Wings 3D question

is it just me, or does the ROTATE/FREE command not work as one would expect?

When selected, the object rotates only on the z-axis.

geo.

Hmm, perhaps right click on free command, then right click on a face,edge what have ya, and move the mouse the intended direction....

Good observation. All the time I've been using Wings, I've never touched the rotate/free command. And yes, it does seem to behave differently from other 3d programs I've used.
One thing I observed is that rotate free rotates the object relative to the z axis of your monitor. So you could change the view orientation during rotate/free by click-dragging the middle mouse button and rotate the object any which way you want that way. Why would you want to rotate free, though, is a mystery to me :confused: .

oh... good thought process there GMan...

and yea, the more I think about, like GMan, I don't ever recall having ever used said command either... must learn more about where this would come in handy... even as a alt command to some other method approach... hmmm



GeoBen, when you begin with say a cylinder, it is always a good idea to select the whole object, select rotate>x, and instead of moving the mouse to rotate, hit the tab button, then type in 90 and hit enter... this should correct your objects axis for better object manip...

yes, rotates on the x-axis.

as to why i would want it to, dunno, really... you guys are the experts, I am just learning this stuff.

i started out in DP back in the late 70, several years before I was born, doing technical writing and I discovered then that writing helps to cement notions in my mind, so I still do it. And, since i can find no decent user docs (the wiki is good, but far being complete), I thought i would do it myself as a discussion of 3D modeling in general, so I will get to everything eventually. If anyone would like to see (perhaps critique) what I have written so far, it can be found here.



Thanks, Gidgit,for the suggestion,

geo.

"i started out in DP back in the late 70, several years before I was born,..."

GeoBen, you must teach all of us this particular technique.

I have some specific things I would have like to done before I was born. :D

well, i coulndn't possible have been old enough to be working in '78, so i just assumed.....


geo.

mondo most excellent topic :D

Ok... while it should be understood that box modeling is no easy study to comprehend , never mind to define outright...

First concern is that there are several different types minds, ways people see things... some people can read the technical jargon all day long, and be as happy as a mad scientist, while other can gain similar euphoria generating pictures in mind from pictures of reference... either way, nothing is done lest it is done eh... and familiarity comes from repetition in doing :)

So, in writing the taoism of Box Modeling with Wings3D, no humor intended here, I would suggest that if you look towards a more visual approach, with a much more direct, jump in and model approach, you will do much more to assisting all types of interpretive artist's...

Further, in determining just which tools/commands should/could be invoked, there are other determinations which also come into play...

from shape type of object, to numbers of moves between using another primitive> position and bridge or weld from put on , apposed to say doing an in place extract and extrude for example...

or something as simple as model as much on axis as possible before going crazy on the tweaks off axis...

it goes on and on, and more principles apply, yet the logic remains the same after a while... a style is formed in the process perhaps... the basic tools preferred and methods used are understood and in place... practice put it there...

This last part also suggests that beyond a point, the requirement for further knowledge is perhaps only limited to tech advances which just make sense to adopt within your current methodology and tool set/ pipeline.

Modeling is simply all about Concept, Form, Detail... :) Once you have gained the experience enough to understand basic good mesh principles, the rest is all about style and the amount of detail when where how for reason...

ex. low poly and uv mapping, vs high poly and say shaders for texturing... and or both and more :D

and... the tools to get you there.... back to pipeline for a moment... Wings>ZBrush, or Silo >ZBrush, Wings>mudbox, or C4D>ZBrush>BodyPaint

in other words, there is soon becoming various cut off points whereby the process determines a different set of tools is the best way to go at said point...

So... much to look at when deciding just what to include, and where it really doesn't matter...

So yea, better perhaps to just build a jump right in approach, with some basic information backed up by cool pics, followed by the tuts to build the objects of said cool pictures... the right objects will explore the various tools and methods used to accomplish the results...

Yes, Gidgit, people do learn differently. Some are more visual, some learn stepwise. I tend to go global, I learn best by understanding the ideas first.

Since this is, at this point, more an exercise in learning than of teaching (coming to gain "the experience .. to understand basic good mesh principles", as you so succinctly put it), I take the 'abstracts first' approach.

I expect that I will get to step by step tutorial procedures when I have gotten past this step and begin creating simple models. Then I will detail the steps i take.

Then, NURBS modeling, and so on.

anyway, glad you took the time to take a look and get back to me. I will continue posting updates and you are, again, welcome to comment and critique.

geo.

It's all good, truly... I wish you the best, and thank you for taking the time to invest in such a worthy cause... and look forward to reading further updates :)