Extruding and resulting faces with zero map area

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to Maya, and have been trying to keep all models that I create be as clean as possible, but the extrude tool seems to be consistently giving me issues with creating areas with zero map area anytime that I preform an extrusion. Is there any way to avoid this? Manually fixing by using the append to polygon tool works, but is laborious. I believe that I simply must be doing something wrong when modelling, but I have no idea what. Here is what my approach has been to date:

I create an object, say a cube, for example

In the channel box I modify the inputs as needed (dimensions and subdivisions), or add edge loops when needed

I select face mode and select the face(s) that I wish to extrude and then extrude them

I then exit the extrude tool and select mesh cleanup (select matching polygons) tool and check all options

the result always highlights any extrude that I have done (save perhaps, if I have extruded from edge selection rather than a face selection)

Any help in regards to this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

hi, add an image please,

maybe when you extrude you hit 2 times, making an hidden extrusion.
try use the vertex face, visualization, hold down right on mesh and choose vertexface.
can you see the lines between the faces?
these are overlapped vertex that make a face with 0 width.
Select all the vertex of the mesh and hit mergevertex witha proper threshold.
this will merge the vertex and delete the hidden face.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the response. Here is a screenshot of a simple face extrusion from a simple polygon cube:

As you might be able to see from the screen shot, I have the cleanup tool set to highlight matching polygons, and the problem faces are highlighted in the UV editor as edges. My primary question is what am I doing incorrectly when extruding? I usually just delete the faces and then use the append to polygon tool to ‘fix’ the issue, but it takes a lot of time and creates a mess in the UV editor.
My personal belief is that I just don’t understand something about the cleanup tool, extrusions, or the UV editor, but I don’t know what it is that I am missing.
Thanks again

[Anonymous]

cant see your screenshot , where it is?

the uv cant mess up your extrusion. no way.
try reset your extrude setting.  open the option menu and hit edit-reset settings.
create a simple plane and try extrude a face,

maybe your model have some non-manifold structure that mess up.

maya should not be so painful but sometime it is.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Thanks for the info. Hopefully you will be able to see the screenshot now. I believe that you may have slightly misunderstood what I meant, and I failed to articulate my concerns adequately.

I am trying to create clean meshes, and I believe (rightly or wrongly) that in order for that to happen, the cleanup tool should not detect any issues. I am currently under the impression that because the extrusions I do are highlighted by the cleanup tool, I am doing something fundamentally wrong, but I don't know what.

With regards to the UV editor, I am not having any issues with it, but when I append to poly the highlighted areas in the screenshot, the resultant faces are entirely separate from the cube UV shell. (see second screenshot) I guess I'll just have to stitch the faces back onto the cube UV shell. 

With regards to extrusions, is it normal for them to have zero map area, and if not, what am I doing wrong, and how do I prevent this issue going forward?

Thanks

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

ooooooook man
now thats clear.

Its perfectly normal.
the "clean up" highlights your faces because they have 0 area
if you scroll down the setup, you can see the option.

Dont worry of your uv until you completely done with the model.
they dont have to be costantly perfect, neither have the cleanup be clean all the time.
Usually when you model complex things , you will have to make things that are qualified as "errors".

After the extrusion , try hit the automatic uv mapping.
the command will make a new projection of your uv and they will have all more than 0 area,
so the highligh will not occur. (will occur only if you have the error i shown you before)

Dont count too much on clean-up , for a really big amount of problem he will not detect it.
modelling is an art XD

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for the clarifications.

this has been driving me nuts for too long