Column Part 6: Details and Smoothing.
Welcome to the final phase of this tutorial. We are going to be preparing the model for subdivision as well as adding a final bit of detail. In Max there is a very effective way to subdivide a mesh. Simply return to the top of the modifier stack and click the Use NURMS Subdivision checkbox under the Subdivision Surface rollout. You will notice that something strange has happened to your column.
The NURMS function has only a few settings, so we will go over some of them quickly before we continue. Smooth result automatically sets all of the newly created geometry into one smoothing group. Uncheck this to see the alternative. Isoline Display will show you the original amount of geometry if checked. If unchecked it will show the actual amount of geometry. Show Cage lets you view the original geometry as an orange wireframe around your mesh. We won't worry about the rest of the settings right now. Turn off NURMS for now and go into edge mode.
We are going to add two segments to the middle of our column. We can easily do this using the Ring and Connect tools. First, grab 1 of the vertical segments on your column. Use the Ring tool to select the rest of the segments.
Now we are going to use the Connect tool to add 2 segments to our column. Make sure to change the number of Segments to 2 and use Pinch to spread them apart. Once again, do not press apply and then OK. This will cause two different Connect operations which is not what we want. We want one operation with two segments.
Now comes the reason we made our column 21 segments around. Enter Polygon mode and select every third polygon in between the segments we just added. See the image below for an example. If you are having trouble selecting segments you can turn on Ignore Backfacing. Make sure if you do use this you turn it off after everything is selected.
Now we are going to extrude these polygons inwards. This is the same technique you used on the base except we are extruding by a negative amount now. Don't push them in too far or you will get grooves that are much too deep.
If you turn NURMS back on at this point and turn Iterations up to 3 you will see a decent result. NURMS works by smoothing polygons that are next to each other. If a polygon is too smooth you need more segments closer together so a smaller area will be smoothed. Notice that the plane on the top has more segments closer together, so when NURMS is turned on it gets a sharper look.
The grooves on our column aren't quite sharp enough yet, so try using Ring and Connect to add 2 more additional segments towards the top of the grooves. Remember the closer they are to the top of the groove the sharper it will be. Below you can see how adding two more segments will improve the shape of the grooves.
Now there is only one problem left with our column. The square bases we made turn cylindrical when NURMS is on. We need a way for them to keep their shape even when NURMS is turned on. Try using Ring and Connect to add these final segments. You will need to perform three separate operations. Use the image below as a hint and try to figure out the process on your own.
Congratulations! Once you finish preparing the base for NURMS just use Symmetry to finish the other side. *WARNING Do not collapse or convert your model to an Editable Poly with NURMS turned on or you will be stuck with it. Your model should look similar to the image below.
If you found a part of this tutorial that needs to be corrected or clarified make sure you contact me. Good luck!