… Continued

Refine The Head

1. Delete The Construction History
   • After all the operations done so far on the model, the Construction history is starting to pile up in the Channel Box. Delete the history of the model and the entire scene.
   • – MAIN || Edit > Delete All by Type > History
2. Insert Edge Loop Tool
   • The head is very simplistic and we need to add more geometry to play with. To do so, use the edge loop tool.
   • – With the body geometry selected, POLYGON || Edit Mesh > Insert Edge Loop Tool.
   • – CLICK + DRAG on any vertical edge in the top facial area.
   • 
   • – Release the mouse button to execute the tool.
3. Offset Edge Loop Tool
   • – With body geometry selected, POLYGON || Edit Mesh > Offset Edge Loop Tool.
   • This tool will add two edges on either side of an existing edge loop.
   • – CLICK + DRAG on any horizontal edge at the top of the neck.
   • 
   • – Release the mouse button to execute the tool
4. Delete Edges
   • You can simply select an edge and press the delete key. But this leaves vertices on perpendicular edges that are not wanted. Instead use a special command to delete edges and vertices.
   • – POLYGON || Select > Select Edge Loop Tool
   • This tool requires you to DOUBLE CLICK on the edge to select the entire loop.
   • – Deselect any edges by clicking in the empty stage.
   • – DOUBLE CLICK on one of the bottom edges you created from the offset edge loop tool.
   • – POLYGON || Edit Mesh > Delete Edge/Vertex
   • 
5. Insert an Edge Loop
   • There are several ways to access the different modeling commands other than with menus.
   • – Deselect any edge from the body geometry.
   • – Pick one of the horizontal edges on the side of the head
   • – Hold CTRL + RMB on the geometry. This brings up a polygonal marking menu.
   • – From the marking menu, Select Edge Ring Utilities > To Edge Ring and Split
   • 
   • Note: that the splitting edge loop will keep splitting polygonal faces with four sides. If it encounters faces with more or less than four it will stop.
   • Notice: how the edges split the toes adding unwanted geometry.
   • 
6. Split Polygons
   • You can control how many edges are split and the path the tool takes by allowing you to pick the edge.
   • – Undo last command.
   • – POLYGON || Edit Mesh > Insert Edge Loop Tool > □
   • – In the popup window, turn OFF the Auto Complete option.
   • – Click [CLOSE]
   • – Pick the central horizontal edge on top of the head.
   • Note: This tool requires you to now pick subsequent edges in order to define an edge loop
   • – Pick an edge on the hips of the model.
   • 
   • – Pick an edge on the ankle of the model
   • – Split straight down into the foot sole edge.
   • 
   • – Continue splitting across the foot sole and up into the crotch.
   • 
   • – Hit the [ENTER] key to complete.
7. Tweak the Inserted Vertices
   • There is now more geometry to refine in the head.
   • – Delete the instanced geometry. The instanced geometry is the geometry that was created for the mirrored geometry. Probably labeled body1.
   • – The only geometry left should be body.
   • – Select the body geometry.
   • – Select POLYGON || Proxy > SubDiv Proxy > □
     • SubDiv Proxy Options
     • – Mirror Behavior: Full
     • – Mirror Direction: -X
     • – Merge Vertex Tolerance: 0.1
   • Note: Since your geometry has been split in half, setting the above options will create a mirrored and merged geometry.
   • – Click the [SMOOTH]
   • Note: Subdiv creates body1 and body2 that has transform values. This is the history that will be deleted once you delete history.
   • – Select the proxy geometry (the boxy geometry)
   • 
   • – Go into Component mode with vertices selected.
   • – Move the head vertices to the following below.
   • 
8. Tweak The Rest of the Body.
   • – Refine the rest of the model.
9. Save.

Keep On Modeling

Now finish refining the head of the penguin.

