Gear from scratch

[Serling]

Hi guys...

Not able to do as much 3D work as I'd like given my full-time job in TV (editing), but when I am able to play for awhile, I always discover something new.

Here's a large gear I made from scratch using the disc tool with 256 sides. Started it out flat, then selected 4 of every 8 points. Using Shift-H, I pulled the selected points in and extruded the result. The hole was cut out by creating the same disc using the numeric tool, then resizing it using the Shift-H command and extruding it thicker than the gear. Centering both, I used the Boolean Subtract command to cut a nice hole out of the middle.

I'm going to use it as a design element in a motion background I'm trying to create in Combustion.

Not as nice as most of the work I see here, but still learning. :thumbsup:

[zapper1998]

Need to bevel the edges, and put some nice shiny machine finish on it.

Looks good for a gear... whats it to a clock.. ??

Michael

[iconoclasty]

No, make it rusty and industrial.

[meshpig]

Um, why not use the gear primitive?


61906


- Unify the selected tris of the inner circumference then select all 3 sided, unify them and you are there in 4 seconds.

-Then you can make it into a more sophisticated gear??

Hope that helps, though doing it by "hand" is always a good way to look at it.

m

[Nangleator]

We work so hard trying to create masterpieces, it's easy to forget how useful LW is at creating simple graphical or video elements to dress up other pieces.

Scan some stock animation sites to see the kinds of things other people are doing. I often consider spending my spare time cranking out cool video clips and selling them on those sites. Probably get an annual check for $1.95 for an average clip, but after you create a bunch of them I imagine the money can start flowing in.

[Serling]

Thanks for the replies, guys. One of the things I do when trying to learn all this stuff is when I get a look for something I really like (usually by stumbling across it), I delete it and start from scratch to try and recreate that same look. If I stumble across something, I want to be able to understand why I got the result I did and trying to recreate it intentionally forces me to slow down and think through the process. I don't learn very quickly this way, but I tend to retain what I do learn very well and build upon it.

With that in mind, I was always frustrated by the fact I was starting to grasp the basics of modeling, but couldn't get the surfaces to look the way I wanted them to when I tried. So I pulled out one of William Vaughn's excellent "tuts" on surfacing and have been hitting the node editor pretty hard.

So here are a couple of attempts at surfacing using procedurals in the node editor. Once I get a better grasp of how to do this, I'll be able to surface my gear (above) any way I'd like. :)

P.S. The Nodes.zip file I sent up has the nodes I used for the marble look and all the settings in them. As always, any input appreciated.

P.P.S Column not great, but was made quickly just to get to the surfacing. :)

[Serling]

One more sample of an early node surfacing attempt. Digging the node editor, BTW.

[Serling]

Just finished surfacing a flat plane as a brick wall! Dude...don't think I could've pulled this look off in Photoshop without a lot of work. The Node Editor in Lightwave rocks! Forgive my enthusiasm, but this is just way cool!

I couldn't get the wall to look quite right, then I changed the bump amp on crumple to a negative value, and now it looks just the way I've seen weathered and scarred external brick walls. Will definitely have to find a use for this one. :)

P.S. If you're wondering why I keep posting different samples in the WIP thread, it's only because I'm the WIP. :)

[othornton]

Congrats on breaking the node barrier! I think learning new functions in LW can be fun, but none is as directly rewarding as the node system. Make sure you download Pom and DP's extra node kits, they have some great tools as well. IFW also makes a great set of nodes (www.shaders.org) but they are commercial.

When you've gotten the hang of the nodes you may want to try using a weight map or two on the object itself. These weight maps can be plugged into any node, like scale for example, or just used to mask or mix existing nodes. Very handy.

[Serling]

Downloaded the DP kit but can't find Pom's kit. Got a link?

Also checked out IFW's stuff. Awesome, and they only wanted $85 USD for it. Will have to get that next payday. :)

[Serling]

BTW, anyone know which plug-in folder DP's node kit should go or should I make a new one for it?