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Practicing box modeling in C4D. Not as easy as Wings3D, but it gets easier with practice. I'm stumped on how to make a coiled cord for the phone in C4D. If anyone has any tips on how to do that, please share http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
As always, comments and critisisms are appreciated.
After posting I see several things that need improving http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
Practicing box modeling in C4D. Not as easy as Wings3D, but it gets easier with practice. I'm stumped on how to make a coiled cord for the phone in C4D. If anyone has any tips on how to do that, please share http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
As always, comments and critisisms are appreciated.
After posting I see several things that need improving http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I'm stumped on how to make a coiled cord for the phone in C4D <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hi Bill, nice phone. For the cord sweep a very small circle around a helix spline.
Boy, I'll say a nice phone... way to model Bill http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
I like some of the shapes of that phones body... could you show a wire shot of that without hypernurbs please?
Mike, that looks like a very cool method ... will this method allow for the bending over so as to have the cord with a circle on one end like you often see with a cord? like can you really twist that bend deformer right around some ? Would be way cool....
here's an example of the cord result I am talking about...
Yea it will twist alot. Also You can have multiple deformers but it gets kinda funky and unpredictable. How did you make your cord?
Hey, that's way cool... and yea, I can understand the unpredictable thing... but still, yea man, it coils... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Oh, I cheated as usual... hehe... used a spring primitive in Wings, scale radial along y to gain the slightly flatter round on the cord... then duplicated and bridged until I had a long straight cord... rotated along z so as it was laying down along x ( damn funny how that works http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif )
then I imported as obj file, into Simply 3D, which has an awesome bend tool, like a spline which you just move the points and it follows... and so long as the distance between points stays similar, then the dependability is ok, I mean you can see it all happen in real time so you can fudge with it to get it so...
then I exported the deformed cord as vrml into c4d and then merged in the phone... whole thing took about half an hour.... ikes http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
I tried your method in C4D CE, dialed in the settings as you have em here Mike,and ended up with a sort of hollow sphere with a triangle shaped opening, and another of these spheres inside, and another inside of that one etc... man, don't know what the heck I did wrong.... I will attempt it again...
I really need to study more on how C4D handles things... another good study subject here... Way to go Bill... keep the lessons a coming Mike http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Great cord Mike. Thanks for the instructions. I tried something similar but couldn't get the sweep nurb to bend, it just rotated. Must have had the settings really messed up. It was past my normal bed time http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Hey Gidget, I'll post that wire frame when I get home from work this evening. That Simply 3D technique sounds like a great time saver.
@Soquili - Nice phone! Great idea for a model. The body is great but the handset seems a bit blocky. Can't wait to get into this weeks lesson myself.
@Mike Baily - Thanks for the info on the helix, I was wondering about it myself but had not tried using them until now. I thought it would be easier making a spline then moving some of the points on the other axes to put the spline into 3d space but the helix wouldn't form over it in a sweep nurb, got really messed up results. I popped a circle in there and of course it works just fine (picture attached). Many of the other splines also work beautifully along a sweep nurb spline but the helix does not seem to. If you know how to make this work along a sweep nurb spline that would be awesome but maybe this is a limitation of how the helix works? The bend deformer works weird when you try and use more than one. For my assignment I started making a paperclip but soon found the second bend deformer bending the other end of the paperclip at the same time even though the deformer box was not enclosing it. I finally gave up and figured a simple sweep nurb along a spline and circle would be best for a paperclip. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
@gidgit - Nice cord, man you jumped through a number of programs for that! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
-Tek
Thanks Teknal. Yeah, the handset is really a work in progress, needs a lot of work http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif I think I'll have to start from scratch and make it from more than a simple cube.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> ended up with a sort of hollow sphere with a triangle shaped opening, <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Gidgit, in the objects manager make sure the circle is above the helix and they are on the same plane in the attributes manager.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I tried something similar but couldn't get the sweep nurb to bend, it just rotated. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Bill, pay attention to the orientation, size and placement of the bend deformer. You may have to rotate the deformer to be orientated along the length of the object you want to bend. You also have 3 modes of operation, I am using the limited mode. play with the other 2 to see what happens.
