I am posting it here since 95% of poser users frequent this forum and not the technical forum. I am modeling a dress in Max 7 for V(A)4 and I am trying to find out how to do add a "hem" to the dress so it is popped out more. It is a V neck Dress sort of like this one posted. I want to make the edge line more rounded. I have tried using bumps and textures but it not the effect I am looking for. Can someone help or give advice?

 Not a max user but the workflow should be similar.

(1) you could use displacement mapping to thicken out the hems only

(2) you could use cylinders "pinned" or otherwise rigged to the edges or

(3) I would consecutively extrude edges into cubes (so that they are part of the same mesh, in contrast to method two) and apply rendertime smoothing. This is the most time consuming, least headache prone solution that I can think of.

Like replicand's 3rd suggestion, it adds a fair amount of polys, but what I do is grab the outer line of edges, extrude the edges a a small amount - and you have to use a little care in corners because sometimes this leaves you with crossed polys, which you should fix at this point - and then select the outer loops of new polygons and bevel those.  It's not as bad as it sounds because you can do the these operations all at once.

A big caveat of this technique is, try really hard to get the base geometry of the clothing item as close to its final state as you can, because once you extrude out the trims, the model because a lot harder to adjust without trashing up that nice new trim work.

Note that's also a good time to make material selections for the trim if you're doing to do that (you already have the polys selected).

 Same idea, I think you explained it better

Here we go, since I happen to be doing this right now.... Step 1, select all the edges of the area you want to make a trim for...

Extrude those edges...

Now select the new loop of polygons you just extruded...

And bevel those polygons...

And there you have it!

Thanks pjz99, this is exactly what I was looking to do! Tried it last night and extruded the polys instead of beveling and locked up my system. I could not figure out why, till I re read the tread again. I need to redo the mesh I am working on some what to get the overlay of cloth look.

I will post a few images tonight after reworking the mesh.

One thing that can mess you up, depending on your modeler and various other things - sometimes the new polys may come out with normals facing the wrong way.  It's good to check, and if there is some "unify normals" feature in your modeler to make use of that.

Note there's no reason you CAN'T extrude, but extruding the polys leaves you with 90 degree angles or thereabouts, and Poser's polygon smoothing will tend to make them balloon out.  If you bevel instead, it will render very smooth and closer to expected.

Quote - One thing that can mess you up, depending on your modeler and various other things - sometimes the new polys may come out with normals facing the wrong way.  It's good to check, and if there is some "unify normals" feature in your modeler to make use of that.

Note there's no reason you CAN'T extrude, but extruding the polys leaves you with 90 degree angles or thereabouts, and Poser's polygon smoothing will tend to make them balloon out.  If you bevel instead, it will render very smooth and closer to expected.

What modeling software do you use primary? I am using Max and experimenting with Pegasus Modeler by Markdc. Pegasus is a very simple modeler, can't really do much in it is good for grouping and mapping.

Cinema 4D, it's on par with Max as a modeler and UVmapping tool imo.

Another option: select open edges, create spline from edges, then make a loft, using a small oval or circle as the shape and the spline as the path. It's usually best to shift the pivot center of the oval or circle to the side (snap it to one of the vertices of the shape).
Advantage: it'll be automatically UV mapped (just tick the correct check box). Disadvantage: you'll have to tweak the twist parameters along the path.

Quote - Another option: select open edges, create spline from edges, then make a loft, using a small oval or circle as the shape and the spline as the path. It's usually best to shift the pivot center of the oval or circle to the side (snap it to one of the vertices of the shape).
Advantage: it'll be automatically UV mapped (just tick the correct check box). Disadvantage: you'll have to tweak the twist parameters along the path.

Is this in Max? I have no problem with tweaking as long as my results are good.

I think it's called Sweep, not Loft.  Look in your docs for "1-Rail Sweep Surface".  Although I think the method I described may be more efficient for conforming clothing, since it leaves you with no backfacing polys, svdl's method is probably better for dynamics (where the backfacing polys will help the trim hold its shape).

This is what I mean about dynamics, note how the trim at the space between the breasts has sagged (the original model is shown in the earlier pics). 

I'ts Max, and it is called Loft. You can find it in the compound objects rollout.

Hmm.  I created a separate dynamics group for the trim and gave that group a very high shear resistance (95) and it actually seems to hold the shape very very nicely.  I didn't want the trims to be rigid, just to hold their shape.  This seems to work acceptably for me :)  I'm actually not sure if the previous pic had a problem now that I look at it, there is a shadow cast by the semi-transparent cloth here.  At any rate this trim is very much what I want it to be.  It's so tight it squeaks!

Steve I think this was what you were talking about earlier in another thread?

Yup. Dynamic cloth CAN have detailing like this.
95 is not that high a shear resistance, it can go up to 999 (as can fold and stretch resistance).

Nice top, by the way.
As for wardrobe malfunctions (quite likely with this shape and the cloth room), that's realism! A top like this could fall down on the job easily in real life.

Thanks, that top in the closeup is actually the same dress above.  Fun project :)

ps: you still have a present waiting for you to download ;)

I am still working on the trim, seems every time I start to work on it I get disturbed by my 2 year old or my wife.  I should have plenty of free time this weekend due to I am not going anyplace except to see Ironman The Movie.

Bookmarked.