Modeling something mechanical WITHOUT subdivision surfaces.

In this tutorial, I once again show another example of how to model something mechanical without needing to use subdivision surfaces, using direct polygon modeling. This method gives you freedom with large planar regions to use ngons and not needing to dice them up into a patchwork of quads.

Here is the start file:

#blender4 #polygonmodeling #marksharp #hardbodymodeling

[superkaboose]

This was so good, you do things right and properly explain things, it's really refreshing.

[theGoogol]

Excellent. A lot of HSM tutorials on YouTube make too much use of SubD.
No SubD, beveled edges (bevel modifier with weight), sharp edges, isolated geometry, weighted normals, auto smooth and geometry only where needed, I say!
Tutorials like these are gems.

[yessinebellaaj]

Your approach to modeling is very satisfying! Very helpful tips! Thank you Sir!

[davexbit]

What an incredible tutorial!!! This helps me understand what hard surface modeling is and explains so many areas where I didn't fully understand. Thanks for also explaining the surfacing philosophy to enable good consistent radii. I love that the tutorial is nicely paced, clear and free from ego. The software is intimidating enough. The fade in shots of the complete product in between your explanations is also nice. It gives me confidence in what this will look like when I'm done building this and helps keep things moving. What a gem of a tutorial!!! Thank you so much and SUBSCRIBED!!!

[neodidi]

This was so useful... I learnt a lot from this.. I want to do HSM and find jobs in that line, work on them using blender, but subdiv makes it seem difficult, but this, this has given me hope... Thanks for sharing

[tbrg]

One thing I like to do when I am creating bevels, is always make the segment count even. That way, if I want to optimize it as a game or VR asset, I can simply delete every other edge that makes up the total bevel segments. Also, I often use the profile option, and bump it up to somewhere around .60-.70, which create curvature lead-in. This may require larger bevels, but creates an especially nice transition, which works very well for concept modelling. (This avoids the fuss of creating extra ed cuts just outside the bevel.)

[ppsystems]

Really genius the way you are teaching ! and everything feels so easy for you.... I love hard modeling without Subd... thanks a lot !

[hermano]

Still amazed how great that Nizo looks. Dieter Rams would be pleased.

[BenceJBalogh]

I just finished a model that is basically a flat surface with a lot of small extrusions. I didn't use subd, but tried only using quads still. Ended up adding an insane amount of loopcuts, and adding way too much geometry. This solution is so much quicker and makes so much sense

[TheLeonardProduction]

A small tip for anyone having troubles with solid mode having wobbly or imprecise lines, change your "clip start" and "clip end" settings on the view tab of the tool panel. Making the renderable area smaller helps with precision. I dunno if that was going on in certain points in this tutorial, but it's a good tip to be aware of regardless for yall reading the comments ^^

[roni.rsnstn]

Really love this approach and how precise you are. It might just be me, but i feel like there is a discrepancy between the knowledge required to understand this video, and the commentary. What I mean is, to understand the video, you probably need to know about hard surface workflows and have intermediate level experience with 3D modelling, but the commentary (whilst great and detailed) explains every menu and button. Again could just be me, and the video is amazing regardless, it just stuck out. Super impressive either way 🙌

[animatorizwan]

Great Tutorial. I gained confidence to even at time to work without SubD after watching this video. I have a small thought that at 21:18 the bevel function messes up, but if we open up the action menu, if we untick loopslide, it will evenly bevel. I am not sure whether it works in this specific case but I have found it working at time when beveling is uneven.

[jacoborum]

This is just perfect! Thank you so much for this insight, , , 🙌

[bdbjr]

Great video! Haven't really seen many tutorials with this style of modelling, which seems to be quite well practiced here. Would love to see how you approach this style of modeling from the beginning, whether that's creating the start file or some other process. Thanks for the upload!!

[ramyissa]

Nice tip: Instead of using orbit around 3D cursor you can change orbiting method to be around any selected element from preferences. It's very useful actually. Great video btw 👏

[davexmit]

I had the sudden realisation I didn’t need sub div for what I was trying to accomplish, so guides like this are very useful. I just wish normal hardening wasn’t so mystifying at times.

[fadhil]

16:30 Whoa, I've been using Blender for more than 5 years now and I just knew that you can do this. G then B, I was wondering what it was. Then I realized that it is actually quite useful than having to open up the snap tool all the time and change it to vertex snapping. Thanks

[biostarstepa]

I'm using this manual approach every time I'm working with complex and large hard surface objects with a lot of details. Control over bevels is crucial here because Subdivision Surface modifier does it kinda automatically and in most case don't do that in a way we want it. In addition, SS modifier makes a lot of unnecessary geometry. Well, that won't work if we are doing game assets where we have to pay attention to quads and tris (leaving no ngons at all) but for rendering images/animations ngons are by mho life and time savers. Also, unfortunately, I've noticed that most of people don't pay attention to boundary-bevel edges which is usually not noticeable with small objects but when it comes to large flat areas and especially areas with additional details makes a lot of troubles and weird shading. I'd really like everyone in this business watch this video and learn something that seems trivial but actually is very important for entire process of modeling. Most of time beginners are thought to use SS and Auto-Smooth combo when learning modeling but I think that's wrong way to understand geometry and shading issues. Atop of all, that habit is hard to get rid off in later stages.

Anyway, thanx for this great tutorial. Keep good work.

[mineraljunction]

Just found the channel recently after getting back into hard surface and needing some refreshers, so much great stuff here. Really loving this series, I just caught up on the latest episode but wanted to come back and ask something I've been wondering about as the series has gone on - you mention here that planes/polygons don't like having holes in them and that's why we need the loops through the ngons. I'm just wondering if there's a particular reason the loops need to run precisely through the vertical centres of the holes - does the location of these loops have a significant impact on shading and why?

[williamfernandez]

siempre excelente su contenido, gracias, , , ,