The Torso -- Spline Cage (Pt. 1)

Before we start, I'd like to give you a bit of a roadmap for the torso spline cage. Figure 2 shows front, side, and three-quarter views of the complete torso spline cage. Figure 3 focuses on the upper portion without its neck, and Figure 4 focuses on the hip splines.
 
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3

Figure 4
Figure 4

For your reference, this spline cage is included on the CD-ROM as s-torso.lwo. You may also copy its geometry into a background layer for guidance during this part of the tutorial, if you wish.

STEP 1: Open Modeler. Make sure that the lower-left viewport is set to the Back (XY) view and that the lower-right viewport is set to the Right (ZY) view. Also make sure that the upper-left viewport is set to the Top (XZ) view and that the upper-right viewport is set to the Perspective view.

STEP 2: Type d to summon the Display Options panel. Left-click on its Backdrop tab. In the Backdrop section, left-click on the Presets drop-down menu, and select "Load Backdrop." Load the kara.cfg file that you had saved when you set up Modeler's backdrops in the last section.

You should now have images of the elf girl in the backdrop, ready to trace.

STEP 3: Zoom in on the neck and torso area.

Longer Version: LightWave gives you several options for zooming in on a detail. I sometimes prefer using the hotkeys alone, since it's quick and I don't have to deactivate the tool I'm currently using or fuss with a titlebar button.

Try this: in the lower-right viewport, move the mouse pointer over the center of the elf's torso, and tap g on the keyboard. This will center the views around the torso area. (By doing this in the Right view, the Y axis remains perfectly centered in the Back view). Now tap on the > key (technically, you should tap on the period key WITHOUT holding down the Shift key, but it's easier to remember this key as the "greater than" sign).

If you want to pan around your view, move your mouse pointer to the Right view and hold down the left mouse button and the Alt key. As long as you hold down the Alt key, you'll be able to pan around the view by dragging the mouse pointer. (If you're in a Perspective view, you'll have to hold down the Alt key as well as the Shift key to pan around the view).

STEP 4: For this model, make the neck, waist, and root of the arm as rounded as possible. With splines, you need about eight points for a perfect circle. The easiest way to create these points to use the Disc tool. Left-click on the button for the Disc tool (Objects > Primitives > Disc). Type n to activate its Numeric panel. Left-click on its Actions drop-down menu and select Activate. Use the settings listed below (Figure 5). (As you type in the following values, use the Tab key to enter each value and advance to the next input field): 

    Axis: Y
   Sides: 8
Segments: 1
  Bottom: 0m
     Top: 0m
Center X: 0m
       Y: 0m
       Z: 0m
Radius X: 40mm
       Y: 0m
       Z: 40mm
Figure 5
Figure 5

Exit the Numeric Panel by left-clicking on the button with the x mark on it in the uppermost-right-hand corner of the window. The disc will still have a blue bounding box around it. Left-click on the Disc button again, and the bounding box will disappear.

Note: The blue bounding box means that the disc it surrounds is not yet "set." If you were to deselect everything by left-clicking on the blank grey areas on the toolbars, the disc will disappear. If you were to do anything else (from using another tool to entering/re-entering one of the Selection Modes), the disc will get fixed in place and its bounding box will disappear.

As long as the blue bounding box is active, you can still adjust the placement and dimensions of the primitive geometry that you are creating.

STEP 5: Type k to kill the octagon you have just created, leaving its points behind.

STEP 6: Type Ctrl-g to enter Point Selection Mode. Move your mouse pointer to the Top view.

We are going to create four three-point splines that together form the shape of a circle. Because the order in which you select points matters, it is essential that you select these points in the order that you want the "line" of the spline to be "drawn." In this case, you must select the points in a clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion, so as to define the border of a circle.

Tip: Think of point selection as a 3D version of connect-the-dots. The order in which you select the points is the order in which the "line" describing the spline curve will be "drawn."

STEP 7: In the Top view, left-click on the "topmost" point to select it. Holding down the left mouse button, select the two points to its right in a clockwise fashion (Figure 6 and Figure 7). Let go of the left mouse button. Type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
 
Figure 6
Figure 6		 Figure 7
Figure 7

Figure 8
Figure 8

STEP 8: Select the rightmost point and the next two points underneath it in a clockwise fashion (Figure 7). Type Ctrl-p to create a spline.

STEP 9: Select the bottom point and the two points to its left in a clockwise fashion. Type Ctrl-p to create a spline (Figure 8).

Note: Since the Top view has nothing to do with the Y axis (which is what one might normally think of when referring to "up" and "down"), "topmost" and "bottom" are used as relative terms here.

STEP 10: Select the leftmost point and the two points to its right in a clockwise fashion. Type Ctrl-p to create a spline (Figure 8). You should now have a spline boundary that looks like Figure 9.
 
Figure 9
Figure 9		 Figure 10
Figure 10

STEP 11: From a distance you can't see it, but up close this spline boundary looks slightly sharp at its "corners" (those points that lie directly on the X and Z axes). Type Ctrl-h to enter Polygon Selection Mode. The splines you have just created should automatically be selected (in case they are not, select them now). Now type Ctrl-s to Smooth all selected curves that share endpoints (Detail > Curves > Smooth). Any trace of a corner on this spline boundary will now disappear (Figure 10).

Note: Each of the Smoothed splines are now made up of five points, instead of three. To see this for yourself, select one and copy it to another layer. When you paste it, you'll see a "three-point" spline and two seemingly unattached points. When you select it, however, you'll see dotted lines extending to the "unattached" points. These "unattached" points act as control points of the ends of this spline, letting you tweak the curves of the spline's ends. The dotted lines act as visual "handles."

You can toggle control points on and off by using Ctrl-b and Ctrl-n. Notice that those parts of the curve that run through the next-to-last points remain the same whether or not the control points have been toggled on or not. The dotted lines of the handles serve more than a cosmetic purpose, however. If you try to use a spline for a Lathe, Rail Extrude, or Rail Clone, those operations will only care about the non-handle portion of the spline. Toggling spline handles on and off does makes a difference.

Ctrl-b and Ctrl-n will work on any spline that you create. When it comes to smoothing out a corner formed by two splines, though, let Ctrl-s do all the work for you.

You now have a spline boundary that describes a circle. We'll use copies of this spline boundary for the elf's neck, waist, and arms.
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