I downloaded this human model https://grabcad.com/library/human-body-model-joints-for-fusion360-1 .
I've been using for a couple years, and I know it pretty well. What I would like to do is make the trunk more feminine. Right not it is pretty boxy. However, I can't figure out how he made this. I have studied Fusion 360 Forms, and am continuing to learn about forms, but I can't see to get this kind of shape with forms alone. Do you know how he made this?
This might have been created in Sub-D modeling (similar to Forms in Fusion), but then converted into a NURBS model.
Without the original Sub-D model this is difficult to edit.
@crpikeinportland wrote:
... question is whether there are other programs that might make this job easier than Fusion, for this purpose.?
Yes, but that depends on your experience.
Form modeling in Fusion is very intuitive, but sometimes can be clunky for people that have experience in other tools.
I have used Blender for almost 20 years so I am comfortable with many of it's modeling tools and keyboard shortcuts. For beginners or for occasional users I would not recommend it, because it has a significantly steeper learning curve than Fusion.
Also, a lot of people assume that "a different software" will make things easier, but ignore the limitations in their skill set!
If you can share your model, I can analyze it a d perhaps provide feedback on what to improve.
What you are attempting to model falls under the category of character modeling. You'll find excellent tutorials for this looking for character modeling tutorials for maya, MoDo, Blender and others. Different tools, but similar modeling concepts. THe key word here is topology. That is what most users new to Sub-D and Form modeling struggle with.
I stand by what I said. Watch tutorials on how to model a human body.
Maya is widely used, so is Blender.
Don't focus n the tools. Focus on the mesh layout, the arrangements of vertices, edges and faces, otherwise also known as mesh topology.
You might start with a cylinder and then push/pull vertices to the desired shape. Model 90% in box view mode.
You need to start walking before you can start running!
You can start with a cylinder and see how far you get with that. You have not even scratched the surface of form modeling and a cylinder is fine for a start.
I had linked to a tutorial in my post under "mesh topology" . Watch that 😉
It goes over the torso topology for a male and female body.
@crpikeinportland wrote:
... my current strategy, which is making individual faces with forms, and then trimming. ...
That can work for certain things, but I would anticipate that you'll run into limitations with that approach.
@crpikeinportland wrote:
Do you think the original version made this with a mesh? (I have doubts.)
What are your doubts based on?
It is possible that the initial shape was created with NURBs surfaces, by directly manipulating the NURBS control points. However, that isn't possible in Fusion.
That's possible in Rhino, or in Plasticity.
There is a nice Blender quad-mesh model of a female torso on BlendSwap, a community exchange site for Blender models.
This does not require any Blender specific tools and can be modeled wit the Form modeling tools in Fusion.
@crpikeinportland wrote:Do you think the original version made this with a mesh? (I have doubts.)
What are your doubts based on?
I should say that I"ve never worked with meshes, so my comments are getting out of my scope of knowledge. But if you were to try to recreate the original version with a mesh, would you put four vortices where I have arrows? Dont the faces of a mesh have to be flat?
