My advice is to play around a bit with the shapes you prefer. We can also model the shape of the pinch effect by controlling how the vertices are displaced from the surface. Increasing the distance -> more relaxed effect. Decreasing the distance -> sharper effect. On the other side, a smooth effect can be achieved by relaxing the edge position. In order to achieve this result, we have to place the edges close to each other. Sometimes you want to control the sharpness of the pinch effect. We easily built a sort of shield with some basic details. Note the presence of dense geometry in the areas where we want a pinch effect. Use your common sense to start with a decent mesh. If you start with a dense topology, you’ll have difficulties creating a nice effect. Note: While modeling this effect, always consider working with a manageable poly count. In this case, notice the high edge density where we want to show the effect. Here’s another example of a pinch effect on two different areas of the model. Original shape at the right, modified shape at the left. The effect will be mostly visible on the specular reflections.

Despite having a different topology now, say you need to create a pinch effect that serves some detailing purpose. Consequently, we left a bigger space at the center. We translated some of the edges up and some others down. Let’s consider the following example: A simple geometry. If the purpose is to create those details, we’ll need to break the rules just a bit!

Nevertheless, it might happen that you want to add a few details, such as a hard edge on a curved surface or a pinch effect on a particular area. That’s true every time you model an object. We said that we want a clean topology where polygons have to be evenly spaced. In our previous editions, we talked about edge distribution. Here’s what we’re going to learn in this section: However, if you haven’t read parts 1 and 2 yet, I encourage you to have an in-depth look at those, as well. I highly recommend reviewing part 3, as it teaches you a standard workflow you should apply to your projects. You also learned how to plan your modeling from some reference images and how to evaluate your poly count as you work. In the previous issue of this series, we explained the importance of building a robust 3D model by starting from basic shapes and developing incremental details. Welcome back to our 3D modeling series where we’ll learn the most important aspects and best practices for today’s modeling industry standards. Use edge distribution to model details, and discover how to fix potential problems with your 3D model before delivering your work.

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