recombining a model

[King Class Scout]

one of my pet projects is to repair and retexture the old Card Hybrid to be more in line with the KM models.  in max, it's made up of multiple pieced mesh parts, and makes for a messy UV.

what I would like is some tips on how to recombine all these little peices to make a mesh that's easier to texture later.

[DJ Curtis]

Your best bet is always a unified mesh.  Easiest thing is to just build them that way in the first place.  In this case, some creative cutting, booleaning and moving of vertexes may be required.

At this point, what I usually do is move the vertexes one by one to the exact location they should go to, then cut of any excess.  Then I make a matching for on the other part, make sure there are no facing polygons on either side, then weld them together.

[King Class Scout]

*watches reply go over his head, and hit the stratosphere*

I'm still learning the bare bones, here.  and other than some needed curves, the only other thing it needs is these tiny bits reassmbled.  i Am using the KISS strategy, here.

a lot of the original models are like this.  not only broken bits from un-unified pieces, but entire "mesh" areas that are one triangle that's filling in a single hole.

[deadthunder2_0]

CR Created a interesting hybrid, but it is hard as can be to extract

[baz1701]

If it was built unified and the mesh was broken up by the Niftools importer.

one quick solution, assign textures to the individaul parts.

Convert to poly, and with verts selected, select all. The use the weld tool to recombine. You may have to play with the threashold to prevent other part collapsing.

[DJ Curtis]

and depending if the smoothing groups got messed up, you might have to fix that once it's welded back together.

[King Class Scout]

the only "unified" one is the small model.  i've had a look at all the stock moddels, and the only thing remotely close to "natty" are the fed ships.  they must have been REALLY rushed.