Modeling with Splines

Surface Tools



Surface Tools, a plug-in for 3D Studio Max written by Peter Watje and distributed by Digimation, is used to convert splines to mesh objects. Much faster than Nurbs, Surface Tools is a great tool for Organic Modeling.

Upon install it adds a Surface option to the Modify Panel. However, it is somewhat finicky; you are often left with gaping holes or inverted normals. The secret is to start out by creating a Box (for this face I specified 9 Segments). Then delete all sides but the front panel, so that you have a single grid-like plane. Another plug-in, called MeshToSpline, will convert this mesh grid to a collection of vertical and horizontal splines. Applying the Surface Modifier to these Splines will create a perfect surface. To be assured of good results, use these splines as your starting point.

Surface Tools does not allow you to select and hide individual splines. To get around this, create a 3d plane that bisects your spline cage. You can then move this box around, using it to occlude the splines you are not working on.



I created the splines for the face first. Once I got a mask to surface, I then added splines corresponding to the back of the head. With fewer vertices, the back of the head has far less detail.

The fewer the splines the better - less room for error. Also, I started out using Corner Vertices, then smoothed them out as I went. This head built from splines is output at 680 polygons. The eyes are inset as separate objects. After the splines are surfaced, color is added to the mesh.



Here a hairpiece is modeled separately also using Surface Tools. This head is about 620 polygons, the hair is less than 200. You can specify the poly count of the object by specifying how many vertices are added between each control point. However this is a global parameter applied to the whole object; you cannot specify areas of more or less detail.

Stasia McGehee
November 25th, 1998