[Carl]

how do you delete extra unnecessary edges? like if there was a surface on a modelthat was cut into two polygons by an edge, but the whole surface was flat, how do you make it just one polygon?

just to clearify, in truespace, this is done by using the boolean tool and checking the "delete edges" button.

[Nico]

you go into vertex mode, and you weld the unwanted vertices to the verts that you want to stay.

[an0n]

Or he could just do it the easy way and add an Optimize modifier using the modifier selection list thingy.

[Carl]

Originally posted by Nico
you go into vertex mode, and you weld the unwanted vertices to the verts that you want to stay.

that'll still leave me with unwanted edges. i don't care about the verts.

Originally posted by an0n
Or he could just do it the easy way and add an Optimize modifier using the modifier selection list thingy.

all that seems to do is get rid of smaller vertices and put holes in the model.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Carl


that'll still leave me with unwanted edges. i don't care about the verts.

Welding should remove the edges and face along with the vertex.  Unless you're doing something really bizarre.

[Carl]

but i don't want to remove the vertices, just the edges.

take this for example:



i want it to stay a square. welding vertices would turn it into a triangle.

[Baron MacDoblin]

Be a man and do it manually

Then again, I work with lowpoly models, so that may or may not help you ...

[Vilkacis]

You go to the edge sub-object level select the edge and click Invisible under the "Surface Properties" tab. You can't really get rid of the edge because internally all polies are split into triangles but by hiding the edge you tell the program to treat the poly as a quad when performing certain actions on it like MeshSmooth for example.

[Carl]

Originally posted by Baron MacDoblin
Be a man and do it manually

how?

[Nico]

So you just want to untriangulate? *keep the polys there but don't see the edge ( coz don't be mistaken, triangulatiung doesn't create any new poly, it just makes invisible edges visible )?
Then do as Vilkacis said. On how to do it, just to be sure:
1) click the mesh
2) push "2" ( the keyboard one, not the numpad one )
3) click on the edge you want to hide ( crtl+click to select multiple edges )
4) scroll down the modifier bar, on the very bottom, under surface properties ( I'll trust vilkacis on this one, but anyway, it's the very last thing on the bar, you can't miss it ), you'll find invisible. push it. voila, you won't see the edge anymore. You can also set an angle and push autoedge, if you're lazy and have a lot of edges to hide, but you'll probably still have a few edges to setup manually anyway.

edit: anyway, the way you explain it, my first way sounded right. welding the edges won't turn it into a triangle.
If you put back your original exemple pic, I'll modify it so I can explain better.

[Carl]

well, me model has 37,000+ triangles, but i'll get on that

thanks for you help, everyone.

[Ryx]

1. delete edge (In Edge 'mode')
2.1  create poly (under "edit geometry" rollout under 'poly-mode')
2.2 OR if there are polys surrounding this face, choose border, select the edge of the empty area and click "cap" (Edit Borders rollout). Thanks to Venom for this tip

[Galemp]

Carl: the easiest thing to do is AutoEdge. Select ALL your edges in edge mode, then scroll down to the bottom of the panel. Set AutoEdge to 1 and click the button.

Voila! All planar faces now have invisible edges.

[mikhael]

EGAD. 3dsMax makes this awfully difficult, doesn't it? I just select the polys I want to join and hit "Join faces" and it removes all edges that join the selected polys.

[Nico]

so you select the polys and push a button, in max you select the edges and push a button. OMG LW is so cool it's so easier!!!!
Sorry, couldn't resist

[mikhael]

The descriptions given previously made it sound far more difficult than something so trivial should have been, Venom. Don't be a dick.

[DragonClaw]

Yeah, French are stuck up . LW has much easier commands for model production(imho).

Although I do admit that it is easier to make weapon effects and such in Max. LW is limiting in that area.

[Stryke 9]

Yeh, it's an annoying deal about MAX. The trick is basically to just not give a **** about polycounts, you'll have to take 'em through something else that can touch 'em up if you're gonna convert 'em for a game or something ayway.

[Carl]

Originally posted by Galemp
Carl: the easiest thing to do is AutoEdge. Select ALL your edges in edge mode, then scroll down to the bottom of the panel. Set AutoEdge to 1 and click the button.

Voila! All planar faces now have invisible edges.

did that. it makes them all visible. in fact, anything below 180 makes them all visible. 180 makes them all invisible.

[Nico]

Originally posted by Stryke 9
Yeh, it's an annoying deal about MAX. The trick is basically to just not give a **** about polycounts, you'll have to take 'em through something else that can touch 'em up if you're gonna convert 'em for a game or something ayway.

Well, that's ot that annoying, just consider it the polycount as always being triangulated. In any case, you'll always end up with a lower ( lol, yeah right ) polycount in FS2, that way.

Mike: but I AM a dick