Open the torso_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

In this scene, you'll see the NURBS helmet created in Chapter 3 as well as the image planes that display the reference images. If the reference images are not displaying correctly, select each image plane, open its Attribute Editor, and click the folder icon next to the Image Name field. The reference images are found in the source images subdirectory of the Chapter 4 folder on the DVD.

To make the torso, you'll use a technique known as box modeling. This uses the polygon modeling tools to shape a basic cube into a more complex object.

Choose Create

Select the cube and name it torso. Position and scale the torso so it roughly matches the position of the torso in the side view. Set the channels to:

In the Channel Box, click the polyCube1 heading in the INPUTS section. Under the polyCube1 settings, set Subdivisions Width to 4 and Subdivisions Height and Depth to 3, as shown in Figure 4.3.

With the torso selected, press the 3 key to switch to smooth mesh preview. The edges of the cube become rounded.

Switch to the perspective view and turn off X-Ray Shading so you can see the geometry more clearly.

Choose the Select tool (hot key = q) and open the Tool Options box.

Right-click on the torso and choose Face from the marking menu. As you hover the cursor over the torso, the face nearest the cursor is highlighted in red. If you switch to edge or vertex selection, the edges or vertices become highlighted as you hover over them.

Right-click on the torso and choose Multi from the marking menu. In this mode you can select any combination of faces, edges, or vertices (see Figure 4.4).

Select one of the vertices on the side of the torso. In the options for the Select tool, enable Soft Select. The wireframe display of the torso becomes colored. The coloring indicates the radius of the soft selection.

In the options for the Select tool, look at the Soft Selection section.

The colored ramp sets the coloring for the Soft Select option. By default components that are 100 percent selected are colored yellow. As the strength of the selection diminishes, the color coding of the components moves to orange and then to black. Areas beyond the black part of the radius are not selected.

Increase Falloff Radius to 8. The radius of the color coding increases on the torso model.

Figure 4.4. The Multi selection mode allows you to select multiple types of components at the same time.

You can set Falloff Mode to Surface, Volume, or Global. In surface mode, the soft select radius selects components based on their position on the surface. If you selected a vertex on the upper lip of a character with a closed mouth, the vertices on the lower lip would not be selected, even if they are close to the center of the falloff radius in world space.

When you set Falloff Mode to Volume, any vertex within the falloff radius is selected. So if you select a vertex on the upper lip of the same character, vertices on the lower lip would also be selected if they fall within the falloff radius. Global mode works very similarly to Volume (Figure 4.5).

You can further refine the falloff using Falloff Curve. By adding points to the curve and changing their position, you can create selection shapes. A number of preset curve shapes are available. You can access these by clicking on any of the preset icons below Falloff Curve.

In the Reflection Settings section, enable Reflection. Reflection mirrors the selection of components across a specified axis. By default this is set to the X axis.

The Preserve Seam option protects components that lie along the center of the reflection axis from being moved away from the center. This ensures that the symmetry of the model is preserved.

Scroll to the top of the Select Tool Options box. Under Common Selection Options, you can choose to use Marquee selection or Drag selection.

Turn X-Ray shaded mode back on and switch to a side view of the model. Open the options for the Move tool.

Set Move Axis to Local. Set Selection Style to Marquee mode and turn off Camera Based Selection. Enable Soft Select. Set Falloff Mode to Surface and Falloff Radius to 3. Enable Reflection; the default Reflection setting should work.

From the side view, select vertices and use the Move tool to reposition the vertices of the torso to roughly match the sketch. The torso surface will serve as frame for the upper part of the space suit. At this time you want to keep the amount of detail fairly low.

Adjust the selection settings as you work. Align the four corners of one of the faces toward the rear with the arm socket opening in the sketch, as shown in Figure 4.6.

Figure 4.6. Use the Move tool to position the vertices of the torso to match the sketches on the image planes.

Switch to the front view, and continue to shape the cube to roughly match the drawing. Remember, your goal is to create a rough shape at this point. Most of the details will be added as additional sections of armor later on (see Figure 4.7).

Figure 4.7. Shape the torso from the front view using the Move tool.

Since you've already shaped much of the profile in the side view, restrict the changes you make in the front view to movements along the X axis.

Finally, switch to the perspective view and shape the torso further. This requires some imagination and artistic judgment as to how the shape of the space suit looks in perspective. It may be easier to do this if you turn off X-Ray mode and set the helmet display layer to Template mode.

Don't forget to refer to the original sketch; if you switch to the referenceImage camera, you'll see the sketch on an image plane. Also remember to adjust your Move tool selection settings as needed. Always keep things as simple as possible and avoid getting lost in the details.

Save the scene as torso_v02.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the torso_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the torso_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD. Select the Polygons menu set from the upper-left menu in the interface.

Switch to the side view. Select the torso object, and choose Edit Mesh

Edge loops are always added perpendicular to the selected edge. The loop continues to divide polygons along the path of faces until it encounters a three-sided or n-sided (more than four-sided) polygon (Figure 4.9).

Once you have inserted the edge loop, press Q to drop the tool (as long as the tool is active you can continue to insert edge loops in a surface). Select the vertices created by the new edge loop path, and continue to shape the torso using the Move tool (Figure 4.10).

Save the scene as torso_v03.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the torso_v03.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the torso_v03.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Switch to the perspective view and turn off X-Ray Shading. Right-click on the model, and choose Face to switch to face selection mode. Select the face on the side that corresponds with the placement of the arm socket. Shift+click the matching face on the opposite side.

Choose Edit Mesh

Open the Channel Box. Under the channels for the polyExtrudeFace1 node, scroll toward the bottom and set Divisions to 2. This increases the number of polygons used to bridge the gap between the extruded face at the torso (Figure 4.11).

Figure 4.11. Extrude the face at the side of the torso inward. Set the divisions of the extruded faces to 2.

Select the six faces on the top of the torso that are directly beneath the NURBS helmet. It's a good idea to turn on Camera Based Selection in the Select Tool options. This prevents you from accidentally selecting faces on the opposite side of the torso. You can also turn off Soft Select.

Choose Edit Mesh

Set the Divisions of the polyExtrudeFace2 node to 2. Push down on the blue arrow of the extrude manipulator to create a depression at the top of the torso (Figure 4.12).

Figure 4.12. Create a depression at the top of the torso using an extrude operation.

Turn Soft Select back on, and use the Move tool to shape the torso so it matches the design on the image planes. It may be helpful to set the HELMET display layer to Reference so you can close the gap between the neck opening and the bottom of the helmet. The base of the helmet should stay on top of the torso (Figure 4.13).

Save the scene as torso_v04.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the torso_v04.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the torso_v04.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Create a polygon sphere (Create

Switch to a side view and zoom in on the sphere. Right-click on the sphere and choose Face.

