Figure 1
Figure 2
STEP 1: Load head01.lwo into Modeler. (If you did not follow the steps in the previous section and just want experience in fleshing out a spline cage, you may load head01.lwo from the CD-ROM).
STEP 2: The outer corner of the eye lies next to a point in the
middle of the head. Select these two points (shown in Figure
1) and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
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Figure 1 |
Figure 2 |
STEP 3: The inner corner of the eye lies next to a point in the profile of the head. Select these two points (shown in Figure 2) and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
STEP 4: Let's continue the line we created in Step 2. Select the points shown in Figure 3 and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
Figure 3
Note: Continuing the line of a spline throughout a spline cage guarantees that the patches generated by the cage will always line up, as long as you use the same settings for every single patch.If the line of the spline from the outer corner of the eye had stopped at the side of the head, then you would have had no guarantee that the points generated on either side of the spline dividing the front and back of the head would "meet at the seam."
STEP 5: Let's continue the line of the jaw. Select the points
shown in Figure 4
and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
Figure 4 |
Figure 5 |
STEP 6: Let's round out the splines we just added. Add a point to the middle of each of the new splines except for the spline defining the bridge of the nose. Drag in the Top View until they look like Figure 5.
STEP 7: Let's add a spline for the outside of the cheek. Select
the points shown in Figure
6 and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
Figure 6 |
Figure 7 |
STEP 8: Now to define some of the volume of the cheek. Add two points to this new spline, and Drag these two points until the spline looks like Figure 7. (Make sure that this spline looks as rounded as possible in all views).
STEP 9: Let's add a spline for the forehead. Select the points
shown in Figure 8
and type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
Figure 8 |
Figure 9 |
STEP 10: Define the volume of the forehead. Add three points to this new spline, and Drag them until the spline looks like Figure 9. (Although you should Drag them in the Back View as much as possible, keep an eye on the Front View to make sure that the top of the spline does not go above the spline defining the top and side of the head in the Back View).
STEP 11: Let's add a spline for the jaw. Select the three points
shown in Figure 10
and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
Figure 10 |
Figure 11 |
STEP 12: This "jaw line" seems to collapse into the face below the spline defining the outside of the cheek. Use the Drag tool on the "tweak points" of both the cheek and jaw splines, until it looks like Figure 11. Try to keep both as rounded as possible.
STEP 13: Let's continue the line of the jaw, until it reaches
the end of the spline cage. Select the three points in Figure
12 and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
Figure 12 |
Figure 13 |
STEP 14: This spline could use a more rounded shape. Add a point to the center of each section of this new spline; Drag all non-end points until it looks like Figure 13. (Make sure that the outer points do not go higher than the point at the center of the face. You want this to look like half of an arch, not half of a heart-shape).
The eye could use a "ring" of polygons around it. First, it would mimic the flow of muscles around a real eye, helping future morph targets look more natural. Second, it would help us establish the structure of the brow and upper cheekbone.
We need an extra point to create this spline, though. We'll create this point in the next step.
STEP 15: Select the spline that starts from the outer corner
of the eye and runs towards the ear. Add a point to the section of this
spline that lies closest to the eye. Select the three points shown in Figure
14 (including the point you just created) and create a spline.
Figure 14 |
Figure 15 |
STEP 16: This spline doesn't look as curved as it might. Add a point to the middle of the outermost section. Drag this new point until it forms an arc with its counterparts on the splines above and below it, and until the spline it belongs to looks rounded. It should look like Figure 15.
STEP 17: Time to rough out the upper cheek and the tip of the
nose. Select the points shown in Figure
16 and type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
Figure 16 |
Figure 17 |
STEP 18: Unless this character's wearing an unusual mask, that nose looks too strange. Add three points to the section of spline between the nose and the cheek, and Drag the new points until you have something like Figure 17.
STEP 19: The spline still looks too sharp where it joins its
counterpart near the eye. Add a point to the section of spline between
the cheek and brow, and Drag it out until you have something that looks
like Figure 18.
Figure 18 |
Figure 19 |
STEP 20: Let's shape the underside of the nose. Select the points shown in Figure 19 and type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
STEP 21: Add a point to the spline defining the underside of
the nose, and Drag it out until that spline looks rounded, as in Figure
20.
Figure 20 |
Figure 21 |
Six splines border the area above the nose, inside the cheek, and under the eye. This six-sided boundary must be split into three- or four-sided spline boundaries in order for the Patch operation to work. A six-sided boundary can be split into two four-sided spline boundaries with one strategically placed spline. Adding a single dividing spline, then, would be the simplest solution to this problem...but where should this spline go? (Figure 21)
A spline connecting the inside corner of the eye to the outside corner of the nose seems like the most logical decision. Of the three possible splines, a spline running alongside the nose seems most natural.
STEP 22: Select the point at the inside corner of the eye, and
the point at the outer corner of the nose, as shown in Figure
22. Type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
Figure 22 |
Figure 23 |
We also need to split the area between the inside of the eye and the center of the brow into three- or four-sided spline boundaries.
