modelling a lantern 01 - lightwave 3d
TRANSCRIPT
Creating a Lantern By Erik Brimstedt
Introduction
In this Tutorial we will be creating a realistic Lantern. When I first modelled the Lantern I
was using a real one as a reference. While working in Lightwave I was taking
measurements of the Lantern and using that as I went by. The result was better than I
expected, and since I’ve had a few requests on a Tutorial being written on how to model
one, I thought it would fit nicely into my Online Lightwave Tutorial Shop.
If you have one of these Lanterns in your house, then by all means go get it! Have a look
at it and figure out what modelling techniques might be best to use. When I had a look at
mine, I noticed that most of it was just round shapes, and one tool quickly came to mind
– The Lathe Tool. I could build most of this using only the Pen Tool and then Lathing it.
Picture 1 shows the Lantern we are about to build. The image to the left is a rough
sketch of the outlines, which we will use as guides for the Pen Tool, and the image to the
right is an OpenGL shot of the main Lantern body.
Picture 1: A rough sketch and a preview of a Lantern
So we will create the Lantern in sections, starting with the base and moving upwards.
Before we start I should also mention that even though the Tutorial is step by step, it
might not be aimed at the very beginners of Lightwave. I will not explain where to find
tools or what tools do. If you’re just starting out with Lightwave, then my Beginners
Guide might be a good choice. Good Luck!
Creating the 2D Shapes
Chapter 1 - Lower Base Section
Okay, I have made a few in-scale drawings of the parts we are about to create. Start by
loading up Modeler and bring up the Display options panel by pressing “d”. Switch to the
Backdrop Tab and select the bottom left viewport, then use the settings shown in picture
2.
Picture 2: The Background settings
Click OK to save the changes, then size up the Bottom Left viewport to max. Zoom in
until the image fits the viewport as well. Now all we have to do is trace the lines of the
background image with the Pen Tool to create the basic 2D shape of the Base section.
Don’t be afraid to place out many points, I used 67 points for the Base Section. The more
points you use the more detail the Lantern will have, although 67 should be quite enough
for this section. The following pictures shows where I placed my points and where there
should be extra many points (for detail). Take a few seconds and study these and try to
place your points in a similar way.
Picture 3: The points placed out using the background image as reference
Select all the points you have created and hit “i” on your keyboard. This is the Point Info
Panel, which gives you information about each individual point you’ve placed. Picture 4
shows that each point has been given a number, and this number represents in which
order I created the point. As you can see I started in the lower right corner and then
went in a clockwise order to create the points. You can also remove the background
image now; it will make it a bit easier to see where the points are.
Picture 4: All 67 points selected & Point Info panel showing
The following picture shows some of the more tedious and detailed parts of this section.
Picture 5: Close-ups on the more detailed parts
This will become the base of our Lantern then, and we will keep it as a 2D shape/polygon
while we make the other ones, and then we’ll Lathe them all at the same time. Save your
object at this point, choose a filename such as “Lantern.lwo” or something similar.
Chapter 2 - Upper Base Section
The first 2D shape/polygon we made should be in Layer 1, so switch to Layer 2 now and
bring up the Display Options Panel. Go to the Backdrop Tab and just change the
background image, keep all the size and centre values, like in picture 6. All the 2D
shapes will be created at the same place for now, and later on we will move them to their
correct positions.
Picture 6: Backdrop settings for the second image
Click OK to save the changes, then start working with the Pen Tool again, like we did in
the first chapter.
For this section I used 38 points, shown in picture 7.
Picture 7: Points placed along the contours of the background image
Remove the background image for now and have a look at picture 8 for some more detail
on certain parts.
Picture 8: Close-ups on the more detailed parts
Chapter 3 - Glass Holder
So lets get on with the next section. Switch to Layer 3 and bring up the Display options
panel again, then switch to the Backdrop tab and change the “Image” to picture3.tif.
Just keep the rest of the settings to the way they were with the other two images.
Once again start tracing the outlines of the image in the Backview (Bottom Left
Viewport). Try to create the points in a similar way as me, and for this section I used 25
points, picture 9 shows the 2D shape I made.
Picture 9: Section 3 – the Glass Holder
This section was fairly simple to make, but there’s one thing you need to think about. As
you can see in picture 9, the mid section of the 2D shape does not contain any points,
and I want you to create yours the same way. This section will later have holes in it, and
that’s why we don’t want any points here, you’ll see why later on.
Select the two points shown in the top image of picture 10. As for now I have removed
the backdrop image.
Picture 10: Use the Set Value Tool and place the points
Use the Set Value Tool (ctrl+v) and enter –20mm for the X-axis and then click OK. Then
select the points shown in the bottom image of picture 10 and use the Set Value Tool
again, this time use a value of –32mm on the X-axis. Click OK and the points will move
to the new location.
This is it for this 2D shape, so lets get on with the Glass part.
Chapter 4 - Glass Section
Like before, open up the Display Options Panel and this time use picture4.tif as backdrop
for the BL Viewport. The Size and Centre settings should be the same as before. Switch
to Layer 4 and trace the outlines with the Pen Tool, and for this section I used 42 points.
Picture 11 shows my finished 2D shape of this section.
Picture 11: The Glass section
Picture 12 shows a close-up on the more detailed parts.
Picture 12: Close-ups on the detailed parts
This section is done now, so press “s” on your keyboard to save the progress.
Chapter 5 - Top Section
Switch to Layer 5, then open up the Display Options again and this time set picture5.tif
as backdrop, with the same size & centre values as before. Trace the outlines of the
backdrop like before. I used 53 points for this section. Like in the glass holder section we
need to place 4 of these points at a certain position, so try to create your shape as
similar to mine as possible, have a look at picture 13.
Picture 13: The Top section
Picture 14 shows the more tedious parts of this section.
Picture 14: Close-ups on the more tedious parts
Okay, now we’re going to place those 4 points I was talking about earlier.
Picture 15 shows information on what points to select and where to place them, so use
the Set Value tool again.
Picture 15: Use the Set Value tool
Select the two points shown in the left image of picture 15, then place them at 4mm on
the Y-axis using the Set Value Tool, then select the two points shown in the right image
of picture 15 and this time place them at 9mm.
That’s it for this section, so lets continue with the next one.
Chapter 6 - Top Section Cover
Switch to Layer 6 and change the backdrop image to picture6.tif, and like before, use the
same size & centre values. All these 2D shapes will be created at the same place but we
will position them later on. Start tracing the outlines for this shape; picture 16 shows the
one I made, using 48 points.