Figure 4.14. The arm socket detail on the original sketch

In the Select Tool options, set Selection Style to Marquee and turn off Camera Based Selection. Select the top four rows on the sphere and delete them.

Select the bottom three rows on the sphere and delete them as well.

Switch to the perspective view. Select the sphere and name it socket. With socket selected, choose Edit Mesh

Use the Insert Edge Loop tool to insert edge loops on the upper side of the socket, as shown in the third image of Figure 4.15.

Figure 4.15. Add thickness to the sphere using the Extrude operation.

Rotate the view so you can clearly see the top of the socket. In the Select Tool options, set Selection Style to Drag and turn on Camera Based Paint Selection. The cursor turns into a paint brush icon. Paint a selection around the top of the socket. Select the middle row of polygon faces around the top.

If you select extra polygons by accident, you can hold the Ctrl key and paint on them to deselect them. To add to the current selection, hold the Shift key while painting the selection.

With the faces selected, choose Edit Mesh

Click on one of the scale cubes at the tip of the arrows on the extrude manipulator to switch to scale mode. Drag on the light blue cube at the center of the manipulator to scale down the extruded faces. Note that with Keep Faces Together turned off, each face is extruded individually.

With faces selected, create another extrusion (the g hot key repeats the last action). Push up on the blue manipulator to move the extruded faces upward. When you have finished creating the extrusion, press the q hot key or choose another tool to drop the Extrusion tool.

Select the socket object and press the 3 key to switch to smooth mesh preview. The extrusions at the top look like rounded bumps (Figure 4.16).

Figure 4.16. Extrude the faces upward to create detail on the socket.

Use the Select tool to select each of the faces at the top of the rounded bumps. Hold the Shift key as you select each face.

Once you have all the faces selected, press Shift+> to expand the selection one time. The faces around each bump are now selected as well. Choose Select

Choose Edit Mesh

Select the socket object and switch to edge selection mode. Double-click on the first edge loop outside the extruded bumps. Double-clicking on an edge selects the entire edge loop.

Use the Crease tool to create a crease on the selected edge loop.

Repeat steps 16 and 17 for the first edge on the inside of the socket just beyond the extruded bumps (Figure 4.17).

Figure 4.17. Crease the edges of the extruded bumps to create a more mechanical look.

Select the socket and switch to the Move tool. Move, scale, and rotate the socket so it fits into the space on the side of the torso (Figure 4.18). Set these values in the Channel Box:

Figure 4.18. Position the socket in the opening at the side of the torso.

After placing the socket, spend a few minutes editing the position of the points on the torso so the socket fits more naturally.

Save the scene as torso_v05.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the torso_v05.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the torso_v05.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Create a new display layer named TORSO. Add the torso and the socket geometry to this layer, and turn off the visibility of the layer. Turn off the visibility of the other layers as well so you have a clear view of the grid.

Use all capital letters in your display layer names so that you can add surface nodes that have the same name. Maya will not allow two nodes to share the same name; however, node names are case sensitive. By using all capital letters a layer and a node can have the same name without upsetting Maya.

Figure 4.19. The shoulder armor is the next object to model.

Create a polygon pipe by choosing Create

Switch to the top view. Choose the Move tool. In the Options box, set Selection Style to Marquee and turn off Camera Based Selection. This way you can select vertices on the top and bottom of the geometry from the top view. Turn off Soft Select and turn on Reflection. Make sure Reflection Axis is set to the X axis.

Right-click on the pipe and choose Vertex. Select the vertices on the outer edge of the pipe in the top half of the screen. Use the Scale and Move tools to move them away from the pipe (Reflection does not work for the Scale tool so you'll need to directly select all of the vertices you want to scale). Scale them up so the upper edge of the pipe has a shallow arc, as shown in the top image of Figure 4.20.

Select the vertices on the outer edge of the pipe at the bottom of the screen. Use the Move tool to shape these vertices so they are slightly closer to the center. Use the bottom image in Figure 4.20 as a reference.

Switch to the perspective view. Turn on Marquee and Camera Based Selection in the Select Tool options. Select the faces at the wide end of the pipe, shown in the first image in Figure 4.21.

Figure 4.20. Select, move, and scale the vertices at one end of the pipe.

Figure 4.21. Extrude and scale the faces at the long side of the pipe.

Choose Edit Mesh

Pull on the blue arrow of the manipulator to extend the face about three and a half units.

Use the blue scale handle of the extrude manipulator to flatten the arc in these extruded faces.

In the INPUTS section of the Channel Box, set Divisions for the polyExtrudeFace6 node to 8.

Select the pipe and choose Mesh

Set the Translate Z channel of mirrorCutPlane1 to −3.42. The mirrored geometry is extended.

In the Outliner, several new nodes have been created. These include the mirrorCutPlane1 and the mirroredCutMesh1 group. The pipe has been renamed polySurface1 (Figure 4.22).

Figure 4.22. Mirror the pipe across the Z axis using the Mirror Cut tool.

Select the polySurface1 node and choose Edit

Name the polySurface1 node shoulderArmor1.

Figure 4.23 shows some of the changes that were made to the shoulderArmor1 object to make it match the shoulder armor in the image using the Insert Edge Loop tool and the Extrude operation.

Save the scene as torso_v06.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the torso_v06.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue using the scene from the previous section or open the torso_v06.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Select the shoulderArmor1 object. Choose Modify

Turn on the TORSO and HELMET display layers so you can see the other parts of the model.

Move the shoulderArmor1 object roughly above the shoulder of the torso. Try the following settings:

The file torso_v07.ma in the chapter4scenes directory has the armor placed above the shoulder (see Figure 4.24).

Figure 4.24. Position the armor above the shoulder.

With the shoulderArmor1 object selected, press the 3 key to switch to smooth mesh preview.

Switch to the Animation menu set and choose Create Deformers

Before you edit the points of the lattice, you need to change the settings on the lattice so it's set up to deform the object correctly.

Select the ffd1Lattice node in the Outliner and open its Attribute Editor. Switch to the ffd1 tab and turn off the Local option. This makes the deformation of the object smoother.

When Local is on, changes to the lattice points affect only the object nearest the selected lattice point. When Local is off, changes made to the lattice points are applied more evenly to the entire object, resulting in a smoother deformation.

Switch to the ffd1LatticeShape tab. Set S Divisions to 9, T Divisions to 2, and U Divisions to 15. This changes the way the lattice is divided.

Open the options for the Move tool. Turn off Soft Select and turn on Reflection. Set Reflection Space to Object and Reflection Axis to Z.

Right-click on the lattice and choose Lattice Point. (Sometimes this is tricky if you are right-clicking on both the lattice and the surface. Right-click on a corner of the lattice that has empty space behind it.)

