Part 1: Modeling
the Nissan R390 GT in 3ds max 5
Foreword:
Why the Nissan R390 GT1? I had just modeled my Peugeot 206
(not that i own one) in Rhino3d, and wanted to try out a different
technique (poly in 3ds max) so i could choose the best one
for me (guess which one i like most?). I didn't want another
everyday life car, and i wanted to paint some textures too.
I searched for some Le Mans websites and found many great
cars to model, and i was lucky enough to find blueprints for
this particular one, so the choice was made.
This tutorial should be suited for mid to advanced users.
I will assume you know all the basic 3ds max 5 UI and tools.
I don't like step by step tutorials because i think you learn
more when you have to figure something out (step by step tuts
also take too much time to write, eheheh), so i'll just give
you a general idea of the process i followed. If you're reading
this, i don't think you really need to model an exact copy
of my Nissan R390 GT1 (which, by the way, has already been
greatly modeled by other guys), but you just want to learn
how to use the available tools to model any car, or anything
else for what matters. Anyway you can feel free to send me
an e-mail and ask for clarifications, if needed. In no way
this is THE way to do it right, it's just one of the many
ways to get a mesh out of the many (great) tools given; i
am writing this tutorial just because i find it a quite simple
and logical workflow for my tastes. I am a self-taught maxer,
so you might recognize techniques you've already seen in other
tutorials: there's really nothing new here, just some outlines
to guide the starters. In fact, i'm writing this also for
me: by putting it in html format i get a scheme i will use
again in the future: when i started i really was improvising
from what i learned in the past from other guys out there
(the 3d community is something incredible, almost everyone
is wiling to help you out, with this tutorial i'm trying to
give a little, a very little, in change for the many great
tips and helps i received from the people out there).
I divided the 1st part in 7 sub-sections, each one well distincted
from the others by the tools and techniques involved. I
hope
to be clear enough for everybody, keep in mind i am not english
and i am doing this in my free time, so i might rush some
stuff too much.
Two last things:
a) You will need just 1 plugin to complete the tutorial (and
you could away without): it's called "solidify",
just search for it on the "max 4" section of www.maxplugins.de
and install it (it's totally free).
Even if not necessary to follow the steps i write here, i
feel you should install and use also the fine Meshtools
from
Laszlo Sebo. With the new 3ds max 5 poly interface they are
not important as before, but still you might need some tool
which is missing in the max interface (i mainly used the
selection tools). To download and install them point your
browser to
http://www.scriptspot.com/,
search for "meshtools" and follow the instructions.
b) i need to thank a couple of guys for their help and support:
Luca "Lucky" Balsamo (mind refueler, great supporter
and great maxer and arkitekt), Laxina (for providing a wireframe
of a part i really didn't know how to model), the guys at
www.maxforums.org
for just being great and always being there and always helping
me out when needed. You guys rule.
So, we should be ready to start by now:
Section 1: Before
we start with the serious stuff
Section 2: Splining
Section 3: Caging & Surfacing
Section 4: Poly modeling
Section 5: Detailing #1
Section 6: Detailing
#2
Section 7: Finalizing |
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