Bonus Ch. 2 More Modeling Techniques

When it comes to modeling in modo, the sky is the limit. This book is designed to show you all of the techniques available to you, through written word and visual examples on the DVD. This chapter will take you into another project, in which you’ll model a landscape. From there, you’ll texture it, and later you’ll add the environment. You’ll see how modo’s micro polygon displacement works and how powerful it is. From there, you’ll create a cool toy gun. The techniques used in this project will show you how to create small details that make the model come to life. Then, you’ll learn to texture the toy gun to look like real plastic.

Building a Landscape Landscapes traditionally have been a chore for 3D artists. This is because to prop- erly create them, you need a lot of geometry. A lot of geometry means a lot of polygons, and a lot of polygons means a lot of render time. But the team at Luxology has introduced micro polygon displacement in modo 201/202, allowing you to create and work with simple objects, but render with millions of polygons. How is this possible? The micro polygon displacement feature generates additional polygons at render time. The goal is that finer details can be achieved without physically modeling them into the base object. You can then add to the details achieved through micro poly displacements with modo’s bump map capabilities and generate some terrific-looking models. But how are these two techniques different? What determines the micro poly displacement over a bump? 2 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Suppose you build a landscape, such as the one shown in Figure B2.1. This is a basic model, which can be built from DEMs (demographic elevation maps) or just freeform with various modo tools. It’s simple in the 3D workspace, but the render shows a cleaner, subdivided model. In most cases, this will work well. The subdivision in this image comes from a procedural noise applied as a displacement in the Shader Tree. Figure B2.2, on the other hand, is the exact same model with the same procedural noise applied as a displacement. However, micro polygon displacement is activated within the Render Properties panel, in the Settings category. Notice the small, fine details in the image. These details are not bump maps, which are only a visual effect. Micro polygon displacements physically change the geometry. This allows you to create minute details that are almost impossible to achieve from modeling alone.

Figure B2.1 A typical landscape model, simple in the viewport and then subdivided for the render.

Creating landscapes can be an expression of your creativity or something more specific, built from real-world references and data maps. This next project will show you how to create landscapes. This is simple in its approach, but the techniques will demonstrate that the possibilities are endless. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 3

Figure B2.2 A typical landscape model, but with micro poly displacement turned on. Much finer details are achieved.

1. Clear out modo by selecting Reset from the File menu. 2. Add a 1 meter unit primitive plane to the workspace by holding the Shift key and clicking the Plane primitive in the Tool Bar tab. 3. Press the a key to fit the plane to view. Feel free to rename the Plane listing in the Item List to Landscape. 4. Press Shift+D to subdivide the polygons. Choose Faceted and click OK. Now repeat this three more times. Press the Tab key. You’ll have something like what you see in Figure B2.3.

Note

Pressing Shift+D calls up the Subdivide Polygons command, which offers you a Faceted subdivision method for flat objects, Smooth for round objects, and an SDS Subdivide. This method is very useful for subdivisional surface–based objects that you need to subdivide. The SDS Subdivide can also be directly chosen by simply pressing d in the viewport. 4 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Figure B2.3 After a few subdivisions, a flat plane is on its way to becoming a landscape.

Note

When building a subdivided plane, you can also do this: Draw out the flat plane by using the Cube primitive, rather than holding the Shift key and clicking to create a 1 meter unit. Then, after you drag out the plane, drag with the right mouse button to create multiple segments.

5. Press the Tab key to turn on subdivisional surfaces for the model. Although it doesn’t look like much now, it will momentarily. 6. Now you can easily shape this model. You’ll use a combination of modeling tools for the general slopes, but then you’ll use displacements for the details. Select Sculpt from the Deform category in the Tool Bar tab. 7. In the Tool Properties, set the Distance to about 4 cm. Size should be set to 60, then Strength to 20%. From there, click and drag on the model. You should see bumps appear, as in Figure B2.4. 8. Hold the Ctrl key, and click and drag. You’ll set a negative distance. 9. To quickly change the Sculpt brush size, right-click and drag in the viewport. Then left-click to apply the tool. 10. Go ahead and shape a nice landscape. When you’re finished, save your work. Figure B2.5 shows an example. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 5

Figure B2.4 Using the Sculpt deform tool, which is a combination of Push and Airbrush falloff, you can easily deform geometry.

Figure B2.5 Applying a positive and negative distance on the subdivide plane, a simple landscape is created.