Drag a marquee selection over the lattice points at the front of the lattice. Select the first six rows of lattice points, as shown in Figure 4.25. The points in the back of the lattice will be selected as well because of the Move tool Reflection settings.

Figure 4.25. Select the first six rows of lattice points.

Switch to the Rotate tool, and drag on the red circle at the center of the tool to rotate the lattice points along the X axis. Use both the Rotate tool and the Move tool to position the lattice points so the shoulder armor has a bend at the front and back (see Figure 4.26).

Figure 4.26. Rotate the selected lattice points and move them into position to create a bend in the surface.

When you are happy with the bend created in the shoulderArmor1 object, select the object in the Outliner and choose Edit

Save the scene as torso_v08.ma. To see a version of the scene up to this point open the torso_v08.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the torso_v08.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Select shoulderArmor1 in the Outliner, and select the Soft Modification icon in the toolbox. It's the icon that shows a red arrow pulling up the vertices of a blue surface.

When you activate the Soft Modification tool, the surface turns orange and yellow. The colors indicate the strength of the tool's falloff, similar to the color coding used by the Soft Select option on the Move tool.

When you activate the Soft Modification tool, you'll see options in the toolbox to edit the tool's falloff. However, when you edit the settings, you'll see no change in the tool that is currently active in the viewport window. What's happening is that these settings will be applied to the tool the next time you use it.

To edit the settings for the currently active Soft Modification tool, open the Attribute Editor and select the softMod1 tab. Set Falloff Radius to 3.3.

Pull up on the green arrow of the Soft Modification tool to add a rounded warp to the surface. Use the scale handles to shape the surface of the armor. Switch to the Channel Box for the softMod1Handle and enter these settings (the result is shown in Figure 4.27):

In the toolbox, choose the Select tool. The Soft Modification handle and node disappear, and the changes are committed to the surface.

Figure 4.27. The Soft Modification tool adds a slight spherical bend to the surface.

Select the shoulderArmor1 object, and use the Move, Rotate, and Scale tools to position it over the shoulder of the torso to match the concept sketch. Try these settings:

Use the Move tool with Soft Select activated to move the vertices, and continue to shape the shoulderArmor1 object. Try using the Crease tool to add creases to some of the edges (see Figure 4.28).

Save the scene as torso_v09.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open torso_v09.ma from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the torso_v09.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Choose Create

In the polyTorus1 node (under the INPUTS section of the Channel Box), set Subdivisions Axis to 20 and Subdivisions Height to 4.

In the options for the Select tool, turn off Reflection and Soft Select. Right-click on the torus and choose Edge. Double-click on one of the edges on the top of the torus to select the edge loop.

Scale these edges inward, and move them down toward the center of the torus to create a beveled edge on the inner ring of the torus. See the upper-left image of Figure 4.29.

Use the Insert Edge Loop tool to create two new edge loops, one just outside the hole and one halfway down the top of the torus, as shown in the upper-right image of Figure 4.29.

Select the torus and press 3 to switch to smooth mesh preview.

Create a sphere and place it at the center on the torus. Rotate it 90 degrees on the Z axis, and use the Scale tool to flatten the sphere, as shown in the lower-left image of Figure 4.29.

To create the groove in the bolt, select two rows of faces at the top of the sphere. Extrude the selected faces once and scale the extrusion slightly inward; extrude again and push the faces of the second extrusion down into the sphere. This is shown in the lower-right image of Figure 4.29.

A smooth mesh preview surface can't be combined with a normal polygon object. Select the sphere and press 3 to switch to smooth mesh preview.

Figure 4.29. Create the bolt detail using a torus and a sphere. Create the groove in the sphere with an Extrude operation.

Shift+click the sphere and the torus, and choose Mesh

When the surfaces are combined, you'll see the original surface nodes appear as groups in the Outliner. Deleting history on the surface removes these groups. If you decide that you need to move a surface after combining it with another surface, you can select the transform node parented to these groups and use the Move tool to reposition the surface. Once you delete history, this is no longer possible.

Use the Crease tool to add creasing to the edges around the center ring of the torus and to the edges around the groove in the bolt. Use the Move tool to tweak the position of the edge loops (see Figure 4.30).

Figure 4.30. Refine the shape of the bolt by creasing and moving some of the edge loops on the surfaces.

Select the polySurface1 object, and use the Move, Rotate, and Scale tools to position it in the hole in the front of the shoulderArmor1 object. Try these settings in the Channel Box:

Duplicate polySurface1, and position the duplicate in the hole on the back side of the armor.

Shift+click the shoulderArmor1 and both polySurface objects, and choose Mesh

Delete history on the new combined surface, and rename it shoulderArmor1.

Select the vertices of the shoulderArmor1 object, and use the Move tool to close any gaps between the combined surfaces. Use the Crease Edges tool to create a crease in the edges around the bolts (see Figure 4.31).

Save the scene as torso_v10.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the torso_v10.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Figure 4.31. Position the bolt detail and combine it with the shoulderArmor1 object.

Open the chestdetail_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD. The chest armor has already been started in this scene using techniques described in previous parts of the chapter.

Switch to the front camera. Turn on Grid Snapping and make sure the grid is visible.

Figure 4.32. You'll create the curves to match the design on the chest armor in the sketch.

Choose Create

Draw an S curve as shown in the upper right of Figure 4.33. Snap each point to the grid as you go. The curve should have about 14 CVs total (resulting in 11 spans).

Turn Grid Snapping off, and use the Move tool to rearrange the points on the curve so that the spiral shapes are smoother (see Figure 4.33, upper-right panel).

Select the curve and switch to the Surface menu set. Choose Edit Curves

Select the second curve and delete its history (Edit

Select the offset curve, and choose Edit Curves

Use the Move tool to shape the CVs of the second curve.

Shift+click both curves, and choose Edit Curves

Select the curves, and choose Edit Curves

Delete history on the curve. Press the 3 key to smooth the display of the curve.

Use the Move tool to reposition the points of the curve to create the spiral S curve design (see Figure 4.33, lower-right panel).

Save the scene as chestdetail_v02.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the chestdetail_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the chestdetail_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Select the curve and switch to the Surfaces menu set. Choose Surfaces

Most of the options can be changed after the surface is created using the settings in the Attribute Editor. But you can specify the type of geometry Bevel Plus will create in the Output Options of the Options box.

Switch to the Output Options tab in the Bevel Plus Options dialog box (Figure 4.34). Make sure Output Geometry is set to Polygons. Tessellation Method should be set to Sampling. You can change the default Sampling Controls after you create the surface.

Click Bevel to make the surface.

Figure 4.34. The Output Options for the Bevel Plus tool

Switch to the perspective view, and select the bevelPolygon1 node in the Outliner. Open the Attribute Editor, and select the bevelPlus1 tab.

