Thread: Subdivision
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Old 6th April 2006, 06:43 PM   #14
Willy
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 57
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I don't really have a tutorial except for this.

Make a simple primitive model then choose it as an object
then go to the object menu and choose "Subdivide once".

If you are not seeing something you like then UNDO and adjust
the primitive model and repeat the process until you have a shape
that you want to continue with.

After you've made any changes in the model after subdividing once
then you can subdivide it again and see how it looks at the higher
subdivision level. You keep doing that until you're happy with what's
on your screen.

I admit that I'm ignorant and don't know what the "commit subdivision"
option really does or why it is necessary. I've never used it.

Since sometimes I'm not sure whether I really want to keep something
as a final design I have bunches of .ac files of the same basic design at
different levels of design and subdivision. That way I can go back to one
if what I am working on doesn't work out.

For example, I had about a dozen different versions of this spaceship
model saved but only one version that was primitive with no subdivision at
all and here it is:

http://www.citlink.net/~ckearley/BoP01.ac

Please note that after you subdivide a model there are more polys present
which you can manipulate and fool with in order to tweak the model. But
those changes go away if you decide to UNDO back to a lesser level of subdivision.

Let me know if you need more info.

:EDIT One other thing. After you subdivide this model twice you are probably going to have more than 3000 polys.
That's plenty for most applications. I wouldn't subdivide it again unless there was just no other way. You can set the
crease angle to 180 and smooth the polys and it will look quite good at less than 4000 polys in most cases.

I can't wait for the new version of AC3D to come out so I can learn more about subdivision. I have many questions.
Like how is the best way tohave a lot of polys in the highly detailed areas where they are needed and not in the
rather simple areas where they aren't needed. I hope the new docs give that kind of info.
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