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Modeling Ships - Any tips?


jinsley
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I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with Naval Architecture and Visualization? and what my best approach is as far as modeling ships? Using splines and cross-sections? Nurbs?

 

Any help would be more than appreciated.

 

Also, if anyone has any tips or insight into working between Rhino and Max...

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Depends on your reference material and how accurate you need to be. I prefer poly modelling the hulls, its quick and allows you to easily add in detail. Generally you can get alot of good reference with cross sections through the hull which make modelling from splines straightforward aswell.

 

Why the need to switch between packages? I would imagine you could do the full thing in either.

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Thanks for the quick reply, I have been approached by a local company to do some illustration work for them. I would guess that the models will need to be fairly accurate depending on the stage of development. From reading other forums and poking around it sounds to me like there really isn't a wrong or right way to approach ships, I was just wondering if anyone with experience could offer any insights.

 

There will be some cases where they can provide me with meshes, etc. exported from Rhino... and other times when I will have to work off of sketches and/or CAD plans.

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Your right theres no definitive way. Alot of time it depends on the complexity of the hull and what you have to work from, also what your comfortable working with.

 

You should be able to export everything from Rhino into a format that will allow you to get into Max.

 

The hull is the most complex part of modelling ships once youve got a good workflow for that the rest is really straight forward.

 

Theres alot of online reference for ships might be worth doing a few practice hulls.

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I've started to built a catamaran sometime last year out of boredom. Back then I went with spline caging the hull and converted it to polys for detailing. I think spline cages work best in the early stages as all you have to do is copy the cross sections from the cad plans. As far as I know thats the way ship designers built the real things, too.

 

I dont see the necessity to switch software, though, considering that max has everything to efficiently built any ship, and that in several different approaches.

 

More difficult for me (and the reason I never finished the cat) is IMO that there are only so many references online. Its faily easy to get refs on the outer hull, but once you need to get inside and get all the inside bulkheads, hatches, small storages areas and things right it gets tedious. Might not be a problem, if you have access to ship builders and their cad files or even can just chat to them about that, though.

 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to see your attempts! Apropro, I havent seen many grassy pics from you lately, James... *hinthint* ;)

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+1 for poly modeling. Funny Nils, I've been modeling a catamaran as well :)

 

I've found that using the symmetry modifier in conjunction with poly modeling and turbo smooth has been the easiest for me so far. I like how the symmetry mod cleans up the edges where you sometimes need a more definitive corner at the bottom of hulls.

 

Also looking forward to hearing what you find what you like to work with and pro's/con's of spline vs. poly vs. other.

 

M-

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+2 for polymodelling ;) allows more control on well polygons then spline caging

Will do the same here. Control polys, turbosmooth. Cut to make sharper edges and yes symmetry

 

+1 for poly modeling. Funny Nils, I've been modeling a catamaran as well :)

 

I've found that using the symmetry modifier in conjunction with poly modeling and turbo smooth has been the easiest for me so far. I like how the symmetry mod cleans up the edges where you sometimes need a more definitive corner at the bottom of hulls.

 

Also looking forward to hearing what you find what you like to work with and pro's/con's of spline vs. poly vs. other.

 

M-

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so I tried splines, and poly-modeling... I like poly-modeling the hull I have to say...

 

polys + slice and chamfer + symmetry + turbosmooth = :D

 

I have to finish some work for school before all else, and then I will re-model the hull from scratch with what I have learned and finish up the boat this weekend.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]41888[/ATTACH]

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