5

I have an image explanation of what I want to achieve. Here it is: enter image description here

Right now the whole edge is sharp. It is giving me a really hard time. Also here is the model: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zvempvps0r4815j/glock_forum2.blend

Thanks in advance :)

Thom Blair III
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SpyChar
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  • Are you looking for something like this? – gandalf3 Mar 23 '14 at 01:27
  • Use an edge split modifier. – Vader Mar 23 '14 at 01:32
  • Related: http://blender.stackexchange.com/q/6425/599 – gandalf3 Mar 23 '14 at 06:10
  • @gandalf3 almost sth like in your first comment, but it is too round in the upper part. Basically I would like to have sharp edges just like in my example, but I don't want to also have sharp edge in the parts I marked as smooth on the image from the first post. – SpyChar Mar 23 '14 at 14:02
  • @Vader I would like to avoid using edge split, as it creates 100% sharp edge, and it is not something I want. – SpyChar Mar 23 '14 at 14:05
  • @SpyChar Could you please describe what you're trying to achieve again? I can't quite figure it out, but I'd like to help. – Thom Blair III Mar 23 '14 at 23:39
  • @Thom Blair III I'm not too good at describing things in a foreign language, but I'll try. In simple words: What is marked as red in my pictire, should stay as it currently is. The surface marked as blue, should be smooth. It is going to be a glock pistol, so You can google it to have a better idea on how it should look :) I hope You can understand my gibberish :D – SpyChar Mar 24 '14 at 00:57
  • @SpyChar Your English is very good, I'm just not always good at figuring things out...your model looks almost perfect as it is now, I think that is why I'm confused. – Thom Blair III Mar 24 '14 at 01:36
  • @ThomBlairIII http://i.imgur.com/kkoNSTq.jpg Told U that I can't explain xD – SpyChar Mar 24 '14 at 03:25

3 Answers3

5

Mean Crease

I think the function you are looking for is called Mean Crease. It makes sharper edges when you are using a Subsurface modifier for example. Here's how it's used:

enter image description here

If you want, once you have the edges selected in Edit mode, instead of manually adjusting the Mean Crease value as shown above, you can use the keyboard hotkeys for Mean Crease with the mouse:
SHIFTE -> drag the mouse

Thom Blair III
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  • I've tried that already, but in my case it creates some unwanted bulges and pinching in the upper part of the grooves. Also, I don't like to use creases because they mess up shading. I would have to crank up SS to something like 6 for it to look ok, and my PC can't handle that :(. Do U think it would be possible by using only ss and supporting loops? If so, how should my topology look like? – SpyChar Mar 23 '14 at 14:11
  • I don't know...I'm not that advanced of a modeler myself. – Thom Blair III Mar 23 '14 at 17:51
  • I used Bevel to solve this, but it only works to an extent. – A Wild RolandiXor Has Appeared Apr 22 '14 at 06:25
2

Boolean Difference modifier

I think I may have found a solution for you:

  1. First make the main body of the piece with the smooth edges like you like it. To do this, I extruded a plane along the X axis:

    enter image description here

  2. Next, I applied a Bevel modifier to the piece:

    enter image description here

  3. Now make a separate rectangle and extrude it to give it the thickness of the grooves you want to create. Then move it so it's positioned right where you want to cut the grooves, like this:

    enter image description here

  4. Now select the rectangle and:

    • Add an Array modifier
    • Set the Count to the number of grooves you want to have
    • Adjust the Relative Offset to the distance you want between grooves.
      Here, the X value is set to 2:

    enter image description here

  5. Now select the main body of the model and:

    • Add a Boolean modifier
    • Set the Operation to Difference
    • Set the Object to the rectangle (here it's called Plane)

    enter image description here

  6. Now apply the Boolean and move the model so you can see the result. Here is the result I got:

    enter image description here

    enter image description here

Is this what you were wanting?

Thom Blair III
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1

Single Segment with Array Modifier

Another possible solution is to make a single segment of the repeating section of your object and then add an Array modifier to it.

This would be useful if you can't find any easy way to create the whole mesh at once with all the desired features. In this situation, you can spend the time manually perfecting the mesh of just one segment and then add the Array modifier to make the full section. Here's an example:

  1. First, make one segment of the repeating part of the model, like this:

    enter image description here

  2. Next, add an Array modifier with a Count of as many times as you need:

    enter image description here

  3. From here, you can edit you mesh to incorporate all the other details you need.

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Thom Blair III
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