Hey guys, I have a few problems (questions, really) for mechanisto. First off, is there a way to apply a texture to a whole group? I am often working with groups of objects that have dozens (and more) of objects, and to apply a shader to each individually takes forever.

Also, what exactly is a lathe and in what situation would you want to use one? From what I can tell, it takes a curve, and turns it into a shape, or something.

Ok, now i need some comments. This is a freighter I am working on. As of now it has no detail - no texture, cockpit, etc - so DO NOT tell me it needs a cockpit or texturing or anything like that. I know that it is not done and I do not need those kind of comments. Here it is:

I need to know if those engines look okay, because they do look a bit odd. How can I make them look better on this ship? I have tried many configurations, but this one looks the best so far. Can someone give me an idea as to how I can add an engine(s) so as to make it look better? Thanks.

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A lathe takes a curve and spins it around an axis - like a glass or something.

The name comes from the metal/wood working industies, a lathe is a machine that spins an object so you can use tools to make it into something cylindrical. Ever wondered how wooden bed posts are made?

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Well, the engines look like they should be smaller. Maybe about 10% smaller.
And I don't know for sure since I don't use Mechanisto, but can't you just select the objects and group them into one object? Strata3d lets you do that, I know.

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So you think it will be okay if I just shrink the engines? I guess it will look alright, if a bit unorthodox.

Yes, in mechanisto you can group objects and size them down or up as one. This is how I set it up - in fact, the engines used to be even bigger, until I sized them down a bit.

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--ares
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Remember that you are a unique individual - just like everybody else.

Ok, I sized the engines down and moved them back. This looks much, much, much better.

Any other suggestions before I give it some texture and detail and post it on the image forum?

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--ares
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Remember that you are a unique individual - just like everybody else.

To apply the textures, you can't. That's one of the disadvantages of Mechanisto. But, it's still a good program.

Another problem with the engines. They are not perfectly cirular. For a fan to spin, it must be circular, otherwise, if oblong, it would cut into the casing. Otherwise, a good model. But, spl_cadet is right. They are too big.

If you need help with the spďns, I can help you. Also, there's a program called Mechanisto Helper on Ambrosia's servers...It would be advisable to use FTP to get there, then go to /pub/ev/utilites/Mechanisto Helper something.sit or so....

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Quote

Originally posted by Madman80513:
**To apply the textures, you can't. That's one of the disadvantages of Mechanisto. But, it's still a good program.

Another problem with the engines. They are not perfectly cirular. For a fan to spin, it must be circular, otherwise, if oblong, it would cut into the casing. Otherwise, a good model. But, spl_cadet is right. They are too big.

If you need help with the spďns, I can help you. Also, there's a program called Mechanisto Helper on Ambrosia's servers...It would be advisable to use FTP to get there, then go to /pub/ev/utilites/Mechanisto Helper something.sit or so....

**

Don't get me wrong -- I love the look of those engines -- but, uh, fans? Wouldn't be much use out of the atmosphere...

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To apply a shader without placing it on every object:
place the objects in a group
apply the shader to the first object, leaving the rest on none
All the grouped objects after the frist one will have the same shader.

To change shaders, change the first one that should be different
all the ones after that will have the different shader.
you can do this as many times as you want.

If my instructions do not make complete sense, expariment untill you understand how it works.

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A lethe is simple a curve that "spins" to create a 3D object. They are kinda hard to master in Mech, read the manual for a more complete answer.

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On the engines, uncheck "remove back faces" in the object settings.

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Why should I uncheck that? It does not affect the image I think, and it improves rendering time.

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--ares
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Remember that you are a unique individual - just like everybody else.

Quote

Originally posted by NNNormal:
To apply a shader without placing it on every object...

I was going to say that! And along with some other advice it's in the new 'general tips' tutorial on my (url="http://"http://home.earthlink.net/~squibix/ev")site(/url). Check it out and tell me more tips I should include.

(oops, mistyped my own url...)

(This message has been edited by Squibix (edited 11-19-2001).)

Quote

Originally posted by ares1:
**Why should I uncheck that? It does not affect the image I think, and it improves rendering time.

**

When you have that unchecked, mechanisto renders the entire engine, including the back of it. This is usefull when you have something like a cylinder without a top, because with this being checked you'd only see your background for the inside of the cylinder. Hopefully this makes sense . .

btw I don't think it would apply to your engines as the back face is pretty much hidden from view by the fans. And it would appear to be black anyway as barely any light gets there in the first place.

I like the ship though, shows a sense of imagination, which I currently can't seem to use . .

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Quote

Originally posted by NNNormal:
**To apply a shader without placing it on every object:
place the objects in a group
apply the shader to the first object, leaving the rest on none
All the grouped objects after the frist one will have the same shader.
.....
**

Hehe! That's why some funky things happened to my shaded objects when I grouped them....Thanks!
But, well, it looks like there are fans in the engines! Anyway, what about the ship in atmosphereic flight? It's a cargo ship, so it has to deliver the cargo it carries! So, an eaasy way would be to land on the planet!

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