Facade Modeling Help.

[296197043]

www.nbbj.com_Tencent_Convention_N15_screenview.jpg 

How to model the gradual poly extrusion effect in the link.

Give me some hint. Do i need to use some tools like "data channel" (barely know) or "Morpher with Vol.Select"( how to achieve the stepped effect), or soft selection with extrude by local normal (i failed).

Thanks for your help and time.

[RobH2 · Accepted solution]

Sometimes there isn't really a good automatic way to do these kinds of objects and it's often faster to just do it manually. You could make a cylinder with the correct size subdivisions and just extrude out each stepped face, one-oat-a-time. There aren't that many that are stepped really. Shouldn't take an hour even I wouldn't think. 

[296197043]

Thanks. It's  of precious professional point of view. And in conceptual design phase, using something at disposal that make work done in time is way more practical than vague technical explorations. 

Meanwhile, I've thought of another way. Unroll the surface, make the subdivisions and roll it back onto the surface. This prevents adjacent faces cracked open at common vertex if  extruded from the round surface.  I'll try it out when I get back to computer.

[RobH2]

Whatever it takes to trigger new ways to achieve an effect, the end goal is to succeed in creating the mesh/model that works for the project. Sounds like you might have found something that can work for you. 

[dmitriy.shpilevoy]

I also think it's easier to do by hand in this case, but lets assume you would have to do this for thousands of faces.

- My hacky convoluted approach would be to flatten the area you want to extrude first or maybe create new mesh where each face is detached as element with a script.

- Export its unwrap template and create a mask from it.

- Use that for displacement. Vertices are at the borders and are being affected by few different shades at once so I Inset all faces until it works. Select all borders and delete it to get rid of excessive geometry.

- Then I would try to conform it directly or via skinWrapping to simplified mesh that gets conformed.

[RobH2]

This will sound like a strange way to offer as a solution when on a Max Forum but knowing the fees and budgets involved with architecture, there is often room to have funds to invest in tools. We all use various tools. We can't expect Max to do everything imaginable. Sometimes there are other programs we use and they become integral in our workflow where Max might be the anchor but many others participate. 

I'd recommend looking at Rhino and its Grasshopper plugin. It's made specifically to do parametric architectural design, exactly what you are trying to do. Rhino is not that expensive and it's a fantastic CAD alternative should you need that now and again. Have a look at this for some inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=grasshopper+parametric+design