I have attached an image with 2 bend deformers working together on a helix.
Tek, when you do a sweep, you need a profile and a path. the helix is more of a path than it is a profile, if you sweep it along a path its going to be a real funky looking thing-a-ma-jig. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Thanks for the further explanation Mike. I think the orientation may have been my problem. Will try it again when I get home this evening.
aha, thanks for the extra explaination Mike... I will attempt this again and let ya know how things go http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Teknal, Bill, yea, a few different toolsets involved there for sure eh... lol http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
nice spline Tek... now if that could be used with that spiral thingie then yahooo http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Gidget, here's that wireframe. It gets kind of ugly up by the top http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/eek.gif Just remember I'm a beginner http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Hmm, well, I tried out your sugestions Mike re the planes, and you were right on the money http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif So thanks for that http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Now then, it would appear that I am getting a cord with normals facing inside out... hmmm ??
Hey, thanks for that Bill... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif wow, pretty clean looking mesh to me... I mean I would suppose the the front corners of thiis phone body would round out more than the corners at the backside, as there is more geom back there to influence a tighter corner, but other than this influence pondering I have, I think this mesh looks really good and clean, and I like how you recessed/moved in the area along the sides for the phone cradle... very way cool http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
As for the beginner stuff, hey, you are light years beyond me with this fun app known as C4D http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Randy's course is sure covering some terrific ground, and you guys are really doing well, and are showing yourselves as terrific student's... and I am not just saying that to be nice... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Awesome stuff Bill, guys... carry on please http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Thanks Gidget http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Randy's class is covering a lot of information. Randy explains things very well so they are easy to understand, he also put in some excellent examples. The Intro class will be available again, I believe next month. If you are interested. Randy has also mentioned he may be offering a more advanced class later.
Mike, I followed your instructions and got a coiled cord http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Now I just need to play around with it to figure out how I want to put it into the image. Thanks!!!
Way to go Bill http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif One phone cord ready to plug in http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Speaking of Randy's class, we might be interested in getting our youngest son to Take Rany's CE course next time around... He is almost 11 years old, and has taken to 3D like a duck to water... maybe this way he could/would teach his ole dad a trick or two http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Bill, I look forward to seeing the complete model. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Hey cool http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
I have never tried making a phone cord like that before actually,great solution guys..
Cool phone Soquili,if you ever have trouble with your mesh try planning it out in advance sometimes helps.I often use a plane object,make editable,then select the amount of polys I want for the outer size and whack the rest,also dont be shy sometimes to use a symetry object while modelling as you can always freeze it later and create 2 sides once more.I often use sym objects then when I come to a scaling of one type I need to do etc I freeze the symmetry object ,scale all points out and fiwhen finished in that area cut it in half for a sym object again.
Good thread on making a phone cord. There is also a plug in called Helix, that will let you draw a spline in the shape you want your phone cord and it will wrap a helix around it.
Pretty cool but it is not free. I think about 40 -50 dollars.
That would no doubt be the better solution for these types of objects Randy...
with splines you can position them close together, and/or further apart depending, to gain the effect that the cord is bunched up at certain points, as well stretched out a certain points, like a real world cord often is, and moving around points on a spline for the deform, is a much more intuitive method to achieve most any shape...
However, you are right in that this is a fairly expensive plugin for this type of object... ikes..
note... Webtricity 2 contains Simply 3D, Picture Publisher 8, some pretty decent textures etc... all for 10 bucks on ebay just a thought http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Lookin' good, Soquili! Great info on making this type of a cord too! Will be looking forward to seeing your model progress. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
---Maya
Thanks Maya. I'm still playing around with the cord and the bend deformer, trying to find something I like. I'm also playing around with Stu's suggestion, using a plane. So many ways to make something, and so little time to play with them all http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Thanks Stu, great tip. Gives me more things to enjoy playing with. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
No problem http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
The only problem you somtimes have with planes is when you extrude you have no bottom,so thats where I use a plugin called Make Thicker,or you can bridge the edges back together again.
