Blast from the past - Apache Modeling...

[mark_slw]

Hi all,

I'm attempting to model Kurt's venerable Apache AH64. In part 12 where he tackles the tailfin:



The rear part needs to be angled out at around 25-30%, which he does by using a lattice deformer.

In the video when he does this he then goes on to slice and inset the polys just around the crease, but doing this leads to some horrible overlap with the polys at the base of the kinked part of the fin.

I'm trying to figure out a way of modeling that gives a better poly flow - and it seems to me that the inset around the fin would be much better if it were modeled in as part of the base extrusions, and doing so does give much better looking poly flow. However, I then struggle to get the deformation in the tailfin, and cannot for the life of me figure out a decent way of getting the required shape (simply rotating and moving the points around doesn't work since there's not enough geometry to give decent results and I'd rather not have to heavily subdivide at this point - indeed, rotating the points leads to really screwed up, non planar faces, rotating the faces leads to even worse looking geometry since the rotation seems to happen around different axes per face (even though they're all supposed to be rotating in world coordinates )


Anyone have any suggestions as the best way to achieve the desired effect???

[daverave]

Really need to see the part Kurt has modelled to say if there is a better way to model with some of the newer tools............dave

[mark_slw]

You're right Dave. Sorry, it was late when I posted

I'll rustle up the part tonight and post later...

(You can tell it was late since it isn't Kurt's tutorial but Kari's : DOH : )

[mark_slw]

Well, coming back to it after 24 hours, I can't believe I was having so much difficulty last night.

Seems simple now, but all I needed to do was carry the extrusion all the way around the edges under the fin as well (as you can see here

[jsprogg]

btw the Apache tut was by Kari Brown and not Kurt, a very good tutorial to learn from though.

[mark_slw]

I know ... check my second post

[bullet1968]

Did you get my links Mark??

cheers bullet

[mark_slw]

Whoops. .. hadn't noticed that I had PM ... lol ... just downloaded them now - awesome references there Bullet. Thanks for those.

[Jay]

This is probably one of the best tutes on site.....if not the best

have fun with it

Jay

[mark_slw]

It certainly is a great tute. Whilst it's looking a little dated in the tools selection, it never hurts to get a refresher on how to model without some of the niceties we come to expect in a modeling package today.

I'm also finding now that I'm trying to second-guess Kari through the vids - thinking along the lines of 'y'know, that's much easier now if you do it with tool X rather than splitting and extending that particlular group of polys'.

... and of course, it's always interesting to try and unwind the thought processes into why certain things were done in a particular way (many the times I've uttered through clenched teeth ... No, no, no, no why on earth are you modeling it THAT way ... it's much easier to do it this way ... and then to find a couple of sections down the line either that my alternate approach is vindicated, or (more often) to think *shit* that's why he modeled it that way!!! [so far I'd say the odss on that happening are around 85:15 in Kari's favour, but I'm intent on improving them ... albeit slowly

[bullet1968]

No worries Mark, good luck with the tut...I will be watching...I hope you are doing this in LW and not Maya...c'mon mate I did the Defiant from LW in Maya...bahahaha. It is finished...but bloody hard to cross software man!

cheers bullet

[mark_slw]

lol ... I haven't touched LW in years (version 8.5 I think is the last one I have). Although I might jump this one across to Modo when I've completed it and see how long it takes me in there.

[bullet1968]

LOL dont bother mate its too damn hard. I didnt do too badly...it was the different toolset that was the drama...having to guess what to do Maya wise. LW had some great tools and seemed to have a better smoothing op...as well as boolean operations.

cheers bullet

[mark_slw]

Yeah, I think it.s a lot easier going from a Maya tut into LW or Modo since they do have much better poly modelling tools, and since SDS is simply a matter of hitting the Tab key it's also much easier to see your smoothed mesh (although the smooth preview in Maya helps)