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Old 11th June 2008, 12:04 PM   #1
headerko
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Lightbulb Getting started - suggestions

Hello every1.
First of all i have to say many of your models are astonishing, when i see them it makes me sad i donno how to make one as well :( I would really like to learn to work with some 3D modeling program and AC3D looks great, and it's also 'affordable'. excuse my sucky english please ^^
To be honest i have never worked with such program, so i'd say i am a total beginner, maybe not even a beginner.

So I would like to ask you for directions where to start. Is there any complex literature, guides, that take beginners step by step through the program ? I have seen lot of tuorials and guides but they are mostly scattered and are very short. Or what's the best way to learn?

All suggestions and replies will be very much welcomed :)
Thank you,

headerko
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Old 11th June 2008, 03:37 PM   #2
lisa
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Hi headerko!

The manual and the guides on this site are a good place to start. A lot of the tutorials for other programs also work for AC3D as the concepts are pretty similar; if you search the forums, many people have recommended good ones.

The best way to learn is by doing. Start with something *simple* and try building it. The biggest mistake people make is that they start with something very complex, like a character, and then they get frustrated. Start with something easy: a skyscraper, a coffee mug, a wine glass. Once you begin to understand the basics, work up to more and more complex things. You'll progress much faster that way.

Asking questions is always welcome too! There are many nice people here on the forums.
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Old 11th June 2008, 07:40 PM   #3
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Quote:
Originally Posted by lisa View Post

Asking questions is always welcome too! There are many nice people here on the forums.
Jupp, and Lisa is one of the nice people
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Old 19th June 2008, 04:17 PM   #4
headerko
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

well hello again, thx for the reply lisa.
well today i found some time to play a bit with ac3d. i read a few tutorials here and there, and then i started with some simple stuff, slowly i am exploring new and new functions and possibilities, but still i am a noob :D this is what i have managed to do so far

there are a few things i dont understand, for example, what are all those pink lines in 3d mode (can i turn them off, or are they of some use)? then, when using ctrl+t (stiching) 2 tubes together for example, do i have to go by each 2 vertexes or is there a way how to select all at ones and snap them to each other? and last thing, can u tell me where i can learn how to apply textures to give it some nice look ? any simple tutorial will do :)
thx in advance :)
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Old 20th June 2008, 05:06 PM   #5
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Looks like you're getting the hang of it pretty quickly to me! Nice job.

Those pink lines in the 3D view are the surface normals; they show which direction the surface points so you can tell if something is inside-out. You can toggle them on and off by clicking 3D > Normals or by pressing the 'n' key on the keyboard.

For snapping multiple vertices, a good way to do is to use Snap Together by Distance. Move the two tube ends reasonably close together, then highlight the vertices on both sides and click Vertex > Snap Together by Distance. Enter a distance that's greater than the distance between the vertices, but not so large that it will snap all of them together. This will join the two parts without having to click each vertex.

Here's a basic texture tutorial:
http://www.inivis.com/ac3d/tutorials/carbody/index.html

This thread might come in handy too:
http://www.inivis.com/forum/showpost...2&postcount=10
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Old 1st July 2008, 12:56 PM   #6
headerko
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Began to work on a sword or an axe, not sure yet. Just working on the handle atm. Trying to work "clean" but still i mess up a lot of things But i definitely like ac3d. I still didnt figure out skinning, but honestly i havent tried hard yet, am gonna try it when i finish with this weapon.
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Old 1st July 2008, 05:10 PM   #7
headerko
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Ok so, this is what progress i made in a few hours...


Thou i have a few questions. The chain for example. Is there som kind of function in ac3d, that when turned on i would be simply be restricted in moving object by other objects ? in other word, the chain rings would stick together and i could simply arrange them without worring about every each od them being misaligned. Or how else can i shape the chain?

Second, the spiked sphere on the chain. I made it simply by drawing a 6 segment sphere, using spike function on it, then creating another sphere and just centering them together. Thou i am sure its not how its supposed to be done, cause i have part of an object inside that round sphere, how do i get rid of it ?

well, i am looking forward to your advice, and please excuse my not so good english, ( got no1 to practice with ... )
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Old 2nd July 2008, 08:49 AM   #8
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Some more progress.
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Old 2nd July 2008, 11:06 AM   #9
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Final touch. Just to get an idea of how it could look, the "head" of the axe is very bad
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Old 2nd July 2008, 03:38 PM   #10
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Default Re: Getting started - suggestions

Good job! You should post your pics in the "AC3D Work In Progress / Showcase" thread so people know they're here.

For shaping the chain, what you really want to do is start with a polyline in the shape of the curve you want to follow. There are lots of tools in AC3D that allow you to form or manipulate objects along a polyline.

Here's a thread on making a curved chain using a polyline and the greeble tool you might find helpful: http://www.inivis.com/forum/showthre...ighlight=chain

For the spiked sphere, the way you describe making it is a fine way to do it. The alternative would be to create a single ball, switch to surface mode and highlight just those surfaces you wanted spikes on. The spike tool works on a per-surface level, so you can pick and choose some surfaces and omit others. This will leave you with one object that's cleanly merged, although for something like this having the spikes penetrate the ball doesn't hurt anything.

To delete the extra faces, hide the outer ball with the hide button. Then switch to surface mode, highlight the surfaces you don't want from the spike ball, and press the delete key. When you're done, click Hide > None to display everything. Optionally, when you are done you can merge the two objects together with Object > Merge to link them permanently or group them with the Group button to link them temporarily.

For the ax head, the basic shape is not bad, it just seems a little thin. Try extruding it to give it some thickness along the blade, then snap the vertices along the edge to keep the edge sharp. You can also use Surface > Spline to smooth it out. The spline tool is a good way to make complex curves, too.
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