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Subject: 3d Tutorial: Model A Nested Dodecahedron For 3D Print


LuxXeon ( ) posted Tue, 07 July 2015 at 10:59 PM · edited Wed, 07 February 2024 at 8:18 AM
Forum Coordinator

In this tutorial I show how to easily and quickly model a fully connected, concentric dodecahedron nest, as a solid, printable object, using the Named Selection Sets feature in 3dsmax.  The techniques shown here utilize basic polygonal modeling principals, and default modifiers and tools.  Using the parametric hedra primitive, we start with a simple truncated dodecahedron, and use edit poly to procedurally build the finished shape.

Thank you for watching, and please don't forget to like the video, and subscribe to my channel for many more like this.  Enjoy!

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LuxXeon ( ) posted Tue, 07 July 2015 at 11:01 PM
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Here's the rendered image of this object, as shown at the beginning of the tutorial.  Rendered with the Corona Render v1.1 engine for 3dsmax.

file_2b24d495052a8ce66358eb576b8912c8.jp

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alexsm ( ) posted Wed, 08 July 2015 at 12:59 AM

interesting result

thank you.


LuxXeon ( ) posted Wed, 08 July 2015 at 9:04 AM
Forum Coordinator

interesting result

thank you.

Thank you.  Glad you enjoyed it.  Let me know how it goes, if you decide to give it a shot.

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maxxxmodelz ( ) posted Wed, 08 July 2015 at 2:33 PM

Personally, i think this is one of the best, if not THE best, example of named selection sets functionality I've seen in a tutorial.  Very practical, and totally saves a ton of time.  It makes total sense too, once you see how a pro is using these features in a real workflow.   This actually gave me some great ideas for other projects where named selection sets might coime in handy as well.


Tools :  3dsmax 2015, Daz Studio 4.6, PoserPro 2012, Blender v2.74

System: Pentium QuadCore i7, under Win 8, GeForce GTX 780 / 2GB GPU.


danielkramerVFX ( ) posted Wed, 08 July 2015 at 5:33 PM

Some good ideas here, but I'm sorry to say, there's a much easier way to do this, without using named selection sets.  If you simply create the dodecahedron, then select the faces you wish to bridge later, you can still exit face mode, copy the object any number of times, and attach the copies.  3dsmax will retain the original face selections through all of these steps as long as you have not altered the original selections.  So when you go back into face mode, all of the copies you have made will still contain same exact face selections as the original object.  The only additional step is to bridge them together.  Extremely simple, and no need for named selection sets at all.

Still, it's a good tutorial to teach people how to create named selection sets, if and when they ever do need to use them for something.  This object, however, does not require them, and using them actually creates a lot more work overall.

- Daniel Kramer
Modeling Supervisor/Senior 3D Generalist
Intrigue Studios, EncoreFX




LuxXeon ( ) posted Wed, 08 July 2015 at 7:27 PM · edited Wed, 08 July 2015 at 7:29 PM
Forum Coordinator

Some good ideas here, but I'm sorry to say, there's a much easier way to do this, without using named selection sets.  If you simply create the dodecahedron, then select the faces you wish to bridge later, you can still exit face mode, copy the object any number of times, and attach the copies.  3dsmax will retain the original face selections through all of these steps as long as you have not altered the original selections.  So when you go back into face mode, all of the copies you have made will still contain same exact face selections as the original object.  The only additional step is to bridge them together.  Extremely simple, and no need for named selection sets at all.

Still, it's a good tutorial to teach people how to create named selection sets, if and when they ever do need to use them for something.  This object, however, does not require them, and using them actually creates a lot more work overall.

Hi, Daniel.  Thanks for replying, and sharing your opinion.  With all due respect, I have to ask, did you actually have the opportunity to test out the strategy you're suggesting as an easier alternative?  If not, I propose you give it a try.  You might notice some real problems with the technique you are advocating. While it is true that 3dsmax will actually retain the sub-object selections you make to the object, even after you clone it several times, and it will indeed transfer those face selections to all the concentric copies, you will encounter some problems once you try to bridge the faces.  This particular object requires only the two interior dodecahedrons to have faces selected on both sides (inner and outer).  You will need to remove, or DE-select, the face selections on the outside of the first dodecahedron object, and the inside faces of the last, or inner-most, dodecahedron clone.  While this may seem simple enough, deselecting these unnecessary faces will need to be done one at a time, in order to maintain all of the other necessary selections.  This part of the process actually takes quite a bit of time; especially when it comes to the faces on the smallest, interior clone.  I actually attempted a procedure very similar to what you suggest, and found it was by far more time-consuming than the technique I lay out in this tutorial.  Actually, creating Named Selection Sets was almost twice as fast, and much more reliable.

