tiled roof

[Perren Robert]

Hi everybody!
I'm studying max6 and i try making a bended "plastic" tiled roof (like the newspaper stands). I did this with splines and surface afterwards, but this operation 've resulted lot-lot-lot faces and my computer slowed down very much. I've a "sample" file but i really don't know the method that was made by. That file contains a mesh structure, but there are a "roof-tile-spline" as well. I tought that is for a modifier or compound etc. to pick that for the process. Tis method seems better for the computers memory, but i couldn't guess it.
So the question is, how could i reach this issue. I tried to make the tiles from splines and the basic top from a box. Afterwards i used the shape merge compound to merge the tiles-spline. Afterward i tried using the face extrude, but this couldn't give the required result.
Please help me if someone know the metod of making this.
Thanks
Perren

[Markus Byron]

Try a search, there have been a bunch of threads on it and one or two very good tutorials/tips.

[Perren Robert]

So i've found some tutorials wich are really good tutorials. Those 've been working, but no one were the really one what i need. The problem is not only the roof tiles, but the imitated "frame" stucture between the roof-tiled part of the roof. It must keep the same hight bevel on every part of its border. I tried the face-extrusion method. The result was really good except the border hight of the "frame". On the lower part of the roof the extrusion was lot deeper (thats evidence), i extruded just the tiles. In this way the frames between the tiled parts are increasingly higher from the top. I'm not completly sure that my description is clear enough, so i send 3 pictures about it. The first two pictures shows the source file and the last one is my trying. The substance of my problem is the non equal hight of the border of the frame. The tiles getting deeper betveen the frame as they going towards the lower part of the roof. And i dont know the oviously diferent method how the "source roof" has been made with.
So if you know a tutorial or an idea to sove this problem that would be really good. I've tried to work on lot advice, but no one kept the result what i need. Sorry about the stupid questions, its surely not to complicated but i'm very beginner at the moment.
Thanks a lot...

[ILIA IRANI]

Thank you alaaki