Tema: Making an alien using subsurf

Making an alien using Subsurf
By tim Kennedy for nevac.

Level: begginer todo intermediate.



Introduction i like digital Clay. There are Many ways todo model in 3d. Most are very meticulous and accurate. They make great looking models. They put the Mesh in all the right places. They scare of beginners. When im starting out with a 3d tool, y want a diferent feeling. Ill get more careful After i get over that initial learning curve. But for now, y want digital Clay. I want todo get my digital manipulators Dirty. I want todo roll up the Mesh in a ball, squeze out a leg, Pinch out an arm, and shape out a head. Its fun. Its somewhat intuitive. It means you dont ned todo be a Blender wizard todo make a first 3d character.

Im going todo make an alien. Aliens are fun. They have just enough Fantasy todo them that we have some rom todo be creative, but a los make mistakes. The anatomy is easy. Nobody Will notice if the hands dont look quite right or the head is shaped funny. Its an alien. They look funny anyway. We can simplify it all down and still make an interesting character. It Will be fun todo color and animate later. Once we have a complete alien, we can expand upon the same techniques todo make a more dificult model. You could model a famous person, a friend, or Even a Strange monster. To do all this, im going todo work with subdivisión surface (Subsurf) modeling. With Subsurf, the 3d artista can edit on simple, Low polygon meshes. These are like a scafolding around our models. A push here or a movement there and the model Mesh (our digital Clay) responds. But where we are working with the Low polygon Mesh, the Blender software converts our work todo a Smooth and complicated Mesh. The result is a model that is more organic and lifelike.

This tutorial assumes a very basic knowledge in Blender. By now, you should know your bien around the menús and Windows. You should know how todo move, rotate, and scale things. You should be able todo find the vertex, edge, and face select modes. If you dont, y wouldnt give up so easily. The best bien todo learn Blender is todo dive in and make something. The Blender community is large and friendly. The buttons have ver hints. The help menú is right on the top of your Blender window. I use mine all the time. But if you are a high school student and want more guidance, there is another opportunity todo get todo know Blender. This tutorial is part of an introductory distance learning class in 3d animation. High school students can learn all about creating their own 3d models and animation using Blender. Ive included contact información at the end of the article if you would like todo get this class ofered th rouge your local high school.

Starting up.

Get started by cleaning up your Blender workspace. Ill start with a new file. Pull down file>>new. Blender Will ask you do you wish todo erase allí hit return or enter and you Will start with a fresh Blender file.



1: reference images.

Reference images guide the 3d artista in the creation of the model. You can build great models without reference images. I think it is easier todo build great models with them.

So how are your drawing skills mine are ok. Im not the worlds best artista. But i can comfortably draw an idea on a piece of paper. Drawing is an important skill for a 3d artista. You can dodle out an idea in the morning and have a finished model by the end of the day. Thats hard todo do if you are just making it up as you go in your 3d software. So if you havent taken drawing clases, y would encourage you todo do so. Even if you never work as a profesional 3d artista, being able todo commúnicate any idea with a quik drawing is a skill that Will help you later in life.

Im making an alien. Ive put him in a sort of Da Vinci vitruvian man postura with arms and legs spread out. That Will make it easier todo animate later. This is my third or fourth drawing. The first several were ok. I liked portions of each. With each new drawing, y pulled out a sheet of paper and began tracing the parts i liked from each previous drawing. Then i filled in and added new features. By the time i had completed several drawings, y was happy enough with this versión todo scan the image as a jpeg for use with Blender.

Ive drawn a front view of my alien. I used Lots of circles todo guide my body shapes. Anyone can draw a circle. Then i traced over the lines i liked with a felt Pen. That allows the scanner todo se the shape clearly. I a los drew it right on a center line. Thats because im going todo save time by only building one half of the alien. Then ill copy it, mirror it and have a complete alien.





Im working in 3d so i a los ned a side view of my alien. My front view Will guide my front view of the model. My side view Will guide my side view of the model. So ill end up with being able todo make the model in 3d space Even though i am starting with 2d drawings on a 2d computer screen.

