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- Creating a
Pulley Using Meshsmooth - |
Tutorial written by for . (For any questions, feel free to
contact me)
This tutorial is
designed for virtually any skill level If you do not
understand something, use max's help (F1). This
tutorials primary function is too help give you an
understanding of how meshsmooth works, and how to
control it. Although this is a fairly long tutorial, the
modeling of this object can be completed in 5mins.
If
you already know your way around max, you can probably
do this from just looking at the pictures.
:) |
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1. Create a tube in the Front viewport with 11
height segments and 12 sides as shown in Figure 1.0. The
height segments will help control the meshsmooth
modifier and keep it from over-smoothing, and the
reduced sides will allow us to work easily and
efficiently with a simple
mesh. |
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Figure
1.0
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2. Go
into the modifier tab, click "more...", find the "edit
mesh" modifier and apply it too your
tube.
3.
Go into the "sub-object
vertex" mode, in the Top viewport select the 2nd and
second last line of vertexs and Non-uniform scale them
on the Y axis until they are close too the first and
last line of vertexs as shown in figure 1.1.
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Figure
1.1
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4.
Follow step 3 until you have
pared up all the lines of vertexs as shown in Figure
1.2 |
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Figure
1.2
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5.
Still in the Top viewport, select the
middle 4 vertex lines, Non-uniform scale them up on the
Y axis a bit, then uniform scale them in the Front
viewport until you get something like Figure 1.3 |
Figure 1.3 |
- You have
now finished the outside portion of the pulley, you may
meshsmooth it and tweak the vertexes in the "edit mesh"
stack until you are satisfied with the current
results. |
6.
Go back into the "Edit Mesh" stack
and go into the Sub-Object polygon level. In the Front
viewport select the polygons shown in Figure
1.4. |
Figure 1.4 |
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7. In the Top
viewport, make sure you only have the VERY middle row of
polygons selected. Now "extrude" those polygons and use
some "bevel" as shown in Figure 1.5a, 1.5a,
1.5b.
Important note: There is, a common
bug in 3dsMax. If you get your faces twisting in all
directions when you extrude. Do this: Before doing the
extrude that twists your polygons, click "hold" then
"fetch", and continue working. If that doesn't work You
can also collapse the stack into an editable mesh then
continue. |
 Figure 1.5a |
 Figure 1.5b |
 Figure
1.5c | |
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8. Still In the
Sub-Object polygon level Select the polygons as shown in
Figure 1.6 and press the "delete" key too delete them,
we don't want any hidden polygons when we go to weld our
mesh.
Note: When
selecting anything, use the following keys with the drag
selection to help you... "ctrl"-To add too selection and
"alt"-Too subtract from
selection.
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Figure
1.6 |
9.
Now the welding begins, Weld the 3
groups of vertex's on the outside part of the middle as
shown in Figure 1.7. It is a good idea to use the
Non-Uniform scale to bring the vertexs close to each
other before welding. IMPORTANT: Make sure you do not
weld the vertex's in the z axis, This would cause
problems. |
Figure
1.7 |
10.
Still in the Front viewport select
the rest of the vertexs that are in the middle piece as
shown in Figure 1.8. Non-Uniform scale them in the X and
Y axis until they all meet into a point in the middle,
then click the weld selected button and you should get
something that looks like Figure
1.9 |
Figure
1.8
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Figure
1.9 |
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| 11. Were almost
done, For some extra detail, select the 6 faces in the
middle and extrude them out a bit as shown in Figure
2.0 |
Figure
2.0 |
| 12. Now apply
the "Meshsmooth" modifier with as many Iterations as you
wish, Apply a texture (I used chrome) and your done! :).
Now you should have a better understanding of MeshSmooth
and the EditMesh
modifier |
 Final Image
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