Note

Another way to use and adjust the Sculpt tool, as well as other tools, is to work directly with the Auto-Haul display. Open the Preferences from the System menu at the top of modo. Under the Display heading, select Tool Handles. Change Auto-Haul Display to On. When a tool is selected, you’ll see a visible measurement appear in the viewport. You can click and drag on it to adjust a selected tool’s value.

Note

If you want to change the distance of your sculpts, you can adjust the setting in the Tool Properties panel. However, doing so will change all of the sculpt operations you’ve already applied. So, to reset the tool, just Shift-click in an empty portion of the user interface, then change the Distance value. The previous sculpt operations will remain as you set them. You can also use the mm button in the Tool Properties panel to interactively adjust the sculpt distance. With a combination of Shift-click and mm drag, you can quickly sculpt different distances without ever having to adjust the tool or turn it off and on. 6 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Displacements Building a landscape such as this one is pretty easy to do, especially with subdivisional surfaces and modo’s Deform tools. But what will really make the details is the use of micro polygon displacement. This next section will show you how to apply this feature. 1. To begin, set up a good shot to see the model as it would be when rendered. Switch to the Render Tri tab at the top of the viewport so you have a three- window view. 2. The top-right viewport should be a Camera view. If it’s not, make it one by clicking the options in the upper-left corner of that particular viewport. 3. Use the viewport tool controls to frame up the shot so you can see the model up close, as in Figure B2.6. You can do this in the top-right of the viewport, or you can use the keyboard equivalents of Alt/Option for rotate, Alt/Shift for pan, and Alt/Ctrl for zoom.

Figure B2.6 Position the camera to see the landscape, and fill the frame.

4. Over in the Shader Tree, under the Render Settings tab, expand the Environmental Material listing. Make sure the Environment Type is set to 4 Color Gradient. Make the ground color the same as the sky color. Change the nadir to a burnt orange or other sunset-like color. Figure B2.7 shows the change. 5. Save the scene at this point. 6. With Landscape selected in the Item List, press m for Polygon Set Material and give the landscape a name of Landscape or something similar. You’ll see the new material mask appear in the Shader Tree. 7. Select the Material listing for the Landscape. Take a look at the bottom of the Render properties for the material. There is a setting for Displacement Distance. This setting will affect the masks you add above it. 8. From the Add Layer drop-down, choose Noise. You’ll see a procedural noise pattern appear over the landscape, as shown in Figure B2.8. The default effect of this Noise layer is Diffuse Color. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 7

Figure B2.7 Changing the environment type to 4 Color Gradient and making the ground the same as the sky, you can create a soft background.

Figure B2.8 Adding a Noise layer in the Shader Tree creates a pattern across the landscape.

9. Right-click on the effect and change the noise from Diffuse Color to Displacement. Figure B2.9 shows the update. Without much work, you’ve made snowy mountains. 10. If you’re not seeing the displacement in the preview window, make sure that micro poly displacement is checked on. You can find this setting by clicking the Render listing in the Shader Tree. Then, click the Settings tab in the Render Properties panel. Figure B2.10 shows the selections. 8 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Figure B2.9 Changing the Noise layer effect to Displacement changes the model’s look.

11. You can change the look entirely with Figure B2.10 a few changes. Click the Material Micro poly displacement for the Landscape mask layer. Bring should be active in the Displacement Distance up to about Render Settings panel. 5cm. 12. Set the Diffuse Color to a soft brown, about 0.74, 0.69, 0.66. Bring the Specularity to 0%. 13. Now select the Noise displacement layer. In the Texture Layer tab of the Render Properties, change the Type setting to Turbulence. Then, click to the Texture Locator tab, also in the Render Properties panel. Click Auto Size. Figure B2.11 shows the result. You’ve create sand dunes. 14. Okay, so no big deal here, right? You see that modo is flexible. But here’s what’s cool about this technique you’ve been using so far: Go to the Camera view and bring the camera in close to the object. Figure B2.12 shows the idea. Take a close look at the Preview window. The simple flat plane has intricate levels and smooth curves, thanks to the micro poly displacement.

But oh, you can do so much more. In modo 201/202, you have the ability to create morph maps. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 9

Figure B2.11 Figure B2.12 A few changes, and the snowy slopes are now The bumps in the landscape are well-defined when viewed sand dunes. from up close, thanks to micro poly displacement.

