Let's cover both scenarios...
If you are going to use a workflow where you subdivide ("smooth") the model
pre-render there are some issues with the way you modeled your piece - 1)
Concave Quad, and 2) 6 Pole Verts. Neither of those are going to smooth nicely
and should be avoided. See here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1649069/Permanent/XSIList/XSI_List_1.jpg
If you are going to use a workflow where you don't subdivide the model you can
work like this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1649069/Permanent/XSIList/XSI_List_2.jpg
If I had to guess I would say the helicopter dude did a lot of this (2nd) type
of modeling. This method allows you to use Booleans to cut out those circles
and pill shapes, even cut them on curved pieces as per my example. The
evidence is that some of those circles on the side only have 4 edges running
into them and you need more than that to smooth a mesh and get a perfect
circle! He has enough supporting geo on the curved parts to make them appear
"smooth" at viewing distance. My example doesn't have the smooth curve leading
in but I do it on the bottom of the cut shape. This is to show that if you
want the curve you have to add geometry - he has plenty of supporting loops or
bevels.
A good tip someone here wrote was separating geometry - good hard surface
technique.
I think you need to choose a methodology and stick with it. Right now it is
confusing - like you want to model hard-surface but are employing subdivision
modeling techniques.
Nicholas Breslow
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steven Caron
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2013 2:19 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Hard surface modeling question
but here he says...
"It depends, on some parts I use it, on others I don't."
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=7451715&postcount=154
*shrug*
On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 11:05 AM, Steven Caron
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
sure, but in a post he says he isn't smoothing.
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=7171444&postcount=55
explains he doesn't like the UV issues with smoothing. but he could be showing
us a smoothed version in the viewport but doesn't intend to smooth a render
time.
On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 11:01 AM, Nic Sievers
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Well a lot of times when I render models I render them smoothed, but overlay
them with the lo res. So he could be doing the same thing.
