Problem with GMAX?

[LeFeaoux]

Ok, I am about to lose my mind here! I am doing the turotial with the P-38 and there is something wrong and for the life of me, I cannot figure out what it is.
:-/

I am following the tutorial instructions to the letter and everything goes great until I try to create the calibration box. When I create the box, it isn't the correct size in ANY of the view ports. Yes, I tried the "pan" and "zoom" commands but cannot seem to get the boxes the correct size. It seems that the boxes are consistently too tall on the front and top views and not tall enough on the side view. What is up with that???

When I zoom on the top portal, I can size the box to the correct width for the wings but it is much too long and I cannot find a way to shorten it. On the front view, again, I can get it to fit the wingspan but cannot shorten the box to the top of the aircraft. On the side view, it is exactly the same. What am I doing wrong? The tutorial offers NO information for this issue that I can see.

[Brett_Henderson]

I'm seeing a couple of potential problems here.

[Brett_Henderson]

I just realized something. If I remember correctly, the P-38 tutorial  uses the method where the diagrams are loaded into the view-port.. instead of mapped to actual boxes (planes) that are part of the scene.

The advice I gave you refers to the latter. I strongly suggest that you use this method, for reasons you're already discovering. Without getting too into it; just trust me here. Loading diagrams as viewport backgrounds is a head-ache.

[Brett_Henderson]

Here's an example of what I'm talking about.. You make your backdrops (3-views) an actual part of the model...

[LeFeaoux]

Here is what I am talking about. As you can see, the dimensions in the box parameters are correct according to the GMAX tutorial but look at the box it created ... it is nowhere near being correct in any way. They are all the wrong sizes and in the wrong places. SOMETIMES when I do the tutorial the box's appear to be more correct and the box's are in their appropriate viewports and sometimes they aren't ... but they are never the correct dimensions. This is very confusing!

[Brett_Henderson]

If you're bound and determined to use the viewport background for your diagrams... just do it for this tutorial. The number of problems you'll face as the modeling progresses are many. The least of which are getting the the diagram to stay lined up with the model.. AND stay the same scale, as you zoom in and out doing the intricate stuff. Using viewport diagrams, for whatever reason, is a RAM gobbler. You'll be 3/4 of the way through solving a problem that's been keeping you up at night, and GMAX will crash.. even with a 4GB of RAM.

Anyway...  At first glance your numbers look right. The trick is that the viewport in which you create the box, determines the orientation for length/width/height. Delete that box and create a new box, and make sure you're doing it from the top viewport. And then continue the tutorial. I think you might have created the box in the wrong viewport. Or..  you can switch the numbers for your current box, until it's oriented properly. What you've got now is a combination problem of the mixing up of height/width/length... and different scales in each viewport. That's doubly confusing  

[Brett_Henderson]

but they are never the correct dimensions. This is very confusing!

The dimension are correct. The box can't be anything other than the dimension shown while modifying it. It gets confusing, because until you zoom/pan to line things up... each viewport has it's own "apparent" scale.  This is just one of the reasons you'll want to put your diagrams IN the scene as part of the model.

[Brett_Henderson]

I'm trying to locate a good tutorial for setting up backdrops. If I can't find it, someone else here will  :)

[LeFeaoux]

but they are never the correct dimensions. This is very confusing!

The dimension are correct. The box can't be anything other than the dimension shown while modifying it. It gets confusing, because until you zoom/pan to line things up... each viewport has it's own "apparent" scale.

[LeFeaoux]

[quote]I'm trying to locate a good tutorial for setting up backdrops. If I can't find it, someone else here will

[LeFeaoux]

By the way, I just wanted to tell you guys that you all seem like a very friendly bunch of guys! I am feeling very comfortable here.



I was a member of "another" add-on site forum (based in South America somewhere) for about a week and they were not nearly as nice and friendly as you all are. I was having issues with FSUIPC as it was crashing and corrupting my sim and I complained about that. ONE of their SENIOR members sent me a very disgusting, profane and mean email because I said that I didn't trust the program. I promptly cancelled my paid membership at that site/forum, got my money back and haven't returned to that site since. It's GREAT to see that you guys aren't like them!

[Brett_Henderson]

I see your enthusiasm.. and see where you're just a, "light goes on over the head" away from grasping this.

What I'm trying to relate is dificult, because you're at the  "show me step by step"  phase. My advice will seem like leapfrogging over something you should be doing..  You'll learn that there is no step-by-step way to do this. It's a personal thing. Every one who finishes a model has adapted his style, and the way he visualizes this stuff. There are as many ways to make a wing, as there are modelers who've made one.

The only commonality is the tool set. "How do I taper AND bend this part ?"  is a question who's answer will involve both the bend and taper modifiers, but how one goes about using them is up to them.

GMAX is an incredibly powerful application. There are SO many tools in front of you... Uniform and non-uniform scaling... soft selecting vertices... taper, bend, twist, weld, merge.. and on and on and on  :o

What you'll get from the P-38 tutorial is a glimpse at basic shaping. What I did right after that, was to model a classic chess set. Pawns and Bishops offer certain problems... Rooks another, Kings and Queens another yet... and Knights wrap it up nicely...

[LeFeaoux]

[quote]I see your enthusiasm.. and see where you're just a, "light goes on over the head" away from grasping this.

What I'm trying to relate is dificult, because you're at the