Morph Maps Morph maps allow you to change the position of vertices on a model. You’d use a morph map to create various facial expressions on a character or different “poses” on inanimate objects. Be sure to check out the Morphing QuickTime video on the book’s DVD to learn more about this feature. What’s more, you can use morph maps to even shape objects, such as the landscape you’ve been creating. Due to the embedded nature of the morph maps, many types of edits can be made to the Base Mesh without disrupting the morph shapes. This includes many forms of geometry addition and reduction. Morph maps can be added, selected, and deleted from the Vertex Map List viewport under Morph Maps when the view is in its larger expanded mode, or under M when the view is collapsed to its compact view. 1. Open up your last landscape scene, or use version 4 from this chapter’s project folder. Figure B2.13 shows the scene in a Render Tri view. 2. Change to a Model Single view by clicking the tab at the top of the viewport. 3. Press the spacebar to toggle to Vertices selection mode. 4. Subdivide the landscape one time with an SDS subdivide (subdivisional surface subdivide) by pressing the d key. Figure B2.14 shows the change. 5. Select the Vertex Map List tab, next to the Item List at the top-right of the interface. Expand the Morph Maps listing, and you’ll see a ghosted choice for New Map, as shown in Figure B2.15. 10 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Figure B2.13 Landscape tutorial, version 4 in the Render Tri view.

Figure B2.14 A single subdivision increases the polygon count, allowing even more deformation. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 11

6. Click the New Map listing, Figure B2.15 and in the requester, enter the Select the Morph Maps name NoiseMorph. Choose listing within the Vertex Relative Morph Map for the Map List tab. Vertex Map Type. Leave the Value set to 0, then click OK. You’ll see a new morph map in the Vertex Map List. Morph maps hold absolute positions, or offsets, which are “relative” positions. You can make changes to morph maps without affecting the model. 7. With the morph map selected, change to a Noise falloff from the Falloff drop- down menu. Also, make sure Action Center is set to Automatic. 8. From the View menu at the top of the interface, select Show Falloffs, as shown in Figure B2.16. You’ll see yellow to purple coloring on the vertices of your mesh.

9. In the Noise Falloff setting within the Tool Figure B2.16 properties on the left of the interface, set Choose Show Falloffs the Scale to 5% to make a smaller noise from the View menu. value. You’ll see the vertices of your mesh turn to a yellow and purple color. However, if you’re too close, you’ll only see Note the colored vertices, so zoom out a bit, and you’ll see the actual noise falloff values, as To create a split view like shown in Figure B2.17. the one shown in Figure B2.17, hold the Ctrl key, 10. Now select the Move tool by pressing the click the thumb in the w key on your keyboard. Grab the green upper-left corner of the handle for the Y axis and drag up about viewport, and swipe 15cm. Figure B2.18 shows the result. down. 11. Press the q key on your keyboard to turn off the Move tool.

Note

Remember that you can always see what tools and falloffs are active by taking a look at the Tool Pipe tab at the bottom-right of the interface. You can click the checkmark under the E key to turn on or off a desired tool. 12 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Figure B2.17 Here, a split view is shown to see the noise falloff close up and farther away.

Figure B2.18 By applying the Move tool with a noise falloff, only parts of the geometry are moved, resulting in bumps in the landscape. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 13

12. Now if you click back up to the NoiseMorph you created as a morph map, you can toggle between two versions of your model—one with the newly applied noise falloff and one without. You can create as many morphs as you want. 13. Be sure to view the Landscape Morph QuickTime movie on the book’s DVD to see even more about this technique. 14. Back in the Shader Tree, change the Noise layer from a displacement effect to a bump. 15. Switch to a Render Tri view if you’d like to see how the landscape looks now. Figure B2.19 shows the landscape.

Figure B2.19 Now with a noise falloff and a noise bump layer, the landscape takes on a different shape.

16. There is one more thing you can try before moving on. In the Vertex Map List, create a new relative morph map. Name it ShapeMorph. You’ll see that you now have two morph map listings in the Vertex Map List, NoiseMorph and ShapeMorph. You’ll also notice that when you create this new morph, the landscape loses all of the tight bumps created with the previous morph. That’s normal. 17. Although the landscape is looking okay, the noise falloff used to apply the displacement is a little too even. 18. Once the new ShapeMorph is created, choose Vertices Selection mode, and use the right mouse button to select a group of points in the center of the landscape, similar to Figure B2.20. Also, you can define a radial falloff instead of selecting points if you like. 14 The Official Luxology modo Guide

19. With the center points selected, choose Apply Morph from the Vertex Map panel. A requester will appear, asking you which morph to use. Because you only have one, which should be the NoiseMorph, choose it. Set the value at 100%. Figure B2.21 shows the result.

