YOUR CG PROBLEMS SOLVED

Amy Knowles, UK

This month, how to create stitching in 3ds Max

Adding a stitching pattern to your geometry can be a simple process that helps to add a higher level of detail and realism to your creations. By adding a stitching pattern, you are communicating to the viewer that you have placed a great deal of thought into the overall reality of your environment.

It is very important when creating a model that you think about its actual construction. In the real world, constructed objects have seams and stitching. These tell a story of construction and materiality, which is a necessary reality that should not be ignored when making models.

The best way to add realism to your environment is by giving some indication as to how the objects within it are made. No matter how crazy or unique your creations are, once you explain to the viewer that your reality is actually possible, you have suspended their disbelief and you have them pretty much hooked.

This takes a little advanced planning on your part. Therefore, when modelling your geometry, try and think ahead. Think about where the seams and stitching will be placed, and adjust your model accordingly. Personally, I like to start with a clean piece of geometry, and then divide it up into smaller sections. These smaller sections represent the different pieces that will be stitched together in order to create one larger piece.

Once I have divided the sections, I create a seam, or in this case simply fillet the edges between two or more sections. For this part, it is good to look at some reference images in order to decide exactly which type of seam you wish to create.

For my example, I choose a simple straight seam with a top stitch as a decorative element. I kept my stitching pretty simple, but if your camera view is more of a macro shot, add more detail.

To create a stitching pattern, you only need two basic components: the stitch and the stitch path. The stitch will be a separate piece of geometry and the stitch path will be extracted from your existing geometry – allowing the stitch to follow the exact contours of your geometry.

To add the stitching, I will be using the Spacing Tool in the Extras tool palette in 3ds Max. You may need to load the palette into your interface by right-clicking the ribbon and activating it. The Spacing tool is a sub-tool located within the Array button. It arrays your stitch geometry along a given path at an interval you select.