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November MMC Challenge - Power Supply
About Truespace Archives
These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.
They are retained here for archive purposes only.
November MMC Challenge - Power Supply // Monthly Modeling Contest
Post by jamesmc // Oct 30, 2007, 4:13am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Call me utilitarian, I like them - it makes your 'puter go hummmmm. :)
Green, easy on my eyes - texturing and shaders come later. Some minor boolean work - that's it. :D
The exterior box - working my way in... |
Post by rjeff // Oct 30, 2007, 4:17am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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cool man..glad to see you join the fun! |
Post by opiejuan // Oct 30, 2007, 7:16am
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opiejuan
Total Posts: 120
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'puters going hummmmm is A Good thing (tm)
Think you can make me one that puts out like 800 watts but only draws about 10 watts? My light bill could use the help :) |
Post by jamesmc // Oct 30, 2007, 7:42am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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'puters going hummmmm is A Good thing (tm)
Think you can make me one that puts out like 800 watts but only draws about 10 watts? My light bill could use the help :)
Sure thing, I'll be adding a "flux capacitor" :D
Progressing to the next step on the box - added a texture template to the end piece.
Looks like I have my work "cut out" for me. (lol - boolean - cut out)
Sorry, a geek joke. :) |
Post by rjeff // Oct 30, 2007, 8:17am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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james you are a man after my own heart. thoes are my kinda jokes |
Post by opiejuan // Oct 30, 2007, 8:54am
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opiejuan
Total Posts: 120
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Yikes! Are you gonna poke THAT many holes in that poor poly? Yer a brave one, you are. I better go get me some ear plugs....just in case you explode hehe |
Post by rjeff // Oct 30, 2007, 9:08am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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James why not use a transparency map on the holes. You would need to model the plug, but the holes you can do that on. Would save some time and alot of work. Since thoes back plates are not thick it would look good. |
Post by jamesmc // Oct 30, 2007, 10:05am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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James why not use a transparency map on the holes. You would need to model the plug, but the holes you can do that on. Would save some time and alot of work. Since thoes back plates are not thick it would look good.
You've read my mind. :)
Yeah, I don't think I'd want to attempt to boolean out 100 plus holes on any surface. :)
If I was going to do something like that, I would use one of my NURBS based 3D software and using multiple trimming curves. Even with that, it would be extremely difficult in doing that. 3D CAD has a "bore" hole method, but I don't have 3D CAD software. Well, I do but it's not very sophisticated.
Since I'm using trueSpace only, I'm going to do it what works for me. :) |
Post by jamesmc // Oct 31, 2007, 4:22am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Decided to go with six-sided cylinders in a grid array so I could keep the 3D look of the power supply going. Also, added the beginnings of an plug outlet. |
Post by rjeff // Oct 31, 2007, 4:37am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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did you get the holes poked out of the vent cover? It lookes like you have a bunch of cylinders ready to be cut out. |
Post by jamesmc // Oct 31, 2007, 4:45am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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did you get the holes poked out of the vent cover? It lookes like you have a bunch of cylinders ready to be cut out.
Not going to cut anything. What I did is used six-sided cylinders with the faces on each end removed, then I put them in a grid array. That makes them see through.
Then, I will use a glass shader with a layered textured and paint that portion of the back plate so the light can pass through the cylinders. I kind of like the grid array idea as it gives the item more depth and more stuff for light to bounce from.
I might if that doesn't work out cut out a stylized cut from the backplate in one chunk and then make the grid array fill up the space with maybe some template around the edge. All the while preserving the actual 3D-ness of the product, which is my goal, rather than doing a lot of texturing. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 1, 2007, 7:30pm
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Some additions to the power supply. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 2, 2007, 3:02am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Top Lid assembly with machine screws added.
Have to make the support wires for the circular wire pattern in an "X" pattern, then use a type of bolt to screw the hook shapes down to the top lid assembly.
I must say, using the model room with the bridge active makes modeling much, much easier. Add loops, create loops, etc. sure is handy. :) |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 2, 2007, 3:55am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Thought I would add how I made the screws. This is by far the easiest method for make a screw that I've found. Works for me anyway! ;)
Found a profile for a machine screw online and then used my vector program to trace the outline.
Exported as AI format and imported into trueSpace.
