How do you scale things in 3D modeling?

[L2K]

yep. i always reseize things later.
i start doing things on screescale. i let the grid activated just to see where is the origin (0,0,0) and the axises.
dont worry about textures resolutions. the same texture goes on the same objet. that part is called unwraping, and is not affected by the scale.

if a want a space ship and a planet on my render, i do just a big sphere far away. an astronaut or engineer would cry.
but in cgi, the only thing that matters is how it looks like.
things physically right can look wrong.
if it doesnt obey the laws of physics, but visually works, its all good.

[Adalla]

lol I am an engineer, and it makes me wanna cry LOL That's why I'm having difficulty, cause in CAD you work with exact dimensions that are accurate to the 1 millimeter and a lot less, if when you work with tolerancing which is like hundreds of an inch or something. Everything is to scale. A machine that is going to make a part needs to know exact dimensions.

But yeah I got that much that looks is all that CG work is about. And that's fine, I just gotta make sure that at least things scale correctly.

So if I want to make a detailed cockpit, that I dont have to work in a cramped space.

I mean i just tested things out, and if you make the model to small fo ran animation, then you cant zoom the camera in past a certain point, it messes up. So if you mak the size of the model bigger, you can zoom in with the camera to the tiniest details and it'll be fine. Of course, then all the dynamics change, like your motions etc, as well as you ahve to make sure all your other objects are scaled coorectly also.

But if I'm gonna pick something, why not just pick a good grid size and just go for the actual precise numbers. If I Viper is 7m long or whatever...why not just set the grid to half a meter and just make the backdrop image 7m long. I mean if I'm supposed to pick something, might as well pick the actual numbers?

[chrono]

Adalla,

The only times you really have to worry about scale is when you are modeling several objects for a scene and they have to relate to each other in the same space, though you can or when you do need to cheat the scale visually, and when you are modeling separate objects that are part of another object.

When it comes to textures and scaling, distance from the viewer becomes a concern. A sphere of 1m diameter will look visually different from a sphere that's 100 meters with the same texture. Textures scale with the objects size, but do not increase in resolution when their scale is changed. It's always at it's original resolution.

In the end scale is relative & arbitrary to how the artist wants the object or scene to be viewed. So if working at the designs correct scale is something that you want to do, then by all means do so!

[Adalla]

Thanx for the feedback all

I've been playing around and changing the size and grid size etc. Here is a Viper next to a Mercury-class Battlestar's guns.





The original model was like over 3 km on the grid, while the viper was about 2m. I am pretty sure a Viper is longer htan 2 m and I'm pretty sure a Battlestar is not 3 km long, but I think somewhere around 1414m is a figure I saw. I dont know yet of a precise way to scale, like how big is a Viper compared to one of the guns in the pictures above?

Anyways, I'll figure out eventually I guess.

[L2K]

well, if you dont know how its related to one object, try to relate it with another. like the landing track.
how many fighters can stand side to side in the bay ?


you poor engineer... messing up with things not accurate welcome in the no accuracy world

[Adalla]

Well, I had someone from another forum send me a long email explaining it, and I think I got a better idea. And basically the answer is that precise dimensioning during modeling of an object doesnt matter with relation to other objects in a scene. Only the parts that make up that model obviously have to be precise and accurate, like the engines and wings and cockpit sizes in a Viper.

I did play around with sizing, and as long as you have textures with high resolutions, you can up the size quite a bit for a scene and it'll be all right.

I think I just need practice modeling various objects of various sizes and varying complexity/poly count and just get a feel for it through experience.

I've already started my Viper Mark 2 model over once, and I'm pretty sure it'll happen again. Plus I intend to do low, mid and high poly versions.

For now I'm gonna pick the actual size of a Viper, which is 8.4 meters I think, and go from there. It's a good size to work with and should allow me to build a decently detailed cockpit and pilots also.

Thanx for the help though all, I'll put up a WIP thread up as soon as I have something half-decent to show.

[Silverblade-T-E]

I model to *exact* sizes in feet, because my ships have interiors, and are meant to be used with other figures etc, so I must have exact scaling.

For objects, they will often be used by human figures, so again, scaling is vital.

I use Rhino, and render scenes in Vue6 Infinite (which has proper metric or imperial scaling, out to many kilometres or miles if you wish).

Scaling also affects realism. Atmosphere and ligth has certain reactions we instinctively know the look of.
Space shots can avoid some of that. But not interiors or normal scenery.

I also do cut aways and layouts to explain my ships and for gaming
http://www.silverblades-suitcase.com..._layout_26.png