filleting with assembly

[gibs]

hi,

How do I fillet edges with an object that has a Pwr_Assembly modifier on them ?

Here's my problem : I've build a bezier network and then build all the faces around. looks great. But then, when I'd like to fillet edges between them, I just can't apply any "Pwr_fillet NURBS brep filleting object".

any work around ?


ps: I've made an assembly because all the faces I've build using different technics like "rail sweep object", "blend object" and "corner blend object", and all thoses faces seemed not to be connected with each other, like if the edges where not sewn together.

using 3dsmax 2010 on vista sp2 and Power Nurbs 6

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

I don't think you can. Pwr_Assembly is a group like object, it doesn't do any sewing or joining of the objects. The objects inside a group or assembly are still independent objects. To Sew the surfaces together and create a single object you would need to use the Pwr_Join command. After that you should be able to fillet the edges.

-Eric

[gibs]

it worked, thanks a lot ! I can now fillet my surfaces after having joined them together ! However, I still do have a problem with something else now :) I'd like to use the detailer tool to "dig" a text shape into the surface I just filleted. The error message tells me :

"Detailer failing - reverting"

I'm joining a the 3dsmax file so someone could look at it. Hope there is a solution.


EDIT:
well, apparently I can't attach my *.max file nor the compressed version of it ?

EDIT no2:
I've uploaded a third picture to show you what I'd like to get as a result. The cylinder is just a simple circle sketch shape extruded, which works really good when using the detailer tool.

[gibs]

here you can check my file:;)

http://rapidshare.com/files/305997395/omgfinal.max.html

[PiXeL_MoNKeY]

1) Why is your display backwards in 2 of the pictures?
2) Have you tried converting the Text using Pwr_CmpSkt to make the text a Sketch instead of a spline object?
3) What if you detail the object before you do any filleting?

I will try and look at the file if I can find some free time.

-Eric

[gibs]

sorry for the two mirrored pictures, my printscreen function just went crazy apparently... anyway :)

the problem is, I think, that all the surfaces are not corectly joined together. I've selected all the surfaces and joined the checked box checked in boolean mode so i can have a single volume object, ready to get detailed and filleted.

but that technic doesn't seem to be the right one apparently. How would you do ?

Ho yeah, by the way I can NOT change the orientation of certain inverted surfaces due to that devil 2sided thing. How do we do to correct inverted faces ? I've unchecked 2sided and I've got a big black face in the viewport.

[nPower_Michael]

EDIT: The following assumes you are using Pwr_Join to combine the surfaces into a solid before you try using the detailer.

One thing to try to narrow down the problem would be to look at the topology counts in the NURBS Query rollout of the solid object; the numbers of volumes and open edges are quite useful. If the object is indeed a solid, there should be no open edges and a non-zero number of volumes. If you get any open edges, the Join object is not a proper solid and won't work well with solids-based tools.

That being said, I suspect in this case the solid is not the problem. Like PixelMonkey said, you may need to tweak the Text object. Unfortunately Max Text tends to cause issues with our tools because it isn't as.. uh.. water-tight a curve as it should be. I would try the sketch conversion as he suggested. If that still doesn't work, sometimes its possible to manually edit the sketch and clean up the issues (look for problem areas like vertices that look like a single corner vertex, but when you zoom in are two disjoint vertices, etc.)

[nPower_Michael]

Flipping Surface Orientation Example:

1) Create a simple blend between two planar sketches.
2) Modify->Operator Parameters->2-Sided Mesh off.
3) Rotate camera to view the back face (is either black or transp.)
4) In Modify, expand the Pwr_Blend object and activate the Face sub-object.
5) Select the Face.
6) Modify->Power Surface Parameters->Flip Surface Orientation

[Should see the back face become the main face when this check box is toggled]

This procedure should work on most nPower objects.

[gibs]

all right, thanks a lot for your answers, I can now turn to the right side those inverted faces. That's now okey.

I did what you've said about getting a good solid geometry with no open edges and 1 volume. looks good though, I've also checked the spline curve of the text I've imported from illustrator cs4 (as an *.ai file) and there is no open edges, nor not weld vertex, everythings looks okey. I then convert this spline into an editable sketch object. I can now detail correctly. However, I can't really use the fillet option in the fillet and offset rollout of the detailer modifier but that's still a minor problem.

I'd like to come back to my first filleting problem. I've joined a picture and I'd like you guys to tell me if it's only possible to fillet along the edges I draw in red along the geometry. All the faces are joined together. Maybe the curves are to complex ?

what do you think ?

[gibs]

okey there is some improvment :

I succeded in doing one filleting with a part of the edges, but some seems to have more problem and tell me that some vertex are in cause...

I've joined few screen shoot for you to look at and my 3dsmax file :

http://rapidshare.com/files/306976179/filetolookat.max.html

and here is a screen shoot of what I'm working on... :D
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4990/swatchy.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/swatchy.jpg/)

[gibs]

No idea where the problem could come from ? :(

Here's a first render entirely done in Mental Ray using Npower NURBS geometry.

http://img21.imageshack.us/i/10b.tif/http://img130.imageshack.us/i/tempjw.jpg/

[nPower_Michael]

That fillet is a fairly difficult one. I haven't had a chance to play around with the file, but my guess is that the seam between the main watch shape and the wrist-wrap connector piece may be causing some difficulties for the fillet. One thing you could try is to construct similar geometry by outlining the watch shape + connector top profile, extruding it, then subtracting a rail swept surface to get the right heights at various points on the shape. The fillet might work better on the resulting geometry.

Another thing to try would be to first smooth out the acute-angled cusp between the shape of the watch and the connector; when a fillet profile travels 'through' a corner like that, it can sometimes cause it to fail. Smoothing this corner could be accomplished by rebuilding the geometry as described above, except that the sketch-to-extrude would have that particular corner be sketch-filleted or otherwise rounded off.