Right clicked and lathed 360 degrees. Instant screw threads. |
Post by 3dfrog // Nov 2, 2007, 5:13am
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3dfrog
Total Posts: 1225
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looking good james. Thanks for the tip on the screws, it looks really good. |
Post by rjeff // Nov 2, 2007, 5:29am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Hey James, give us a close up render of the finished screw. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 2, 2007, 5:42am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Hey James, give us a close up render of the finished screw.
Sure, no problem...
metal screw with head off so you can see the whole thing.
I have the image capture in the top plate assembly scene, so you can see the screws in their natural state - heads are slightly off - needs adjusting. |
Post by rjeff // Nov 2, 2007, 5:44am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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cool..thanks..you should load that in to the free objects thread. |
Post by 3dfrog // Nov 2, 2007, 5:46am
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3dfrog
Total Posts: 1225
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Yeah, that would be great. I'd love to have a closer look at this screw too. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 2, 2007, 5:55am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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cool..thanks..you should load that in to the free objects thread.
Free objects thread?
Is there one? I can upload the objects here - have it broken down into head and screw body. Just have to use top/left/right view to line them up and glue as siblings.
I'll also the ai file if the forum will let me, not sure if it is one of the files allowed
nope - just added a png file which can be converted, grouped and saved out as a AI file in the program of your choice. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 3, 2007, 8:51pm
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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More work on the top lid assembly - logo added - support loop wires added - bolts & nuts added for the four corners. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 4, 2007, 5:39am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Added rocker switch, hex bolts and light panel for temperature control. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 5, 2007, 10:56pm
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Practicing with shaders and lighting - needed a break from modeling :| |
Post by opiejuan // Nov 6, 2007, 4:04am
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opiejuan
Total Posts: 120
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Looking good
I do have a couple of questions for you though.
Aren't the metal screws supposed to have a built in flange/washer under the head?
And could you please give a little more detail on how you did all the holes without booleans? I'm trying to wrap my head around it and it hurts! hahaha
Thanks and Keep on Keeping On ! |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 6, 2007, 6:30am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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The example I have for the power supply is rather small, but I didn't see any washers on the outside.
The plate shown is just from the image template I used painted on a mirror layer in tS.
I have a transparent image ready for the that plate, but not really happy with it yet. Also, I have to make both sides of the plate transparent with glass shader for the transparent image (the holes) to show through. That will come later. |
Post by opiejuan // Nov 6, 2007, 7:26am
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opiejuan
Total Posts: 120
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ahhhh! I think I get it now. The cylinders with the ends either removed or made transparent will then create the 'walls' of the hole and connect the opposite faces of the cube. Then the alpha map on the end plate will be so that it will be transparent where the cylinders are.
Whew! I wonder how many brain cells were sacrificed in that creative moment? :)
Thanks for making me think and for rocking me out of my 'How in the world is THAT gonna work?' mentality.
Rock on! |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 6, 2007, 11:36am
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Yeah sort of, it's not that hard actually. White is transparent in the alpha channel. So what one does is make what they wish transparent, white, in their 2D paint program and save it as a 32 bit file (tga or png.)
image 1 is the test render of the file on a cube
image 2 is the transparent png map used.
The secret here is to make the cube transparent with a glass shader first, then apply the transparent map (just drag it right over the top of the glass shader, no need to add another level.
That way, only the white hex shapes show through, while the remainder of the map shows up black.
Oh and subdivide the faces of the plane facing the camera so you can leave a border if you wish. Then use the paint faces tool in the material editor to apply to the faces where you want. I only added extra faces here when I made the cube, no subdivision, so the image runs border to border. |
Post by rjeff // Nov 6, 2007, 11:57am
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rjeff
Total Posts: 1260
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Or James you could also just use a black and white .png and load it into the transparencey map option. Then you would not have the glare on it. |
Post by jamesmc // Nov 6, 2007, 12:43pm
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jamesmc
Total Posts: 2566
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Actually, the glare is intentional. I can turn down the settings so there is no glare at all on the cube. Just change the fall off setting using a squared falloff setting.
The technique I used with the glass shader for the whole cube and the alpha map, allows one to see through the cube from the front or from the inside of power supply. :)
Outside view first
Then, the view from the inside.
That's the reason I have a glass cube painted on, to be able to see from both sides - that I'm too lazy to make a reverse map for the inside of the cube. :) |
Post by frootee // Nov 6, 2007, 12:47pm
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frootee
Total Posts: 2667
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I like your approach to making the threads there james. Nice!
Froo |
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