Picture 16: Trace the backdrop with the Pen Tool
Picture 17 shows Close-ups on the more detailed parts.
Picture 17: Close-ups on the more detailed parts
That’s it for this section, now lets get on with the last one.
Chapter 7 - Top Section Hat
Once again change the backdrop image, this time to picture7.tif. Switch to Layer 7 and
start tracing this section with the Pen Tool, I used 50 points shown in picture 18.
Picture 18: Trace the outlines with the Pen Tool
Picture 19 shows some more detail.
Picture 19: Close-up
There is one part of this section where the points need to be placed in a certain way, so
lets fix that now.
Picture 20 shows 6 points that need to be aligned. Select 2 at a time and use the values
shown in the picture.
Picture 20: Use the Set Value Tool to position the points
So just use the Set Value Tool here to position the points, we need them aligned here
since there will be holes in the mesh here later on.
That’s it for the basic 2D shapes, press “s” now to save the progress.
Lathing
Chapter 8 - Lower Base Section
Okay all the basic 2D shapes are finished. Picture 21 shows all the layers together at this
point.
Picture 21: All the layers together
Now we’re going to lathe these one by one, so lets start out with the Base Section.
Switch to Layer 1 and activate the Lathe Tool by pressing “Shift+L” on the keyboard.
Bring up the Numeric Panel by pressing “n”. We’re only going to change the amount of
Sides here, so set it to “16” and make sure the axis is set to Y, leave the rest and then
close down the Numeric Panel. Deactivate the Lathe Tool now to perform the operation.
The kerosene is stored in this part of the Lantern, and we need to have some sort of
opening on it where you fill it up. The cork itself will be created later, but we will put a
small bump in the mesh to simulate the opening. We will do this using the Smooth Shift
tool, but first we need to rotate the Base section a bit.
Activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the Axis to Y and keep all
the centre values to 0. So how much should we rotate this then? Well, we want the
polygon segments to line up straight with the grid pattern sort of. Picture 22 shows the
Base Section just after I Lathed it, and as you can see the point segments are lining up
with the grid pattern.
Picture 22: Base Section just after the Lathe Tool
I have marked one of the point segments in picture 22, and we want the polygon
segments to face this way instead. In the Numeric Panel of the Rotate Tool, enter this in
the Angle field:
360/16
That’s right, type exactly what I wrote above, Lightwave will do the math. Why do I
divide 360 with 16 then? Well, the Base Section was Lathed 360 Degrees, and we used
16 Sides, and thereby if we divide 360 with 16 we get exactly how many degrees there is
between each segment. So enter 360/16 and press enter, you will get 22,5 degrees. But
we are not done with this, now we have the amount of degrees between each segment,
but we want to rotate the Base Section half a segment. If we were to rotate the Base
Section 22,5 degrees the change wouldn’t be noticeable.
So we have to divide 22,5 in 2, so type this in the Angle field:
22,5/2
Lightwave will now produce 11,25 degrees, and this is the number we were after. Press
Apply now to rotate the Base Section, and afterwards it should look like picture 23.
Picture 23: Base Section rotated
As you can see now, the Polygon segment is facing the centre line perfectly; I’ve marked
one of the polygons segments with red in picture 23.
Now we are going to select 4 of these polygons to create the bump in the mesh. Select
the 4 polygons shown in picture 24.
Picture 24: Select these polygons
You can easiest do this by just clicking on the mesh in the Perspective View.
With these 4 polygons selected, activate the Smooth Shift tool by pressing “Shift+F” on
the keyboard. Then just right click in any of the Viewports and the points will be
duplicated at this place. Keep the polygons selected and activate the Stretch Tool by
pressing “h” on the keyboard. Press “Shift+A” now to fit the selection in the Viewports,
then place the mouse pointer in the centre of the selection in Top View and drag it
inwards a bit, like in picture 25.
Picture 25: Stretch the polygons inwards
Keep the polygons selected and activate the Move Tool by pressing “t” on the keyboard.
Move the selection downwards and to the left in the Back View, like in picture 26.
Picture 26: Move the selection down and to the left in the Back View
Keep the polygons selected and activate the Smooth Shift Tool again, then just right click
in any of the Viewports to duplicate the points once more. Now you can deselect the
polygons, the work on the Base Section is done. Press Tab now to activate
Metanurbs/Subpatches, then open up the Options Panel by pressing “o” on the keyboard.
Set the Patch Division to 4 and click OK. Picture 27 shows a few angles of my Lower Base
Section.
Picture 27: The finished Base Section
Open up the Change Surface Panel by pressing “q” on the keyboard, then create a new
surface called “Metal” and Click OK.
Chapter 9 - Upper Base Section
Switch to Layer 2 and press “a” on the keyboard to fit the 2D shape in the Viewports.
This section will later on have a small knob to control the kerosene flow, and thereby we
need to make a small hole in one of the sides, but first of all, lets Lathe it.
With nothing selected, activate the Lathe Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. We are
going to use 24 Sides for this section, so enter that and make sure the axis is set to Y,
then close down the Numeric Panel. Deactivate the Lathe Tool now to perform the
operation.
We are going to rotate this section to, but we can’t use the degree amount we used on
the last section since we used 24 sides for this one. The idea is the same though, so just
activate the Rotate Tool, bring up the Numeric Panel and enter 360/24/2 in the Angle
field. The result should be 7,5 degrees so just click apply to rotate the mesh. Select the
polygon shown in picture 28, easiest way is by just clicking on it in the perspective view.
Picture 28: Select this polygon
Activate the Smooth Shift tool and right click somewhere in one of the Viewports, then
activate the Stretch tool and place the mouse pointer in the centre of the polygon in the
Right Viewport (Bottom Right Viewport).
Stretch the polygon a bit inwards like in picture 29.
Picture 29: Stretch the polygon inwards
Now activate the Move Tool and move the selected polygon towards the negative side on
the X-axis, like in picture 30.
Picture 30: Move the selected polygon
When you have moved it, activate the Smooth Shift Tool again and right click in any of
the Viewports to duplicate the points. Keep the polygon selected and activate the Move
Tool again, then move it twice as much as last time, again towards the negative X axis.
When you moved it, hit delete on the keyboard to delete the selected polygon.
Press Tab now to convert this section to Metanurbs/Subpatches. Picture 31 shows 2
angles of my Upper Base Section.
