Complex UV Layout in Maya
Over the last couple of years UV layout in Maya has changed for the better. In this course we're going to be taking a look at some of those changes as we UV map an entire character
# 1 24-05-2011 , 12:45 AM
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Full box model to hollow model.

I have a box model, I am looking to print it with a 3d printer. However the printer wants to fill the model's volume, and I only want thin walls around the edges, so that the model is hollow. Is there an easy way to do this?

# 2 24-05-2011 , 06:48 AM
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i've never used a 3D printer before, but have you given the box any thickness to the walls?

try selected all the faces and extruding them inwards to give them a bit of thickness (for software display purposes you'll have to reverse the normals)




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# 3 24-05-2011 , 07:02 AM
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I have tried internal extrusion, but because of the shape (it is not actually a box!) this does not have the desired effect. Because it is a complex shape some of the internals need to gt bigger, etc. I was hoping there was a method for doing this without having to manually reposition faces, etc. There is quite a lot!

# 4 24-05-2011 , 09:37 AM
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Could you show a shot of your model........dave




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# 5 24-05-2011 , 02:40 PM
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god im gonna sound like like such a noob.. but a 3d printer?!?! tell me more user added image haha ive never heard of that!! sounds pretty sweet though lol sorry just had to get that off my chest lol


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# 7 27-05-2011 , 06:14 PM
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cut your model in half.

extrude all faces to give thickness. also include a way to piece them together. think of those plastic models you make that require no glue. the little peg with a hole.

then it will be hollow inside and you will have what you want.

enjoy

# 8 29-05-2011 , 01:49 AM
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# 9 29-05-2011 , 11:51 PM
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Thanks for all of your input. In the end I found this worked the best.

Select All faces of model, and choose Edit Mesh > Extrude Options, and apply following;

1 Division
0 smooth angle
0 Offset
-0.5 thickness

It reduces the inside of the model, if normals are correct, and makes a wall thickness; it even sorts out sections of the model which would otherwise have face collisions, if that makes sense. Shell Modifier eat you heart out! There is no 'gaps' or anything. The only minor negative was that there were a few vertices which were displaced in the wrong direction and thus "outside" the model, but these were very quickly fixed. This is quite impressive given the reading I had done to find a solution. This is quite a complex model and there were really very few hassles.

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