Only the front side of the surface is visible, so you can economize the geometry of the surface by turning off the Bevel At Start and Caps At Start options.

Set Bevel Width to 0.124, Bevel Depth to 0.091, and Extrude Distance to 1.

Activate Bevel Inside Curves so the outside edge of the surface is defined by the shape of the curve.

To change the bevel style, click the arrow to the right of Outer Style Curve (or click the outerStyleCurve1 tab in the Outliner). You can choose a style from the style list. Choose Convex Out.

In the Polygon Output Options section in the bevelPlus1 tab, make sure Sampling is set to Extrusion Section in the top menu and Curve Span in the bottom menu. You can use these controls to edit the resolution of the surface. Set Curve Span to 9 (see Figure 4.35).

Figure 4.35. Edit the bevel surface using the controls in the Attribute Editor.

Bevel Plus Tool Tips

It's a good idea to create your own Bevel Plus presets when you establish a style that you know you'll use again. To create a preset, click the Presets button in the upper-right corner of the bevelPlus1 tab, and select Save bevelPlus Preset. Give your preset a descriptive name. When you create a similar surface using the Bevel Plus tool, you can apply the preset by clicking the Presets button. This will save you a lot of time and work.

If you are creating a number of bevels from several different curves, and some of the surfaces push out while others push in, try reversing the curve direction on the original curve used for the bevel operation. Select the curve and choose (from the Surfaces menu set) Edit Curves

To create a hole in the beveled surface, select the outer curve first and then Shift+click the inner curve and apply Bevel Plus.

If surfaces are behaving strangely when you apply Bevel Plus, make sure there are no loops in the curves, and try deactivating Bevel Inside Curves to fix the problem. Sometimes it's just a matter of repositioning the CVs of the original curve.

Once you have the bevel style that you like, you can refine the shape of the object by moving the CVs of the original curve. The bevelPlus1 surface has a construction history connection to the original curve.

Select bevelPolygon1 in the Outliner and rename it armorDetail1. Center its pivot by choosing Modify

Position the surface roughly above the chest armor plate. Try the following settings (your results may be different depending on the shape and size of your original curve):

Once you have armorDetail1 roughly in position, switch to a front view and use the Move tool to shape the CVs of the original curve some more. The armorDesign1 object will update as you edit the curve.

It's a good idea to split the layout into two views while you work. Use the front view to edit the curve and the perspective view to observe the changes in the armorDetail1 surface as you work (Figure 4.36).

Switch to the Animation menu set. Select the armorDetail1 surface and choose Create Deformers

Figure 4.36. When you edit the curve in the front view (right), you can observe changes to the armorDetail1 objects simultaneously in the perspective view (left).

Set the lattice S Divisions to 5, T Divisions to 5, and U Divisions to 2. In the Attribute Editor, turn off Local in the ffd1 tab.

Use the Move tool to edit the lattice points so the armorDetail1 object conforms to the surface of the chest armor.

Save the scene as chestDetail_v03.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the chestDetail_v03.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Open the chestDetail_v05.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD. This scene has the completed chest armor plates (see Figure 4.38).

Figure 4.37. Create the detail at the center of the chest using the Bevel tool.

Figure 4.38. The armor has been mirrored to the opposite side of the suit.

Mirror Objects

The shoulder armor, arm sockets, and chest armor have been mirrored to the opposite side of the model. To do this quickly, group the object so the pivot is at the center of the grid; choose Edit

Turn off the display of the TORSO and HELMET layers in the Display Layer Editor.

Create a polygon cube at the center of the grid (Create

Right-click on the cube, and select Edges to switch to edge selection mode. Select the four edges that run vertically on each side of the cube.

Choose Edit Mesh

Rotate the view to the bottom of the cube. Select the face at the bottom and delete it.

Select the cube and create another bevel (Edit Mesh

Select the polyBevel2 node in the Channel Box. Set Segments to 3 and Offset to 0.3.

Increasing the segments can make the bevel appear rounded. You can also control the roundness using the Roundness attribute.

Choose Create

In the Channel Box under the polyCylinder1 node, type 1 in the Round Cap channel to add a rounded cap to the cylinder. Set Subdivisions Caps to 5. Set Subdivisions Axis to 12.

Set Scale Y to 0.157 and Translate Y to 0.448 (see Figure 4.39, middle panel).

Switch to a side view and turn on Wireframe. Right-click on the cylinder and choose Faces to switch to face selection mode.

Select all the faces on the rounded bottom of the cylinder and delete them (select the faces and press the Delete key).

In the perspective view, select each of the faces on the side of the cylinder that point toward the beveled corners of the cube, and extrude them as shown in Figure 4.39, lower panel. Use the extrude manipulator to scale the extruded faces down along their Y axis.

Switch to edge selection mode. Shift+click the edges that run along the top edge of each extruded section, and choose Edit Mesh

Select both meshes and choose Mesh

Move, rotate, and scale the centerpiece so it is positioned at the front of the torso, as shown in Figure 4.40. Try these settings:

Save the scene as chestDetail_v06.ma. To see a version of the scene, open the chestDetail_v06.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Open the paintEffectsHose_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

This scene contains the torso and helmet as well as the armor created in previous sections. Two small connectors have been added to the space suit. These were created by extruding selected faces on a sphere and pipe primitive.

Switch to the front view and turn on wireframe display (hot key = 4). Choose Create

Switch to the perspective view. Select the curve and center its pivot (Modify

Right-click on the curve and choose Control Vertex. Move the points of the curve. The curve should be shaped to look like a hose connecting parts of the suit (Figure 4.43).

Switch to the Rendering menu set, and choose Paint Effects

Figure 4.43. Create a curve between the two connector objects.

Step 5 attaches the currently selected stroke to a selected curve. Unless you have selected a stroke from the presets in the Visor, the default stroke is used for the curve. The default stroke works very well for simple hoses, although you'll notice that its default size is a little big.

In the Outliner, select the stroke1 node and choose Modify

In the Outliner, select stroke1 and hide it (Ctrl+h). Select the Brush2MeshGroup and choose Edit

Select hose1 and choose Lighting/Shading

Save the scene as paintEffectsHose_v02.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the paintEffectsHose_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the paintEffectsHose_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Figure 4.44. Attach a stroke to the curve and convert it into polygons.

Select the stroke1 node in the Outliner, and open the Attribute Editor. Switch to the brush2 tab. Set Global Scale to 1.

In the Twist section, activate Forward Twist. This setting automatically rotates leaves on Paint Effects plants so they continually face the camera. In some cases it can also remove unwanted twisting and other problems when creating simple hoses from strokes.