Picture 31: The Upper Base Section
Now this section should lie directly on top of the Lower Base Section, so we need to move
it a bit. Activate the Move Tool and move this upwards about 3cm on the Y-axis. You can
put Layer 1 in the background to see that it’s placed in the right spot. When you’ve
moved it, activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Enter –25 degrees
and set the axis to Y, keep all the centre values at 0 and click Apply. If you view Layer 1
and 2 together now they should look something like picture 32.
Picture 32: Layer 1 and 2 together
Layer 2 should also have the Metal Surface, so bring up the Change Surface Panel and
select the Metal surface there, then click OK.
Chapter 10 - Glass Holder
Switch to Layer 3 now. Keep everything unselected and activate the Lathe Tool, then
bring up the Numeric Panel. We’re going to use 48 sides for this one, so enter that and
keep the rest of the settings to the default, then close down the Numeric Panel and hit
Space on the keyboard to perform the operation. Now I want you to select every other
polygon in the mid row on this mesh, both on the upper and under side, like in picture
33. You do this easiest by just clicking on the polygons you want to select in the
Perspective view. Hold down Shift while you’re doing it, this lets you add as many
polygons as you want to your selection.
Picture 33: Select every other polygon in the mid row
48 polygons should be selected if you did this right. Keep them selected and activate the
Smooth Shift Tool, then right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the points. Once
done, activate the Stretch Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the settings
shown in picture 34.
Picture 34: The Stretch Tool settings
So click Apply to perform the stretch operation. Close down the Numeric Panel, keep the
polygons selected and bring up the Merge Points panel by pressing “m” on the keyboard.
Select the Fixed operation and enter 1mm in the Distance field, then click OK. 96 points
should be eliminated. Keep the polygons selected and press delete on the keyboard to
delete these polygons, then press “a” to fit the mesh in the Viewports.
Activate Metanurbs/Subpatches now. Picture 35 shows a few angles of my Glass Holder.
Picture 35: The Glass Holder
We’re going to move this section in position as well. It should be placed on top of the
Upper Base Section. I moved mine upwards 39mm on the Y-axis, and picture 36 shows it
together with Layer 2.
Picture 36: Layer 2 and 3 together
Layer 3 should also have the Metal Surface, so bring up the Change Surface Panel and
select the Metal surface there, then click OK.
Chapter 11 - Glass Section
Switch to Layer 4 and activate the Lathe Tool. Open up the Numeric Panel and use 24
Sides for this one, keep the rest to the defaults and close down the Numeric Panel. Hit
Space to perform the operation and then hit “a” to fit the mesh in the Viewports.
Open up the Options Panel by pressing “o” on the keyboard, then set the Patch Divisions
to 2 and click OK. Activate Metanurbs/Subpatches and then press “ctrl+d” to freeze
them again. Press “c” to copy the Glass section, then switch to an empty layer and press
“v” to paste it. Press “f” to flip the polygons, then bring up the Change Surface Panel by
pressing “q”. Create a surface called “Glass_Solid” and click OK to apply it. Cut the
flipped polygons out of this layer by pressing “x”, then switch back to Layer 4, but don’t
paste it in yet.
Once back in Layer 4, bring up the Change Surface Panel again and create a new surface
called “Glass”, then click OK. Now press “v” on the keyboard to paste the flipped
polygons, then press “m” to bring up the Merge Points Panel, select the Automatic option
and click OK. 4032 points was eliminated in my mesh, this depends on how many points
you used in the original 2D shape.
What you have in Layer 4 should look something like picture 37.
Picture 37: The Glass Section
Lets position this section now. Put Layer 3 in the background, then move the Glass
Section upwards on the Y axis about 75mm, until it rests on the Glass Holder.
Chapter 12 - Top Section
Switch to Layer 5 now and activate the Lathe Tool. Bring up the Numeric Panel and enter
24 for Sides, keep the rest to the defaults and close down the Numeric Panel. Then hit
Space to perform the operation.
We are going to make a few holes in this mesh, so select the polygons shown in picture
38. This is easiest done by just holding down Shift & clicking in the Perspective View.
Picture 38: Select these polygons
24 polygons should be selected all together. With these polygons selected, activate the
Bevel Tool by pressing “b” on the keyboard, then bring up the Numeric Panel. We’re only
bevelling these inwards, so set the Shift Value to –0,8mm and press enter. The other
settings should be set to 0, then close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to
perform the operation. Keep the polygons selected and bring up the Merge Points panel
by pressing “m” on the keyboard, select the Fixed option and set the Distance to 1mm,
then click OK. 48 points should be eliminated.
Keep the polygons selected and press delete on the keyboard to delete them. This
section should have the Metal surface, so bring up the Change Surface panel and set it to
the Metal one, then click OK. Press Tab now to convert the mesh to Metanurbs/Subpatch.
You can also change the amount of Patch Divisions to 4 in the Options Panel, this is just
for the real-time preview but it gives you a bit more detail.
This section should be placed on top of the Glass Section, so activate the Move Tool and
move this 143,5mm upwards on the Y-axis. Layer 1 to 5 should look something like
picture 39 together now.
Picture 39: Layer 1 to 5 together
This is starting to look more and more like a Lantern, but we have 2 more shapes to
Lathe, and then a few details to add.
Chapter 13 - Top Section Cover
Switch to Layer 6 and activate the Lathe Tool. Bring up the Numeric Panel and set the
amount of Sides to 24, keep the rest to the defaults. Close down the Numeric Panel and
press Space to perform the operation. Open up the Change Surface Panel and apply the
Metal Surface to this part to. That’s pretty much it for this section; all we need to do is
move it to the right position.
Activate the Move Tool and move this upwards 157mm on the Y-axis. Activate
Metanurbs/Subpatches now and we’re done. Together with Layer 5 it should look
something like picture 40.
Picture 40: Layer 5 and 6 together
Again, save your progress by pressing “s” on the keyboard.
Chapter 14 - Top Section Hat
Okay, switch to Layer 7 now so we can lathe the last 2D shape. Activate the Lathe Tool
and bring up the Numeric Panel. Enter 24 for Sides and keep the rest of the setting so
the defaults, then close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation.
This section will have 4 big holes in it, so lets start by selecting the polygons where the
holes should be. Picture 41 shows which ones to select.
Picture 41: Select these polygons, 96 in total
With these polygons selected, activate the Smooth Shift tool and bring up the Numeric
Panel by pressing “n” on the keyboard. Set the Offset to –1mm here, the Scale should be
100% and the Max Smoothing angle should be at the default – 89,5 degrees. Close down
the Numeric Panel and press Space to perform the operation.