Figure B2.20 Figure B2.21 Select the points in the center of the landscape. The Apply Morph feature allows you to apply a previously created morph to the current landscape.

20. The edges of the landscape do not have the noise falloff applied—only the center selected vertices do. With the ShapeMorph selected in the Vertex Map List, select points across the model from the Top view. That is, use the right mouse button to select points in the shape of a crevasse, sort of a soft S shape through the landscape. 21. With the points selected, press the y key and click and drag the points down on the Y axis, about 25cm or so. You can drag them a bit further if you’d like, and also feel free to press the r key to scale them. 22. Back up in the Shader Tree, make sure that the Noise layer displacement effect is now set to just Bump. Figure B2.22 shows the landscape, now more of a canyon with a slight manipulation to a few vertices. 23. Now when you click between the ShapeMorph and the NoiseMorph, you’ll see the landscape change from one with all bumps to one with a deep crevasse.

Working with subdivisional surfaces is pretty powerful, as you can see with just a flat subdivided plane. With a little work, you can have a snowy mountaintop; soft, rolling hills; or a mountain range with a deep crevasse. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 15

Figure B2.22 Move and adjust the points to create a crevasse in the middle of the landscape.

The techniques here allowed you to see how much you can accomplish with micro poly displacements, as well as morph maps and noise falloffs. And with modo’s flexible Tool Pipe, all of these parameters can be used for anything you can think of. For example, all of the landscape project can be varied slightly to create an ocean. You can use morph maps to create a few tall waves while maintaining an even amount of displacement and bump throughout. It should also be noted that, when exported, the morph maps in modo are endo- morphs in NewTek’s LightWave and blendshapes in Autodesk’s Maya. For additional coolness, keep the noise as a displacement texture, and then add a gradient with its effect set to Diffuse Color in the Shader Tree. Set the slope of the gradient to Input Parameter. Then, with a light blue at 0 degrees and a dark grey at about 30 degrees in the Gradient Editor, you can generate a nice snowy mountain.

Modeling Toys Part of modo’s fun is having the ability to go from modeling terrain to creating your own cool toy gun. Of course, the techniques in this next project can be used to create any type of weapon you can think of. This will be useful for those of you working with product shots or on video game modeling, or for those of you just practicing your 3D modeling skills. 16 The Official Luxology modo Guide

1. Save any work that you’ve done. 2. Figure B2.23 shows a photo of the real toy gun you’ll be using as reference. This is a sophisticated, high-powered, state-of-the-art, bubble assault weapon. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rebuild this fine piece of backyard fun.

Figure B2.23 The sophisticated, high- powered, state-of-the-art assault weapon you’ll be modeling in modo.

3. For this project, you’re simply using the photo as a reference. Many models can be made just by paying close attention to the details of a real object, either in a photograph or in physical form. Certainly, you can use the background image technique described earlier in this book to build your model over an image. To begin, select Reset from the File menu. 4. Hold the Alt/Option key and click with the left mouse button in the viewport. Rotate to set the Work Plane to X. The small white square in the bottom-left of the viewport will be drawn between the Y and the Z, as shown in Figure B2.24. 5. Start by making a 1 meter unit cube. Do this by holding the Shift key and clicking the Cube primitive in the Tool Bar tab. 6. Switch to Polygons selection mode, and select one poly- Figure B2.24 gon on the right side of the cube. Press the w key, and Set the Work Plane then grab the red handle to offset the polygon by about to the X axis. 45cm, as shown in Figure B2.25. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 17

Figure B2.25 Pull out one end of the cube on the X axis.

7. Rotate around to the bottom of the cube and select the bottom polygon. 8. Press Shift+D to call up the Subdivide Polygons command. Choose Faceted, and click OK. Figure B2.26 shows that the single polygon is now four.

Figure B2.26 Subdivide the bottom polygon to begin making the handle.

9. Now select just the two polygons on the negative X axis, as shown in Figure B2.27. 18 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Figure B2.27 Select just two polygons to begin creating the handle.

10. Press b for the Bevel tool, making sure that the Group Polygons option is checked on in the Tool properties. Change the Shift value to about 40cm, as in Figure B2.28.

