Model looks very faceted - normals interpolation?
by Tobias B. · in Artist Corner · 06/10/2009 (12:38 am) · 6 replies
Hi,
I also posted this in the TGEA forum, but possibly this is more a question for an artist working with Blender:
I have a simple problem regarding a model I imported from a *.wrl file to a *.dts file via Blender. While all other models in my environment render smooth surfaces, this models looks... hmmm... faceted. Is there a switch in the material.cs oder in Blender I have to set to get interpolated surfaces? Looks like a flat rendering compared to a Phong shading which I need.
Possibly it's a Blender setting - but which one?
Thanks for help,
Tobias
I also posted this in the TGEA forum, but possibly this is more a question for an artist working with Blender:
I have a simple problem regarding a model I imported from a *.wrl file to a *.dts file via Blender. While all other models in my environment render smooth surfaces, this models looks... hmmm... faceted. Is there a switch in the material.cs oder in Blender I have to set to get interpolated surfaces? Looks like a flat rendering compared to a Phong shading which I need.
Possibly it's a Blender setting - but which one?
Thanks for help,
Tobias
#2
Maybe someone knows the steps to perform in Blender...? ;-)
06/10/2009 (7:21 am)
Nope - that is the point. But if this is the keyword, I'll try to check for smoothing groups!Maybe someone knows the steps to perform in Blender...? ;-)
#3
Edit: Did a quick Google. This looks like it addresses your question perfectly. Blender may not actually have the concept of smoothing groups the same way other apps do, but the issue apparently has resolutions in other ways.
06/10/2009 (8:00 am)
Smoothing groups are a way to "group" faces in a mesh so that the edge where they meet appears smooth, and not a hard edge (technically it bends the apparent curve of the face's surface). A lot of times, modeling techniques can chose one or the other for you. In a complicated model like a character, you will want smooth transitions at some places and hard edge transitions in others. So during or after modeling, you will be able to assign any number of faces to a group to control this. Good luck! :)Edit: Did a quick Google. This looks like it addresses your question perfectly. Blender may not actually have the concept of smoothing groups the same way other apps do, but the issue apparently has resolutions in other ways.
#4
Never heard of a .wrl file before.
06/10/2009 (9:09 am)
In Blender select all surfaces/verts/whatever in Edit Mode, then hit the "set smooth" button on the dash. Blender seems to call smoothing groups "vertex groups" but it might not be exactly the same thing.Never heard of a .wrl file before.
#5
06/10/2009 (9:13 am)
A *.wrl is a VRML file - possibly this source format doesn't know any groups and thus, all polygons are separated - I'll check that. The point is - I already tried this "set smooth" button, but the button does not stay enabled as in the Blender tuturials. So it refuses to perform the requested operation - hmpf!
#6
06/10/2009 (9:19 am)
It's not supposed to stay enabled, it just does the operation. If your polys are all seperated select them all in Edit Mode, go Mesh -> Vertices -> remove doubles. That will do exactly as it says on the tin and join your polys together, providing the replicated verts are in the same space. 
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