I could Even draw a top view and team that up with a top view of my model. Thats great for precisión work. Im making something simple for now so that you can practice on an easy character.

Any two or thre images Will give you the reference material you ned. Take a front and side picture of a friend as a reference. Or make your own digital reference images in your favorite graphics programa. Maybe combine a Wolf with a muscle man picture for a werewolf reference image. Or draw your own cartoon character. There is no limit todo what you can create in 3d.

Step 2: load your images into Blender.

Now is the time todo put your reference jpegs into Blender so that you can begin todo model.

First, lets set up our Blender views so that we have a god front and side view. Splitting Windows requires a RMB on a window Edge and chosing Split área from the menú that pops.

I like front the left and side on the right. But its a personal preference thing. I put the top in the upper left and the Camera in the upper right. I dont ned much for my top and Camera views so ive turned of their headers (RMB in a blank área of the menú line) todo give me ha Little more space on the screen. When you are done arranging, your Blender screen might look like the example. But find an arrangement that is comfortable for you.



Choose a front (num1) or side (num3) view. Then choose view from the 3d view menú and then background image.
When the background image panel appears in the view, click use background image.

In the image section of the background image panel, choose the file browser icon and select the jpeg image that matches the view.



Youll a los note a blend section that controls the transparency of the background image. There are additional size and offset options if you ned todo make adjustments todo the image. Your image Will only appear if the window is a top, front, or side orthographic view. The minute you change, it Will disappear. The minute you return todo one of those views (num7, num1, num3) it Will reappear.

Each Blender window can have its own image. So load the alien side image in side and the alien front image in front. The background image panel a los retains a memory of recent images. Simply choose the image from the selection window next todo the file browser button. This can be handy if you ned todo switch views quickly. You can Even click the triangle in the upper left corner of the background image panel. This Will collapse the panel while still keping it readily available for any quik adjustments.



Now you should se your front and side alien images in their respective Windows. Were ready todo get todo work.



Step 3: set up the Cube.

Using Blender default Cube as a starting point, lets make a few adjustments. Stay in object mode. Show the Cube in wireframe (z) so that you can line it up with the drawing. Using the 3d manipulators, Grab (Control-alt-g) and scale (Control alt-s) the Cube so that it fits the belly área. You can have a Little inside and a Little outside. Well reshape it into place.

Notice that i have shift-LMB selected the translate (Grab) and scale manipulator widgets so that i can use both in the same window at the same time. This approach gets Even handier later. Alos remember that each window can have its own choice of manipulator.



We ned todo make our Cube Mesh just a Little more flexible. That means subdividing it. Tab todo Edit Mode. Make sure the Cube is still selected. F9 todo editing and click the Mesh tools subdivide button 2 times.



Step 4: Subsurf the Cube.

Subdivisión surfaces Will give us a Smooth shape todo our work. Lets put those subdivisión surfaces todo work. First, z todo make the wire-frame view bak into solid. Then in modifiers panel of editing (right next todo Mesh tools), click add modifier and choose Subsurf. You might notice that solid Cube now has rounded corners. That is the Subsurf kicking in. The cubes vértices, Edges, and Faces help define the smoothed solid within the Cube.



So lets take a closer look at the Subsurf modifier. First youll notice that im using a Catmull Clark Subsurf.
Who are Catmull and clark? They were two college students who played around with early computers and created mathematical rules (algorithms) for computer graphics as part of their studies. Jim clark would go on todo found Netscape and help reléase the first commercial world wide web browser. Ed Catmull would go on todo help found Pixar and currently helps lead Disney-Pixar animation. Two great people we owe a lot todo.

The levels setting controls how Smooth your model Will look as you work on it within Blender.

The render levels is how Smooth the model Will look as it is rendered.

Obviously, you dont ned as Many levels for your Blender work as you might want for your rendering. If i set the levels todo high, Blender Will be Slow todo work with. Setting the render levels higher is fine since i can let the computer do the math during rendering. Once again, the higher number, the longer it Will take for the computer todo work.

