3ds Max Tutorial - Modeling a Hexagon Screen
Tags: 3ds Max, Parametric modelingGet the Flash Player to see this player.
Software : 3ds Max
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Description : This 3ds Max video tutorial covers how to model a parametric screen constructed from hexagons. This technique is pretty straight forward. We start with a 6 sided nGon then uses a series of modifiers to create the lattice work. This tutorial does not get into rendering, just how this geometry can be quickly modeled while maintaining parametric relationships for things such as the size or the members, the size of the opening, and level of variation in the pattern.
Creative Commons
DesignReform.net by David Fano is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at designreform.net.
Hello. This is a very nice model. I have made something like this some month before for my student work .
But when i must to do this geometry like a drawing with all its dimensions . It was very hard, because i import this geometry into AutoCad and made all drawings (plans, sections, elevations) by hand.
Can you help me to find a better way to do the organic geometry in 3ds Max and then make Cool parametric drawings ( i mean that if i make changes in mi model, its changes in my drawings)
Thanks .
This is a bit tricky. I have been looking into programs such as Geomagic or some other mesh to NURBS conversion tool for a while now. As long as you have a mesh creating drawings is tough. especially if they are for fabrication. For a diagram i recommend the Illustrate plug-in but for detailed drawings i don’t have a good answer just yet. I’ll get back to you on this soon.
Thanks.
I’ll be wayting for your advice.
If you can , you can wright to my icq or skype.
ICQ - 374091696 or SKYPE (NickName) - ink-85
oh i have one more question. Sorry
I have made some difficult NURBS geometry in Rhino. Then i import this geometry (like ACIS) to mass family in Revit and made walls by face. But when i want to trim this wall the trim doesn’t
work. What i did wrong. And what can you advise.
Please make some tutors in Maya
I hope to soon. As for you other post. i do not use skype or ICQ. sorry….
This is realy cool model. I tried to follow your tutorial but It dosn’t seems to work.
I manage to attach the converted Polyline. I couldn’t seems to weld the vertices to push them out. when I do there is open gaps between the surfaces. I couldn’t figure it out why? Do you have any idea why this is happening.
you need to make such to attach all the polygons. Then weld them. it should work after that.
david very intuitive..
thank you
so is this the method used to make something like this:
http://www.presidentsmedals.com/zoom.aspx?proj_id=1895&year=2006&s=l&image_id=5&Student_id=1895&t=
(the web structure on the LHS)
or would it be more box modelling then mesh smooth…
it seems to be a language adopted by most students/progressive architecture firms.
“it seems to be a language adopted by most students/progressive architecture firms.” In my opinion this Atheistic is result of technique. Which i don’t have a problem with, my problem is that the technique (Subdivision surfaces) is just used at a cursory level. Sub D modeling is really powerful and i think we will see more of it in the future, That being said i don’t particularly care for the hogeneous wrapping.
And to answer the max questions. Yes, although this stuff tends to be done in Maya since the dynamics are a bit better.
Thanks david. It is working know. I tought, may be its some setting in the background. My falt. Thanks
very gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood
Thanks
ok
thanks a lot.
http://www.modeling.blogfa.com
nice tutorial, is it possible to model something like this in rhino?
I could be explicitly modeled but it would take some work. I think a plug in like T-Splines would be good.
help, i cant weld the vertices whats happening
make sure you attached all the faces. They need to be part of the same editable poly.
can this method be applied to a 3d editable polygon like a lofted surface, or can you only use lattice modifier
Great tutorial. Is it possible that you can reproduce this using Rhino and explicit history?It would be great if you could produce a tutorail on this.
I think that would be tricky but I’ll give it a try.
Dave
Really impressive!! You have definately triggered a few questions!
Just a question, lets say instead of the classic mesh smooth we use the NURMS. This obviously gives a different effect. How can you get this kind of filleting and smoothening in Rhino (or even the classic smooth) ?? Is it even possible to fillet all of your model in one go in Rhino without getting wierd flying results?
The final product seems to have a very similar technique to a lot of Zahas new buildings in Dubai, do you reckon she is designing in Rhino and exporting to 3ds?
Would be great to see some more awesome stuff like this (even in Rhino) !!!
Great job!!
Great tutorials - very well done - site is toooo sloooowwwww pages load slow. But great work.
WELDING VERTICES
Hello, sorry to butt in but I noticed a couple of people having a similar problem to one i had whilst trying this tutorial.
Regarding the welding of the vertices, When I was doing this I couldnt seem to get them to weld either (ie when I applied Push modifier then gaps would appear) as ridiculous as this sounds, its because I hadnt selected all the vertices, I had been following the video move for move and couldnt understand why it wasnt working, then I realised in the video David had selected all the vertices using ctrl A(its very quick in the video so i missed it),Id assumed that since I had attached all the polys that it sould work but thats not the case.
So put simply, after you have attached all the polys, SELECT ALL THE VERTICES then weld.
