xsi question

[crackhead]

i am do not know very much about xsi but have used lightwave 7 and basicly i have auto generated a man from the menu and he is naked an i want to know how to build clothes over him

 

[crackhead]

if i create a cube how do i move and rotate it cuz i cannot figure it out

 

[swiss_cheese9797]

read the modeling tutorials posts at the top of the forum menu, I'ts probably what they are there for. I'd also suggest using a different modeling program. I use 3dsmax because it lends itself very well to gaming.

 

[Some0ne]

if you would rather model in lightwave but are only not doing so because of exporting, then dont worry because thats not a problem.

all you have to do is get milkshape 3d, and from there you can import lightwave model files.

 

[Cunbelin]

C is used to rotate objects, depending upon your settings you either need to grab handles to rotate or us the designated mouse button. To add clothes to a human form depends on how you want to make the clothes, you could do it polygon by polygon, or you might want to create them using NURBS the choice is really dependent upon your modeling style.

Just to counter balance swiss, I'd recommend you stay with XSI and learn it's hotkeys, remember generally when working with XSI you want to have your right hand on the mouse and the left in home position for the keyboard
T-point selection
Y-box polygon selection
U-raycast polygon
I-line selection
If you turn off extended component selection (my personal setting) holding down shift will add a component, holding down control will toggle components.

S-superman mode or navigation mode
X-scale transform
C-rotation transform
V-translation transform

I like having my settings view based because I can more easily align points by holding down control and limiting the axis of transform based upon the viewport I use, but you may find using 3D manipulators is better for you(File>preferences Tools>Transform to change 3D manipulators) Shift and Control both will change the way a transform tool works control will generally activate the snap options, I like mine set to point and grid but you can set them however you want.

Sorry didn't mean to talk too much there, but if you have any tools you can't find in XSI, or if there is something you want to be able to do feel free to ask.

 

[crackhead]

cheers guys. yeh i dont have lightwave anymore and would rather learn xsi than try and get it back. cunbelin i hear using nurbs to create models is easy but all i get is a 2d shape how do i create it into a mesh?

 

[Cunbelin]

NURBS is kind of a generic term, what you have as 2D I'm assuming is a NURBS curve, what you want is a NURBS surface, how you build a NURBS surface is up to you, but generally I find the best technique is to draw contours of the cloths and then create patches from those contours. I'm not at my PC right now so I can't check the exact commands, but I believe after you create the curves you would use something under the create>surface menu, when creating something between two curves it's generally called a loft. Generally I don't like working too much in NURBS though they can be nice for creating certain shapes, so after I create a surface I'll often convert it into a polygon mesh, depending upon what I'm modeling I'll decide how detailed I want it, but generally I like very low res and then let sub-D surfaces round out curves rather than having extra polygons.

 

[crackhead]

ok yeh i can do it now but i still cant create the clothes around my character. am i taking the right aproach to createing a character?

 

[Cunbelin]

The right approach is the one that gets results you're happy with. When I have issues modeling something using polygons for whatever reason I will sometime switch to NURBS and use them to create polygons. As far as clothing a character, I'd probably just design the mesh with the top layer of clothing to start and not bother making the clothing separate. You aren't going to be animating the clothing more than likely so there's no reason to bother with it.

 

[ChrisArt]

you should buy a XSI animation and modeling book or try to find a clothing tutorial online. What your asking for is pages of information.

 

[crackhead]

ok well ive learned alot about xsi but i cant figure out how to zoom in if i hold s or x and right click it zooms out.

 

[thereisaspoon]

if ur modeling for games, only use polygons. to dolly, use s and mouse button 3(middle mouse button, press the wheel if u got a wheel mouse). dont use the zoom tool in 3d since that changes perspective.

 

[crackhead]

that would just be stupid to not use zoom tool in 3d i need to get up close. anyway ive been having no problems modeling untill oneday my computer froze while xsi was running and when i rebooted and loaded xsi up it shows a message saying sumit about not saving before system failure then the program stops responding an i click end now and it closes and this happens each time i run it and ive uninstalled and reinstalled and it still does it. does anyone know what to do ill contact custimor suport or wateva i supose

 

[thereisaspoon]

use the navigation tool in 3d, its shortcut is s, and middlemouse to move in and out, it physical moves the camera closer. zoom changes perspective, and since there isnt a limit, it can make the camera **** up, and i doubt u know how to fix it.
and for the other thing, u delete ur user config files.

 

[crackhead]

well i can use z or s to zoom in in 3d without it changing the perspective thanks i got xsi working again