Setting Up for Surface Tools Work

Now we will make our reference copy so that we can apply a surface and see what’s happening with our model as we work. Since we are only going to create half the model and then mirror it, we’ll delete the unnecessary segments first. We’ll also check that our viewport settings are optimal for working in Surface Tools.

1.  Select the spline cage, click the Edit Stack button, choose Collapse All, click Yes and then OK.

2. Click the Segment Sub-Object button.

3.  Select all the segments on the top half of the top viewport, as shown in Figure 5.20.

FIGURE 5.20  Select half the segments of the spline cage for deletion.

4.  Delete these segments. When we are done modeling half our narwhale, we will mirror it and weld the halves together. Click the Sub-Object button to get out of sub-object mode.

5.  Select the cage in the front viewport and Shift-drag it upwards. Choose Reference from the dialog box. Move the reference copy up in the top view so it does not obstruct your view of the original.

6.  Apply a Surface modifier to the reference copy.

7.  In the Modify tab of the Surface modifier, check Remove Interior Patches. If you can’t see the surface in the perspective viewport (meaning the normals are pointing away from you when they should be facing you), check Flip Normals as well.

TIP Small changes (fusing vertices, creating a new line) in the spline cage can result in the surface being reversed. Try flipping normals if the surface seems to be inside out or invisible.

8.  Right-click the spline cage, select Properties, and check Vertex Ticks. Make sure your 3D Snap settings are set to Vertex and not Grid Points, and Use Axis Constraints is unchecked. Keep 3D Snap off for now.

9.  With the spline cage still selected, click the Vertex sub-object button and turn the weld threshold to zero by right-clicking the spinner next to Weld.

	TIP You can reset many spinners in MAX by right-clicking either of the spinner arrows. (Usually, the spinner will be set to zero; sometimes the interface designer has it reset to its default value.) Right-clicking while you’re dragging a spinner arrow sets it back to the last value.

10.  Name your spline cage “narwhale spline cage” and your surfaced reference “narwhale surface.”

Creating the Tail

Now your model should be a long, tapered body. You should have a surface on one version of a model that references the spline cage version. We’re going to add the flukes of the tail by drawing a spline that describes the shape of the tail (from the top) and then connect this spline to the vertices of our spline cage with new lines. First, let’s simplify our view so that we can only see the very last cross-section of our spline cage, where we are going to add the tail.

	NOTE If you want to start from here, you can open the file ST_narwhale_2.max on the CD.

1.  Select the spline cage, click the Vertex Sub-Object button, select all the vertices to the right of the leftmost circle (as shown in Figure 5.21), and then click Hide.

FIGURE 5.21  Hide these vertices.

2.  With 3D Snap off, click the Create Line button and, in the top viewport, draw the spline shown in Figure 5.22. Since we’ve hidden the rest of the model, you will only see the inset area of the graphic in your viewport; the figure gives you a reminder of what you are looking at in the model.

FIGURE 5.22  Spline to draw, superimposed on hidden model

3.  Click the Spline Sub-Object button, select the new spline in the front viewport, and move it down so the endpoint aligns with the middle vertex of the end of the cross-section.

4.  Click the Vertex Sub-Object button, marquee-select the connecting vertices, circled above, and click Fuse.

5.  In the top viewport, right-click the new vertices of the tail, choose Bezier Corner, and shape them as shown below.

6.  With 3D Snap on (set to Vertex Only), click the Create Line button and connect the vertex at the top of the base of the tail to the last vertex of our tail spline (Figure 5.23). Right-click to end the line. Click the Create Line button again to turn it off. You should see a new piece added to your reference surface, as shown in Figure 5.23. If you don’t, try Fusing the vertices you just created.

FIGURE 5.23  The newly created line (left) and a new piece of reference surface due to this line (right)

	NOTE If you can’t see your surface, remember to try the ideas in the troubleshooting section earlier in this chapter, such as adjusting the Surface threshold on the reference surface.

7.  With 3D Snap off, select vertices, change their tangency, and shape the new points in the tail. Remember to marquee-select when moving a point.

	TIP If you have Area Selection checked and all your coincident vertices selected, you can click the Cycle button to cycle through the coincident vertices and shape the one you want. If Area Selection is unchecked, you will cycle through all the vertices of the spline (including the hidden vertices).

8.  Go to the Spline sub-object level, select the tail spline, and copy the spline by Shift-dragging it slightly downwards in the front viewport.

9.  Go to the Vertex sub-object level, click the Refine button, and add a vertex to the back circle, near the end vertex of the spline you just created. Click the Refine button again to turn it off.

10.  Select the vertex you just created and the nearby end vertex and then click Fuse.

11.  With 3D Snap on, create another line connecting the vertex at the bottom of the base of the tail to the vertex at the end of the tail; right-click to end the line. Turn off 3D Snap.

12.  Select the two vertices at the tip of the fin and click Fuse. Select the vertices at the very end of the narwhale body and click Fuse.

13.  Click Unhide All.

	NOTE If you want to start from here, you can open the file ST_narwhale_3.max on the CD.

14.  With 3D Snap on, zoom in and rotate your view so you can create a line between the two vertices shown in Figure 5.24. When you are done, turn off 3D Snap. You may need to fuse the vertices afterward. If you still don’t have your surface, go to the object level, select your surface reference object, and check or uncheck Flip Normals.

15.  Change tangent types and maneuver vertices and Bezier handles to shape the tail fin and round out the rest of the cage as shown from two angles in Figure 5.25. You will need to roll your view and zoom in and out as appropriate. When you want a smoother curve, choose Smooth or Bezier tangent type; when you want a precise change in curvature, choose Bezier Corner.

FIGURE 5.24  Create a line between these two vertices.

	TIP Remember to use the W key to maximize or minimize a viewport.

© 2000, Frol (selection, edition, publication)