3D Studio 6.0 Softening Edges

[Ulysses]

I've begun to dabble with 3D Max 6.0, and have found a problem I just cannot seem to resolve. As you can see below, on the right is the basic hard-edged object (picture is a Facets + Highlights preview) but whenever I render this shape, my render always softens the outer edge as you can see on the left.

I'm guessing this is a global setting, since I can force the hard-faceted edge to render properly in the preview render, but I want my actual final render to render without softening my edge.

Any ideas?

[Mynock]

I haven't used 3ds max in 1.5 years, but I think you could use some milk. I would head over to the 3DBuzz.com forums.

[Tyger]

yeah sorry bro, i'm not into max as well, but check out www.cgtalk.com
they have a dedicated section for 3dsmax.

[Ulysses]

Funny you mention milk ... yes, I need some.

[Mynock]

Milky milky milky milk milk.

[Ulysses]

yeah sorry bro, i'm not into max as well, but check out www.cgtalk.com
they have a dedicated section for 3dsmax.

Thanks Tyger. I'm already on it. How are yourself and your family?

[Ghastly]

by viewing your image in facets / highlights preview you are forcing the software to show your object under the basic effects of lighting (highlights) and to neglect any intermediate steps used to generate a smooth object...be aware however that you are merely previewing in this form an object that will have all the detail it should have when rendered.

Though it's been ages since I used the program...the smoothing seems localised to one particular area of your object and so I suspect that smoothing groups are the culprit (in the modify panel)

edit...also using editable spline or poly seems to default to smoothing....and this can generally be changed via a section usually at the bottom of the modify panel (forget it's name :o ...nowhere near own computer)

can't really be more helpful without more info on how your object was made from scratch. (ie did you extrude a rectangle spline, convert to editable poly, subdivide and bevel faces etc...)

[Ulysses]

Thanks for providing some insight, Ghastly.

Yes, it is an edited poly. The front faces were extruded into the object and the offending outer-faces removed to create the gulley, then using a side profile I dragged the vertexes to create the 45 degree angle. What I understand from what you said, is that the top-most gulley edge is hard-edged because it was extruded, but that the problematic edge is softened as a result of moving the vertexes above that - kind of making that row of vertexes act like an intlligent soft blend.

Grrr, how do I get around that?

[Ghastly]

can't be much help rightnow as my own computer is offline and my web-time at the library has almost expired but... select the offending vertices or faces and check the modify panel...you may see some of the smoothing group buttons pressed in...unpress them...other than this cannot help at the moment.

[Bear]

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=216093&highlight=hard+edges

this should shed some light ulysees

how goes it ?

[Tyger]

Thanks Tyger. I'm already on it. How are yourself and your family?

doing well bro, the little one will be 5 months next week, he's rolling over now and his bottom teeth are starting to come out...it's a great joy that's for sure.

[Ulysses]

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=216093&highlight=hard+edges

this should shed some light ulysees

how goes it ?

Things are good. How about yourself?

Thanks for that link. I'd tried a few of the suggestions already, and all their suggestions too ... no luck. Has me stumped, then again, there is so much to learn.

[Ulysses]

Well, as illogical as it sounds, I've been informed that adding a smooth modifier to the hard edged vertecies somehow turns them into exactly that. Never would have guessed that.

Thanks to everyone.