But i can go of and do something else while my rendering is going on. So i set levels todo 2 and render levels todo 3 or 4. If im done with test rendering and have plenty of time todo Burn, y might turn the render levels Even higher. This Will make a very smooth.
Who are Catmull and clark? They were two college students who played around with early computers and created mathematical rules (algorithms) for computer graphics as part of their studies. Jim clark would go on todo found Netscape and help reléase the first commercial world wide web browser. Ed Catmull would go on todo help found Pixar and currently helps lead Disney-Pixar animation. Two great people we owe a lot todo. 3d workshop - Making an alien using Subsurf model. Just realice that this Will Slow the computer down and todo much Will go unsen for all your wasted computer time.

There is a Little gray circle todo the right of the Subsurf title in the modifiers panel. Subsurf modeling involves editing the Low polygon Cage while letting the Catmull Clark do the math on your model behind the scenes. Clicking that Little grey circle Will apply modifier todo the editing Cage. That means the Cage Will cling todo the surface. Click the circle on and of and youll se the subtle result on your model in the window. Well se this in use later. Its a preference that may or may not make editing easier as you work on your model. Sometimes it is easier with it of. Sometimes it is easier with it on.



Step 5: Subsurf the large belly.

Now use the Subsurf todo shape the alien belly. Theres nothing terribly dificult about our next steps. You just ned todo take your time and work a set of vértices at a time. First, z bak todo wireframe so you can clearly se the drawing th rouge the Cube. Youll ned todo toggle bak and Forth between solid and wireframe depending on what you ned todo se. So here on out, adjust bak and Forth as you ned todo.

Find the limit todo visible button. Its a button with a Cube icon right next todo the face select mode button at the bottom of a standard 3d view. Then, with limit todo visible turned of, adjust clusters and lines of vértices todo make the shape of the alien belly and behind. You want todo shift the vértices around uniformly. But there is no one bien todo achieve this task.

The one thing todo remember is that it is safest todo border select (b) vértices in order todo Grab all of the vértices in a line. The screenshot image shows an example of this. Two visible vértices are selected in the front view. But my side view shows that i have actually selected all 5 or 6 vértices that make up that lower left hand corner of the Cube. So im able todo reshape that entire corner of the Cube quickly.



So use RMB todo select a single vertex closest todo you. But border or brush select is a great bien todo Grab a clúster of points and shift them all in so that you can get the general shape quickly. Once selected, a translate (Grab) Will move the vértices in the direction they ned todo go. Then a todo deselect all and go on todo another set of vértices.

Occasionally, youll have a row of vértices that all ned todo be pinched in or spread out. That is what scale is for. In the example, the top of the aliens belly is tighter than the base. So i scale the points in on the side view before going todo the front view for the same general step.



Sometimes i move a whole block of vértices as in the section of the aliens behind. Ill work down th rouge rows, taquíng 3, then 2, and so on. In this way, y can kep my vértices somewhat uniformly spread out. I dont want vértices all bunching up or i Will not be able todo get the right shape later.



At this point, y find myself adding the rotate manipulator todo my combo translate (Grab) and scale manipulators. Ctrl-space pulls up the combo manipulator option quickly. Having all thre turned on as i work th rouge my selections really speed up the work. Here, im rotating a set of points todo get a more accurate curve todo the top of the leg. By now, my front alignment is starting todo look reasonably god. But i do have a few vértices starting todo wander of the center line. Not a big issue for other vértices. But it is a problem for the center vértices since well be slicing this model in half shortly.



Simply shift-s todo Snap selection- >grid any ofending rows of vértices as a quik fix.



Front and side views are reasonably lined up. But our alien belly is still kind of Cube like for the time being. We can fix that by individually selecting vértices with RMB and doing a Little bit of tweak on the Cage as it rounds corners. Youll likely want todo spin around the model with num4, num6, num2, and num8 todo rotate your views at this point. Youll temporarily lose the background image until you come bak todo the num1 or num3 views. But thats ok. Youre just trying todo round up the shape a bit and the background image is just a reference.