Keep the polygons selected and bring up the Merge Points panel by pressing “m” on the
keyboard, select the Fixed option and enter 2mm for Distance, then click OK. 80 points
should be eliminated. Keep the polygons selected and press delete on the keyboard to
delete these polygons.
Open up the Change Surface panel and give this section the Metal Surface. Now lets
move it in position. Put Layer 5 in the background, then move the Top Section Hat
upwards 194,5mm on the Y-axis. The Top Section Hat should rest on the Top Section in
Layer 5. Activate Metanurbs/Subpatches for the Hat now, and together with Layer 5 and
6 it should look something like picture 42.
Picture 42: Layer 5, 6 and 7 together
We’re going to alter the surfaces a bit to see a somewhat preview of what it will look like
later on, so open up the Surface Editor and select the Metal Surface. We are just
changing the basic settings now; we will deal with textures later on in Layout.
Enter these settings for the Metal surface, the settings below are the only ones you need
to change, leave the rest to the defaults:
Color: R: 120 G: 110 B: 100
Diffuse: 80%
Specularity: 75%
Glossiness: 20%
Reflection: 15%
Smoothing: ON
Once done, select the Glass surface and change the following:
Color: R: 190 G: 200 B: 210
Diffuse: 40%
Specularity: 50%
Glossiness: 40%
Reflection: 25%
Transparency: 75%
Refraction Index: 1.5
Smoothing: ON
Once done, select the Glass_Solid surface and use the following settings:
Color: R: 190 G: 200 B: 210
Diffuse: 40%
Specularity: 0%
Reflection: 0%
Transparency: 75%
Refraction Index: 1.0
Smoothing: ON
That’s it for the basic surfacing, close down the Surface Editor. All the Layers together
should look something like picture 43 now:
Picture 43: The Lantern at this point
We are now done with all the Basic sections of this Lantern, so lets get on with the
details. Save the progress now by pressing “s” on the keyboard.
The Details
Chapter 15 - Handles
Lets start out with the two handles that the Lantern should have. Switch to Layer 8 now,
which should be empty, then open up the Display Options Panel and go to the Backdrop
Tab. For the Bottom Right Viewport, use the settings shown in picture 44.
Picture 44: The backdrop settings
Click OK to apply the background image to the BR Viewport. We can’t just trace this
background image with the Pen Tool like before since the shape of it isn’t quite that
simple. What we need to do is make a polygon that has the shape of the intersection of
the Handle, and then extrude it and work from there.
Set the Grid Size to 2mm and use the Point Tool to place 4 points at the positions shown
below. What you can do here is simply place 4 points at a random location, and then
move them one by one using the figures below.
Picture 45: The Point Info Panel showing the locations for each point
Once you finished positioning the points, activate the Mirror Tool by pressing “Shift+V”,
then mirror these points across the Z-axis at the centre. You can use the Numeric Panel
if you want to, just set the axis to Z and the Centre values to 0, then close down the
Numeric Panel and press Space to perform the operation.
Use the Mirror Tool again and this time mirror all the points across the X-axis at the
centre. Drag a lasso around the points shown in picture 46 to select them.
Picture 46: Select these points, 8 in total
Copy these points by pressing “c” on the keyboard, then paste them in again in the same
layer by pressing “v”. Keep the points selected and activate the Rotate Tool, then place
the mouse pointer at the centre of the Top View and rotate these points –90 degrees. If
you want to use the Numeric Panel for this, then set the axis to Y, the Angle to –90
degrees and all the centre values at 0, then click Apply.
Keep these 8 points selected and activate the Move Tool, then move these 1,6mm on the
X axis, then activate the Mirror Tool and mirror them across the X-axis at the centre.
Picture 47 shows the Top View at this point.
Picture 47: The Top View at this point
We need to add a few more points before we turn it into a polygon, so activate the Point
Tool and place 4 points at the positions shown in picture 48.
Picture 48: Place 4 new points at the positions shown
Keep these 4 points selected and activate the Mirror Tool. Mirror these across the X-axis
at the centre. Once done, deselect the Mirror Tool and add the 4 new points to the
selection until you have 8 points selected, shown in picture 49.
Picture 49: Select these points
With these points selected, activate the Mirror Tool and mirror them across the Z-axis at
the centre and we’re done. Deselect everything, then start selecting these points in a
clockwise order, and once all the points are selected, press “p” to create a polygon. All
right, the first step done in creating the handles, picture 50 shows the polygon.
Picture 50: The polygon
Now we’re going to extrude this polygon, but first lets move it into position. Use the
backdrop in the BR Viewport and place it in the upper area of the straight handle-part,
like picture 51 shows.
Picture 51: Place the polygon here
Okay, for the following procedures are a bit tedious, but I’ll try to explain it as good as
possible. Activate the Extrude Tool by pressing “Shift+E” on the keyboard. Working in
the BR Viewport, extrude this polygon just a few millimetres downwards using your left
mouse button, like in picture 52.
Picture 52: Extrude the polygon slightly downwards
Deselect the Extrude Tool and then select the polygon facing downwards. Activate the
Move Tool and move this polygon to the bottom of the straight handle-part, like in
picture 53.
Picture 53: Move this polygon downwards
We will now use 4 Tools to make the polygons follow the curve of the backdrop image.
Smooth Shift, Rotate, Move and Stretch, and we will be working freehand in the BR
Viewport. Keep the polygon facing downwards selected and activate the Smooth Shift
Tool, then right click in any of the Viewports to duplicate the points. Zoom in on the
lower part of the handle and use the Move Tool to move the polygon downwards even
more, like in picture 54.
Picture 54: Move the selected polygon downwards
When you’re done moving, use the Smooth Shift Tool again to duplicate the points, then
activate the Rotate Tool. Place the mouse pointer just to the right of the polygon and
rotate it a few degrees to make it follow the curve of the handle, like in picture 55.
Picture 55: Rotate the polygon a bit, making it follow the curve.
The Red Dot indicates where the mouse pointer was placed, i.e. the pivot point
Now activate the Stretch Tool and place it at the same spot as with the Rotate Tool
(Where the Red Dot was in picture 55). Stretch the polygon inwards a bit so that the
outer part follows the backdrop image. Duplicate the points again using the Smooth Shift
Tool, then combine the Move, Rotate and Stretch Tool to make it fit the backdrop image.
Picture 56 shows another segment added.
Picture 56: Duplicate the points, then Rotate, Move and Stretch the polygon
Once more, duplicate the points, and this time move the polygon a bit further down the
backdrop image, like in picture 57.