Switch to the strokeShape1 tab in the Attribute Editor. Set Sample Density to 4 (if the slider won't go beyond 1, type the number 4 in the field). This increases the divisions in the curve and makes it smoother.

Set Smoothing to 10. This relaxes the shape of the hose somewhat.

Scroll down and expand the Pressure Scale settings in the Pressure Mappings rollout.

The Pressure Scale settings translate the recorded pressure applied while painting a Paint Effects stroke using a digital tablet into values applied to specified stroke attributes. Since you simply applied the stroke to a curve, no pressure was recorded; however you can still use these settings to modify the shape of the hose.

Set Pressure Map 1 to Width. Click the arrow to the right of the pressure scale curve. This expands the pressure scale curve into its own window.

Since the Pressure Map 1 is set to Width, changes made to the scale curve affect the width of the hose. You can add additional attributes using the Pressure Map 2 and Pressure Map 3 settings. This stroke does not use tubes, so settings like Tube Width and Tube Length have no affect on the shape of the hose.

Click on the curve in the curve editing window to add points. Observe the changes in the hose shape. Drag the points down to make the hose thinner (see Figure 4.45).

Figure 4.45. Create the shape of the hose by editing the settings of the Paint Effects brush.

Interpolation sets the out tangent style of the selected point on the curve. Setting this to None creates a hard edge, Linear creates an angle, and Smooth and Spline create curved tangents. If you want to add a lot of detail, you'll need to increase the Sample Density value of the stroke. You can force the points of the curve to go beyond the range displayed in the Curve Editor by typing a value above 1 in the Selected Value field.

When you're happy with the shape of the curve, refine the shape of the hose by editing the CVs of the original curve.

Save the scene as paintEffectsHose_v03.ma. To see a version of the scene up to this point, open the paintEffectsHose_v03.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the paintEffectsHose_v03.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

The TORSO display layer is set to Reference; click the R next to the label of the layer to set the display layer to normal editing mode.

Select the torso object and choose Modify

Choose Create

Click on the surface to start drawing curves. Create a few short curves like the ones shown in Figure 4.46. Press the Enter key when you finish drawing each curve (in some cases you may have to switch to wireframe view to see the curve as you draw it on the surface). The curves may appear to float above or beneath the smooth mesh polygons. This is normal behavior when drawing curves on polygons. You can adjust the CVs of the curves later if necessary.

Figure 4.46. Draw curves directly on the live polygon surface.

Select the stroke1 brush in the Outliner. Switch to the Rendering menu set, and choose Paint Effects

Select the curves drawn on the surface, and choose Paint Effects

Convert the strokes into polygons, and use the techniques described in the previous section to shape the curves into hoses and wires.

To make the torso unlive, select it in the Outliner and choose Modify

Save the scene as paintEffectsHoses_v04.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the paintEffectsHoses_v04.ma scene from the chapter4scenes folder on the DVD.

Open the belly_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Switch to a front view. Turn on Grid Snapping, and choose Create

Use the Curve tool to create a sawtooth pattern running down the Y axis of the grid. Draw the curve four units away from the center line. Make the sawtooth pattern using six angles, as shown in Figure 4.49.

Switch to the Surfaces menu set and choose Surfaces

In the Channel Box, set Sections of the revolve1 node to 12.

Turn Grid Snapping off. Select the curve, and use the Move and Scale tools to position it beneath the torso. The surface moves with the curve because of the construction history.

Select the curve, and switch to component mode. Select the CVs at the points of the curve, and move them inward to make the pleating less extreme.

Continue to move and shape the curve until the surface resembles the concept sketch.

Select revolvedSurface1, and choose Modify

Set U Type and V Type to Per Span # Of Iso Pararms. Set Number U and Number V to 1 (see Figure 4.50).

Figure 4.49. Create the pleated surface by revolving a jagged curve.

Figure 4.50. The options for converting NURBS to polygons

Click Tessellate to apply. In the Outliner, hide the original NURBS surface (Ctrl+h).

Select the new nurbsToPoly1 node and rename it bellyPleats.

Select bellyPleats, and press the 3 key to switch to smooth mesh polygons. Right-click on the surface and choose Vertex. Use the Move tool with Soft Select activated to move around the vertices of the pleated surface (see Figure 4.51).

Figure 4.51. You can model irregularity into the pleats using the Move and Crease tools.

Create some irregularity in the pleated surface so it looks less perfect and more like a flexible material that has been used a lot. Use the Crease tool on a few of the edges.

When you are happy with the way the surface looks, delete history for the bellyPleats node, and delete the revolvedSurface1 node and the curve.

Save the scene as belly_v02.ma.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the belly_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Make sure the TORSO display layer is not in reference mode.

Right-click on the torso, and choose Edge to switch to edge selection mode.

Double-click on one of the edges toward the bottom of the torso. The entire edge loop is selected when you double-click on an edge.

Choose Modify

Select the newly created curve and delete its construction history.

The curve does not perfectly match the surface. Use the Move tool with Reflection on to reposition the CVs of the curve so they more closely resemble the shape of the torso.

Choose Create

Select the circle and Ctrl+click polyToCurve1. From the Surfaces menu, choose Surfaces

Select the new extrudedSurface1 node, and choose Modify

Hide the NURBS surface. Select the nurbsToPoly1 object and name it torsoTrim.

Press the 3 key to switch to smooth mesh preview mode.

Figure 4.52. Create a curve from the polygon edges. Extrude a circle along the curve.

Select the polyToCurve1 curve, and use the Move tool to position its CVs so the torsoTrim surface fits snugly against the base of the torso.

When you are happy with the overall shape of the surface, delete history on torsoTrim. Delete the extruded surfaces and the curves.

Use the Move tool to further refine the vertices of the trim surface (see Figure 4.53).

Save the scene as belly_v04.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the belly_v04.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Open the torsoDetail_v01.ma scene from the chapter4/scenes directory on the DVD.

Select the torsoTrim object in the Outliner.

Booleans don't always work well on smooth mesh preview objects, so it's a good idea to convert the smooth mesh preview to polygons.

Choose Modify

Create a polygon cylinder. Scale the polygon down to 0.5 in the X, Y, and Z axes. In the Channel Box, set Subdivisions Height to 3. Make sure Subdivisions Axis is set to 20.

Switch to a side view. Turn on face selection mode, select all of the polygons on the lowest subdivision, and scale them down as shown in Figure 4.55.

Figure 4.55. Scale down the faces of the bottom row of the cylinder.

Select the cylinder and set its Scale Y to 0.165.

Position the cylinder so it intersects with the front of the torsoTrim object. Try these settings in the Channel Box:

Select the torsoTrim object, and Shift+click the cylinder. Choose Mesh

Figure 4.56. Cut a hole into the torsoTrim object using a cylinder.

