[Quick Tutorial] Art of Forerunner Beginner

To start this out, let me say, the cut tool is your best friend with forerunner stuff.

This tutorial will hopefully teach you how to add details to your creations.

This is an old trick mass and tweek taught me a while ago, which I passed on to rooster, so why not teach all you people.

To start, load up MS paint. Goto the line tool.

Now this will allow you to distinguish 45 and 90 degree angles from other angles, for cutting in max. Even if youre not sure where Im going with this just try to bear with me.

Drag a line and try to get it on a 45 degree angle. Now if you get it dead on, youll notice that the line will become straighter and straighter as you approach 45 or 90 degrees, and will become less straight as you shy away from that.

Youll see this is a very jagged not 45 degree angle line.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...otstraight.jpg

As opposed to this, which is 45 degrees and is perfectly straight.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...c/straight.jpg

Now go into max. Hit up the cut tool. Go into a viewport that is staring the polygon you are cutting this detail into dead on. This is the same basis, the line will become straight to show when its on a 45 degree angle. Now extrude away or whatever you wanted to do with this detail.

Other tools

Chamfer : Probably the most useful of all tools when it comes to forerunner. Looks especially good on doorways.

Extrude : This will be a very commonly used tool for the cutting method.

Bevel : This is a tool you should rarely touch. It can create good looking nooks with the cut method, for lights and other accessories.

Inset : Another tool you should rarely touch. This rarely looks good and should be avoided. Or use it and chamfer the edges to create a different shape than the polygon your insetting. You should usually avoid this and instead use cut.

Angle snaps : This is the most accurate method of creating forerunner angles as it is perfectly dead on. Not to say the cut method is innacurate, its not like youre going to be able to tell the difference ingame or in the model.

This video demonstrates the angle snap : http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/selentic/?action=view¤t=maniacs_angles_thing.flv

This is good for creating the starts of forerunner pillars and such.

Thanks for the video maniac.

The Mirror tool : This is another amazingly useful tool for reflecting forerunner geometry around a circular mirror.

Angles : These are the most important part of forerunner designs. Follow these at all times.

Angles to use 15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees.

15 is very rarely used, other than for circular forerunner works.

Yay, never knew about angle snaps, thanks.

... I know someones going to say I'm wrong probably, but heres my opinion. I never really ever ever, ever once looked at a forerunner structure and analyzed what type of "angles" they use... I don't think there really is an exact angle that they do use... its how the angles are put together to create a certain design flow which makes them forerunner. I go by off of what I see with the majority of what I make not by measurements (unless I'm trying to create something to scale or actually make an exact copy of something, but when I'm being creative I rarely ever measure anything) Theres more to it then just following specific angle measurements, its how the entire structure flows as a whole. I know I might sound like I'm just talking jibber jabber, or artistic mumbo jumbo, but its true. If you want to recreate a forerunner structure that already exists, then sure go right ahead and start measuring.

If you want to actually create your own forerunner structure, analyze as many forerunner buildings and structures as possible. Understand how everything is laid out in relation to each other. Sure there may be some commonly used angles, but there is no rule that says you have to use those angles. Just be observant of your own work, don't pull wool over your own eyes for the sake of saving time, take a step back, compare your work to actual forerunner structures and you should see what your doing wrong and what your doing right, what works and what doesn't.

I think some people over analyze stuff like this too much, its really as simple as just observing.

E.

\/ knew someone would disagree, at least once...

Actually apocalypse, You really do need to use these angles for it to be considered "forerunner" but i agree with what your saying, it needs to flow right. I don't see much point in doing everything to the exact measurement, but i usually do anyways. There is more to it than using those angles though, you have to have the artistic ability to create interesting shapes and structures.

No. Chamfer sucks because beginners abuse it and don't know how to make it uniform.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by selentic

Inset : Another tool you should rarely touch. This rarely looks good and should be avoided. Or use it and chamfer the edges to create a different shape than the polygon your insetting. You should usually avoid this and instead use cut.

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Can I just ask why I should avoid using inset? Why should I use the cut tool to make a door seem when I could just as easily use inset and save myself the trouble? Does it mess up the geometry or something?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MERC Storm

Can I just ask why I should avoid using inset? Why should I use the cut tool to make a door seem when I could just as easily use inset and save myself the trouble? Does it mess up the geometry or something?

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Inset generally either fucks up geometry, or makes extremely boring shapes.

It will look a lot better if you create new interesting shapes with the cut tool over just insetting and extruding.

Oh, cool. I'll have to give that a shot. My main problem with cutting is that it's hard for me to make everything uniform, that's why I usually use inset.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MERC Storm

Oh, cool. I'll have to give that a shot. My main problem with cutting is that it's hard for me to make everything uniform, that's why I usually use inset.

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Which is what the mirror tool is for :cop:

Create one half of the door, then make it into its own polygon, then mirror it across the middle of the wal where it would go in.

Would you say that its ok to make the door shape as a separate object then boolean it in? Thats what i usually do for my forerunner doors because it helps me easily create forerunner door shapes using the angle snaps and not having to touch the cut tool. i mean, its ok as long as you know how to use boolean right and can clean up after it right?

I guess, but it sounds like it would be a lot more work :/