Figure 1
Figure 2
STEP 1: Load torso11.lwo into Modeler (if you did not follow the previous tutorial sections and just want to practice building a hand, you may load torso11.lwo off the CD-ROM).
STEP 2: Go to an empty layer. Zoom in on the region of the model sheet that displays the left hand. Set the Perspective view window to "Wireframe Shade."
Note: More experienced modelers may skip to Step 8 after creating a box that looks like the one in Figure 1 -- 3x1x3 segments, about the size of the palm of the hand.People unfamiliar with the interactive Box tool should follow Steps 3-7.
STEP 3: Type Shift-x to activate the Box tool. (Create > Objects > Box). In the Back View, left-click on the top of the wrist, hold down the left mouse button and drag down and to the right. When the bottom of the box touches the bottom of the wrist and the rightmost edge of the box touches the base of the fingers, let go of the left mouse button.
Note: Notice the blue highlights on the edges of the box. You can still adjust the dimensions of this box by left-clicking and dragging any of these highlights. You can also adjust the placement of this box by left-clicking and dragging on the blue crosshairs in the center of the box.
Right now this "box" is a two-dimensional plane. Let's add some depth to it.
STEP 4: In the Right View, left-click on the center of the box, hold down the left mouse button and drag to the right. The box will now have gained depth. Keep dragging the right side of the box until it touches the black circle that defines the root of the arm on the model sheet.
STEP 5: In the Right View, Left-click on the center of the leftmost side of the box, hold down the left mouse button and drag to the left until it, too, touches the black circle that defines the root of the arm on the model sheet.
You now have a box that's about the right size for the volume of the elf-girl's palm, but we'll be using Bevel to create her fingers and thumb. Before you "set" this box, you must make one final adjustment: the number of segments that define each side of this box.
STEP 6: In the tradition of Elfquest, this elf-girl will have three fingers. Move your mouse pointer over the Top View and leave it there. On your keyboard, tap the "up" arrow key twice. You should have increased the number of segments along the Z axis by 2, making for a total of three segments.
STEP 7: Let's not forget to make "room" for the thumb. With your
mouse pointer still in the Top View, tap the "right" arrow key twice. The
number of segments along the X axis should now be three, and the box should
look like Figure 1.
|
Figure 1 |
Figure 2 |
STEP 8: Type Ctrl-t to activate the Drag tool. (Notice that as soon as you activated another modeling tool, the box lost its interactive highlights -- it is now "set" in Modeler). In the Top View, Drag the points of the left corners of the box in slightly towards the center, to make the end of the box look more "rounded." (Figure 2)
STEP 9: In the Top View, select the three polygons that form the rightmost side of this box. Type b to activate the Bevel tool (Multiply > Extend > Bevel). We are only going to create the root of the fingers right now. Left-click and drag slightly to the right to shift these selected polygons slightly away from the palm of the hand. Then drag slightly down to shrink these polygons slightly -- just enough to separate each from the other two. (Figure 3)
Figure 3
Like the Box tool, the Bevel tool's effects are still "tweakable" at this stage. They will not be set in stone until you:
Note: The closer these polygons are to the palm, the tighter the spaces between the fingers will be when the faces of the hand are converted into SubPatch surfaces. Remember that the closer that two points lie together, the tighter the curve running through those two points will be, whether you deal with splines or SubPatch surfaces.
STEP 11: It can't hurt to start applying weight maps at this stage. Set the Perspective View window's display type to "Weight Shade."
STEP 12: Deselect everything. Of the three polygons that you
beveled in Step 9, select the lowest one in the Top View -- the root of
the index finger. From the drop-down list next to the W, T, and M buttons
in the lower right-hand corner of Modeler, select "(new)" to activate the
Create Weight Map tool. Give this weight map a name of "Left Index Finger"
with an Initial Value of 100.0%, and click on "OK." It should look like
Figure
4.
Figure 4 |
Figure 5 |
STEP 13: Deselect everything. Select the middle of the three polygons that you beveled in Step 9 -- the root of the middle finger. Create a weight map called "Left Mid Finger" with an Initial Value of 100.0% for the points of this selected polygon. (Figure 5)
STEP 14: Deselect everything. Select the last of the three polygons
that you had beveled in Step 9 -- the root of the pinky finger. Create a
weight map called "Left Pinky" with an Initial Value of 100.0% for the
points of the selected polygon. (Figure
6)
Figure 6 |
Figure 7 |
STEP 15: Let's grow some fingers. Select the three polygons that you just weight-mapped in the previous three steps. Type b to activate the Bevel tool. Use this tool to grow the rough shapes of fingers, as seen in Figure 7, by left-clicking on the selected geometry and dragging to the right (and slightly downwards, to taper the fingers in the Top view).
STEP 16: Leave these polygons selected. Let's give these rough
"fingers" a bit of taper in the Back View. Type h to activate the Stretch
tool. In the Back View, left-click on the bottom of the polygons, hold
down the Ctrl key to restrict movement to one axis, and drag the mouse
pointer downwards until it looks like Figure
8.
Figure 8 |
Figure 9 |
STEP 17: Deselect everything. Type Shift-k to activate the Knife tool. In the Back View, make two cuts in the fingers -- one cut for each finger joint. It should look like the first panel of Figure 9.
STEP 18: Deselect everything. In the Back View, select the points that form the bottom of the roots of the fingers. Type t to activate the Move tool, and move them up until they touch the black line that defines the top of the thumb in the model sheet. (Figure 9)
STEP 19: These fingers need more geometry if they are going to
have a chance of maintaining their volume when bending. Deselect everything.
In the Back View, use the Knife tool to make two cuts on each side of the
"lines" that define the joints. (Figure
10)
Figure 10 |
Figure 11 |
STEP 20: We're going to grow the thumb next, but we should first refine the shape of the palm for it. In the Top View, select the polygon that will become the root of the thumb. Type y to activate the Rotate tool. In the Top View, move the mouse pointer over the rightmost edge of the polygon, left-click and drag to the left until the polygon lies at a 45-degree angle. (Figure 11)
STEP 21: Leave this polygon selected. Use the Bevel tool to grow
a rough thumb, as seen in Figure
12.
Figure 12 |
Figure 13 |
STEP 22: Select the entire geometry of this rough thumb, and
create a weight map called "Left Thumb" with an Initial Value of 100.0%.
(Figure 13)
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