Does anyone have a good reference material for starting out? I have know background in 3d modeling and need to bone up so I ask inteliigent questions.

Not so much- "in 3d there is an x, y, z to move in", or "this is a boolean".... but more like- (when using constuction lines and doing the geometry) how to use the tangent, perpendicular (and what that is) to create my model.

I could just be asking "what is geometry math" to understand the lingo (which is nothing short of "go study Geometry") but if there was a tute more for this type of modeling that may lead me.

Thanks,
Burr

Hi Burr,

Have you checked out the introductory tutorials here:
http://moi3d.com/1.0/docs/tutorials.htm ?

Those videos show the tools in action while building some simple shapes, that may help introduce you to some of the terms since you can then see what they are actually doing in a real modeling session.

Things like tangent and perpendicular snaps are there to help you accurately place things while you are drawing.

It is not unusual for people to want to have a 90 degree angle in part of their overall design. They don't want something just kind of close to 90 degrees, they want to be sure that it really is 90 degrees. That's what something like Perpendicular snap is good for.

So for example if you have a line:



And part of your design you want to create involves having a second line meeting at a 90 degree angle to the first one, you can use Perp snap to draw that:




Tangent is similar, but tangent means pointing in the same direction like a 0 degree difference rather than a 90 degree difference.

Do you have some particular terms that you need more information on?

- Michael

Michael, It's just not knowing what "Tangent" means.

I dont want to waist your time asking you to teach me what this means.

I will "slowly" go through the tutorials and have out my dictionary! If I run across somthing I cant grasp, i'll ask.

The bottom line is I need to spend a little time learning some basic languages and concepts.

Thanks for the reply,
Burr

Hi Burr...

>Michael, It's just not knowing what "Tangent" means.
A simple description is a smooth transition between line & arc
Also check at link below :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangent

Hi Burr, it's basically the "other partner" of perpendicular.

For example with this circle with this point on it:



The following is a line perpendicular to the circle at that point:



And this is a line tangent to the circle at that point:




At any point along a curve you can basically get a kind of x/y axis system that is following along the curve like this:





So there are 2 lines above, one is tangent to the curve one is perpendicular to the curve at that point, they cross each other at a 90 degree angle, similar to the 90 degree angle for the standard x/y grid.

- Michael

Michael,

clear explanation....
BTW, we know you are not a machine Michael, in my opinion it will better if you can focus on make improvement on V2 instead of answer all question from all forum member.

I believe we have a good community here, one member can help another member to improve their knowledge. So from user to user. I always looking froward for never ending improvement in Moi :)

Thank You !!!

Burr,

There is some jargon associated with 3D modeling & rendering. Took me a while to figure out what terms like "normals" were :)

The videos are a great place to start. Just fool around with some default solid shapes to start. Then make some simple 2D shapes and extrude into solids. Soon you'll make something recognizable :)

For me, the MoI light bulb gets a little brighter each time I use it. It's not hard at all - for me the process begins with some mental planning, which got easier as I learned what the tools can (and can't) do. What you'll find from reading the forum is that there are often multiple ways to accomplish a result.

Ed

BurrMan wrote: "Michael, It's just not knowing what "Tangent" means. I dont want to waist your time asking you to teach me what this means. I will "slowly" go through the tutorials and have out my dictionary! If I run across somthing I cant grasp, i'll ask. The bottom line is I need to spend a little time learning some basic languages and concepts."
----------------------
I know exactly what you mean. These terms are best explained by reading any Drafting book or manual. Get one if you're interested. You don't have to finish the whole book. Just the first chapters. Of course, they are written for 2d drafting back in the days when CAD was an unknown term. Things like how to use drafting tools such as T-squares, triangles, a compass, eraser and stuff.

In manual drafting, points of tangencies could be determined by using your drafting tools, ie, T-square, triangles, compass and of course a hard pencil for construction lines. Once they're determined, they could then be used as references to determine center points of arcs or circles. You want those points to help you where to point your compass needle to create arc/s or circles.

In general, points of tangencies are points where individual curves or lines (or curves between curves) meet with very smooth transitions. Which means no perceptible kink on that point. It's a smooth-flowing curve just as if you sketched a curve with a quick stroke.

All excellent. I'm on the right track!

Thanks again,
Burr