Forcing splines to connect.

[teh1ghool]

Is there a way to force a spline of your choice to connect to another one on an intersection when adding points? It's frustrading to have to delete everything else then connect it and re-order, etc.

[oakchas]

not sure I understand your question...

 

but let's assume you have a spline to which you have added a cp midway between two other cps on the spline (by pressing the Y key).

 

Then create an intersecting spline (or one that will intersect) by pressing the A key, Left clicking the mouse and dragging the second control point on the new spline to the previously created midpoint spline and RIGHT clicking the mouse.

 

I can only guess that's what you are trying to do by your description.

 

HTH

[robcat2075]

I'm not sure I understand either. screen cap would really help.

[teh1ghool]

No see I can't show this with a screenshot really. What I'm trying to do is make it so that when you add a spline to another you can select which spline you're continuing so you don't have to detach all of them then attach them in the right order!

[robcat2075]

...when you add a spline to another you can select which spline you're continuing so you don't have to detach all of them then...

 

that coulds only mean... about a dozen different situations? If you can see it on the screen, you can screen cap it.

[Stuart Rogers]

I understand what he means... Take the situation in which you have two splines, the endpoints of which are at the same CP. (For example, take a spline and extrude it into a grid - the corner CPs will be an example of the situation). Now draw another spline and attach one end to the corner CP. The spline will attach itself to, and merge with, one of the splines making up the corner - but can you tell in advance which spline it will attach to?

[KenH]

You're usually better off continuing the existing spline by a cp. Then you know for sure that the conecting spline will connect to the other spline going through the point.

It's just a matter of changing your work habits.

 

Probably a screenshot would make it more clear. But imagine the end of a cylinder without the circular spline. So you have a load of splines just ending in space not making any patches. If you try to press A and "draw in" the spline to connect these cps, then you'll run into problems.

The best way is to make a circular spline seperate and then join up those cps.

 

Aww....that's no clearer....

[teh1ghool]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!!!!!

 

 

fine but it's not easy to show!

 

 

I'm trying to make it so I could make the spline that's wrongly continued from another so that it's not continued ON MY FIRST CLICK. Then for the next continue(the correct one, going down) I could just choose to connect to the right one!

[luckbat]

Dead-end splines like that almost always cause undesirable creasing in a render, which is why A:M goes out of its way to avoid creating them.

[oakchas]

here's a tute on spline continuity.. The important part is about halfway through....Maybe that'll help

 

[attachmentid=15264]

 

Requires shockwave flash.

basicmodeling.zip

[teh1ghool]

Ok thanks. -- luckbat I'm not worried about creasing. I'm not actually going to use this model anymore in A:M once modeled and textured in A:M. I'm instead bringing it over to a game.

 

 

EDIT : I'm on mac, I can't open that exe file in there.

[luckbat]

I'm not actually going to use this model anymore in A:M once modeled and textured in A:M. I'm instead bringing it over to a game.

Then why are you worried about spline continuity? Once you convert to polys, it ceases to exist.

[teh1ghool]

Sorry, what I meant was I wasn't worried about the creases at the moment. When I finish the game I'll probably use the ships and objects made/impoted into A:M as an opening scene.

[KenH]

Then you'll probably need two versions of the model. One for inside AM and another for inside the game.

[teh1ghool]

I already knoew that. I'll exprt it to 3ds then bring it into the engine.

[KenH]

No I mean one model with 5 point patches and hooks (mdl) and another without them (3ds).

[teh1ghool]

:-\ No no no the game only needs one file. It has an animator and an editor and the engine, so you can import like a 3ds into the animator and animate it. No bonez allowed elsewhere. It doesn't REALLY matter though, the characters are basically going to be one model file with a whole bunch of different pieces showing. Hard to explain, but it's an excellent way in the animator. Er I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link up to the site since it;s another company or something, so I guess if you want I can PM you it. PS: As of now it's only Mac OS X. Version 1.5 coming shortly with Win(blows) support.