What is really possible with T-Splines.....

[PhilProcarioJr]

So some coworkers keep talking about how limited T-Splines usefulness is. To be honest it's not limitations of T-Splines or Fusion it's the person using them and their knowledge of the tools. I have even seen post here on the boards downing on T-Splines. 

So anyways a friend challenged me to a bet, he claims I can not get the orc head model from Topogun into Fusion 360 as a CAD model fully editable. The head is made up of over a million polygons. Almost 2 million. Here is what the highres model looks like.

The challenge was two fold:

1st part is to model the head using only Fusion 360 and that's what I am going to post today. 

2nd part is I can use whatever tools I have as long as I end up with a fully editable CAD model.

So anyways here is what I came up with after 3 hours in Fusion Sculpt environment using just T-Splines.

Here is a video showing that the T-Spline mesh is fully editable:

I am not happy with this at all but I think it's a good start. More to come....

Cheers

[PhilProcarioJr]

[PhilProcarioJr]

Finished up the DPH2000 model to show the boss....

[PhilProcarioJr]

Back to work on my skeleton project...

[PhilProcarioJr]

Finished up the hands, assembly now has 137 completed bones. Each bone has a B-Rep, a T-Spline and a solid model.

[PhilProcarioJr]

More progress...

[PhilProcarioJr]

Finshed the scapula....

[Anonymous]

Amazing Phil. Thanks so much for sharing! I really like the hitch work you've done. Are you guys casting these hitches at work?

Sort of off topic from your post intent but Id love to see if you have some feedback on this, I am wondering if you might have found or seen some great T-spline tutorials around the web that you'd personally recommend for new folks to T-splines. I have seen some around YouTube, just curious to hear your personal recommendations if any.

Thanks a lot Phil

Cheers!

[PhilProcarioJr]

@Anonymous

Thanks Chris, we forge these hitches at work. If I remember on Tuesday I might get some pictures of the process. 

As far as tutorials go, I haven't really seen any that I like or approve of yet. Some are ok but I feel they teach a lot of bad habits and incorrect work flows. The tools themselves right now are very simplistic so there really isn't much to learn there. As far as the modeling goes watch tutorials on Sub-D modeling you will learn real good practices and what to do and what not to do from those. The only ones I have found that are ok IMO is the ones found here.

http://www.tsplines.com/step-1.html

They are not Fusion specific but a good start. I'm working on training for T-SPlines now, but not sure when it will be ready. Sorry I can't be of more help then that, but I am pushing the boundaries with T-Splines and there really isn't any training to do what I am doing.

Most of the information on the web about T-Splines isn't going to help you much because everyone seems to be missing the point of T-Splines....T-Splines are not a stand alone tool, the real power from them comes from hybrid modeling using other apps, solid, and surfacing tools together. So to really see what T-Splines can do for your work you need to incorporate them into all the other tools on hand. Since all the tutorials use only T-Spline tools your actually very very limited in what you can do with them using those methods. That's another reason I don't care for the training that's out there.

Cheers

[Anonymous]

Thanks Phil. I will definitly have a look at that 🙂

[PhilProcarioJr]

@Anonymous

To be honest I have never watched a T-Spline tutorial all the way through...let me explain why. As soon as the tutorial does something I know is wrong or bad I'm done and shut it off.

I have learned everything I know about T-Splines from my experience in Sub-D modeling. So look to Sub-D for all your answers.

[Anonymous]

I will see what I can come up with 🙂 Is Sub-D something that can be used within Fusion 360? Or is it more of a technique

[TrippyLighting]

Modeling with Subdivision Surfaces and with T-Splines is vere similar.

This video is for modeling with T-Splines in Rhino. T-Splines Inc. referenced in the video was bought by Autodesk.

[PhilProcarioJr]

@Anonymous

It's a method of modeling, a technique if you will.

Sub-d modeling is not in Fusion at all, It is however in Blender (Free), Maya, Max, Modo, Lightwave.... and you can do Sub-d modeling in that and import the .obj file into Fusion and convert it into a T-SPline. Unfortunately you can only create simple models with the current tools in Fusion UNLESS you want to spend a lot of hours working on a model. Don't get me wrong you can create basic stuff fast and easily, but really complex forms are out unless you want to commit a lot of time.

[PhilProcarioJr]

@Anonymous

The real question is what do you really want to work on? What do you want to do with T-Splines?

[Anonymous]

Initial thoughts are along the lines of vehicle bodies, Custom parts (like your hitch sort of method where you used solid objects joined with tsplines), jewelry, possibly simple characters with minimal details.

[PhilProcarioJr]

More work on the ribcage...

[PhilProcarioJr]

[PhilProcarioJr]

Once again I had to prove to a co-worker something could be done with T-Splines. He said I couldn't make a 55 gallon drum shape using all quads with only Fusion and T-Splines. He said the top would have to have triangles or it would leave weird artifacts. I tried to tell him it wouldn't..anyways here was the results.

[TrippyLighting]

You need to send those "experienced" co-workes to the Blender forum for them to see how some 16 year old kids run circles around them modeling all sort of technical geometry using all quads.

It's a pretty humbling experience 😉

[PhilProcarioJr]

@TrippyLighting

Everyday I deal with these guys I think why do I stay here....lol I feel like a doctor with a burger flipping job.