When using the Boolean

In the Outliner the pCylinder node is now a group. The mesh object no longer appears. You can adjust the position of the hole in the torsoTrim object by moving the pCylinder1 group (Figure 4.57). Once you delete history on the object, the position of the hole is permanent.

Figure 4.57. You can change the position of the hole by moving the pCylinder1 group.

Create a polygon sphere. Make sure the Subdivisions Axis and Height are set to 20. Set the Scale X, Y, and Z of the sphere to 0.2.

The sphere will be placed inside the hole created by the cylinder and then merged with the torsoTrim object using a Union. To keep the geometry produced by the Booleans as clean as possible, match the edges of the sphere with the edges of the hole created by the cylinder. One way to align the sphere involves creating a parent constraint between the pCylinder group node and the sphere.

In the Outliner, select the pCylinder1 group. Ctrl+click the sphere. Switch to the Animation menu set and choose Constrain

Figure 4.58. Constrain the polygon sphere to the position of the cylinder.

Once the sphere is constrained to the pCylinder1 group, it should appear in the hole. Expand the pSphere1 object in the Outliner, select the pSphere1_parentConstraint1 node, and delete it.

Select the pSphere1 node and the polySurface2 node in the Outliner, and choose Mesh

Zoom in on the sphere (hot key = f). You'll see that the edges that wrap around the sphere match the position of the edges of the hole cut by the cylinder (see Figure 4.59). This is not always required when using Boolean operations, but it keeps the polygon geometry clean and reduces render artifacts.

Select the pSphere1 group in the Outliner. Scale it down on the Y axis a little. In the options for the Move tool, set Move Axis to Local and push the sphere back in the hole a little (see Figure 4.59).

Delete history on polySurface3 and rename it torsoTrim.

Save the scene as torsoDetail_v02.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open torsoDetail_v02.ma from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Open the pants_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD. You'll see the helmet, torso, and parts of the legs have been modeled already.

Open the Outliner, select the rightBoot and rightThighGuard groups, and hide them (Ctrl+h). These groups are named based on the character's right side.

Create a polygon cube. Position the cube between the leftBoot and leftThighGuard groups. Try these settings in the Channel Box:

Set Subdivisions Width to 3, Subdivisions Height to 6, and Subdivisions Depth to 3.

Select the cube, and press the 3 key to switch to smooth mesh preview. Right-click on the cube, and choose Vertex to switch to vertex editing mode.

Switch to the Move tool. In the options for the Move tool, turn on Soft Select. Use the Move tool to shape the cube into a loose cylinder. The upper part should fit inside the opening at the bottom of the leftThighGuard. The bottom of the cube should fit over the top of the leftBoot (Figure 4.61).

There's no need to be overly precise at this point; just try to imagine this surface as bulky, insulated fabric. It has to be flexible enough to bend but durable enough to protect the wearer in harsh environments, such as outer space. You'll refine the shape using Artisan.

Select the cube and name it leftPants. Choose Modify

Select leftPants and choose Mesh

Choosing the Sculpt Geometry Tool activates the Artisan brush-based interface. The settings in the Options box control how the brush works as you sculpt the surface. At the top of the Options box are the basic controls:

In the Sculpt Geometry Tool options, set Radius(U) to 0.25 and Opacity to 0.1. Click the first icon in the Profile section and the first icon in the Operation section.

Set Reference Vector to Normal and Max. Displacement to 0.5.

If you are using a digital tablet and a stylus, activate Stylus Pressure and set Pressure Mapping to Both.

In the Display section, turn on Draw Brush While Painting and Draw Brush Feedback, so you can see how the brush changes based on the amount of pressure applied to the pen on the tablet. You may also want to turn off Show Wireframe, so the wireframe display does not obscure your view of the changes made on the brush.

Paint some strokes on the leftPants object. Create folds in the clothing like the ones shown in the original sketch. You can hold the Ctrl key while you paint on the surface to invert the direction of the displacement. When you hold the Shift key while painting, the brush mode switches to smooth.

As you paint, experiment with the options for the Artisan brush settings. You can also activate smooth mesh preview on the surface by pressing the 3 key.

After you have created some folds, set Operation to Relax, and click the Flood button a few times to even out the lumps and bumps.

When you are happy with the surface, unhide the rightThighGuard and rightBoot groups. Create a mirror duplicate of the leftPants surface and rename it rightPants. Use the Artisan brushes to sculpt changes into this surface so it does not look like a copy of leftPants (see Figure 4.63). Remember to select the surface and choose Mesh

Save the scene as pants_v02.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the pants_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Open the head_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD. This scene has two image planes already placed. You should see a drawing of a simple head on each plane. If the drawings do not appear, select the image plane, open the Attribute Editor to the imagePlane tab, and click on the folder next to the Image Name field. Connect imagePlane1 to the headFront.tif file in the chapter4sourceimages directory. Connect imagePlane2 to the headSide.tif file in the chapter4sourceimages directory.

Choose Create

In the INPUTS section of the Channel Box, set Subdivisions Axis to 11.

Switch to the perspective view. Right-click on the pipe and choose Face to switch to face selection mode. Select all of the faces except the face on the front and delete them (see the top image in Figure 4.64).

Figure 4.64. Shape the vertices of a polygon pipe, extrude the edges, and create the eye socket area.

Switch back to the front view. Turn on X-Ray shaded mode. Use the Move tool to move around the vertices of the faces so they match the shape of the eye in the reference drawing.

Switch to edge selection mode. Double-click on one of the outer edges that circle the eye. Double-clicking will select the entire edge loop. Choose Edit Mesh

Click on the blue circular switch on the extrude manipulator to change the Extrude tool out of local mode. Click on one of the scale handles on the extrude manipulator to activate scale mode. Scale the extruded edges out by dragging on the center of the manipulator.

Use the Move tool to move the vertices on the outer edge to roughly shape the brow and the area below the eye. Use the center images in Figure 4.64 as a guide.

Select the two outer edges closest to the center line (where the bridge of the nose will be), and create another extrusion.

Turn Grid Snapping on. From the front view, use the Move tool to snap each of the vertices of the extruded edge on the center line in the X axis (see Figure 4.64, bottom left).

Select the five edges on the top of the object, and create another extrusion. Pull these edges straight up with the extrude manipulator (Figure 4.64, bottom right).

Select the pPipe1 object in the Outliner, and switch to object selection mode. Choose Mesh

Figure 4.65. Mirror the eye socket area across the X axis.

The default settings of the Mirror Geometry tool automatically combine the mirrored geometry and merge any vertices that are in the same position. The vertices that you snapped to the center line are merged with the vertices on the center line of the mirrored copy.

Select the nPipe1 object and rename it upperFace. Delete history on the object.

