Welding and Edged faces in Gmax

[Wing Nut]

Ok, it is my understanding that in Gmax, you weld parts together to become one, and that would reduce the number of surfaces, and consequently, the number of poly's.  I had hoped to use this to reduce the frame rate hit from having such highly detailed parts in that having a one piece framework would be more friendly than having a twenty piece framework.  Is my reasoning wrong here?

In welding parts, as I understand it, you go:

Select the parts to be welded
Click the Modify Tab
Select 'Edge'
Select 'Edit Geometry'
Select 'Create shape from Edges'

and that's pretty much it.  Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

This, and to use the mirror function is why I imported it into Gmax in the first place.

[Sterk]

Not so clear what do u want to do.
If u mean to combine two objects together so they will be one object you select one object then click "Attach" in edit geometry tab of this object then click on another object,so it will be attached to the first one.But this operation  leaves these two objects "as is" and daznt reduce poly count just makes them one mesh.

To really combine two different meches into single one,so they share edge flow,you have to remove polygons at area they will be connected,then to do "attach" as describes above and then weld points
one by one at the connection seam...

hope it helps...

[Wing Nut]

more work...  *sigh*  here we go...  ::)

[Felix/FFDS]

This is a tough one to comment on without seeing the wireframe view.

1.  Are each of the "horizontal" bars single boxes?

I presume that the ribs are either joined boxes or four sided tubes.  It really depends on how you've done the geometry whether you can really save polygons.

[Wing Nut]

They are single boxes, with 11 sections each.  Does that count as one box or 11?



What do you make of this?  ???

[Felix/FFDS]

Based on how you've done it, I think it's about as economical as you're going to get.  The only thing I can think of is to delete the polygons you wouldn't see from any angle - the one's "behind" everything, so that you end up with three sided boxes.

The way you've done it - the "section breaks" occur naturally.

The more "realistic" method would have been to have each rib-section and each longeron-section joined with a small box - and that would significant;y increase the number of parts and polygons.  

Good job in the detailing.

[Wing Nut]

Good job in the detailing.

 High praise...  :)

[Sterk]

IMHO-there is no need to break horizontal bars into
11 sections.Since they are straight u can  remove
their divisions, to leave one polygon on each long side.
Then,if you remove all polygons that you dont see in sim
you get each horizontal bar consists of 3 polygons only.

Then you can make "attach" to all parts so you have
one object.

This is the way I would do it...

[Wing Nut]

Unfortunately, they must curve to fit the shape of the fuselage.  Believe me, if I could have done it without bending pieces, I would have.  ::)  You don't know how much cussing has occured in my house in the last two days because of trying to fit these thing to the proper contours...

[Felix/FFDS]

That particular component would have been easier to build in gmax, using splines.

Your ribs would be ngons, cloned and moved to locations as desired.

The longerons, line splines with vertices snapped to the matching vertices on your rib longerons.

You could then attach all the splines together, and with skin properties, create the "thickness" of the ribs.

...  not that I've done that but if I were to do that I'd do it in gmax - or some other spline-capable modeller - and port it back into FSDS (because I can't model worth poop in gmax

[Sterk]

Unfortunately, they must curve to fit the shape of the fuselage.

Yes,but in this specific section of fuselage they are straight as I can see...