Guest Tomass Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 (edited) Hi Guys, I've finding it very difficult to control the direction and side of my loft. Please find attached image. Top view in max, the archway is partly in view and my loft shape to the right. I have the pivot point centered to the archway, and my pivot point for the shape is visible on the attached image. The problem is with max is that so little of its core philosophy is made available on the web. Could someone educate me into how the loft works, instead of the old grab shape for the path and see what happens. This loft ends up facing inward and facing down instead of toward the viewport and projecting to the right. I would be most grateful for someone to ground me with a true knowledge of lofting. Just a note for Mr Brian. Smith what a complete waste of money his books our, totaly, totaly void of real information! Edited August 24, 2008 by Tomass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudio Branch Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 ...finding it very difficult to control the direction and side of my loft. Loft is a tempermental modifier - try giving Sweep a shot. BTW, Sweep is also a tempermental modifier. You may have to use a XForm modifer in tandem with Sweep to get your section under control. Just a note for Mr Brian. Smith what a complete waste of money his books our, totaly, totaly void of real information! This is quite original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandmanNinja Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I would be most grateful for someone to ground me with a true knowledge of lofting. Just a note for Mr Brian. Smith what a complete waste of money his books our, totaly, totaly void of real information! Brian's Beginner's book covers splines and lofts quite thoroughly. I've been using 3ds for 4+ years and managed to pick up some new information and tips-n-tricks from both of his books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughie Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 loft is a bit of an odd one, I seem to remember not having this problem in early versions of Max, before you could draw in a logical orientation, Now: draw in an clockwise direction.draw all the shapes in the same view port using the logical port for the pathrotate (in positive degrees) the shape to be got to the orientation it will be projectedget shape to the path even still I quite often find it easier to draw the way I want and re-orientate in the multisub object and flip the normals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 (edited) Hi Guys, Just a note for Mr Brian. Smith what a complete waste of money his books our, totaly, totaly void of real information! Thomas, Where to start? First, maybe learn to spell. You said 'books'...so I assumed you meant that you have both books. But from my records you only purchased the Beginner to Intermediate. I believe the degree to which it's covered in the Beg/Int book is sufficient to prepare someone for the numerous exercises in which it's used in the creation of buildings and sites in the Intermediate to Advanced book. You said in another post http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/31584-modelling-terrained-roads.html that you didn't find the free 3DATS tutorials at all useful, though this problem your having with lofts is covered very in-depth in week 26 of those same tutorials by way of a 1-hour video. The problem you had with your terrain is also covered to no end in the 1st three tutorials. Both walls and sites are covered very thoroughly in the Intermediate to Advanced book. I'm sorry you apparently felt that these were beginner level topics. Your post here http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/31665-mapping-along-curved-wall.html is also covered thoroughly in the 2nd book, although I don't see why you couldn't follow the Neoscape tutorial. Most comical is another post where you asked "Can someone please tell me how to create textures?" http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/31813-how-do-you-create-displacement-maps-bitmaps-vray-sketchup.html After having the Beginner book for 2 months and checking out the free tutorials, can you really not create textures? Perhaps you should explore another line of work. I don't see this one working out for you. Finally, before you start asking more people for help on things that you could easily find yourself with a little digging, I would suggest thanking the people that have helped you out on all those other threads you started. I couldn't find a single thank you on any of them. I'd tell you how to do what you're trying to do, but I've already wasted enough of my Sunday responding to your post already. Going to see if I can give some help now to someone that really deserves it. Good day! Edited August 26, 2008 by Brian Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Same as Joel, Ive been using Max for ~5 years, and have slowly made my way through Brian's book, and am finding it endlessly helpful. Just new ways of doing things that make more sense etc (teach me for being self taught!). So, Ill back Brian here - You're either ignorant or arrogant - or what seems a bloody good mixture of both. It not our fault you suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horhe Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Just a note for Mr Brian. Smith what a complete waste of money his books our, totaly, totaly void of real information! Oh my. I guess your just totally f@#$% pissed at the max lofts at the moment that you have posted without actually even thinking it through. I remember when I was starting out with lofts in max I actually broke a keyboard. What I suggest you do, is make yourself a coffee, revisit the tutorials, give them another shot, then, whatever the outcome revisit this post and re-edit appropriately if you know what I mean. I have heard only positive comments about Brian Smiths book. You cant blame someone else if smth isnt working out for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markf Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Well, I'm not clear on what the prob;em your having is but I'll try to help. If I understand correctly you create your path and then select your shape and the resulting loft has the shape facing inward vs outward. Try holding down the control key while you select your shape, this should reverse the way it's lofted around the path. Then you can go to the modifier panel and access the shape sub object. There are alignment controls that help you position the shape on the path. You can also select the shape in a viewport and move it manually. Hope this helps. I must disagree with your comments regarding the 3DAS books etc. I have found all of the 3DAS tutorials on the Visualization Insider, the two books they have published and the online Vray course I took to be very good. I have been using Lofts in Max for many years. I found the 3DAS treatment and explanation of Lofts to be very thorough and I got some things out of it that I didn't know. You should re-visit these, I think they will tell you all you will need for any architectural vis project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudio Branch Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I found the 3DAS treatment and explanation of Lofts to be very thorough and I got some things out of it that I didn't know. You should re-visit these... I am going to have to crash the Loft party myself then! BTW, Mr. Smith thank you for all of your excellent contributions to CGA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAcky Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 