See-through windows

Help with modelling 3D content for Trainz.
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alexfleming380
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See-through windows

Post by alexfleming380 »

Hi there.
One question, that I've been meaning to ask for a good while. How do you guys get see through windows in your rolling stock meshes? Do you use the boolean tool or is there a special technique I don't know about?

Any help is appreciated,
Alex
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Domsarto
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Re: See-through windows

Post by Domsarto »

I use a rip saw
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Re: See-through windows

Post by bird_d00 »

I'm aware of 3 different ways of doing this :

1. Make the side of the coach W.H.Y. at scale thickness and try to punch a hole with a Boolean. You will find this will not work (at least using subtraction). If you use CUT instead it can be made to work, but you will end up with loads of extra vertices which will have to be cleaned up by hand.

2. Make the whole coach as a solid object, and punch the windows through the whole coach (both sides) with a boolean. Then clone the outside faces, flip and move them inwards to create the inside. This stands a much better chance of working, as the boolean doesn't have to deal with a long thin object (which is what really screws it up normally), but you will probably still end up with extra vertices that need massaging by hand.

3. Make the side as a flat plane, and then either extrude (this can go horribly wrong also - you can't select the direction to extrude), or clone, flip and move the plane to create the inside.

In all these methods just select the edges of the windows and shift-drag to create the windowframes.

The window glass can be just 2 planes (1 facing in, one out) textured with a semi-opaque texture, they don't need to be the same shape as the window apertures, just make them a bit bigger than the aperture(s), and recess them a bit to avoid texture Z -fighting (about 5mm will do). You can do the whole side of a coach with just 2 planes if you don't have opening doors.

Dave Bird
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Re: See-through windows

Post by Domsarto »

If you are using gmax I will start you on a simple window: otherwise sorry,
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Re: See-through windows

Post by alexfleming380 »

I am indeed using gmax, Dom

I have already tried option 2 and it didn't go so well, but I'll try the other ones. I guess it's just trial and error to see what works for you.
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Re: See-through windows

Post by Domsarto »

create you main piece:

a simple square using : create: shape: line; or create: shape: rectangle;
If you use rectangle you must it into an editable spline.

that done

now create another rectangle the same way inside the original one: and turn that into an editable spline.

Now for the good bit:

take the first item (it is now an editable spline) or line and select:

click on modify:

and in the drop down menu under selection you will se 4 red dots: a red arrow: and a red wriggle (these are vertex, segment and spline in that order)

select spline and in the drop down menu under geometry select; Attach Multi:

This will list available editable menu's to attach. Select your second rectangle or line and hey presto you now have a window.

because the rectangle is closed you remove the inards of the second square.

Back up and extrude and have a good look at it and give yourself a clap on the back, you can now create windows.
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Re: See-through windows

Post by Domsarto »

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alexfleming380
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Re: See-through windows

Post by alexfleming380 »

Thanks for the help Dom, it was really useful :D
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