Picture 57: Another segment added
Duplicate again, then move, rotate and stretch the polygon to fit the end of the backdrop
image, like in picture 58.
Picture 58: Fit the polygon
Okay, open up the Display Options Panel now and remove the backdrop image, then put
Layer 1 in the background, which should be the Lower Base of the lantern. Use the Drag
Tool, ctrl+t, and drag the points to match the shape of the Lower Base, like in picture
59.
Picture 59: Use the Drag Tool to drag the points to fit the outer shape of the Lower Base
Select the end polygon again and use the Smooth Shift tool to duplicate the points.
Working in the Back View (BL Viewport), place the mouse pointer in the centre of this
polygon and use the stretch tool to stretch it inwards both horizontally and vertically, like
in picture 60.
Picture 60: Stretch the polygon
Deactivate the Stretch Tool. Working in the BR Viewport, Rotate & Stretch the polygon to
fit the shape of the Lower Base again, like in picture 61.
Picture 61: Rotate & Stretch it to fit the Lower Base of the lantern
Keep the polygon selected and triple it by pressing “Shift+T” on the keyboard. That’s it
for the lower part of the handle; lets get on with the upper part.
Zoom in on the upper part and select the polygon facing upwards, then duplicate the
points using the Smooth Shift Tool and move it upwards a bit, like in picture 62.
Picture 62: Use the Smooth Shift tool and move the polygon upwards
Use the Smooth Shift Tool again to duplicate the points, then combine the Move, Rotate
and Stretch tool to make the polygon follow the curve of the backdrop image, like in
picture 63.
Picture 63: Smooth Shift, Rotate, Move and Stretch to fit the backdrop
The Red Dot indicates the pivot point
Do the same procedures again and add another segment, like in picture 64.
Picture 64: Another segment added
As you can see the on the backdrop image, just before the end the handle widens out a
bit, so add another segment and place it just where the widened part starts, like in
picture 65.
Picture 65: Add another segment at the beginning of the widened part
Add yet another segment using the Smooth Shift Tool, then working in BL Viewport, use
the Stretch Tool to widen the polygon outwards a bit, to make it follow the backdrop
image somewhat, like in picture 66.
Picture 66: Stretch this segment outwards in the BL Viewport a bit
Now put Layer 6 in the background. This is the Top Section Cover, which the handle will
be attached to. Add another segment and move it to the start of the Top Section Cover in
Layer 6, you can remove the backdrop image now if you want to.
Once you’ve moved it, use the Drag Tool and make the points of the polygon fit the outer
shape of Layer 6, like in picture 67.
Picture 67: Move the new segment to fit the Top Section Cover in Layer 6
Keep the polygon selected and duplicate the points once more using the Smooth Shift
Tool, then working in the BL Viewport, stretch the polygon inwards again, like in picture
68.
Picture 68: The final segment added and stretched inwards a bit
Triple this polygon now by pressing “Shift+T”, and we’re done with the basic shape of
the handle.
Next we are going to add a hole at the top section of the handle, where the steel wire will
go through. Zoom in on the upper part of the handle, and put the backdrop image back
in the BR Viewport. Activate the Knife Tool by pressing “Shift+K”, then make a cut in the
curve. Have a look at picture 69 and you’ll know where to put it.
Picture 69: Use the Knife Tool
Keep the Knife Tool activated and add another cut a bit further down on the handle, like
in picture 70.
Picture 70: Add another cut
Once done, deactivate the Knife Tool.
Working in the Perspective View, select the polygons shown in picture 71. 14 polygons
should be selected.
Picture 71: Select these polygons by clicking on them in the Perspective View
14 polygons should be selected
Activate the Smooth Shift Tool and right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the
points. Working in the BR Viewport, use the Stretch tool to size the polygons down
vertically, then use the Move Tool and move the selected polygons to fit the backdrop
image, like in picture 72.
Picture 72: Stretch and Move the polygons to fit the backdrop image
Deselect these polygons and select the 4 polygons shown in picture 73.
Picture 73: Select these polygons
Use the Smooth Shift Tool and right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the points,
then working in the BR Viewport, place the mouse pointer at the centre of these polygons
and use the Stretch Tool to stretch them slightly inwards, like in picture 74.
Picture 74: Duplicate and stretch these 4 polygons inwards
The Red Dot indicates where the mouse pointer was placed for the stretch operation
Keep the polygons selected and use the Smooth Shift Tool to duplicate the points again.
Then activate the Stretch Tool once more and bring up the Numeric Panel by pressing
“n”. Use the settings shown in picture 75.
Picture 75: Stretch the selected polygons using these settings
Click Apply to perform the operation, then close down the Numeric Panel and deactivate
the Stretch Tool. Keep the polygons selected and bring up the Merge points panel by
pressing “m” on the keyboard. Use the Automatic function and click OK, 6 points should
be eliminated. Finally delete the selected polygons by pressing delete on the keyboard.
Open up the Change Surface Panel and give the Handle the Metal Surface, then activate
Metanurbs/Subpatches by pressing “Tab” on the keyboard. Picture 76 shows a few
angles of my finished handle.
Picture 76: A few angles of the finished handle
Activate the Mirror Tool now and mirror this handle across the Z-axis at the centre, and
together with all the other Layers, picture 77 shows my Lantern at this point.
Picture 77: All the Layers together
That’s it for the handles, press “s” now to save the progress.
Chapter 16 - Lower Base Details
Okay, lets get on with the details on the Lower Base. We will have the small knob that
controls the kerosene flow, and a small opening where you refill the kerosene. Lets start
with the small opening. As the modeler looks now, Layers 1 till 8 are taken up by the
Main Lantern body, and for the following procedures we will need a complete new Layer
Group. Switch to Layer Group 2 now; picture 78 shows before and after the switch.
Picture 78: Layer Group Switch; 10 New Layers
Okay so we have 10 new Layers now to work with, and even though the correct names of
these Layers would be 11 to 20, I will refer to them as Layer 1 to 10. Open up the
Display Options Panel by pressing “d” on the keyboard, then move to the Backdrop Tab
and use the settings shown in picture 79.
Picture 79: The backdrop settings
Click OK to apply the changes.
Use the Pen Tool to trace the outlines of this backdrop image, like we did in the
beginning of this Tutorial. I used a total of 41 points for this section, shown in picture 80.
