Working with metaballs

[Littleghost]

After getting a decent grip on basics and subpatch, I'd decided to move on to other stuff like metaballs. But after fooling around with them a bit and looking over the forum, they don't seem to be very popular or useful.

For one thing, I've found that it seems like after creating a cluster of them, I can't duplicate them and arrange them. I just get their points pasted; and they won't select as polygons. Should I not really even bother trying to learn about them?

[jameswillmott]

Metaballs don't behave correctly, the more you add the weaker each of them becomes. I wouldn't bother using them except to rough out shapes, but even them they are a pain.

[UnCommonGrafx]

Worthless in their present state. HVs would be the closest tool for replicating their behavior and abilities. Study HVs and become a god. :)

[IMI]

I haven't ever found a use for them. You can make some blobby thing and then freeze it into a mesh of some sort, but it's nothing that can't be done easier and better with other Modeler tools.
Hypervoxels can do the metaball thing alot better, and quicker.

[zapper1998]

I have never found a use for them, either, I think I messed around with them once.

never sense....

[WilliamVaughan]

They had there place at one point but they create the worst mesh I have ever seen...I'd stay clear of them IMHO

[GuZZLo]

Interesting... I was about to create the frosting on a gingerbread house and turned to metaballs. But I found it extremely hard to make something decent with them. The same with metaedges.

So I will try this with HVs instead..! :)

[kopperdrake]

Sorry to ressurect this old thread, but I'm trying to create a lumpy look that is physical (Santa's fluffy hat etc), and assume HVs need to be applied on a per object basis? As my entire character needs to be in one layer that's not an option, so would metaballs be a way to go to get the lumpy bumpy shape I'm after, in Modeler?

[prometheus]

Sorry to ressurect this old thread, but I'm trying to create a lumpy look that is physical (Santa's fluffy hat etc), and assume HVs need to be applied on a per object basis? As my entire character needs to be in one layer that's not an option, so would metaballs be a way to go to get the lumpy bumpy shape I'm after, in Modeler?

How does a lumpy fluffy santa hat look like?
and why would you turn to hv or metaballs for that, wouldn´t it work
with normal displacement and some good procedural textures to displace it?

Michael

[kopperdrake]

Yep - that's where I went in the end :) I really should have followed up the post :/