Cardboard Cutout -> 3D
 

in another thread:

http://forum.simplymaya.com/showthre...threadid=24767

I made the bushes as simple cardboard cutouts, however I am trying to make them into something a bit more 3D. If you look at the painted on shadows, you can see the bushes have a style like spheres that have melted into one another (no sharp edges) however I am at a loss as to how to replicate this. All the modeling I've done so far has been with polygons, and I would prefer something with a relatively low polygon count. Doing it in Nurbs and converting it somehow feels the right thing to do, or subdivs maybe, but does anyone have any good suggestions?

ok, I am doing it through lofting a load of nurbs curves. One question, when I loft, even when I click on close, it puts a kind of tube right through the middle, but I just want the ends "closed" i.e. the last loop on either end is the end loop?

doesn't maya still have the artisan tools? i'd say try using them after maintaining your basic outline shape. using what's kinda like a live brush, you sculpt inwards and outwards. you could probably achieve the 'melted' look that way.