Picture 80: Trace the outlines with the Pen Tool
Picture 81: A Close-up on the more detailed part
You can remove the backdrop once you’re done. Activate the Lathe Tool, bring up the
Numeric Panel and set the amount of Sides to 16. Leave the rest to the default settings
and close down the Numeric Panel, then press “Space” to perform the operation.
If the polygons are facing inwards after the Lathe, then just flip them by pressing “f” on
the keyboard. Press “Tab” to turn it into a subpatch and apply the “Metal” Surface.
We’re done with this Layer for now, so switch to Layer 2 and open up the Display Options
Panel again. Go to the backdrop Tab and use the settings shown in picture 82.
Picture 82: Backdrop settings
Working in the Bottom Left Viewport, use the Pen Tool as before and trace the outlines.
We don’t need so many points for this section; I used 16, shown in picture 83.
Picture 83: Use the Pen Tool to trace the outlines of the backdrop image
And without the backdrop image the shape should look something like picture 84.
Picture 84: The finished shape
Activate the Lathe Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then enter 20 for sides and leave
the rest to the default values, close down the Panel and press Space to perform the
operation.
If the Polygons are facing inwards after the Lathe operation, then just flip them by
pressing “f”. Activate the Move Tool and move this object upwards on the Y-axis 58mm,
you can use the Numeric Panel if you want to.
Switch to Layer 3 and activate the Box Tool, then use the settings shown in picture 85.
Picture 85: Box Settings
In the Bottom Right Viewport, select the two points on the bottom left side of this box,
like in picture 86.
Picture 86: Select these 2 points
Activate the Set Value Tool by pressing “ctrl+v” on the keyboard, then set the axis to Z
and the value to –2mm, click OK and the points should change position.
Deselect the points and do the same with the other side of the box, only this time set the
value to 2mm on the Z-axis. The box should look like the one in picture 87 when you’re
done.
Picture 87: The modified box
Now switch to Layer 2 and put 3 in the background. First of all we are going to smooth
this object out a bit. Press “Shift+D” to activate the Subdivide Tool, then use the
Metaform function and click OK. Layer 2 with Layer 3 in the background should look
something like picture 88.
Picture 88: Layer 2 as foreground and Layer 3 as background
Activate the Boolean Tool by pressing “Shift+B” on the keyboard and use the Subtract
function in the panel that comes up, then click OK to perform the operation.
Switch to Layer 3 and delete the box now, we don’t need it anymore. Go back to Layer 2,
then in the Perspective View, select the 3 polygons that were subtracted into the object,
like in picture 89.
Picture 89: Select these 3 polygons
Activate the Smooth Shift Tool by pressing “Shift+F”, then right click once in one of the
Viewports with your mouse. Activate the Stretch Tool by pressing “h” on the keyboard
and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the settings shown in picture 90.
Picture 90: The Stretch Tool settings
When you’ve entered the settings, click Apply to perform the operation, then close down
the Numeric Panel. Keep the polygons selected and activate the Smooth Shift Tool again,
then right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the points. Activate the Move Tool
and move these polygons downwards on the Y-axis about -1mm, you can use the
Numeric Panel if you want. Once you’ve moved the selected polygons, press “Delete” on
your keyboard to delete them, we don’t need them anymore.
Now we need to make this object into a Subpatch object, but since we used the Boolean
Tool earlier we will have a few polygons that carry more than 4 points, and we all know
that Subpatches only works with Polygons that carry either 3 or 4 points. So we need to
select these polygons and triple them before we can turn it into a subpatch object.
Keep everything unselected and make sure you’re in Polygon Mode, then bring up the
Polygon Statistics Panel by pressing “w” on your keyboard. Picture 91 shows the
Statistics Panel, and you’ll notice the section I’ve marked with red, these are the
polygons we need to select, so click the “+” next to the line that says “>4 Vertices”.
Picture 91: Click the + in the line marked red
Close down the Statistics Panel now. 28 polygons should be selected, looking something
like picture 92 in the Perspective View.
Picture 92: The selected polygons that carry more than 4 points
With these polygons selected, press “Shift+T” on your keyboard to triple them, then
deselect everything. Copy this object by pressing “c” on the keyboard, then press “f” to
flip all the polygons. Once they’re flipped, press “v” to paste the object back in.
Turn this object into a subpatch now by pressing “Tab” on the keyboard, then give it the
“Metal” surface. This object should look something like picture 93 in the Perspective
View.
Picture 93: The subpatched object with the Metal surface
Now switch to Layer 3 of Layer Group 2 and activate the Box Tool, then use the settings
shown in picture 94.
Picture 94: The Box Settings
Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to create the box. Open up the Change
Surface Panel by pressing “q” and give this object the “Default” Surface for now. Fit the
object in the Viewports and use the Knife Tool and make a cut about 1mm from the
bottom, like in picture 95.
Picture 95: Make a cut with the Knife Tool
Select the polygon facing upwards in the Bottom Left Viewport, like in picture 96.
Picture 96: Select this polygon
(left image shows the lasso, right image shows the selected polygon)
With this polygon selected, activate the Bevel Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then
bevel this polygon 3 times with the following settings.
Shift Inset
1 0 2mm
2 -400um 400um
3 -9mm 0
When you’re done with the bevelling, keep the polygon selected and press “Delete” on
your keyboard to delete it. Press “Shift+D” on the keyboard to bring up the Subdivide
Panel, then select the Metaform function and click OK. Do this one more time, subdivide
it using the Metaform function again and click OK, then press “Tab” to turn it into a
subpatch object. Apply the “Metal” Surface to this part as well using the Change Surface
Panel. Picture 97 shows Layer 2 and 3 together.
Picture 97: Layer 2 and 3 of Layer Group 2
Switch to Layer 3 and cut the object out by pressing “x” on the keyboard, then switch to
Layer 2 and paste it in there. This is the part of the Lantern where the flame will be.
Switch to Layer 1, we’re going to position the Refilling part we made earlier. Activate the
Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the Axis to Z and the Angle to –35
degrees. Keep all the centre values to 0 and click Apply, then close down the Numeric
Panel. Next activate the Move Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the X Offset to
35mm and the Y Offset to 36,5mm. Keep the Z Offset to 0 and click Apply, then close
down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deactivate the Tool.
Layer 3 of Layer Group 2 should be free, so switch to that one now. Activate the Disc
Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the settings shown in picture 98.
Picture 98: The Disc settings
Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deselect the Tool. In the Top View,
zoom in the right end of this cylinder, then switch to Layer 4 and put Layer 3 as
background. Use the Pen Tool and place points to form the Shape shown in picture 99,
we wont use a backdrop image for this Shape, it’s not very complicated or detailed. I
used 11 points.