I remember when I was starting out with lofts in max I actually broke a keyboard. Gold! I almost got to that point with lofts the other day too! heheheh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 I get more predictable results if I select the path, and turn that into the loft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilrecord Posted August 27, 2008 Share Posted August 27, 2008 Select the path first, turn that into the loft by selecting the shape. Works much better. The most i ever have to do is revese the spline of the path to make the shape face the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Grove Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 (edited) Im a newbie as well. Less than a year on Max and Vray as of today and when I started I thought Id never get it. The only way to get through it is a little bit at a time. I too have Brain's 2nd book and I have learned many valubale things.....patience is the only key. Im now learning expressions and belive me, loft's are a walk in the park. And Brian was right about the loft function in his book, Im now using it for lots of arch work. Its my new best friend. And as Ive said here before, the tips in the back of the book are worth the price alone. Dont allow your short comings to bash someone else hard work. patience is the only key. Edited August 28, 2008 by Arnold Grove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tomass Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Hi Guys, Thanks claudio have found good uses for the sweep. Has Mr Smith considered running for president! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tomass Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Mr. Smith, Thank you for your enlightening response, first I wish you not to presume that your knowledge of my educational purchases appear daily upon your screen! I have purchased your intermediate book as well and found it just as lackluster as the first outing. In response to your wasted Sunday just take a moment to consider how much money your have wasted from those hard working, diligent persons who spend there weekends enhancing there skill base. The fact you our an author who has taken a strike at another's spelling shows up even greater flaws within your own self confidence. Despite the fact your presumption is totally false, and that you spend your entire working life depending upon an electronic box to express yourself. I'd ask you to visit the Amazon UK site Mr. Smith to find fellow Brits who feel aggrieved at your shoddy workmanship. Now for that good day of yours Sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandmanNinja Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 So, let me get this straight. Quite a few different people have offered you positive advice on how to do a loft. You ignore the comments and do not thank any of them. And you continue to bitch and moan about a book that you just can't follow the directions from. No one but yourself has ever said anything negative about those two particular books since they've been released. I don't know how often you buy books (probably not very often), but those books are an incredible value. Everything from the construction material of them, to the detailed information and instructions contained there-in, to the secured wrapping and shipping of them to buyers around the world. I don't know your physical age, but in my opinion (which is based upon your posts) you are an incredibly immature person. There are loft tutorials on the internet, tutorials ship with 3ds Max, and you have two very good books that describe the concept. Loft = Path + Shape Draw a straight line. Draw a circle. Click the circle. Click LOFT. Click GET SHAPE. Click the straight line. Observe. Lesson #2 - How to say Thank You Scenario: You politely explain that you are having difficulty with a particular process Action: People explain it a number of different ways. Reaction: You say "Thank You" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Smith Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 About the response I expected. Funny you can't find the answer to your lofting problems in those books like so many others here have said they have. They're not hard to find....unless of course you haven't really read them yet. Send me your transaction ID or purchase order # for the 2nd book and I will gladly refund your money. I offer this because I think you're lying and don't think you even bought it. I have no record of you purchasing the book or any book being sent to Hampshire for that matter. I will not refund the order unless it's under your name, btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic H Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 who knew lofts could be so exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_cbautista Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 i prefer to use sweep over loft, because of its options (mirror & angle rotation) funny though, i only noticed 'offset' the other day, because i keep on scaling lofted objects before! about those 3das books, i still am hoping to buy at least the intermediate to advance. but for somebody eager to learn like me, i find brian smith's online tutorials helpful too.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tomass Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Mr Smith, I will kindly try and find that reciept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Mr Smith, I will kindly try and find that reciept. I'll translate that for you Brian... "Dear Mr Smith, "First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologise to you. I shouldn't have aired any ill sentiments on a public forum but instead should have emailed you directly to express my dissatisfaction with your products. I would also like to thank you for the offer to return the items in question and reimburse myself for the costs. "Typically, I wouldn't move directly to insult someone if I was unsatisfied with their product. My normal recourse would be to simply return the item deemed unsuitable and request a refund. I understand also that you are under no real obligation to refund the cost of the book and in light of my recent comments towards you, I thank you for being so reasonable. Upon closer inspection and without prejudice, I have come to see that you are a benevolent and respected member of this profession's wider community and that the professionally inappropriate statements I made have reflected poorly upon myself only. Regards, Tomass." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I would just like to say that Tomass just got well and truly owned by shaneis :D Nice post Shaneis. Tomass as Shaneis has expertly put if you have issues with the books you have bought from Brian I would say that it is the height of immaturity to post your disapproval of them on a forum. What you should do if you were over the age of 10 would be to privatley contact Brian and either point out where you are having issues or ask for a refund. I can say after meeting Brian in London that he does indeed know his stuff, not quite sure how he packs it all in his head tbh lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 "Never argue with an idiot. They bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I think he enjoyed it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tomass Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Hi Mark, Sorry to take so long to get back, the Ctrl key has done the trick, Kind Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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