antonio_frias Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 A couple of weeks ago someone posted a image for c&c's of a bedroom. The bedspread was very well modelled using lofts. I have tried over and over again and I just can't seem to be able to do the same thing. I tried out the lofting tutorials by Ted Boardman in the tutorial section of Cgarchitect ( which are great by the way!)and Brian Smiths Architectural Viz book but "mission impossible", i just can't get the hang of lofting complex objects. Can anyone help me out here, or does anyone know of some other lofting tutorials (videos maybe). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryam Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 i am also curios to see how can we model with loft.all the tutorials that i know are not sufficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arquiteck09 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 i really don´t recomend use lofting, it don´t give good results, the corners always cause problems, if you see the image you can compare the results, there´s nothing you can´t model with polyedit . here is one scene if you want to compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Eloy Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I guess it pretty much depends on what object you need to model. I always found loft a great tool, very useful. For example, doing a door knob using it is easy and very fast. What design are you trying to do, Antonio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Jesus, You say you don't get good results with lofts...the problem you're having has to do with the fact that smoothing is automatically enabled when lofts are created. If you either disable smoothing or add the smooth modifier and change how smoothing is performed, you will get the results you want. You also should reduce the path steps to 0 if you don't need them. In the attached image, you can see that you can get the results you want. All I did is disabled Smooth Length and Smooth Width on the loft and I reduced the Path Steps to 0. PolyEdit is a great feature, but it pales in comparison to the loft in terms of how it can be used and the number of ways it can be used. I could teach a 2 day course on lofts and not cover all of its power and not going slow either. Antonio, I wish I could say look at the book but I simply didn't have the room to cover everything there was to cover about lofts, although I think I covered the basics pretty well. One could write a book about lofts alone. If you want to ask a specific question and maybe add some images with text to highlight areas that are causing problems, I would be more than happy to answer them. Also, posting a scene might help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arquiteck09 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 thank you very much Brian, i have never thinking that smooth has to do something with it, i have made some test and the results are great, i have to play again with loft hehe, thanks again man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antonio_frias Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 What I'm trying to model, is a simple bedspread. I attached an exemple of the shape and path. The shape is a section of the bedspread (from head to feet) and the path is a section of the bedspread from left ot right or vice-versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Antonio, What is the result you get and what is the problem? Your shape and path looks fine to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antonio_frias Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Brian, My problem is orienting the shape along the path. I know it has something do do with the pivot point and the first vertice along the path, but I have'nt been able understand how it works! Does it have something to do with which viewports they are drawn in? Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Antonio, The viewport you create the path will determine the orientation of the loft, but the shape can be created in any viewport and the result will always be the same. Once you create the loft you can go to the Modify panel, click on the + sign next to the word Loft (in the Modifier Stack) and open up the stack to show Path and Shape. Highlight the shape in one of the viewports and you will be able to apply transforms to change the position, orientation, and scale. Of course, the pivot point is critical as well, which I presume you know is changed through the Hierarchy panel (Affect Pivot Only). Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Eloy Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 ... or, for simple stuff you can also use the Sweep modifier, which is really easy to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Sweep is great, until you have a path that goes in all axis' or individual verts are twisted, it can be a nightmare to fix. JHV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antonio_frias Posted July 7, 2006 Author Share Posted July 7, 2006 Brian, Just wanted to say thanks, I've been trying to get it right for the last couple of days and things weren't working out. After your last post I tried again and it worked. The problem was that my shape was oriented the wrong way. I created it again, but this time on the y-axis (I rotated it 90°) and it worked. Thanks again IOU1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dmaniac666 Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 i hope i'm right on this i'm not really good at explaining... but i think the pivot point of the shape aligns itself w/ the center of the path. if you move the pivot point to the left or right that is where the shape lofts itself around the center of the path. when moving the pivot point you have to modify the loft by picking the shape over again because the loft only changes on transforms...(changing the size,scale, ect..) i hope this helps and didn't confuse anyone to much in what i was trying to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 i hope i'm right on this i'm not really good at explaining... but i think the pivot point of the shape aligns itself w/ the center of the path. if you move the pivot point to the left or right that is where the shape lofts itself around the center of the path. when moving the pivot point you have to modify the loft by picking the shape over again because the loft only changes on transforms...