I hope this is a solution for some people, it sounds crazy simple but sometimes it can take a while to find the simplist error in a workflow when following a tutorial!
Sorry guys. I use a lot keyboard short cuts. That sounds like the problem people are having. Yes.. make sue you select ALL vertices and weld them.
Thanks for pointing that out,
D
Kapi: yes. i believe they use Sud D’s or Mesh Smooth in 3ds Max. I think there work flow is more Maya based.
No apology needed David, the tutorial was excellent, really useful and easy to follow, Thanks!
Yes, great tutorial as always. Thanks!
Thanks a lot for sharing this great tutorial. Last semester I spent a lot of time doing a sort of this, my process was very manual.Used Maya, I built one module, duplicated and connectd all of them with union,moved its vertices and then smooth… This tutorial pointed out the very wise modeling technique. I’ve fun, thank you again!
This is awesome stuff. Thanks a ton!!!!!!!!!!
good stuff, Mr. Fano. I find tutorials like this can help people understand the kind of ‘accidental’ parametric interface that max has programmed into it. I had no idea that a lattice like this could be made with so many parameters available for editing in max. The way in which you have to layer your modifiers on top of each other, can be counter intuitive, but I’m beginning to understand how they work with each other. Grasshopper still makes more sense to me, especially with its interface, but this is beginning to open new ways I can approach modeling a task. Thanks!
Very very cool modelling buddy
tutorial editploy
hey.. nice tutorial….thanks for sharing… cheers man..
cooool buddy. tnx
Amazing man really helpfull thanks
Hi,
Very nice tutorial. It’s amazing what skilled people can do in a matter of minutes..
I’m kind of new at max, however, I was wondering if you could help me find the right solution. I modelling the basic of a building, and it’s very curvy/amorf/organic shaped. Some of the window areas are large surfaces continiuing the buildings form. Would it be possible to use one of the sides of this screen and to make it follow the surface of my windows? Do you have tutorials on that specific theme?
Best regards, and thanks in advance -
Esben
fantastic tutorials, and easy to follow,
I have just started using theo true p[ower of max modifiers, how on EARTH do you snap your objects, no matter what snnap settings i pick it snaps to the grid not the Ngon object, and im wonder if thats why my faces are lifting when i do polly-edit / push later on?
wen i edit poly the ngon and push it the whole line comes to the front and the ngon gets detached form the one below.. helppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
This site is really amazing….i have learned alot…..i love this tutorial…thank u guyz…..good job
beace
hey guyz…i just wanna know what software is used to design zaha hadid’s projects (organic architecture)…
is it 3d max??? or rhino?? good luck..and thanx
@IRSSSH - Thanks!!!
@ MYSTERIO - i think they use Maya and Rhino for design then some DP when needed to fabrication. Thanks!
Thanks a lot David I have learned a lot about modifiers
hello mr
please send tutorial 3d max .
tank you
This was an awesome tutorial–I am new at 3dsMax –just a ques…so I already have a mass building form and want to work on a surface/skin for my building like this but without using hexagons but rather i would like to use various shapes and sizes all at once that isn’t any specific shape–so that one piece of the model would have more open surfaces than the other
so i guess my ques is..
my model is all one surface right now –what modifier can i run to create various shapes besides the hexagon? kinda like your tutorial where you would use the topology modeling tools but I want more control on the variations that it creates?
i hope thats clear
how to download the video… pls help……….
Plz help me if you can how to view the object with grid in prespective view port plz help me as soon as possible. ujsmiths@gmail.com, skype = ujsmiths
cant download from here so i want to know why,thanks
Hey Dave,
That was a really informative tutorial. Have you listened to the sound track though. You were quite obviously on cocaine or or the like. The sounds and sniffs and mouth smacking, plus your jumping all around the screen. No offense. I jut hope that you are off the stuff by now. THAT crap will ruin your life, AND your brain. AND you obviously do have ALOT of brains, so I pray you use them. Take care bro.
Thanks for the lesson.
Plz Creat a House Design step by step tutorials
This is My
veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy nice my dear……
很好，我是来自中国武汉的大学生，我的大学专业是环境艺术，我希望结交一些国际友人，向你们学习。
Well, I am from college students in Wuhan, China, my college major is environmental art, I would like to make some international friends, to learn from you
uanyi-name@163.com
Great modeling technique, love it, so straight forward and streamlined. Do you know any site that could reference this same modeling technique extrapolating it to some engineering modeling tools such as Solid works?? That would be nice to know since we have been looking for learning how to make some real products applying this kind of aesthetics.
very gooooood
Amazing tutorial!
very inspiring result. this tutorial show the real power of modeling with Max.
Thanks
Hello David,
wanted to congratulate you on clearly describing techniques which most architects want to see in offices but wihtout learning about how to develop them, leaving the visualisation and modellers as the new designers the level of communication between architect and digital modeller is a joke. To be told to model somehting but to make it look a little funky is a usual request which definately grates on my nerves. Well done, you are great!
dick