Increasing Subpatch Polygons

[Randuin]

how do i increase the polygons created with subpatches? in LW of course ;) here's the picture

http://www.randuin.com/eye0001.jpg

[Chruser]

Select the object in layout and click the item properties (p) button. From there, you can increase the displayed and rendered subpatch levels. I usually lower the displayed subpatches to 2 as my computer is somewhat slow, and boost the rendered ones up to 6 or so for the final render.

Oh yeah, two things about your image. First off, you might want to apply Smoothing to your surface from the surface editor, which sometimes can let you avoid cranking the subpatch levels up so highly. Secondly, avoid triangles in LightWave if you can. Quadratic surfaces tend to work better for the final result, at least if you're using Subpatches (NURBS).

[Randuin]

they are quadratic surfaces =\ i don't know how the render came out like that but ya thnx for the answer

[Acer]

I didnt know anything about editing SubPatch levels, cool... the more the smoother?

[Randuin]

yes :) check the new eye now (same picture) i'm gonna try to get it to be eventually a whole head (wow i'm doing this none tutorial! :D

[Acer]

nice, good luck it loogs good. I am thinking of redoing my Model Head, since I know all the mistakes I did. I am thinking of doing half a face then Mirror Image it, then edit each side to my will. After i posted I seen the new pic, good job.

[Randuin]

try symmetry, if you edit one side the other side change accordingly

[Acer]

so just make sure the center is on the X-Axis? If so that would help so much since I didnt it by Hand(drag tool) to both side makeing sure they were same.

[Randuin]

yes just make sure the center is on the X axis :)

[Acer]

I am going to mess with this for sure.... that would of saved me SOO much time before :P

[Randuin]

ya it's like using symmetry modifier on 3dsmax :) really useful

[Acer]

Where is the option located?

[Randuin]

at the bottom, points, polygons, volumes, symmetry :)

[Acer]

OMG I am bumb lol. Hey are you useing the Red Ball to keep the shape of a eye ball?

[Randuin]

ya so i won't make the eye lid deformed or too big or too small well you get the idea :D

[Acer]

Yeah it is looking nice, without texture it looks like a plastic mask :P

[Randuin]

omg look at the crappy depth of field that came with LW... ugh i need a cool plug in :D

[Acer]

hehe, arent plugins just like scripts? they just do things for ya?

[Randuin]

kinda makes your life easier makes the package use all its powers

[Acer]

Nice, yeah I was wondering who makes them? Just that avg joe that uses that 3D prog?

[Randuin]

i don't know lots of real good programmers code them i suppose

[Acer]

Are there macros for LightWave, or would they be considered Plugins?

[Randuin]

macros? i don't really know =\ plugins are like things coded and easy to use for other ppl... i think=\

[Chruser]

A lot of plugins are macros in various ways, while others really do bring new operation to LW. And no, it takes a bit of scripting skills to get it to work properly. Expressions are another feature which can make animations really cool. You can, for instance, make an expression that changes the color of a ball from red to white as it reaches a certain height on the Y axis. You might ask yourself, how can this be useful?

Well, for instance, assume that you have a ceiling of a room modeled, and you animate a ball that bounces up and down. Each time it collides with the roof (Possibly set by a collision impact in motion designer, OR with an expression that calculates the current Y (height) position of the ball), you can stretch the ball a bit until it goes below a certain Y level again. This way, you won't have to manually stretch the ball each time it hits the roof.

Of course, making an expression like this might sound like a waste of time for just one ball, but what if you had, say, 400 balls bouncing around randomly? Hell, you could even set a collision impact with each other for the fun of it. There you go, a cool animation with little to no keyframes, all with a few expressions!

What other examples can I give you? Well, for instance, assume that you have an airplane that takes off. Once it reaches the speed of 300 km/h, you can set it to start emitting particles for a realistic afterburner effect. Then once the velocity increases beyond, say, 800 km/h, you could simply turn them off and swap to a dim, volumetric light to make the plane look like it really does fly amazingly fast.

[Randuin]

ya or you could just do it manually =\ :D

[Acer]

Yeah, but some people are lazy tho.

[Randuin]

that's why they have plugins :)

[Acer]

Hmm, I think learning how to make plugins will be usefull for me later on.

[Randuin]

well learn C++ first :P and i can tell you that is NOT an overnight thing :D

[Acer]

I know it isnt, and I am trying to learn C++... I just get lost easy. I am going to my local libary and checking out a book for it. I am not getting anywhere teaching myself.

[Randuin]

ya i could never bring myself to learn C++ :D i know some little parts but never enough to get in production

[Acer]

I think Matralord knows some of it, and I know he could master it quick. He just likes VB, I tell him to get into the more powerful languages.

[Randuin]

omfg... vb? is the crappiest thing ever... don't EVER go near it!!!! :D

[Acer]

I am learning it for the concept of programming, most recommended thing to do. Then im off to C++

[Randuin]

nod, i still think for anything it's the concept that's most important (i learned it the hard way, started programming in grade 3) :D

[Acer]

I didnt get into Computers at all till at the end of 9th grade(almost 2 years ago). That is when I messed up my back and couldnt play Football anymore. So I started programming and doing graphics then.

[Randuin]

i c... :D well i started very early... stopped in the middle because i lost computer access for 2 years and now i'm back on track again :D

[Acer]

I wish I had started younger, I am 16 now and I am just starting to learn things.

[Randuin]

heh i'm 14 and in the middle of it all :D i guess, i'm trying to graduate a year earlier so i can convince my mom to get me a whole year off and i'm off to the states and spend a year just going around in 3d schools :)

[Acer]

True, I would take a year off, but I know that would stop me from going back :p. I plan to hit some Programming and 3D schools. I also want to major in Math.

[Randuin]

yes definitely i want to major in graphics and minor in programming, the two are so greatly influencing each other that you can't live with just one :D

[Acer]

I agree, I am more into Programming... but I learn Graphics easier.

[Randuin]

heh ur graphics learning will slow down soon because if you've noticed... chruser is not exactly a guru either :D

[Acer]

Yeah, but he is pretty good. I am going to spend more time into LScript(sc) and Modeling so I can get really good at those.

[Randuin]

LScript is hard... i recommend you get a book :)

[Acer]

I most likely will. I wont even get into that till I learn C++.

[Randuin]

yes you should learn your concepts with C/C++ first

[Acer]

I been reading online tuts, but they Teach the basics(I already know), then they skip to the hard shit and are missing things.

[Randuin]

ya tutorials for programming languages never worked it was all trial & error for me :D

[Acer]

I just cant do trial and error if I dont even know the crazy stuff. Like things you couldnt guess.

[Randuin]

oh i always work with examples

[Acer]

Same here, I am learning how to edit memory values now.

[Randuin]

heh i always did that with games ;) assembly r0x

[Acer]

It isnt easy, I am trying to use pointers :p

[Randuin]

heh well keep trying :) keep us updated on your works

[Acer]

Sure will, my school banned C++ now, since one of the kids made a network virus or something.

[Randuin]

ROFLMAO stupid ppl :) you can't really BAN C++ all they have to do is bring in a disk, say it's for school project and you need to read it from school, put it in, run the executable eject and say i'm done, and walk away and let the virus do its dirty work

[Acer]

well they banned it so people couldnt write a virus in C++ at the school. Ill try to installed C++ on the comp with my teachers disk.