methods for modeling insets?
 

In the attached image, I was playing around with booleans and it got me to wondering about the different ways folks use to make insets. Anyone have other methods they prefer for cutting shapes into surfaces? I realize this is a basic technique but for modeling technical pieces (starships and whatnot) it seems like a very important one, especially for greebling and stuff like that.

--pete

Yeah... Just last month I discovered booleans and what they can do. Now there isn't a model I make where I don't use booleans. =]

oh you use it like hammer and chisel? start with a cube and move your chisel in place and subtract it from the cube??

just kidding :D

Yeah but are there other common methods people use other than booleans?

I just getting to modeling and i know a bit about booleans.

How do i make by own objects or characters. I know about NURBS, Polys and subdivs but i dont know what tools to use to sculpt my own designs or complicated shapes...any help?

Booleaning is my favorite method, but there's also the Make Hole Tool with Polys and in Nurbs you can select Isoparms and detach surfaces. You can also make a surface live, create a curve on it, make the surface unlive, duplicate the surface curve, use that duplicate curve to create a surface and delete it.....lots of ways to have fun :)

Darkon

Originally when I posted the pic I was going to include other examples of other methods I've come across including detach curves in nurbs and (if you want to affect the entire surface), extruding a poly face then pushing inward.