Thanks Stu, help like this is one of the joys here at Talkgraphics.
Here's an update on the phone. It's got flaws http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif but thought I'd show the direction I'm going with it right now. Changed the handset and working on getting the cord to looks somewhat believable. Had to scale a part of the cord to make it fit, so I'll have to make some changes to have it fit in better.
I have a couple of other versions in the works using other methods. Nothing good enough to post right now http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif
Looking good Bill. Are you going to work on the buttons some more. I think they could use some rounding on the corners.
Great job on the phone cord!
http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif It's really improving nicely, Soquili. That cord looks tricky. Should the cord coming from the handset be slightly unwound rather than coiled tightly right up to the end? The last corded phone I had went through a bit of daily abuse I'm afraid, and the cord got stretched and twisted that way. It's looking good! I think Randy has a good idea on the phone buttons being just subtly rounded off.
Nice work! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
---Maya
Looking really good Bill... very nice cord http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
I agree regarding the buttons, perhaps a slight bevel around the top edge would do nicely http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Keep up the good work ethic Bill, your doing great http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Thanks Mike, Randy, Maya, and Gidget. The cord is actually four sweep nurbs and is very tricky to position. I get cross eyed trying to see all the lines and move them into place http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif The part from the handset was the one I had to scale down at the last minute so it looks more tightly coiled than the other parts. Will have to adjust the settings to have the same rotation as the others. I also want to have a straight or loosely coiled section close to the handset itself. The buttons do need a lot of work. Basically just place holders at this stage. I want to add the numbers and letters as they appear on a real phone by the time I have this one completed.
Thanks for all the helpful input http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Looking good Bill!! The only thing that I see that bothers me is that the cord coming from the phone is a bit too straight looking while the rest of the cord is more fluid and natural in it's movement, even has those funky kinks in it that cords get after getting stretched and turned allot. Nice touch of realism there!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Thanks Richard. That part bothers me too. I'll have to drop a bend deformer in and tweak it a bit http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
I agree with what others said. Doesn't look quite right yet. And I think it should also be scaled up a bit. It looks tiny compared to the phone. And you'd also need holes and those rubber protectors that fit in them for the phone and cord. It's those tiny details that makes things realistic.
Thanks Grafixman. I'm thinking about making modular plugs for the cord. That is if it doesn't make me any more crazy than I already am http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif (said to the words of a Waylon Jennings song "I've always been crazy, but it keeps me from going insane") I've been battling two bend deformers on one sweep nurb all evening. Think I've finally got a compromise, not a victory http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif Still have some more tweaking before the update will be ready to post.
Thats coming along great Bill http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Yep the joys of splines and 3D sometimes eh....its always something that does your head in no matter how much you learn http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
A tip - The texture on the table is set on spherical so you have the center point and all radiates out.Spherical is best for human heads and ball shapes etc.For the table try UVW mapping Bill,or use flat,turn off tiling,go to the texture axis tool,select the rotation tool and roate the axis down so that the evelope you see sits flat upon the table.Now select scale and scale the texture out and over the table top.This is one of the best ways to apply textures.If you have say a wall use 90 degrees so once again the envelope is flat,but you must have the texture axis tool active to be able to do so,or your wall will rotate http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
Its Looking good http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Stu.
Thanks Stu. I'm taking tonight off from working on the phone http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif The eyes and head need it.
Greatly appreciate the tip. I haven't even looked at the texture axis tools yet. I have to confess that I purposely used the spherical for the table, just to see the weird effect. I'm back to being normal (for me anyway) and will make it normal too http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif I'm thinking of going for a mahogany.