(changing the size,scale, ect..) i hope this helps and didn't confuse anyone to much in what i was trying to say. Jacob, Your partially right. The pivot point of the shape aligns with the first vertex of the path, and is lofted in the direction of the 2nd vertex. Once you create a loft, moving the pivot point of the shape has no effect on the loft. Likewise, applying a transform to a shape has no effect on the loft. The only way a transform effects a loft is when you apply a transform to a shape's subobject, ie, the vertices, segments, etc. As a side note, if you go to the path's spline subobject level and select 'Reverse', you will reverse the orientation of the vertices and the next loft will get started in the opposite direction. You can also reverse the direction of a loft by holding down 'Ctrl' when you click 'Get Shape'. Antonio, Glad I could help. BTW, I'm out of town and off CGA until Jul 21st, so if I'm asked a question, I'm not being rude, I just won't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargimo Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I am having allot of trouble with lofting casings around door and window jambs, It's very unpredictable to me. Sometimes one second and I'm done, this morning 3 or 4 hours on one door(that includes looking for answers in forums, rotating pivots, rotating shapes, mirroring shapes, reversing paths) with no luck. Brian's response gave me great hope, I never read these solutions before, but I still can't get things to work. I created my path in an orthographic viewport, clockwise and my casing profile was imported from Acad I adjusted the pivot in the Top view. When I go to the Modifier stack/loft/shape, I don't see how to transform anything. Everything is grayed out, and I can't select the shape in any viewport. Can anyone help? Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I am having allot of trouble with lofting casings around door and window jambs, It's very unpredictable to me. Sometimes one second and I'm done, this morning 3 or 4 hours on one door(that includes looking for answers in forums, rotating pivots, rotating shapes, mirroring shapes, reversing paths) with no luck. Brian's response gave me great hope, I never read these solutions before, but I still can't get things to work. I created my path in an orthographic viewport, clockwise and my casing profile was imported from Acad I adjusted the pivot in the Top view. When I go to the Modifier stack/loft/shape, I don't see how to transform anything. Everything is grayed out, and I can't select the shape in any viewport. Can anyone help? Josh you can always retrace imported shapes and paths within Max...stuff you bring in from AutoCAD can be tricky to work with. the viewport you create things in determines local UCS and changes how the objects are lofted. don't know what you mean when you say that you dont see how to transform anything and that everything is grayed out. maybe a screenshot would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargimo Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 (edited) The imported linework is the red linework. I then traced over (in the top view) and lofted the blue shape. I tried a Ctrl select of the shape but the result was predictably unsatisfactory. the location of the pivot is fine. The path is clockwise around the jamb. In the Modifier stack I have "shape" selected, but I cannot select anything in the viewports and most of the rollout is greyed out. Any advise on how to proceed? Many thanks for any help Josh (I remain online) Edited June 29, 2009 by Sargimo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 once you are in the Shape section of the Loft object, press Ctrl+A to select the shape within the viewport (or you could click on it manually), and rotate your shape along the Z axis (assuming its Z). at the risk of sounding like a salesman, this is covered in depth in our Intermediate to Advanced book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargimo Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 still can't select anything in viewports, :confused:I have only worked through chapter 5 then skipped around the book a bit (furniture, MR,GI,Backgrounds) I'm going to give chap. 7 a read, I see some curbwork that may get into it a bit. At the risk of sounding like a consumer, I have purchased all three books.(looking forward to getting book 3) Your dealing with an ultra-newbie career-changer, thanks for your patience and quick response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandmanNinja Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 if you are having difficulty selecting an object, press H and that brings up the Pick list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargimo Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm in the "shape" sub-object of the "loft" in the Modify panel. I think "H" will only show me the loft, (I'm not sure I'm right?) one of my previous posts shows a screenshot. I remain, Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amer abidi Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 well, as Brian said, Ctrl+A (while in shape sub-object mode) should select the shape in question. If for some reason its not, then zoom out and run a selection window around the whole loft (while still in sub-object mode). The highlighted gizmo should show you where the selected shape is (outlined in red). You can then transform and rotate it as you please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargimo Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 hallelujah, hallelujah, Good God Almighty Free at last. Sorry for the drama, still a little over caffeinated. In case you want to know what I was doing wrong..... when I was trying to select the shape, I was trying to select the original, standalone shape outside the loft, (The shape I created the loft with) everything worked fine when I selected the shape within the loft. (inside the wireframe). Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargimo Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Okay, now I know I'm just being greedy. But I really want to figure out why ctrl-a won't select the shape. Any thoughts? Again thanx everyone, this is an incredible resource. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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