Save the scene as head_v02.ma. To see a version of the scene so far, open the head_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Create another polygon pipe. Rotate it 90 degrees in X, and move it down to match the mouth in the front-view sketch. Try these settings:

Set Subdivisions Axis to 16.

Just as you did with the eye socket, delete all the faces except those on the front. Use the Move tool with Reflection turned on to shape the vertices of the polygons to roughly match the shape of the lips. Keep a slight opening at the center of the lips.

Shift+click the six edges on the top of the lips and extrude them. Pull the extruded edges straight up toward the bottom of the nose. Set the Divisions of the extrusion to 2.

Shift+click the remaining edges around the outside of the mouth, and create another extrusion. Move these edges outward—in this case it may be easier to switch the Extrusion tool out of local mode (click the blue circular switch on the manipulator) and then scale the edges up so they move out from the center. Leave the Divisions on this extrusion set to 1.

Use the Move tool to reposition the vertices of this polygon object to roughly match the shape of the face; pull the vertices on the edge below the nose upward. This upper edge will form the lower planes of the nose, where eventually the nostrils will be placed. Use Figure 4.66 as a guide.

Select the pPipe1 object, and choose Edit Mesh

Repeat step 7 for the opposite side of the face.

Use the Insert Edge Loop tool to insert an edge between the upper edge of the lip and the lower portion of the nose.

Figure 4.66. Create the mouth area from the faces of a polygon pipe. Extrude the edges and move the vertices to match the drawing.

Use the Insert Edge Loop tool again to create another edge loop around the outside of the mouth (see Figure 4.67).

Rename pPipe1 as lowerFace. Save the scene as head_v03.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the head_v03.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the head_v03.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Shift+click the upperFace and lowerFace objects. Switch to the Animation menu set, and choose Create Deformers

Select the bend handle, and set its Rotate X to 90 and Rotate Y to −90. In the INPUTS section of the Channel Box, set Curvature to −1.5.

Shift+click the upperFace and lowerFace objects, and choose Delete By Type

Switch to the side view. Turn on X-Ray Shading, and position the lowerFace object so it's closer to the front of the head (set its Translate Z to 9.31).

Select the Move tool. Turn on Reflection and Soft Select. Set Soft Select Falloff Radius to 1.5. Use the Move tool to drag back the corners of the mouth.

Use the Move tool to shape the mouth from the side to roughly match the drawing. Use Figure 4.68 (upper-right panel) as a reference. The vertices at the top of the lowerFace object should match the underside of the nose. As you work, you will need to adjust the radius of the Move tool's Soft Selection in the options and occasionally deactivate it so you can move individual vertices.

Switch to the front view, and continue moving the vertices to roughly match the drawing. Refer to Figure 4.68.

Figure 4.68. The vertices of the mouth are positioned from the side and front view.

Switch to the side view, and position the upperFace object to match the drawing. Place the upperFace so the drawing of the eye in the side view can be seen in the hole for the eye on the mesh.

Move the vertices around the eye area to match the side view of the face.

Create a NURBS sphere. Rotate it 90 degrees in X. Position the sphere so it matches the eye in the drawing. Try the following settings:

Switch to a perspective view. Turn off X-Ray Shading. Use the Move tool to position the vertices so the opening in the eye wraps around the surface of the eyeball. This will eventually become the eyelid.

Switch to the front view, and move the vertices of the upper face to match the drawing (see Figure 4.69).

Save the scene as head_v04.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open head_v04.ma from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the head_v04.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Shift+click the top eight edges of the lowerFace object, the edges that define the area of the nose as shown in the upper left of Figure 4.70 (the edges are highlighted in the image for clarity).

Extrude these edges, and pull them straight up using the extrude manipulator (click on the blue circular switch of the manipulator to turn off local mode; this makes it easier to pull straight up).

Figure 4.70. Create the tip of the nose and the nostrils.

To create the nostrils, select the two sets of four faces on either side of the nose, as shown in the lower left of Figure 4.70.

Extrude these faces once, and scale them down slightly.

Extrude the faces again, and pull the second extrusion straight up (this is shown from the back of the lowerFace section in the lower right of Figure 4.70).

With the faces still selected, press the Delete key to delete the faces inside the nostril.

Select the lowerFace object, and choose Edit Mesh

The Split Polygon tool lets you insert vertices and edges into the mesh by clicking directly on the edges of a mesh. By increasing the snapping tolerance, each time you click on an edge, the tool will snap to the center of the edge, making precision a little easier.

Start from the center of the middle polygon on the tip of the nose. Click each edge around the front of the nose, down the side, across the bottom, and up around the other side. To make this path, a triangle will be created in the outside corners of the nostril.

When you end up back at the first vertex created by the Split Polygon tool, click on it to complete the loop, and hit Enter to finish the tool. Make sure the line splits each polygon along the way; otherwise, when you press Enter, nothing happens. You can back up to the previous split by pressing the Backspace key.

Use the Split Polygon tool to split the polygon next to the triangle on the side of the nose, as shown in the lower-right image of Figure 4.71. Repeat this for the opposite side of the nose as well so that the geometry is symmetrical.

Figure 4.71. Divide the polygons around the tip of the nose using the Split Polygon tool.

Shift+click the lowerFace and upperFace objects. Choose Mesh

Select the face geometry and choose Edit Mesh

Continue to use the Append Polygon tool to attach the upper part of the face to the lower part, as shown in Figure 4.72. Make sure you maintain symmetry by appending polygons on both sides of the face.

Figure 4.72. Use the Append Polygon tool to attach the upper part of the face to the lower part of the face.

Notice in the middle right image of Figure 4.72 that the naso-labial fold is created by appending a polygon between the side of the nose and the area above the upper lip.

In the lower-left image of Figure 4.72, the appended polygon is split and the vertices are moved to bring the open edges into alignment.

Bridge Tool

The Bridge tool appends multiple polygons between two opposing faces (polygon faces that are facing each other). Select the two faces you want to bridge, and choose Edit Mesh

In the lower-right image of Figure 4.72, the Merge Edge tool is used to close the open edges (Edit Mesh

Bowties

The term bowtie refers to a situation in which the Append Polygon tool creates a twisted polygon that resembles a bowtie. This happens when you combine two meshes that have opposing normals and then connect the meshes using the Append Polygon tool. To fix this, select the polygon meshes and use the Separate command to break them into two meshes (Mesh

Select the border edges around the lower portion of the face that surround the mouth area, as shown in the upper-left image of Figure 4.73. Extrude these edges, and scale them out from the center using the extrude manipulator.

In the Channel Box for the extrude node, set Divisions to 2.

Use the Move tool to position the vertices of the extruded faces so they match up with the upper portion of the face, as shown in the middle-left image of Figure 4.73.