Picture 99: Place points to form a similar shape
Once you’re done, activate the Lathe Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the
amount of Sides to 16 and the Axis to X. Set the centre value for the Y-axis to 45mm,
and keep the other two set to 0. Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to
deactivate the tool. Press “Tab” to turn this object into a subpatch, then press “x” to cut
it out from the Layer. Switch to Layer 3 and paste it in here, then apply the “Metal”
Surface.
Activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, set the axis to Y and the Angle
to -25 degrees. Keep all the centre values to 0 and click Apply. Close down the Numeric
Panel and press Space to deselect the tool.
All the details for the Lower Base section are finished now, and picture 100 shows them
together with the Lower Base as well.
Picture 100: The Lower Base with all the details
Chapter 17 - Top Section Hat Details
Okay Layer 1-3 in Layer Group 2 should be taken up by the Lower Base Details, so switch
to Layer 4 now. Activate the Box Tool and use the settings shown in picture 101.
Picture 101: The Box Tool settings
Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deactivate the Tool. We are going to
create a small metal piece that sits on top of the Hat. Fit the box in the Viewports by
pressing “a”. Working in Top View, select the 4 points shown in picture 102.
Picture 102: Select these 4 points
Activate the Move Tool and move these points 2,4mm on the X-axis, you can use the
Numeric Panel if you want to. Once you’ve moved them, do the same procedure with the
left side.
Deselect everything when you’re done moving and select the corner points on the
positive Z side (in Top View). A total of 4 points should be selected here as well, have a
look at picture 103 and you’ll know which points I mean.
Picture 103: Select these 4 points
Activate the Move Tool and move these points –4mm on the Z axis, then do the same
procedure with the other side, picture 104 shows the object after all the points have been
moved.
Picture 104: The object after the points have been moved
Activate the Knife Tool and make a cut along the X-axis at the centre, like in picture 105.
Picture 105: Make a cut at the centre
When you’re done, select all the outer points of this object, like in picture 106. A total of
20 points should be selected.
Picture 106: Select all the outer points
Use the Move Tool and move these downwards on the Y-axis -0,8mm. You can use the
Numeric Panel if you want.
We’re almost done with this small metal piece, we’re just going to move 4 more points
and then smoothen it out a bit.
With nothing selected, press “Shift+D” to activate the Subdivide tool, and in the panel
that comes up, select the Faceted function and click OK. Working in Top View, select the
two points shown in picture 107, then move them 1mm on the X-axis.
Picture 107: Move these points
When you’ve moved the points, do the same thing to the other side, but this time move
them –1mm on the X-axis. Use the Subdivide tool again but use the “Metaform”
function this time. This will smoothen it out a bit. Finally turn the object into a subpatch
by pressing “Tab” and make sure it’s carrying the “Metal” Surface.
Together with the Top Section Hat, this little metal piece should look something like
picture 108.
Picture 108: The metal piece together with the Top Section Hat
That’s the only detail the Top Section Hat will have, now we only need to create some
Steel Wires.
Chapter 18 - Creating the Steel Wires
Phew, we’re almost done with the modelling! All we have left to model are some steel
wires. One will be attached to the small metal piece on the Top Section Hat, and that’s
the one we will start with. We won’t be using any backdrop images when we create
them, and if you want to create them freehand on your own then feel free to do so
(that’s what I did). Otherwise you can just use the values I supply and you’ll get an exact
match of the Lantern I created.
Go to Layer Group 2 and switch to Layer 5, which should be free. We are going to create
these steel wires using splines and then extruding a disc along them, nothing
complicated at all.
With Layer 5 active, put Layer 4 in the background and use the Point Tool and place 11
points in the Back Viewport, you can size the Viewport up if you want to. Picture 109
below shows the position for each point; you can just place 11 points and then position
them afterwards using the Point Info Panel. Picture 110 shows the positioned points.
Picture 109: Position each point
Picture 110: The positioned points
Deselect everything and activate the Mirror Tool by pressing “Shift+V”, bring up the
Numeric panel and set the axis to X, keep all the centre values at 0 and click OK. Now
lets make a spline out of these points. We need to select the points in a clockwise order.
Select the point shown in picture 111, then select the rest in a clockwise order.
Picture 111: Select this point
Once you selected them all, press “ctrl+p” on your keyboard to create an open spline.
Picture 112 shows the spline.
Picture 112: The spline
Now we need an object to extrude along this spline, and we are going to use a simple
disc for this purpose. Switch to Layer 6 and activate the Disc Tool, then bring up the
Numeric Panel and use the settings shown in picture 113.
Picture 113: The Disc Tool settings
Close down the Numeric Panel and press “Space” to deselect the Tool, then activate the
Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel again. Set the Angle to 30 degrees and the
axis to Z. The centre values should be the following:
X: -5mm
Y: 224mm
Z: 0
Once you’ve entered the values click Apply. Now we can extrude this disc, so keep Layer
6 activated and put Layer 5 in the background, then activate the Rail Extrude Tool by
pressing “ctrl+r”. Select the “Uniform Knots” function and set the amount to 30, then
just click OK. What you have in Layer 6 now should look something like picture 114.
Picture 114: The first steel wire
(Note, if the polygons are facing inwards after you used the Rail Extrude Tool, then
simply flip them by pressing “f” on the keyboard).
Apply the “Metal” surface to this steel wire now. Cut the steel wire out of Layer 6, then
switch to Layer 5 and delete the spline. After you deleted it, paste the steel wire in.
Picture 115 shows it together with the small metal piece and the Top Section Hat.
Picture 115: The first steel wire together with Top Section Hat
The next steel wires will be a bit more tedious to create. The basic spline we’re going to
use will still be created the same way. We place a number of points and then we make an
open spline out of them. so lets do that first.
Switch to Layer 6 of Layer Group 2, then put Layer 4 of Layer Group 1 as background.
This is the glass section, and we will create 2 steel wires that follow the curves of the
glass section nicely.
Press “a” to fit the glass section in the Viewports, then use the Point Tool and place 8
points like in picture 116.
Picture 116: 8 Points placed
Picture 117 shows the exact position for each point; you can use the Point Info Panel to
position them after you created them.
Picture 117: Position information for each point
Once you’ve positioned the points, use the Mirror Tool and mirror these points across the
X-axis at the centre. Like before, select the points in a clockwise order, starting with the
one shown in picture 118.