Figure B2.28 Bevel the Shift value of the two selected polygons. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 19

11. Hold the Shift key, and then click into the viewport to reset the Bevel tool for the selected polygons. 12. Bevel again with a Shift value of 10cm. 13. Press w and grab the red handle to offset the selection about 11cm on the positive X axis. Figure B2.29 shows the operation.

Figure B2.29 After the bevel operation, move the selected polygons on the positive X axis.

14. Press the e key to rotate, and click and drag the blue handle to rotate the selection about 15 degrees. You can view the numeric value at the bottom of the interface. 15. Press x on the keyboard to select the Polygon Extrude tool. If you were to click and drag now, the selected polygons would move based on the set Work Plane. Instead, change the Action Center to Selection from the top of the interface. This will allow you to extrude the polygons in the rotation direction you set. 16. Drag the blue handle down about 18cm, as in Figure B2.30. 17. Bevel the selected polygons again with a Shift value of 16cm. There should be no inset. 18. Press e for Rotate, and rotate the selection about 15 degrees to level it off with the Work Plane. Figure B2.31 shows the operation. 20 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Figure B2.30 Extrude the selection polygon with a selection-based Action Center. Figure B2.31 Bevel and rotate the selected polygons again to finish the base of the handle.

19. Bevel again, with a Shift value of Figure B2.32 16cm. Use the Stretch 3D command to scale the selection on the 20. Press r for Scale, and click and drag X axis. the red handle to stretch the geometry on the X axis. Set a Factor of 136%, as you can see in the Tool Properties panel. Figure B2.32 shows the operation. 21. Press the b key for the Bevel tool, and shift the two polygons about 60cm. This will bring them down on the Y axis. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 21

22. Hold the Shift key, click in the viewport to reset the Bevel, and then bevel again, with a Shift value of 6cm and an Inset of 4cm. Figure B2.33 shows the bevel. 23. Deselect the polygons, and press the Tab key to see the subdivisional model. Figure B2.34 shows the toy gun starting to take shape. 24. Rotate around and select the front polygon, as in Figure B2.35.

Figure B2.33

Bevel again, with both a Figure B2.34 Figure B2.35 Shift and an Inset value. Pressing the Tab key activates Select the top-front polygon. subdivisional surfaces, showing the smoother, yet-to-be-detailed toy gun model.

25. From the Mesh Edit tab, select Edge Slice. Then, click on the bottom edge of the selected polygon. Click at the center of the edge, and modo will line up the tool with the top of the edge beneath, as shown in Figure B2.36. 26. Then, click on the top edge of the selected polygon, making sure the position is 100%. You can set it numerically in the Tool properties or simply by moving the mouse as you click down the edge slice. Figure B2.37 shows the example. 27. Now select the two polygons that used to be one, before the edge slice. 22 The Official Luxology modo Guide

Figure B2.36 Using the Edge Slice tool, click on the bottom edge of the top-front polygon.

Figure B2.37 Click to the top edge of the selected polygon to complete the edge slice.

28. Bevel them out about 1.2m for the Shift value. Inset should be left at 0, as in Figure B2.38. 29. Deselect the polygons, and then press the Tab key to see the model in subdivision mode. Figure B2.39 shows the result. 30. Save your work to this point. Bonus Chapter 2 ■ More Modeling Techniques 23

Figure B2.39 Once the polygons are beveled, press the Tab key Figure B2.38 to see the model in subdivision mode. Bevel the two polygons with a Shift value of 1.2m.

As you can see, the model is starting to take shape, but it is still too smooth. This is exactly what you want! You see, modeling in modo doesn’t mean build with hundreds of thousands of polygons—it means build simply and work your way up. Starting with a simple cube, you are able to subdivide as you go, adding geometry only when needed. You build the model in its simplest form, and let the subdivisional surfaces do the rest. From there, you can specifically add the finer details, sharpen edges, and so on. To better show the completion of this model, watch the ToyGun video tutorial from 3D Garage.com. It’s a free download, so go and get it! This chapter has guided you through more modeling tools, using various subdivisions, weights, noise falloffs, and morphs. You even used cool tools such as the edge slice. And although I’ve said it throughout the book, I’ll say it again here: All of these techniques can be applied to anything you like. For example, the subdivisional landscape can be modified to build oceans or lakes. The toy gun concepts can be used to model any household item, desk item, and more.