creating a floor or plane

how do you creat a floor/plane when modeling?

I simple put two reference lines in 2D from 0,0 stretching in both the X and Y directions. You do me plane right? You're not asking about a floor plan?

i know how to do the floor plan, but like people have the floor/ground in renderings with houses and stuff ive been making it with a large rectangle and extruding it a small amount, wasnt sure if i was going about that in the right way

Plane. The ground plane.

Yes, I've used the method you describe with the extruded rectangle. Our site is so flat it hardly pays to show differences in elevations.

just learning the basics of modeling and rendering, wanted to make sure i was doing it the "right" way, well at least not the wrong way

Right way, wrong way, your way, my way. As long as it works for you. Isn't that what counts? Who are you trying to impress anyway? Not the people you work for are you? They don't appreciate you as it is.

Your way is ok for flat stuff,

I have also used edgesurf for undulating ground, also improves the look of shadows falling on uneven surfaces.

PS_Port:

I like your method. Next time I have the chance I'm going to use it. Wonder if anyone will notice?

Right way, wrong way, your way, my way. As long as it works for you. Isn't that what counts? Who are you trying to impress anyway? Not the people you work for are you? They don't appreciate you as it is.

not trying to impress anyone yet, they dont even want me working on 3d stuff like i am but someday there might be someone or some company im trying to impress and i would rather have a good reasonable way of doing it instead of the long way

ps_port: i will check that stuff out when i get a little farther. in my notes now!

I'm impressed already (I like self-starters). Keep plugging away. You'll have your day in the sun.

Some rendering packages have built in ground plane options. If I'm doing just 1 room, I'll use a 3DFACE as a floor with the ground plane OFF and a black background. If it is conceptual image, I'll use a tiled material as the ground plane.

They render very differently in lighting fall off and intensity. The blue is a ground plane, the red a modeled floor. -David