Apply surfaces to Nurbs cage

[Sir_Vulcan]

This lesson shows the basic method to add surfaces to a Nurbs cage.

1. Build your Nurbs cage. In this case I used a "detailed" truck or car, what ever you want to call it. One thing to keep in mind when building the cage is that you need to create 3 or 4 edged closed shapes. It can have more verticies for rounding edges, but must have 3 or 4 corner verticies and 3 or 4 edges. This picture has 3 corner verticies, 6 smoothing verticies, and 2 edges. It is also an open shape.

[Sir_Vulcan]

2. after you get your cage built and shapes defined with 3 or 4 edges its time to add the surfaces. Here I have my car done and ready for surfacing.

[Viresh]

Hey Sir_Vulcan check your PM's

[Sir_Vulcan]

3. click on the Nurbs model, a little window of tools should pop up, if not click on the button that i circled in red. with this window you can do everything with Nurbs. Now click on the button circled in yellow. This is the multi-sided blend surface tool.

[Sir_Vulcan]

This is the tool you use to make the surface. We'll apply the surface to the roof of the car first. Select the first edge, then the second, third, and fourth. (Note: the first edge you select will have two subdivision and the second edge you select will have 3 subdivisions. you can change that in the objects modify window if you want.) Also, you want to select the eages orderly...you dont want to select egde 1, then 3, then 2, and 4. you should ether select them in 1-2-3-4 order or 1-4-3-2 order, go around the shape.

[Sir_Vulcan]

We selected the first 3 edges and you can start to see the surface.

[Sir_Vulcan]

select the 4 edge and you have a surface on the roof. Note: you might have to check the Flip Normals box to see the surface from the correct angle...(out side of the object)

[Sir_Vulcan]

now just continue do those last steps until you have covered your cage. Some shapes with more then 4 edges will have to be split up. Simply add a cv curve or point curve and weld it to the cage where you need to split the shape. The side of my car had alot of edges so I needed to split it up into triangles and squares.

[Sir_Vulcan]

Now you can add the surfaces to them. When your done, adjust the cage to make it look good. Add textures and then submit to a competition. I hope i explained it good enough.

I dont think my car will win any competitions. :(

[Sir_Vulcan]

This is just one way to make surfaces, there are a few others but if you have a cage built this way is the easiest.
Good luck.

[Stryker]

Sir_Vulcan, Thanks a lot for this tutorial, it's very useful stuff!