Hi,

I was just wondering if it is possible to smooth some parts of a model and not others? I'm particularly thinking of a wings model here and the part I want to smooth has a different material assigned to it from all the rest of the model.

(I've asked in Wings and you can smooth part of a model separately in there, but I find Wings smoothing to be sometimes rather over the top - whereas in Bryce there's some control over the amount, I think...) (Not that you can get the model out of Bryce afterwards - which is a big bind).

So I just wondered.

Message edited on: 06/10/2005 07:10

Bryce doesn't really smooth meshes, it just fiddles with the way light behaves on them (someone with more knowledge help me out here, please). OTOH, Wings actually creates more polys.

　　You can if you have different areas of the model select the area by color. Then smooth set the angle where you like. Generaly I perfer to do my work in wings and set some edges to hard. It is a bit of a trick though getting the hard edges hard and the soft edges soft. As an experement use Autosmooth in Wings.(object menu) Just like Bryce you can set the angle and all angles over that will be set hard then import. Hope I am helpful with this.

hmm..autosmooth..I'll remember that next time I'm making a car..;) I just put up a tut with some smoothing tips in it; just a start (there really needs to be a comprehensive smoothing tutorial out there..heaven knows I need it..;)

Fran, the part you have with a different material should import as a separate mesh, so there shouldn't be any problem with click-selecting it and smoothing it separately. BTW, smoothing in Wings, is it subdividing or welding?

Subdividing

Ah, now I know why Wings goes over the top. :-)

Here's the way I understand smoothing in Bryce It's a method called Breaking Angles which tell the program at what degree of an angle light will cast a shadow when striking the loops of polygons which make up an imported object. Smoothing is away to control this breaking angle. When Smoothing is set to 90 degrees. It takes a 90 degree angle in the loop ( or group of loops ) to cast a shadow. If it is set to 45 it takes a 45 degree angle. Breaking angles and welding are two completely different functions. Welding is when polygons and/or loops have identical side by side edges ( the line that connects vertices ) Unwedded the side by side polygon/loop have separate edges. When welded the side by side polygon/loops share one edge When unwedded objects are imported into Bryce the breaking angle of the object is set to 0. Where welded objects are set to 90 degrees.

Thanks to all for the replies, Dann-O, I didn't know about autosmoothing in Wings, I'll have to try it. I mean I'd seen it there, I just didn't know it might be what I needed, thanks.