Hi NervousChimp - it would be pretty difficult to try and do it directly inside the meshing process itself, it would have to be done more as a post process editing operation that operated just directly on the mesh geometry. So even though you're talking about not exactly packaging it as a mesh edit tool, that's really what it would be...

Does Modo have a mesh editing tool that can apply a global bevel to polygons meeting at more than 75 degrees?

- Michael

Well, modo doesn't have modifiers like max and blender, so you would need to manually edit the mesh, and manually editing an MOI export is something I'll probably always do my best to avoid, as it's no fun. Once you get into remodeling the mesh in modo, you might as well have created it in subdivision surfaces from the beginning. No worries, Michael, I was just wondering if it could be done parametrically during the export, and it sounds like that's really not possible.

Thanks for humoring me though. :)

In fact Rhino as an option like that, that dont work very well (it's called edge softening, a post meshing effect).

In modo one solution is to use the 'rounded edge' than can produce small bevel at render time. But there are some restrictions :

1) it's a 'fake' effect, and the result can sometimes be weird if the radius a too big.
2) The angle value is limited at 40, and cant be edited. So everything lower than this angle will not be 'beveled', whatever if the shading is broken or not.
3) We cant transfer it into a normal map (from object baking).

Now it's true that it's an annoying problem. I can't give the exact numbers, but I would say that 50% of my modeling time in MoI is fighting with the fillet tool to create this micro 'cosmetic' fillets.
It's something really needed when preparing assets for normal map baking. And it's a pitty because all the time I win using nurbs is lost in this process. At the end I'm very pleased with my MOI model,
but it would be a so huge time saver.

I still find the voxelisation approach very destructive, especially tiny details are really quickly washed if the voxel grid resolution is not big enough. Some models seems to work pretty well, other not.
It's a bit like preparing models for 3d printing, you have to avoid small details that the printer cant catch.

Hi PaQ, are those things that are going to be addressed in Modo? Do other render effects like displacement mapping also not come through to normal map baking too?

- Michael

Hi Michael,

Yes there are enhancement request for the 2) and 3) since a little while. I have no idea when it will be fixed.
Displacement transfer to normal map works fine as far as I know.

I should probably give other render engine a try, there are chance 3dsmax handle this better.

I will add the luxology thread about 3dcoat as example to up the request.

3D COAT V 4.0 Trial Version doesn't work the way it should on MAC Pro. Too many crashes at several occasions.
My machine: MAC Pro 12-Core Intel Xeon 48 GB RAM.

No need to buy it at this time ...

Moritz