Picture 118: Select all the points in a clockwise order starting with this one
Once you’ve selected them all, press “ctrl+p” to create an open spline. We will need two
of these splines since there will be 2 steel wires in the end, so we need to duplicate this
one. Press “c” to copy the spline, then switch to Layer 7 and paste it there.
Working in Layer 7, press “k” to kill the spline and so that we only have points left. In
Top View, select the 8 points on the left side, like in picture 119.
Picture 119: Select the 8 points on the left side in Top View
Delete the selected points, we will mirror the other side like before, but first we need to
move a few points around.
In Top View, select the points shown in picture 120.
Picture 120: Select these 2 points
Use the Move Tool and move these two points 2mm on the X-axis. Once you’ve moved
them, use the Mirror Tool across the X-axis at the centre. Like before, select all the
points in a clockwise order and press “ctrl+p” to create an open spline (start with the
same point as before).
Why did we do the thing we just did then? Well, if we left the two splines exactly the
same, the two steel wires would at some point pass through each other, but by moving
these two points one of the steel wires will pass just outside the other one. This will be
shown better later on when we have extruded the two wires, so lets get on with that.
Switch to Layer 8 and activate the Disc Tool, then use the settings shown in picture 121.
Picture 121: The Disc Tool settings
This disc will be created at the exact position where the splines start; so all we need to
do before we extrude it is rotate it a bit. Activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the
Numeric Panel. We will perform 2 rotate operations, and the following settings are for the
first one:
Angle: -20 degrees
Axis: X
Center X: -26mm
Center Y: 59mm
Center Z: -21mm
Click Apply to perform the Rotation, then change the settings in the Numeric Panel to the
following:
Angle: -40 degrees
Axis: Z
Center X: -26mm
Center Y: 59mm
Center Z: -21mm
Once again click Apply to perform the Rotation. Close down the Numeric Panel and press
Space to deselect the Tool. Keep Layer 8 activated and copy this disc by pressing “c”,
then switch to Layer 9 and paste it there. Switch back to Layer 8 and put Layer 6 in the
background, then press “ctrl+r” to activate the Extrude Rail Tool. Use the “Uniform
Knots” function and set the amount to 40, then click OK.
(Note, if the polygons are facing inwards after you used the Rail Extrude Tool, then
simply flip them by pressing “f” on the keyboard).
Apply the “Metal” Surface to this steel wire. Layer 8 should now look something like
picture 122.
Picture 122: The first steel wire for the glass section
Now switch to Layer 9 and put Layer 7 in the background, then repeat the Rail Extrude
operation to create the second steel wire, use the same settings as before. Apply the
“Metal” surface to this wire as well. Working in Layer 9, activate the Rotate Tool and
bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the axis to Y and the angle to 180 degrees. Keep all the
centre values to 0 and click Apply. Cut the steel wire out of Layer 9 and paste it in Layer
8, then delete the two splines in Layer 6 and 7. Cut the two steel wires out of Layer 8
and paste them into Layer 6.
We only have one more steel wire to create now and then we’re done with the Lantern!
This one might be even more tedious to create than the last ones. Switch to Layer 7 of
Layer Group 2 which should be free now and activate the Point Tool, then create 19
points in one of the Viewports. It doesn’t matter where you create the points since we
will position them with the Point Info panel next. Select all the points once you’ve created
them and bring up the Point Info Panel by pressing “i” on your keyboard, then place
them one by one using the values shown in picture 123.
Picture 123: Position the points using these values
The positioned points should look something like picture 124 in the Bottom Left and Right
Viewport.
Picture 124: The positioned points
We are going to create a spline like before, but first lets mirror them. Activate the Mirror
Tool and just mirror these points across the Z-axis at the centre. We are going to select
these points so we can create a spline out of them, and the easiest way to do this is to
use the Perspective View. However, right now you’re probably using a Smooth Shaded
preview which will make the points not showing, so change the Render Mode to
Wireframe for the Perspective View. Picture 125 shows the points in the Perspective
View.
Picture 125: Perspective View – Wireframe Mode
In the Bottom Right Viewport, zoom in the lower left area of these points, like in picture
126.
Picture 126: Zoom in this area
Now working in the Perspective View, start selecting the points starting with the one
shown in picture 127.
Picture 127: Start selecting this point, then select in the order the arrow shows
Work your way around and select all the points. Once you’re done, press “ctrl+p” to
create an open spline.
Picture 128 shows the spline at the bottom parts, does yours look the same?
Picture 128: The spline
Lets move on to creating the Disc, which we will use for the extrusion. Switch to Layer 8
and activate the Disc Tool, then use the settings shown in picture 129.
Picture 129: The Disc Tool settings
Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deselect the Tool. Before we can
extrude this disc we need to rotate it a bit, to make it follow the spline nicely. Activate
the Rotate Tool and use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.
Angle: 32 degrees
Axis: Z
Center X: 500um
Center Y: 183,5mm
Center Z: 0
Click Apply to rotate the disc. Now lets extrude it, activate the Rail Extrude Tool by
pressing “ctrl+r”, then select the Uniform Knots function and set the amount to 60.
(Note, if the polygons are facing inwards after you used the Rail Extrude Tool, then
simply flip them by pressing “f” on the keyboard).
Cut the steel wire out of Layer 8, then switch to Layer 7 and delete the spline. Paste the
steel wire into Layer 7 and apply the “Metal” Surface. Switch to Polygon Mode and make
Layer 5, 6 and 7 active now.
Bring up the Polygon Statistics Panel by pressing “w” on the keyboard, then click the “+”
next to “>4 Vertices”. This will select all the end polygons that carry more than 4 points
(8 in total). We don’t need these polygons; so once they are selected simply delete them
by pressing “Delete” on your keyboard. Now activate subpatches on all the steel wires.
Now lets tidy the Layers up a bit. Switch to Layer 4 of Layer Group 2 (the small metal
piece), cut it out and paste it in Layer 7 of Layer Group 1 (the Top Section Hat). Go back
to Layer Group 2 and activate all the Layers that have an object in them, press “x” to cut
all these objects out and then paste them in Layer 9 of Layer Group 1. Save the object
now by pressing “s”, and we’re done! Picture 130 shows the Lantern in the Perspective
View. (Note, I have applied the Default Surface file to all the parts in the following image
to clearly show all the details, this is something you don’t need or want to do)
Picture 130: The Finished Lantern Model!
Well that’s it; I hope everything worked out fine! If you located a bug or want to
comment the tutorial, then mail me at [email protected]