Can't get "Average Weld Tool" to do anything but cause Hexagon to crash. - Polyloop

3DJunkie · 7th April 2006, 06:25

I don't know about the rest of you, but I cannot get two halves of a head I've made with symetry to join at the center seam as per the Hexagon PDF help files or in the tutorial in Mike de la Flor's book Carrara 5 Pro Handbook. I select both halves, choose the Average Weld Tool and, viola!, two heads with a gap down the middle! I've tried increasing the value of the tool distance past .10, but it doesn't stick. Sometimes Hexagon just flat-out crashes.http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kirkba...f3.jpg&.src=ph I've tried grouping the two halves first, then chosing the Average Weld tool and I've tried just selecting the two ungrouped halves then choosing the Average Weld tool. Nothing works.

tonytrout · 7th April 2006, 06:48

Hi 3d Junkie
I could never get the average weld to work, it just seemed to weld everything into one point!! maybe someone else knows this tool.

To join two halves of a head together, provided you have been in symetry, you can delete one side of the head, select all the points on the join, align them all up, and then duplicate the head again with clone and then select both halves of the head and then weld together with the Weld tool in the utilities. The trick to this method is to get the points aligned - there is a thread somewhere I think by Dalboris where I learnt it - You get the head nice and square facing you in orthographic view, select all the points on the join, and then in the object properties window set the SIZE to 0 (zero) on the axis perpendicular to the plane,(Hint: you have three (XY orZ) axis to choose from, the right axis to adjust to 0 is usually the one that has the smallest number in

) This lines up all the points, when you duplicate and weld the points are identical and weld.

The beauty of this method is that you can accurately join the two halfs even after the centre line ponts have been messed around with. No matter how careful you are especially if you are using soft selections ,the centre line points always seem to get off centre.

The other choice is to target weld and align the centre points afterwards.
Hope this helps

3DJunkie · 7th April 2006, 07:00

Thanks for the info. I just now got it to work by fiddling until 90% of the points joined. I then used the weld tool to clean up the unwelded points. It is not the most intuitive tool but it does work. I should have joined the halves before I extruded the throat. I think my face had to much complexity along the seams. I understand your idea of selecting all the points along the seam, then sizing them to zero so the center seam points are all aligned. I will try that next time. After that it is a simple matter of selecting one or two lines on the center seam, hit "L" for loop selection and then sending it to zero. Your center seam points are now directly on top of each other, ready to be welded.

tonytrout · 7th April 2006, 07:12

Yes that works also, I sometimes have gaps or the geometry off centre that picks up the line so I tend to use the points, just habit I guess

Good luck with your model, I hope you post it in the WIP

3DJunkie · 7th April 2006, 07:17

So far it's just a practice model. I'm doing pretty good with the box modelling, but my line and polygon work is coming more slowly. Here's the head now that I've got it joined properly.

tonytrout · 7th April 2006, 08:49

Hes happy, you should post in the WIP with the wires showing and then people help

7th April 2006, 06:25	#1 (permalink)
3DJunkie Vertex Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 9	Can't get "Average Weld Tool" to do anything but cause Hexagon to crash. I don't know about the rest of you, but I cannot get two halves of a head I've made with symetry to join at the center seam as per the Hexagon PDF help files or in the tutorial in Mike de la Flor's book Carrara 5 Pro Handbook. I select both halves, choose the Average Weld Tool and, viola!, two heads with a gap down the middle! I've tried increasing the value of the tool distance past .10, but it doesn't stick. Sometimes Hexagon just flat-out crashes.http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kirkba...f3.jpg&.src=ph I've tried grouping the two halves first, then chosing the Average Weld tool and I've tried just selecting the two ungrouped halves then choosing the Average Weld tool. Nothing works.

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7th April 2006, 06:48	#2 (permalink)
tonytrout Pixar want to hire me! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Aotearoa Land of the long white cloud. Posts: 581	Hi 3d Junkie I could never get the average weld to work, it just seemed to weld everything into one point!! maybe someone else knows this tool. To join two halves of a head together, provided you have been in symetry, you can delete one side of the head, select all the points on the join, align them all up, and then duplicate the head again with clone and then select both halves of the head and then weld together with the Weld tool in the utilities. The trick to this method is to get the points aligned - there is a thread somewhere I think by Dalboris where I learnt it - You get the head nice and square facing you in orthographic view, select all the points on the join, and then in the object properties window set the SIZE to 0 (zero) on the axis perpendicular to the plane,(Hint: you have three (XY orZ) axis to choose from, the right axis to adjust to 0 is usually the one that has the smallest number in ) This lines up all the points, when you duplicate and weld the points are identical and weld. The beauty of this method is that you can accurately join the two halfs even after the centre line ponts have been messed around with. No matter how careful you are especially if you are using soft selections ,the centre line points always seem to get off centre. The other choice is to target weld and align the centre points afterwards. Hope this helps

7th April 2006, 07:00	#3 (permalink)
3DJunkie Vertex Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 9	Thanks for the info. I just now got it to work by fiddling until 90% of the points joined. I then used the weld tool to clean up the unwelded points. It is not the most intuitive tool but it does work. I should have joined the halves before I extruded the throat. I think my face had to much complexity along the seams. I understand your idea of selecting all the points along the seam, then sizing them to zero so the center seam points are all aligned. I will try that next time. After that it is a simple matter of selecting one or two lines on the center seam, hit "L" for loop selection and then sending it to zero. Your center seam points are now directly on top of each other, ready to be welded.

7th April 2006, 07:12	#4 (permalink)
tonytrout Pixar want to hire me! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Aotearoa Land of the long white cloud. Posts: 581	Yes that works also, I sometimes have gaps or the geometry off centre that picks up the line so I tend to use the points, just habit I guess Good luck with your model, I hope you post it in the WIP

7th April 2006, 07:17	#5 (permalink)
3DJunkie Vertex Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 9	So far it's just a practice model. I'm doing pretty good with the box modelling, but my line and polygon work is coming more slowly. Here's the head now that I've got it joined properly.

7th April 2006, 08:49	#6 (permalink)
tonytrout Pixar want to hire me! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Aotearoa Land of the long white cloud. Posts: 581	Hes happy, you should post in the WIP with the wires showing and then people help