> (Maybe a good "in-summary" question would be, if I have MOI and renderer
> and don't care about animation or character/anatomical stuff...what else do I need?)

Well, probably nothing else. But it depends a bit on what you want to do with your 3D models.

If you want to make rendered images of them, then you don't need anything else, you'll be able to do that with MoI and Carrara.

If you want to make stuff like printed 2D blueprints from your models, then you would need another CAD program to handle that, MoI doesn't do that part right now.


> My main question is - how does NURBS compare to sub-z as far as
> architectural/vehicular/mechanical modeling goes as far as EASE, productivity, and workflow?

These are the general areas where NURBS has advantages.

Sub-d modeling is kind of more like sculpting in clay - it's kind of like you're squishing and pulling points on a cage to manipulate your shape.

NURBS modeling tends to be more what I sometimes call "construction" oriented. You tend to draw outline curves and then use construction tools to create surfaces from them. It's more like you are drawing shapes rather than sculpting them.

Also one of the biggest advantages to NURBS are better boolean operations, for instance slicing or cutting one object with another. This allows for things like precise holes bored through an object which is a very common thing with mechanical type models. NURBS in general works a lot more similar to traditional drafting, so stuff that has a history of using technical drafting (architecture and mechanical) fits into place easier with NURBS tools.

If your desired shape has a whole bunch of little tiny lumpy bumpy details like for instance a human face has, then that's when the sub-d sculpting type approach tends to become a lot easier to manipulate those details.

- Michael

Thanks a lot!

I am really "attracted" to MOI, though I don't consider myself a "CAD" user or IT even a CAD "program". I tend do do and be more "construction" oriented than sculptural, so this was a fantastic explanation.

The next thing, as I become more advanced, to learn is how to keep the scale/measurements accurate on the various planes if modeling a real structure from either known measurements or relative proportions. I am sure it's not that hard, but I am not too famliar with modeling in general yet.

If you included some "real world" tutorials, like modeling a building from a plan or something like that, I'm sure there'd be $200 less in my bank account and $200 in yours a lot sooner than later... ;)

Thanks again, both for the super program and great answer!

- A

> The next thing, as I become more advanced, to learn is how to keep the
> scale/measurements accurate on the various planes if modeling a real
> structure from either known measurements or relative proportions. I am
> sure it's not that hard, but I am not too famliar with modeling in general yet.

There are a few different methods that you can use to help with this type of accuracy.

One way is to use View / Image to bring in a scanned image of your existing blueprint/sketch and use the background image as a guide to help you keep proportions accurate. You can see how your current drawn shapes match up against the background image.

Another way is to turn on Grid snap which makes the locations of all the points that you draw a lot more fixed.

If you know exact widths and heights for things, then each of the drawing tools also lets you type in exact numbers for different shapes. Like for instance when you are drawing a line, if you know the exact length that you want your line to be, just type that number in and it will force the line to be that length. Similarly if you are drawing a rectangle you can type in the specific width and height if you want, instead of picking it with the mouse.

The other thing that helps in general to produce accurate shapes is to have object snap turned on so that when you draw new lines and curves you can be sure that their endpoints are snapped exactly on to the ends of existing shapes.


You know, one program that you didn't mention is SketchUp. It is very specific just to architecture but it is a really nice way to do quick architectural models. It is actually neither NURBS nor Sub-D based, just plain polygon based, but it is great for doing boxy type shapes really quickly and they have a nice tutorial system built into it which makes it a lot easier to learn than most things. It is a lot easier than any of the other programs that you mentioned, you should definitely check it out.

- Michael