Creating a Model Step-by-Step - Part 3

In Part 3 of this tutorial we continue with our transformation of a cube into a whale by adding the Dorsal fin and flippers.

As always, when modeling it helps to have a photo or physical model of the object you want to create to use as a reference. I based this model on a few photos of whales that I found on the Internet.

Click Button-Toolbar-RenderSmooth.gif (176 bytes) on the Primary Toolbar to turn Smooth Rendering off. Smooth Rendering is typically used for final rendering of scenes. During the modeling phase however it tends to obscure the details of an object making modeling more difficult.

Open the model you created in Part 2 of this Tutorial or click here to download the sample model.

 

TutorialBlockModeling3-1.gif (16975 bytes)

 

In this part of the tutorial we will need a perspective view and an orthographic view. You will need to switch back and forth between orthographic front view and top view as needed.

Select View Selection from the View menu. Choose the icon in the upper right hand corner that shows a single horizontal line.

Right-Click on the lower view, and select View->Orthographic->Front from the popup menu. Note that Front means front of the scene rather than front view of the model. In this case, a front view displays the side view of the model because of the way the model is oriented.

 

TutorialBlockModeling3-2.gif (16806 bytes)

 

Enter Face Selection Mode by clicking on Button-Toolbar-SelectFace.gif (906 bytes) on the Edit Toolbar. Select a the face shown.

Set the parameters for the Extrude Operation, on the Operations Panel, by right clicking on Operation-Extrude.gif (924 bytes). An Extrusion Amount of 0 and a Bevel Amount of -.3 is required. This will extrude the face 0 units and bevel it -.3 units. This will result in the face being subdivided.

Click on Operation-Extrude.gif (924 bytes) to perform the Extrusion Operation.

Repeat for the face on the opposite side of the object.

These faces will be the origins of the flippers.

 

TutorialBlockModeling3-3.gif (17216 bytes)

 

Select the face indicated and extrude it.

Again, this will result in the face being subdivided as in the step above.

This will be the origin of the Dorsal fin.
TutorialBlockModeling3-4.gif (17296 bytes)

 

Select the face indicated and the face on the opposite side.
TutorialBlockModeling3-5.gif (17346 bytes)

 

Using the orthographic view, drag the face down using the Edit control, or by clicking and dragging on the face.
TutorialBlockModeling3-6.gif (17129 bytes)

 

Click on the face indicated. This will expose the point handles. Reshape the face as shown by dragging the point handles.

Repeat for the other side.
TutorialBlockModeling3-7.gif (14447 bytes)

 

Right-Click on the lower view, and select View->Orthographic->Top from the popup menu.

Select the face that will be the origin of the dorsal fin.
TutorialBlockModeling3-8.gif (16652 bytes)

 

Reshape the selected face as shown using the point handles.
TutorialBlockModeling3-9.gif (16609 bytes)

 

The flippers and dorsal fin must produce a crease where they meet the body. If we were to extrude the origin faces, the result would be unsatisfactory. To correct this, we further subdivide these origins.

Select a flipper origin. Set the Extrusion parameters by right clicking on Operation-Extrude.gif (924 bytes). Set the Extrusion Amount to 0 and the Bevel Amount to -.01.

Click on Operation-Extrude.gif (924 bytes) to do the subdivision.

Repeat for the other origin faces.

I have shown the result in wireframe mode so that you can see more clearly the resulting subdivision.

To enter wireframe mode, Click Button-Wireframe.gif (151 bytes) on the Primary Toolbar.

 

TutorialBlockModeling3-10.gif (14198 bytes)

 

Select a flipper origin. Set the  Extrusion Amount to .5 and the Bevel Amount to 0.

Extrude the face.

Repeat for the other flipper's origin.
TutorialBlockModeling3-11.gif (17454 bytes)

 

Select each of the extruded faces.

Using the orthographic view, drag the faces backwards as shown using the Edit Control.
TutorialBlockModeling3-12.gif (17097 bytes)

 

Now drag the faces downward. You will need to switch to an orthographic front view to do this.

It is usually easier to judge position with orthographic views, but you could as an alternative right-click on the selected faces and drag downwards. 
TutorialBlockModeling3-13.gif (16442 bytes)

 

Scale the faces as shown.
TutorialBlockModeling3-14.gif (18015 bytes)

 

Select one of the extruded faces. Set the Extrusion Amount to .3 and the Bevel Amount to 0.

Extrude the face.

Repeat for the face on the opposite side.

Scale the extruded faces as shown.
TutorialBlockModeling3-15.gif (17041 bytes)

 

Select one of the extruded faces.  Set the Extrusion Amount to .1 and the Bevel Amount to 0.

Click on Operation-Extrude.gif (924 bytes) to do the extrusion.

Repeat for the face on the opposite side.

Select both extruded faces and shift them backwards as shown using the orthographic top view.

 

TutorialBlockModeling3-16.gif (17118 bytes)

 

Again, extrude the outermost face on each of the flippers and shift them as shown.
TutorialBlockModeling3-17.gif (16706 bytes)

 

Select the origin of the Dorsal fin.
TutorialBlockModeling3-18.gif (17126 bytes)

 

Extrude the face with an Extrusion Amount to .02 and the Bevel Amount to 0.

Shift it backwards as shown.
TutorialBlockModeling3-19.gif (16201 bytes)

 

Extrude one more time and shift the result backwards as shown.
TutorialBlockModeling3-20.gif (16462 bytes)

 

Apply the Operation-Smooth.gif (525 bytes) Smooth Operation two times.

Apply the Operation-Crease.gif (514 bytes) Crease Operation and adjust the slider to the far left so that there is no creasing.
TutorialBlockModeling3-21.gif (22060 bytes)

 

Click Button-Toolbar-RenderSmooth.gif (176 bytes) to turn Smooth Rendering on.

There we have it. A completed whale. The only problem is that it is pink. We'll resolve that in Part 4 of this tutorial.

Click here to download the model completed in this part of this tutorial.

Notice that the final result produced bulges at the extruded flippers and dorsal fin. This is one of the byproducts of face subdivision. This is acceptable for this whale since this is a model of a humpback whale (with considerable artistic license taken) which has bulges in those places. If we didn't want bulges, we would have done a single smooth operation prior to adding the flippers and dorsal fin. For simplicity in this tutorial we have avoided this since it adds a number of modeling steps.

 

TutorialBlockModeling3-22.gif (19012 bytes)