Use the Merge Edge tool to close the gap between these edges.

Switch to a side view, turn on X-Ray mode, and move the vertices of the face so they match the contour of the drawing.

Spend a few minutes spacing out the edges on the nose. Look at the lower-left image in Figure 4.73. Notice how the vertices have been arranged to make smoother edge loops around the mouth area.

Switch to a front view, and use the Move tool to further shape the face to match the reference drawing.

Save the scene as head_v05.ma. To see a version of the scene to this point, open the head_v05.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the head_v05.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Rotate the model so you can see the inside of the face. Zoom in on the back side of the mouth. Right-click on the model, and choose Edge to switch to edge selection mode.

Double-click on one of the border edges of the mouth to select the whole border.

Extrude these edges, and pull them straight back into the mouth.

Set Divisions to 2. Use the Move tool to select and move the vertices of the extruded edges. Pull them apart, as shown in Figure 4.74.

Figure 4.74. Extrude the edges on the inside of the mouth to create a simple throat.

Double-click on the border edge again, and create another extrusion. Pull this extrusion back deeper into the area that will be the head. Set Divisions to 3.

Shape the vertices into a tube that bends downward. You want to create a very simple throat.

Create the inside of the eyelids using a similar method. Extrude the inside edges of the character's left eyelid (on the character's left), hiding the eyeball while you work. A single-edge extrusion with two divisions should do the trick.

Pull the inside of the eyelids back far enough so the new edges do not intersect with parts of the face.

Select the face, and choose Mesh

Delete history on the face, and delete the mirror cut plane nodes in the Outliner.

Right-click on the face, and choose Vertices so the face vertices are highlighted. Inspect the model for any extra vertices created along the center line by the mirror cut planes. Delete these vertices (an extra vertex appears on the edge of the nose in the lower-right image of Figure 4.75).

Figure 4.75. Extrude the edges on the inside of the eyelids. Mirror the face using the Mirror Cut tool. Select and delete any extra vertices.

Delete history on the surface and rename it face.

Save the scene as head_v06.ma. To see a version of the model to this point, open the head_v06.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Open the head_v07.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Right-click on the face object and choose Face. Select one of the faces behind the corner of the eye.

Transform Component does not have a mirror mode. If you want to keep the face symmetrical, you'll need to Shift+click the same face on the opposite side of the head.

Choose Edit Mesh

Figure 4.77. The Transform Component moves components relative to their local space.

Zoom in on one of the eyes, select the face object, and choose Edit Mesh

Click on the edge of the eyelid. The tool inserts two edge loops on either side of the eyelid edge. By sliding the tool left or right, you can set the distance between the central edge loop and the offset edge loops (see Figure 4.78).

Right-click on the face, and choose Edge to switch to edge selection mode. Select the three edges above the eyelid, as shown in Figure 4.79.

Choose Edit Mesh

Select the face object and choose Edit Mesh

Select the vertical edge and choose Edit Mesh

Open the gloveStart.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD. You'll see that one of the gloves has been created using standard polygon modeling techniques (see Figure 4.82).

Figure 4.82. The glove has been created using standard polygon modeling techniques.

Each stage in the construction of the glove has been saved as a separate model so you can see the process involved. Since this is intended to be a big, bulky glove, there does not need to be a lot of detail.

Turn off the visibility of the GLOVE_CONSTRUCT display layer so the earlier versions of the glove are not visible.

Select glove10 and zoom in on the model (hot key = f).

With glove10 selected, choose Modify

Press the 3 key to switch to smooth display of the model.

Right-click on the model, and choose Vertex to display the vertices.

The vertices of a subD object behave very similarly to the CVs of a NURBS object. The vertices are offset from the surface much like NURBS CVs (Figure 4.83).

Right-click on the model and choose Edge. The edges appear as a cage around the object.

Figure 4.83. Convert the glove into a subdivision surface. Display the vertices of the model.

You can move the edges, vertices, or faces of the model. To add a crease to an edge, switch to the Surfaces menu set and expand the Subdivision Surfaces menu. At the top of the menu are options for adding a full crease, adding a partial crease, or removing a crease (Figure 4.84).

Select the polyToSubd1 object in the Outliner. Choose Subdivision Surfaces

In the Outliner, expand the polyToSubd1 object. Under the transform node, you'll see two shape nodes: the polyToSubdShape1 node and the polyToSubdShape1HistPoly node.

Maya has created a duplicate polygon version of the model and placed it under the polyToSubd1 node. You can edit the polygon cage (by editing the polyToSubdShape1HistPoly node) using many of the polygon-editing tools, and the changes will be transferred to the subD version of the model (Figure 4.85).

To turn off the polygon proxy, select the model and choose Subdivision Surfaces

Save the scene as glove_v01.ma. To see a version of the scene, open the glove_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Continue with the scene from the previous section or open the glove_v01.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

Right-click on the glove and choose Vertex. The vertices are displayed for the model; notice that the top of each knuckle has six vertices.

Select the Move tool and open the Tool options. Activate Tweak Mode.

Spend a few minutes shaping the glove using the Move tool. In tweak mode, you can select each vertex and nudge it with the Move tool. The standard Move tool manipulator is not visible when you have tweak mode activated.

Right-click on the model and choose Display Finer (Figure 4.86). This moves you to the next higher level of subdivision. The knuckles have more vertices available for editing.

The lowest level of subdivision is labeled level 0 or the base level. The next level is 1, then 2, and so on.

Use the Move tool to reposition the vertices of the knuckle. If you are having trouble moving the vertices at the higher levels, try disabling Soft Select in the Move tool options. To switch back to level 0, right-click on the model and choose Display Coarser.

To add a level of subdivision to a specific area of the model, select a component and right-click on the model. Choose Refine Selected from the marking menu.

Notice that when you are working in level 1, if you change the position of a vertex that lies on the border of a level 0 region, the area near the edited vertex is subdivided automatically.

Figure 4.86. At the finer display level more vertices are available for editing the knuckles of the glove.

The glove has three levels of subdivision, 0 through 2. The level 2 area is found where the thumb meets the glove. Changes made at level 2 are best suited for details such as wrinkles and small folds. You can add up to 13 levels of subdivision to a model.

Select the Glove model and choose Subdivision Surfaces

When you are happy with the model, save the glove as glove_v02.ma. To see a version of the finished glove, open the glove_v02.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD.

You can import the glove into your version of the space suit scene and scale, rotate, and position it to fit at the end of the arm. You can also use the armStart.ma scene from the chapter4scenes directory on the DVD. Make a mirror copy of the glove, and position it at the end of the other arm (see Figure 4.87).

To see a finished version of the space suit character, open the spacesuitFinished.ma scene on the chapter4scenes directory of the DVD (see Figure 4.88).