point and every single polygon in exactly the right spot will create a great looking SubD model no doubt about it.

But that comes with a considerable cost in time and effort...

- Michael

thanks Micheal, well said........

Your 100% correct Michael, It must be getting close to release time ;) nudge, nudge

:) It's pretty darn close, just the introductory part of the documentation, a couple more video tutorials, and figuring out how the licensing will work.

- Michael

Re: Licensing...

My wife, who is a school teacher, just asked me if there will be any sort of educational pricing. She teaches computers at the elementary school level and is looking for some software that is simple enough for a 5th grader to at least be exposed to to see what can be done and to demonstrate the technology.

Would something like this be in the works? With how easy this program is compared to something like Maya I'd think you'd have a million educational customers in something like a few days...

Hi angeliclight, I think that I will have something special for a lab license for a school, I haven't quite worked out all the details yet. She can contact me at moi@moi3d.com to find out details after 1.0 is released though.

At first I probably won't have an individual type student discount license, but I will be looking into what I can do for that after 1.0 has been released and things have settled down a bit.

- Michael

Cosmic Blobs is pretty simple, almost a nicolodeon interface and it's cheap.

Yeah possibly she may be interested in something more specifically designed for kids... Another one like that is Plopp: http://www.planet-plopp.com/en/biggerkids.html .

- Michael