How to remove sub surf on z axis?

Question

I am really new to Blender, so please bear with me here. I was trying to make a Starbucks cup, so I needed to get a round-edged plane (for the middle part of the cup). I got help from a friend, who told me to subdivide the plane, then use a subsurf modifier to create the rounded edges. All is good and fine on 2D, but when I extrude to create the height of the cup, I get this weird thing:

I think this is because the subdivision surface is being applied to the z-axis too, but I don't really want that. Can I apply the sub surf to the x and y without affecting the z? Again, please excuse my ignorance. Any help would be appreciated.

Related - http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/6425/keep-sharp-edges-when-using-subdivision-surface — Mr Zak, May 12 '16 at 13:51

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 12 '16 at 00:13

3

No you cannot, subsurf applies to the whole mesh evenly in all directions. What you need is to learn how to use what are generally called "control loops".

Control loops are extra edges you add to your geometry to keep subdivision surface from rounding out parts of the mesh you don't want to be smooth or curved. You can add them using Ctrl + R

Also consider a simpler method using the screw modifier since you are creating a simple revolution geometry

edited May 12 '16 at 00:13

IntrepidPig

127
1
10

answered May 11 '16 at 23:54

Duarte Farrajota Ramos

59,425
39
130
187

Hmm.. that's very interesting. I am unable to use that "crew" modifier as some parts of the bottle are kinda round-edged planes... I will look into it for other models though. Thanks for the help :) – Jack Thomas May 12 '16 at 00:13
1

Just one thing it's called "Screw Modifier" not "Crew", made a typo, my mistake – Duarte Farrajota Ramos May 12 '16 at 00:17
Ah OK haha. I found it now. – Jack Thomas May 12 '16 at 00:23

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 14 '17 at 09:23

0

If you are adding subsurf to a plane end then extruding on the z-axis, there are a couple obvious solutions.

Solution 1

The first solution is to apply the subsurf modifier and then extrude up on the z-axis. Apply with the apply button:

This will lock in the currently displayed subsurf, allowing you to extrude on the z with no consequences.

Solution 2

Don't use a plane and subsurf, use a circle. When you key Shift + A to add a plane, click on Mesh > Circle instead.

From here, Tab into edit mode, key A once or twice until everything is selected (orange), and key F to create a face. Last, extrude on the z. Ta-da! Same result as 1.

Solution 3 (oooh!)

Use this, study it, maybe have your friend explain it:

Also, here is the result from the .blend:

edited Mar 14 '17 at 09:23

Community

1

answered May 12 '16 at 00:57

Shady Puck

8,847
6
34
61

Wow... that is truly amazing. Is there any way that you could explain that to me in further detail? My friend is away for now... – Jack Thomas May 12 '16 at 01:43
If you go into front orthographic view (Numpad 1, then Numpad 5) you should see a Starbucks Cup in the background. This is the key. As I was extruding and scaling, I used this cup to get the increments right. I guessed on the lid. The straw is a simple cylinder. It's material get's its green from a Diffuse BSDF and its glossiness from a Glossy BSDF. The two are mixed together. You can look in the node editor for more details. The floor is a grey Diffuse. The cup is a Glass BSDF with UV coordinates for the image. Google all of these key terms for more info. I'm glad you like, and maybe upvote. – Shady Puck May 12 '16 at 02:11
If I were to explain everything in true detail, it could take days...sorry. I, however, have been using Blender for only a year and am completely self-taught via Google and YouTube. I'd say your best bet at learning Blender is a good computer research class. – Shady Puck May 12 '16 at 02:13

How to remove sub surf on z axis?

2 Answers2

Solution 1

Solution 2

Solution 3 (oooh!)