Cineversity

I’ll certainly send it when I’ve finished the outer most plastic, needle and cover. Not complex but I’ve other things on my plate.

There are some additional details I may or may not concern myself with. That won’t affect surfaces though so once the basics are complete I will “most happily” send it along.

Again, Thank you so Dr. Sassi.
Randy

Thanks for the feedback, Randy, you’re very welcome.

I have set up a few materials, so you can get a first impression.

Project file:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/Fj628D30lITZw1W7VjcY3GXQG63oItYXOJ233YxsxQ5

Please have a look at it. If it turns out that these qualify as a proper starting point for your project, you can either use:
File> Merge to get the whole scene, or open the project file from the Material menu, which will give you only the Materials.
Material Manager> Create> Load Materials.

Enjoy

Thanks Dr. these are great. I have somewhat of a grip on surfaces from my other 3D work. I’m not new to 3D just new to Cinema. Seems my whole career I’ve been chasing/learning the hottest 3D apps and am always playing catch up. I started in the 80’s with the Alias Wavefront. I went through the usual list but once I found Cinema I was blown away at the ease of use - by comparison. Still completely confused by node material generation. I’ve never taken classes so that’s probably my biggest problem.

Anyway I have a fair amount of pre-built surfaces I use for most of my work but I’m just not getting that translucent plastic quite right. I know lighting plays a big part. Anyway, I’m starting to throw some on now and it’s taking shape. I’ll send you a render when I think I’m close. Could all change when I use it in the actual animation (you know how that goes).

Until then here’s a video of the actual syringe which may help you see what the actual surfaces look like.
https://youtu.be/GeQj9NkaJ3A

Thank you again.
Randy

Look what I found. Very well done. This is from the manufacturer https://youtu.be/oZ_BT0RvGbU we’re a medical supply company that uses this product so I don’t have access to this model. They’re also showing a glass like surface but as you can see from the previous link it’s not glass at all.

Should I send the model as it exists to your drop box? I tried to Boole a hole through the finger grip section for the plunger and it worked fine but left the inside hollow. I used the Polygon pen to try and connect the opposing edges but the cut resulted in extraneous points that weren’t a match so I welded them together and I’m getting some subtle deformation on the flat section nearest the thumb ring end.

I could probably use some advice on a better way to do that. I’ve flatted out the modeled parts but saved all the raw geometry under a Null object - a tip I learned the hard way.

Thanks again.
Randy

You’re welcome, Randy, thanks for the reply.

Thanks for sharing your background. This makes it a little bit easier to reply. However, since I answer in a forum with a wide variety of experience regarding Cinema 4D, I indeed share more details or background information that you might need. Please never take my replies as an estimation of your skills or knowledge. As with tutorials, it is challenging to meet everyone’s expectations. Many people read along, who might never ask directly.

Yes, that semi-clear plastic, so far I could see it from the video (thanks for the link), has kind of a little fog in it. I played with the Fog channel a little bit, but though the Subsurface Scattering might be better. You be the judge. Or just add a layer in the reflectance to it, Lambertian (Diffuse). Such material is typically more soft, and has a very low refraction index.

Project file:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/ObSLKt7Y7lbLJ2f3jMQDtwZfGpbTWwY7SSzfuY6eY74

The more transparent a material is, the more the environment is key. Like with water, if there is no air inside, or even dirt, not reflections, you could not see it, except for the refraction, which is again – a dependency to context.

Node-based materials are not required but useful. It has a learning curve for sure and many advantages. It splits everything into small parts, and the information is then connected among all of them, but once a piece of information is given, it can be used all over the place. Like feeding the same image into many channels, while treading that information perhaps differently for each channel. A change on that source (or maybe a noise node), and all is updated instantly.
Besides, this node system here goes way deeper into the application. Deeper means here that an application interface is between the code and the artist. If it is closer to the artist, the GUI is simpler, if it is closer to the code, it is typically more complex. This complexity allows for more control. In Cinema 4D, you have several layers (or depth) based on the different options.

Yes, during production and close to the deadline, change will happen. I would wonder if not.

Enjoy your weekend.

P.S.: I have left the DropBox Link active for now. Please feel free to upload you file. I will have a look into it.

The model and surfaces are coming along nicely - mostly due to your council. I’ll send the file when I feel it’s at a point where I can use it in my current project.

I have to stay withing production parameters (budget) so although there will always be areas that could use refinement I’m confident it’s nearing a point where it will be more than acceptable.

I can’t thank you enough for your help through this modeling/surfacing experience. I’ve learned quite a bit.

Respectfully,
Randy Cates

You’re very welcome, Randy Cates, thanks for the nice feedback.

Yes, to hit the sweet spot of time investment and details in a model is indeed a target.

On the other end, the client often has not the 1600% view that we have.

(1600%  is a term that I used with a friend to make sure we do not justify our work when it is highly magnified. It is easy to get lost, and perfection is never reached anyway. If our initial idea of perfection has been reached, the idea to define the next level of perfection has been established already. One never catches up…).

In the JET series here on Cineversity, I tried to discuss as well the point, “what you get away with”, as production schedules are often more or less impatient.

Have a great start into your week, stay safe, stay healthy.

I tried sending a note with an image along with a file from the project inquiring about how to reduce the number of polygons in a curve - I used the boolean tool to cut some slits around the edge of the plastic tube and want to apply a small bevel but there are way too many polys.

I’ll try sending the image and this tubular file again.

Thanks for the image, Randy Cates, very much appreciated.

I have sent a new upload link. I like to close things after a while, it feels safer. Sorry about the wasted time on your side.

Have a great day!

No worries. I’m just grateful for your help.

RC

Thanks, Randy Cates, very kind of you.

I have explored the files, and if you have a question, I’m happy to look into it.

Thanks for sharing, and the image looks really good.

Cheers

P.S.: I got the image with the milky plastic. Looks great.

Thank you.

My question is on the Inner Tube model (separate file uploaded to drop box) is stitch and sew the way to marry polys together along the inner curve where I boolean that cut? It has too many polygons to do a bevel. It seems there must be a faster way than selecting individual polygos and using that tool.

I sent another image via drop box. I added a transparent color of 225, 225, 225 to the material called Cyc Material and applied it just to the Outer Tube. It has more of that translucent plastic look I think.

I’m moving forward building bump maps to get those small holes (one has a “4”) on the side of the finger section.

Thank you
Randy

Thanks very pleased (thanks to you). I think if I can get that question answered I’d like to swap the plastic tubes with the cut out version.

At this point I think we can close this thread. I’m at a point where the client has seen this and is very pleased.

I can’t tell you how much you are valued in this forum.

Randy

Hi Randy,

I have mentioned it often, I can work with scene files so much more. Thanks for sharing them with me.

It is also easy to put the Boole work into question. It fails more often than not with anything that is curved in a different direction of A and B.

However, to model those objects manually instead looks rather cumbersome. Well, as the saying is, anything can be done, if broken done in do-able steps. So, I have recreated this inner-tube. Please note that I worked with a scale 10 times larger than yours; it just feels more comfortable and can be scaled done quickly.

Here are the three files, saved at each “milestone” of the modeling. I tried to be very careful to show every step, despite this, it took five minutes to create. No beveling needed based on the subdivision of the polygons. I call these close to the edge elements “supportive-edges” as they stop the pull of the Subdivision Surface. It is standard practice, I would say, for two decades.

Files and screen capture
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/o6656MkIYenV18kzixcFewMVBLaIC4PdgkSQmu3ReRz

All the best