Modeling A Sponge

[t_overberg]

Hello,

i need some help in modeling a sponge (not a sponge you find in the ocean but a sponge you need in your kitchen). Making a sponge only with textures and bumpmap is not enough. I have to fly very close to the sponge.
So i think i have to model it. But making thousands of spheres, intersect and trim would make me crazy, i think.

Has someone an idea?
Or does somebody knows a plugin or an other software that can do this?

Thank you very much for your help.

[gwelch]

One suggestion is:
1 make a poly cube
2 scale cube to your sponge size
3 make good UVs
4 Create a celluar texture map that looks good
-as a texture map in After effects using the "Effects/Render/Cell Pattern" and adjust with a gaus blur and then a levels effect to taste
or
-in Maya using the dev kit "cellShader.mll" plug-in, bake your texture and adjust in PhotoShop, blur, invert, add smaller pores...

5 Use your texture maps as a displacement map
or
A more accurate Modeling method...
5 Create a "Smooth proxy" of your cube
6 Turn on hardware texture view and trace your texture map holes to make simple 4 or 6 sided poly faces
6 Poly Extrude hole faces 3 times;
- first extrude is close to edge
- second extrude in mid depth
- third extrude is scaled down and at the bottom of the hole

Then make a nice texture map with small pore details as bumps or displacements