In the end, I'm always willing to see alternative techniques to modeling the objects in my tutorials, and I'm happy to concede an easier way, if there is a easier way.  In this case, though, I'm quite confident the technique you are suggesting is not actually faster than the one I'm demonstrating in the video.

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maxxxmodelz ( ) posted Fri, 10 July 2015 at 7:38 PM

Tried Daniel's suggestion, but couldn't finish it.  Once it came down to deselecting all the faces on the smallest object in the middle, I found that I needed to move my viewpoint inside all the other objects, and this caused problems and confusion right away.  Hiding sub-objects can't be done very well if you want to maintain specific poly selections on those same objects.  So you have to maneuver the perspective view around in some very close quarters, and hope you don't make a mistake in the process.  Sure, you can "undo" any errors usually, but every mistake adds to the time it takes to complete the model.  Sorry, Daniel, but it really wasn't faster than the tutorial Lux posted, and got me frustrated enough to call it quits before I finished the model.  Saving selections as luxxeon did in the tutorial just takes away all the stress, and reduces the chance for error.

My question to Luxxeon would be, of course, would be are there any plans on a Blender tutorial for this object?


Tools :  3dsmax 2015, Daz Studio 4.6, PoserPro 2012, Blender v2.74

System: Pentium QuadCore i7, under Win 8, GeForce GTX 780 / 2GB GPU.


airflamesred ( ) posted Sun, 12 July 2015 at 5:51 AM

I tried this and found it fun, thanks Lux. One thing that did occur to me was that once you have the second (smaller) mesh inside, the polys used in the bridge could be added to the first mesh. Delete the smaller mesh and clone scaled down versions. In this case you wouldn't save any time - just a thought.


LuxXeon ( ) posted Sun, 12 July 2015 at 3:13 PM
Forum Coordinator

I tried this and found it fun, thanks Lux. One thing that did occur to me was that once you have the second (smaller) mesh inside, the polys used in the bridge could be added to the first mesh. Delete the smaller mesh and clone scaled down versions. In this case you wouldn't save any time - just a thought.

Thank you, Mark.  I'm not sure I follow exactly what you mean, but I'll give it a try when I have some time.  Would you happen to have a quick video, or illustration, of the technique I could look at?  You're probably correct.  I'm sure there's alternative ways to achieve the shape, based on the package being used.  I'd love to see the process in action, using some different packages. @maxxxmodelz: I'm thinking about a possible Blender companion video, but not entirely sure I will make one.  I was talking to some guys in the Shapeways forum, and they were discussing a few techniques to completing this object in Blender, based on my 3dsmax tutorial.  There are some things which will be very different, of course, but one person came up with a very good alternative technique in Blender, which seems to work well.

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zandar ( ) posted Thu, 16 July 2015 at 7:12 PM

I find this very beautiful, but is not possible, as such, to do in Blender the same way.  Blender can not do bridge like that, and other ways are much longer.  I would like to see if you can do it in Blender of course, but I have my doubts to the finish.  I tried many ways to do, and all fail.  At last, I do manually one face bridge at a time, and take very long.  This is first time I can not repeat your 3dsmax in my Blender. :-((  If you can teach it, I will be very happy to listen.


LuxXeon ( ) posted Fri, 17 July 2015 at 4:50 PM
Forum Coordinator

I find this very beautiful, but is not possible, as such, to do in Blender the same way.  Blender can not do bridge like that, and other ways are much longer.  I would like to see if you can do it in Blender of course, but I have my doubts to the finish.  I tried many ways to do, and all fail.  At last, I do manually one face bridge at a time, and take very long.  This is first time I can not repeat your 3dsmax in my Blender. :-((  If you can teach it, I will be very happy to listen.

Hi, Zandar.  I'm working on a Blender tutorial for this object, and will release the video this weekend.  The procedure is quite different than the 3dsmax tutorial, and will take some extra time to achieve, but Blender is certainly capable of good results here as well.  You are correct in your observations of the Bridge tools in Blender; they do tend to produce unpredictable results when working with multiple selection areas at once.  The native Bridge Edge Loops command simply does not work for this kind of operation at all.  The Bridge tool in the Loop Tools addon is also not perfect, but provides some better results.  I've also been experimenting with a technique that my friend, Mark (airflamesred), suggested earlier in this thread.  That option works nicely for creating this shape in Blender.

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LuxXeon ( ) posted Sat, 18 July 2015 at 2:37 PM
Forum Coordinator

Zandar, have a look in this Blender thread.  Someone else posted a question regarding the creation of this model in Blender, and I give a more detailed answer to it there.  There's a problem with the Blender Bridge function which I outline in more detail there.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/?thread_id=2891609

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