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]

@daniel_lyall

PM me some info.

[PhilProcarioJr]

The skull has by far been the hardest to make into a CAD model....it's not done but I am making good progress...

[PhilProcarioJr]

[brianrepp]

Dang - making great progress!  Looks like you will be done just in time for Halloween? 🙂

[PhilProcarioJr]

@brianrepp

I don't know if it will be done by then or not...still have a lot left to do. 

Working on the teeth now...

[0502880]

Hi Phil!

Nice to see new parts to your skeleton project! I just wonder, how much you have used all other tools than Fusion to model that skull? Or has it been possibble with Fusion sculpt tools? Will you tell us, how many hours you have used to model that skull?

Thank's!

Rgds

Juha

[PhilProcarioJr]

@0502880

While it is completely possible to model this skull in Fusion it's was faster to get the bulk of the work done in Maya. I started out in Fusion with a quad ball and pushed the basic forms into place so I had an accurate size, after that I exported the control cage and refined it farther. The skull in these pics is about 80% done. The final phase for the skull will be done in Zbrush then brought back into Fusion. 

Cheers

[PhilProcarioJr]

[PhilProcarioJr]

Finished up the rib cage now all that is left is the top bones in the spine and the teeth...

[PhilProcarioJr]

So I hear a lot "you used other apps to create this and it was not done entirely in Fusion...so I decided to take a stab at an entire human form done solely in T-Splines.

This is still a very early block form and is by no means finished. I would say I have about 40 hours in this so far...

I know it still needs a lot of work but I figured I would share it anyways.

About 20 years ago I took a course on modeling a human form that was designed to be done in Maya, following the same methods used in that course I box modeled this with T-Splines in Fusion.

[colin.smith]

I'm no specialist on human modeling but that looks pretty **** good to me..

[PhilProcarioJr]

@colin.smith

Thanks Colin for the kind words.

T-Splines saves the day again. Creating realistic welds. The video took 5 min because I did it slow, but honestly you can create welds in less then a min.

[LMD001]

Hi Phil,

As usual, another really clever idea!

Best regards,

Ludo

[PhilProcarioJr]

@LMD001

The nice thing about this in addition to having an accurate model for product renders you also have a way to show welds in your drawings.

[colin.smith]

Okay, that is a pretty smart use of T-Splines. 

[PhilProcarioJr]

@colin.smith

I know I have said this a thousand times but T-Splines are so underrated and under used. People have no idea what can be done with them or how to use them.

I have tried to raise awareness so more people would push for further development of them but it seems it's falling on deaf ears. Almost everyday I see people asking how something can be done with surfacing or solids when in reality they should be looking to T-Splines. 

I guess it's just because there isn't much information on how to use them...I don't know.

There are so many tools that could be developed with them that would add functionality that no other CAD apps have and yet they sit there collecting dust....

It's a huge waste IMO...sad really...

[Anonymous]

Why do you think they were added to fusion?
It seems like it was acquired. Then just left!
Or is this the wrong idea?

[PhilProcarioJr]

@Anonymous

It was my understanding that they would be used for surfacing rather then the conventional surfacing tools. One of the dev team can correct me if I'm wrong.

The patch environment was not meant to be a surfacing environment, it was literally meant to patch areas on a model. That's why they called it "Patch", but somewhere along the line customers were requesting other features like sheet metal..etc so the "Sculpt" environment has sat pretty stagnant aside for minor tweaks and performance.

That's why there are not any major projects to add to T-splines being worked on...people aren't asking for it..well no one aside from me...

[colin.smith]

@PhilProcarioJr, actually that isn't correct.  We had always intended to offer a combination of traditional CAD solid and surface modeling tools as well as T-Spline (SUBD) modeling for quick iteration/organic shape modeling. You are correct about the history behind the "Patch" workspace, in Inventor Fusion it was a simple surfacing workspace for doing quick and easy fixes to CAD models.  We will be enhancing the functionality in the Patch workspace (including changing the name to Surface at some point) as we have heard from our field team and customers that they still rely on traditional surfacing in some modeling projects. 

Colin

[Anonymous]

@colin.smith

is there any plans to continue the Tspline work space. Or will it just be developed for rhino?