STEP 23: Select the points shown in Figure 23, and type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
STEP 24: Let's give a bit of curve to this spline. Add a point
to its center and Drag until it looks like Figure
24.
Figure 24 |
Figure 25 |
That's it for the contours of the upper half of the face. Now for the contours of the lower half of the face.
STEP 25: Select the "jaw" spline and add two points to the section between the corner of the mouth and the cheek spline. We can thread a spline through the point closer to the mouth, and the other point helps us smooth out the curve of the jaw spline with the Drag tool, if necessary. (Figure 25)
STEP 26: Select the three points shown in Figure
26 and type Ctrl-p to make a spline.
Figure 26 |
Figure 27 |
STEP 27: Let's make the lower half of this spline more rounded. Add a point to its lower section, and Drag it until it looks like Figure 27.
Note: This spline serves two purposes. First, it mimics the ring of muscles around a human jaw (thus helping morph targets look more natural). Second, it increases the amount of geometry in the chin in the simplest possible way, giving the chin enough points to maintain its shape without sacrificing the smoothness of simple geometry in the rest of the cage.
STEP 28: Now for the lips. Zoom in on the lip area. Select the
points shown in Figure 28,
then type Ctrl-p to create a spline defining the top of the upper lip.
Figure 28 |
Figure 29 |
STEP 29: Select the points shown in Figure 29, then type Ctrl-p to create a spline defining the bottom of the lower lip.
Note: While the rest of the spline cage will be patched with settings of 2-by-2, this triangle patch defining the underside of the lip will be patched with settings of 4-by-2. It needs more than two rows of polygons to describe the lower lip and the area under the lower lip. If you wish, you may add a spline that runs from the corner of the mouth to the central point on the opposite side of the patch, dividing this patch into two 2-by-2 triangle patches.
STEP 30: Now to define the contours of the lips. Of the two splines
you just created, add two points to the top spline and one point to the
lower spline. Drag them into the shapes shown in Figure
30.
Figure 30 |
Figure 31 |
Five splines border the area under the nose, above the lips, and inside the cheek. Let's break this area up into Patch-friendly, four-sided spline boundaries with one well-placed spline.
STEP 31: Select the points shown in Figure 31 and type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
STEP 32: We should continue the line of this spline through the upper lip, or else we might have trouble getting the patches in this area to line up. First, though, we need a point through which to thread the spline. Add a point to the lower spline defining the upper lip. If the extra point causes the spline to lose its arc, Drag the two central points of this spline to regain its rounded shape. It should look like Figure 32.
Figure 32
Note: It's all right for the two curves of the upper lip to look like half of a heart shape instead of half of an arch. Sometimes the curve of an upper lip does have a "dip" in the center. Use the style that you like best.
STEP 33: Select the points shown in Figure
33 and type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
Figure 33 |
Figure 34 |
This new spline looks noticeably straighter than its counterpart in the lip section of the profile spline. They ought to have the same general shape, if the patches across the upper lip are to look as smooth as possible. (Otherwise, we will get a rounded bump in the center of the upper lip that flattens out towards the corners of the mouth, as specified by the current shape of the lip splines).
Here we have a choice. We may Split the profile spline into two separate lines -- one two-point spline for the upper lip, and one for the rest of the profile. Then it would match the straight line of the spline we created in Step 33, and the patched upper lip will look flat in profile.
Or, we may Merge the splines we created in Steps 31 and 33 into a single spline. As the spline threads its way through the center point, it will round out the section covering the upper lip, and the patched upper lip will look rounded in profile.
STEP 34: For this tutorial, we will try the latter method. Deselect everything, select the two splines created in Steps 31 and 33, and type Shift-z to Merge them into a single spline. It should look like Figure 34.
Note: The ink lines (if any) that border the lips like lipliner in a traditional cel animated character can be faked in LightWave with a texture map or Surface Border Edges, if necessary. This is because those particular ink lines remains "fixed" on the surface at all times, from all angles. A shadow (if any) on the upper lip can be faked with either a diffuse or bump map. Worry first about the Silhouette Edges that generate an ink line for the profile of the lips, for those Edges depend upon the angle of the lips to the camera. The profile of the lips, then, must look good from every angle.
The five splines that border the outside of the jaw need to be divided into three- or four-sided spline boundaries, so that this area can be Patched. One spline can do it.
STEP 35: Select the three points shown in Figure
35 and type Ctrl-p to create a spline.
Figure 35 |
Figure 36 |
STEP 36: The upper section of this new spline doesn't seem to fill out the jaw too well by itself. Plus, the lower section puffs out too much. Let's kill two birds with one stone. Add a point to its upper section and Drag it out and forward until it better traces the contour of the jaw, as in Figure 36. (Note that the placement of the extra point in the upper section of this spline caused the lower section to flatten out a bit).
STEP 37: We have now divided the entire front half of this spline cage into three- and four-sided spline boundaries. Save this object as head02.lwo.