Pencap,
I find nothing wrong with your Line02 object except at the top toward the front
you should have 2 vertices instead of just one.
All of the places where two interior lines "intersect" you should have
two vertices. If you only have one, the Surface modifier will fail to create a
surface. You should also have 2 vertices where an interior spline meets the
outside contour. Again, if you do not, the Surface modifier will fail to make a
surface.
Let's look at things a little different.
You said: "so i click on connect only. but to my surprise it still creates
a new vertex on top of the other one at both vertices."
Yes, this is the correct behavior.
"so what i ve got is two new vertices which are connected."
No, they are not connected, but they are coincidental (occupy the same XYZ
space).
"i was trying to weld but that doesnt work either."
Correct. You cannot weld vertices that occur in the middle of one spline to the
vertices in another spline. You can only Weld vertices that occur at the end of
a spline: the first vertex or the last vertex, to the first vertex or the last
vertex of another spline.
Basic concepts:
1. A Spline may have any number of vertices, but to be usable it must have at
least two.
2. The vertices between the first and last vertex, define the Segments.
3. Spline cannot branch. There is no such thing as a Y-shapes or X-shaped
spline. You can have multiple splines create a Y or X shape, but you cannot do
it with only one.
Demonstration:
1. Open your file (I find it easier to Winzip the max file and post it directly
here).
2. Select the other chess pieces and press the Delete key on the keyboard.
The're just in the way.
3. Select your Line01 object.
4. In the Modifier panel, choose Surface from the drop down list.
5. In the Parameters for the Surface modifier, check Flip Normals.
6. Right-click on the Front viewport label and choose Smooth+Highlights.
7. Right-click on the Front viewport label again and choose Edged Faces.
At this point the surface modifier has created a surface in all the areas except
the top of the nose. This is where you are missing a vertex in the outer profile
spline.
8. In the Modifier panel, turn off the light-bulb icon to the left of the
Surface modifier (it is now inactive). You will see all your splines again.
9. In the Front viewport, Zoom in on the area where the Surface modifier left
the hole.
10. Go to Vertex sub-object mode and window select the vertex at the top of the
nose where the hole was. Notice at the bottom of the Selection rollout, the
status reads: "Spline 2/Vert 7 Selected." In other words, there is
only one vertex.
11. Choose the Move tool and move the vertex. Notice there is not another one on
the spline that forms the outside contour of the object. This is an error in
modeling. You need to fix it so the Surface modifier will work correctly.
12. Click the Refine tool, and create a vertex on the top part of the nose
profile. Turn off Refine.
13. The vertex you moved should still be selected. If not, select it and move it
so it is on top of the one you just created with the Refine tool.
14. Window select both vertices. The status line in the Selection rollout will
read "2 Vertices Selected"
15. In the Geometry rollout, click on the Fuse button. The vertices will jump a
little. Now the two are coincidental.
16. Click on Line in the modifier stack window to exit sub-object mode.
17. Click on Surface to return to the top of the stack and turn the Surface
modifier back on.
Your horse now has a complete surface.
Tim Wilbers
[Forum Assistant]
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Visual Arts
University of Dayton, Ohio, USA
http://www.udayton.edu/
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