Lofts - ?????

[3darchitect]

Ok, so I'm under the impression that lofts are an absolutely wonderful way to model walls. Well, my mind is currently completely incapable of comprehending how to actually use the loft tool and do anything with it. So, unless someone wants to create an extremely long string of threads about lofts, does anyone have a tutorial of some sort on the basics of lofts and how they can aid me in modeling walls in 3dsmax? Thanks

[plastic]

you don't need lofts for walls...that would be overkill.

if you got max8, try the sweep modifier...it's much simpler and better (auto-joined intersections).

for making a wall from a path i prefer extrude modifier for the height, then shell modifier for thickness.

[3darchitect]

...... will you people bloody make up your minds! Ok... I'm alright... It's just that I'm new to 3dsmax (relatively speaking), and I guess I'm not used to the 5 billion ways of doing one thing. I'll be getting 3dsmax 8 soon, but to be honest, I don't think I completely understood what you said about the sweep, extrude and shell modifiers. Is the extrude, just a line given height?

 

PS - didn't mean to snap, I'm just a little mentally stretched right now...

[Koper]

the only reason i can see for using lofts to create walls is if there are many different widhts along the wall height such as stripps and grooves or when there is a bend between the bottom and top part of the wall. The loft tool work with two objects, a shape and a path, the shape is what is actually beeing created along a path. Think of the teqhnique of icing a cake.

 

I picked this all up through the max help files

[3darchitect]

OK, so... don't use lofts for simple walls that really don't have any texture change and stuff. So, then what would be the most simplistic yet flexible way to model walls (simple ones) in 3dsmax? Oh, and for some reason, the help files don't work on my version of 3dsmax - will be getting max 8 soon though.

[Koper]

Lofts are'nt a big NONO, if you feel that it is easier for u then use it. Creating walls all depends on the aproach, you have the outlines or you don't. If you do have them, then apply an extrude modifier onto them, you can find the modifier list just beneath the name of the object to the right of the screen. In the extrude modifier you set the amount, this is the height of the wall, and vuala.

 

If you don't have the wall outlines, then the easiest way to create them is with 'AEC extended', this can be found in the create panel-geometry and select 'AEC extended' instead of the default 'standard primitives'.

[Koper]

oh sorry, and for your help files, i think you have to install them as well

[3darchitect]

Ok, I'll try a couple of things then. Thanks all for the advice and tips

[Brian Smith]

This topic comes up as much as any other and everybody has their own viewpoint. I have mine. First of all, I would never, ever recommend using AEC Extended because it's simply a waste of time and nothing more than a tool used to give Max users the impression that Max caters to architectural illustrators. Why it's still around or unimproved I can only wonder. Extruded lines are also extremely limited in versatility and I stopped using that approach with 3D Studio 4 (DOS). The Sweep modifier is a very good tool and pretty simple to learn, but can't do nearly as much as the loft. Lofts are my most favorite tool available in Max for so many reasons that would simply take me too long to write (though I've written most of them in other posts). I use them for walls, curbs, fascia, furniture, trees, and numerous other models. The only other approach I would recommend using for walls in lieu of lofts is box modeling, ie, the Edit Poly.

Best of luck!

[Koper]

yes, lofts are very usefull, but if you think of it, extrude is also a loft, just much more simplified, you have got the shape, and you don't need the path, but that is if your only going straight in one direction, which most walls are. maybe I haven't looked close enought at using lofts for walls as you have and should be doing so.

 

Brian, do you think you can point out some short reasons why lofts are much better in using them for walls than using the spline extrude method?

[Brian Smith]

Sure, I will post a few things tonight. I have a billion things I have to get done first before I leave for SIGGRAPH tomorrow morning.

[Koper]

cool and thanx Brian, I whish i could have gone there, maybe next year.

[Brian Smith]

Just a few words about lofts. With lofts, you have precise control over pivot point location that you don’t have with the Sweep modifier. With a loft, you can take advantage of precise pivot point control. With Sweep you can only align a pivot point to preset points on a shape. When you expand the loft in the modifier stack and select the shape gizmo you are given tremendous control over shape orientation which is very important with complex walls and trim features, especially in tight corners where the Sweep cause faces to overlap themselves and give a strange look. The Sweep doesn’t always guess right how the shape is supposed to be oriented as the path turns corners and the ‘Angle’ setting provides only limited control over orientation. Lofts you the ability to create mapping that follows the contours of your path, whether it be a brick pattern in the curved part of a wall or lines that follow along the path of a street. You can’t do this with the Sweep. The loft also has incredible power with the ability to create deformations. I didn’t use to take advantage of this feature until recently but I’ve had to create some very complex walls furniture pieces in recent years that would not have been possible (in any near the same amount of time) without the loft. After creating a deformation, you can also extract cross sections anywhere along the path. Finally, with lofts you can combine a limitless number of shapes in the same path and control precisely the transitions from one to another.

 

Generally, for simple applications, the Sweep modifier is perfectly fine and. But realistically, visualizations are not warranted or desired as much for simple buildings and structures as much as they are for more complex and expensive projects that justify it. For me anyway, the complexity in design that I have to incorporate in my projects seems to be increasing year after year and unless the Sweep is updated it will be more and more unable to meet my needs.

[Ausmax]

Hi everyone, I am trying to get my head around Lofts. I have been reading Brian's book 3ds Max 8 Architectural Vis. and found it to be really good. The book is good for understanding the loft tool.

 

However, Could someone answer this for me: tell me why when I loft an object using a shape created to face outward on a wall object, why does the object loft it inwardly (on the inside of the wall).

 

I think that this might have something to do with the alignment of the pivot point (Brian does go into this briefly in the book) but I am not sure?? Could someone explain this to me?

I have just ordered the intermediate to advanced book on 3D Vis by Brian. I am really looking forward to the read!

[Brian Smith]

might want to check out this link...week 26

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/upclose/VI/default.asp

[Ausmax]

Thanks Brian - this should be a great help!