1. Removing the Proxy
   • The proxy geometry is a great way to create the general shape for your character. The Proxy geometry will need to be deleted when refining the higher resolution model.
   • – POLYGON || Edit > Delete All by Type > HistoryNote: Anything on stage will have it’s history deleted. Notice the Outliner that the body1 and body2 and it’s transforms are deleted.
   • 
   • – Select the body proxy geometry and it’s mirrored instance and delete it.
   • 
   • – Rename the hiRes geometry(smooth proxy not the proxy geometry that you just deleted) model to body.
2. Tweak the Vertices
   • -Match the facial construction below
   • 
   • Note: When tweaking the images, try to define/separate the areas with edges. examplebelow displays the eye socket defined by the edges.
3. Add Divisions
   • You will split the model in half and only refine one half of the model.
   • – Delete half the model and create a mirrored instance as shown earlier. If you do a subdiv proxy, you’ll get the smoothed version.
   • – Use the POLYGON || Edit Mesh > split polygon tool to insert new edges where required in order to better define certain areas.
   • – Use the POLYGON || Edit Mesh > Delete Edge/Vertex to remove unwanted edges.
   • Note: As a rule, keep four-sided edges when splitting geometry.
   • – Extrude the eye socket faces scale them slightly toward the inside to add a circular edges in the eye area. (see image below)
   • 
   • 
4. Soft Normals
   • Extruding and polygonal splits create hard edges by default. To compensate for that you will soften polygonal normals
   • – Select body geometry. POLYGON || Normals > Soften Edge
5. Mouth
   • Concentrate on modeling the beak borders to the image below.
   • 
   • 
6. Merging the Model.
   • Taking both sides of the model and combining the polygon.
   • – Delete the instanced geometry.
   • – Select the body geometry.
   • – Select POLYGON || Mesh > Mirror Geometry > □
     • WINDOW OPTIONS
     • – Mirrored Direction: -X
     • – Click [MIRROR]
   • Note: geometry is mirrored and then merged together.
   • 
7. Merging Edges
   • During the modeling process, you may move vertices off the central axis, which may create holes in your model. Fix the holes.
   • – Select the body geometry.
   • – POLYGON || Display > Polygon > Border Edges 
   • (This causes the border edges to be thicker)
   • 
   • 
   • – Press [4] to see the model wireframe.
   • – Select POLYGON || Edit Mesh > Merge Edge Tool
   • (This tool allows you to pick two edges and merge them together)
   • – Choose any of the opened thicker edges.
   • Note: Edges are highlighted in pink that are possible to be merged.
   • 
   • – Choose the pink edge located on the other half of the model.
   • – Hit [ENTER]. The edges should now be closed
   • – Save

Proportions

Adjust your proportions of your model. Easy way, create a lattice deformer. A lattice deformer surrounds a deformable object with a structure of points that manipulates the objects shape. Once are happy with the results you can delete the construction history, freezing the deformations of the model.

1. Create the Lattice Deformer For Your Object
   • – Select the body geometry.
   • – From the ANIMATION || Create Deformers > Lattice
   • (A large box is created around your model)
   • 
   • – CHANNEL BOX(lattice deformer): ffd1LatticeShape 
     • S Division: 5;
     • T Division: 5;
     • U Division: 5;
     • This will change the number of subdivisions in the lattice deformer. You can adjust the number to better fit your model and divide the model into body parts. 
     • 
2. Deform The Lattice Box
   • – RMB + CLICK on the lattice object in the viewport and select Lattice Point. This is like selecting vertices to transform.
   • – Transform the lattice points and notice how the model deforms.
   • 
   • – Adjust the character to your liking.
   • IMPORTANT: Make sure Your model’s feet are on the ground and the model’s center of gravity is on the Z and X-axis.
   • 
3. Delete the Deformer
   • If you simply delete the lattice deformer, the model will snap back to it’s original shape. You will have to delete the model’s History before you delete the deformer to save it’s shape.
   • – Select the body geometry.
   • – MAIN || Edit > Delete by Type > History

Final Touches

Add the eyes and hair. You will create these items with NURBs primitives and mirror it over to the other side.

1. Create the Eyeball
   • – MAIN || Create > NURBs Primitives > Sphere
   • – Rename the sphere to eyeball.
   • – Translate and scale the eyeball to the proper eye location.
   • – Rotate the eyeball 90 degrees X-axis
   • 
2. Create the Eyelid
   • – Select the eyeball, go to MAIN || Edit > Duplicate Special > □
     • – DUPLICATE SPECIAL WINDOW || Edit > Reset Settings
     • – Duplicate input graph: ON
     • This option duplicates the geometry with all it’s inputs, construction history, etc.
     • – Click [DUPLICATE SPECIAL]
   • – Rename the duplicate to eyelid
   • – Channel Box: Rotate the eyelid: -90 Y-axis
   • 
   • – Scale the eyelid so that it’s a little bigger than the eyeball
   • 
   • – Channel Box: highlight makeNurbsSphere2input node
     • Start Sweep: 10;
     • 
     • End Sweep: 330;
     • 
     • Note: The eyelid will use it’s construction history to simplify the eye blinks. Advanced modelers create realistic eyes by modeling the eyelids starting from the original polygon.
3. Mirror the Eyeball
   • – Select the eyeball and eyelid
   • – Press CTRL + G to group them
   • – Group selected, MAIN || Duplicate Special > □ 
     • – Duplicate Input: ON
     • This will duplicate the construction history which will be needed later for eyeblinking.
     • – Click on [DUPLICATE SPECIAL]
   • – Group still selected, Channel Box || ScaleX to -1
   • 
   • You should now have eyes for both sides.
4. Create the Hair
   • – Create a NURBs plane primitive.
   • – Set the Patches V attribute in the makeNurbsPlane input node in the Channel Box to 5.
   • – Rename the plane to hair1.
   • -Transform and model the hair’s shape to the image below.
   • 
   • -Duplicate the hair in order to create a hair style like the image below.
   • 
   • Note: Do not delete construction history for the entire scene, because you will need it to animate the blinking eyes.
5. Save your work
   • 020112_07-bigz_02.ma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video Files: http://www.youtube.com/bazingablogger