Flatten and unflatten

[lordarka]

I have a face model that I am trying to decal, and I am a little confused about how AM implements this feature. It's not quite like UV mapping in LW or Maya, and it's also quite different from the prior version of AM I was using in the past. I built a head model that I am trying to get a reference for texturing.

 

(1) Can I only flatten a model in a choreography window, and in muscle mode?

(2) When I flatten the model, how do I apply a decal to it? I can't seem to do this in the choreography mode. (this after I spent almost an hour figuring out how to get the axial orientation correct.

(3) Assuming you tell me how to apply a decal to a flattened model, how do I 'unflatten' it? Or, am I stuck applying the decal that I generate upon the un-flattened model, using a screen capture of the flattened map as a reference for generating the texture?

 

Attached is the model itself, in perspective view, and the flattened version, in front view within Choreography. I'm on AM 13 (Late 2006 Universal Binary)

 

 

Thanks so much!

 

Arka C.

[Dhar]

In this tutorial you may find your answer: http://www.colins-loft.net/FaceTexture.html

 

Good luck

[lordarka]

In this tutorial you may find your answer: http://www.colins-loft.net/FaceTexture.html

 

Good luck

 

 

Wow.. thanks for the quick reply. I am still confused about one thing though... my face doesn't flatten quite as nicely as that in the tutorial (as you may have noticed). Any idea why that is?

 

Thanks!

 

Arka C.

[Dhar]

Yeah! Your model is spline heavy. That creates problems. Make use of hooks and I know you can get away with at least a third less splines than you currently have.

 

I don't know what your plans are, but if I may recommend William Suttons Tutorial DVD on modeling http://www.cafepress.com/zandoria.29449757 In this tutorial he models a gorilla, but at least you can see where you can use less splines and still get the model you want.

[lordarka]

Yeah! Your model is spline heavy. That creates problems. Make use of hooks and I know you can get away with at least a third less splines than you currently have.

 

I don't know what your plans are, but if I may recommend William Suttons Tutorial DVD on modeling http://www.cafepress.com/zandoria.29449757 In this tutorial he models a gorilla, but at least you can see where you can use less splines and still get the model you want.

 

Thanks for the crit. I actually figured out how to get the flatten to work properly, and am modding the flattened figure at the moment. I realize that the model probably has a few too many splines, but I wanted to reserve the possibility of doing some detail work (this will be a relatively ugly creature by the time I am done, and if I can avoid using displacement maps everywhere, I will.) That said, I will definitely check out the tutorial you mentioned... do you know where I can find a good pre-made model of a human skull?

 

Thanks again for you kind assistance and constructive critique. I very much appreciate it, and look forward to showing you the finished illustration.

 

Arka C.

 

P.S: Is there some way of doing sublevel detail modeling in AM? I am just getting back into 3D after a very long hiatus (I can only do it on and off, as I'm a full time professional student), but I am trying to compare this approach to Maya and Lightwave. So far, I love the program, but there are some interesting Maya features that I'm wondering are mirrored here; sublevel polygon modeling is one of them; precludes the use of tons of fractal and displacement mapping.

[Dhar]

I don't remember seeing a skull model. Maybe others reading this post can help?

 

As far as your other question about sub-polygons (I didn't even know such a monster existed) I'll leave that for others to answer. My exposure to polygon based programs is basic at best (Infini-D and 3DSMax).

 

I'm pretty sure someone will give you the answer you're looking for.

 

Looking forward to your finished creature .....I think

[lordarka]

I don't remember seeing a skull model. Maybe others reading this post can help?

 

As far as your other question about sub-polygons (I didn't even know such a monster existed) I'll leave that for others to answer. My exposure to polygon based programs is basic at best (Infini-D and 3DSMax).

 

I'm pretty sure someone will give you the answer you're looking for.

 

Looking forward to your finished creature .....I think

 

 

Infini-D... man, I haven't seen that since high school (I tinkered with a pirated copy of that on the school's Quadra 950... it had a whopping 16MB, and would take upwards of a day to render a single scene in Raydiosity with a 40MHz 68040)

 

Thanks again for your help!

 

Arka C.

[johnl3d]

look on hash ftp site for eugene.mdl...skull and rest of the bones

[lordarka]

look on hash ftp site for eugene.mdl...skull and rest of the bones

 

Thanks. I am unable to access the FTP site, but I'll keep on trying. Maybe I'll give Hash a call tomorrow to see what's up. Thanks so much for your help!

 

Arka C.

[Rodney]

In addition to Jim Talbots tutorials (available on his site and the v14 Extra DVD) there are some others tutorials out there covering decaling with and without flattening.

 

Will Sutton's Hippogyraph decaling demo is available on the 2006 SIGGRAPH DVD as well as by itself on his Cafe Press CD ($19). Well worth the price of admission.

 

The spline heaviness of your model is definitely going to be problematic.

When in doubt I'd suggest borrowing the mesh from another model to begin with or study.