As i work around the Cage and adjust vértices, it gets easier todo work if i am working with a solid and i have limited todo visible. I kep reworking the shape todo get it more round.

At this point, y have a god feeling for my lump of digital Clay (Mesh). So im going todo focus on one side (the right) more than the other. Thats because im about todo Cut the model in half. Ill use the left side todo compare with the right and track my progress at rounding the shape.

Dont be todo concerned about exact vertex placement. Your model is like digital Clay. Were going for a shape and the vértices are not going todo be exactly the same for each individual who works on this alien.



As you start todo make a more rounded shape, some vértices in the Cage Will begin todo disappear beneath the solid surface. Now is a god time todo turn on the apply modifier todo editing Cage button we discussed earlier. Now the points of the Cage Will stick todo the surface of the object and it Will be harder todo lose them inside the object.

Its a los a great time todo make certain Windows full screen so you focus on that view. Ctrl-down arrow Will take the view your cursor is over and make it full screen. Ctrl-up arrow Will return you todo your normal view. Weve made god progress by moving a few individual vértices. The right side of our model is now much more round. Now its time focus on that half.



Step 6: mirroring the model.

Here is a Neat trick. Do half the work and have it copied automátically with mirroring.

From the num1 front view select the left half of the model. That a los includes the center vértices and the entire left half from front todo back.

X todo erase the Faces. We choose Faces so that the center vértices and Edges are left behind.



With the remaining right half of the model selected, go bak todo the editing buttons and click the add modifier button under the modifiers panel. Chose mirror. A mirror modifier Will appear in the stak below your Subsurf.

Like magic, the other half of your model Will appear. Now when we work on the right side, the left side Will be automátically mirrored. The merge limit value helps cover for any irregularities you have on your center line. Some vértices are in line. Some are not. Merge limit Will help Smooth that out. A Little does a lot so dont run the number up to far. But Even with merge limit, we might still have a Little seam in our model until we finish and Smooth it out for god.





Step7: shaping the behind.
With mirroring solved, we shape the behind (buttocks) and ready the lower body for legs. Mirroring makes it easier todo shape the behind. Simply roll the model with num over and translate a few vértices. But be subtle. You dont want the model todo look todo ridículous.



Step 8: extruding legs.

Extrude adds todo the model and becomes the primary move for Subsurf modeling. Were going todo extrude the legs out from the bottom of the alien. Press Control-num7 todo se the opposite side from top (the bottom). Translate (Grab) any points that ned todo be squared up. A slightly rounded rectangle of Faces Will give the best arrangement todo extrude our leg.



Change todo face select mode and choose a set of four Faces todo build the legs from.



Translate and scale the selected Faces so that the start of the leg is lined up with the drawing.



E todo extrude leg. Then LMB immediately todo bring bak the manipulators. Scale and translate out a section todo serve as the upper thigh. Use the rotate manipulator todo line up the new section with the direction of the leg. You Will use translate (Grab), scale, and rotate continually todo reshape your extrude sections as you shape out the body.



Sometimes an extrude is a Little todo Cube like and i ned todo round it out. Here i switch todo Edge select mode and translate a front Edge of the leg out. Just as youll use translate (Grab), scale, and rotate constantly in your extrude operations, youll make use of vertex, edge, and face select mode todo get at your model and shape it the bien you want.



As neded, y tumble around the leg with num and the Mb todo reshape vértices, Edges, and Faces of the leg cross section into a more round shape.



Do several extrudes as you work down the leg. Id suggest at least two above the kne and two below.



Then end the last extrude at the hel. Then start the fot with an extrude from the front of the ankle.



Extrude out the fot until the end of the toes.



As neded, use translate, scale, and/or rotate todo shape the cross section todo make the fot shape. If neded, adjust vértices, Edges, and Faces. As you grow more comfortable with extrude and these six adjustments, youll get proficient at creating shapes that match your reference drawings.

Go bak over your right leg and make any small adjustments todo vértices, Edges, and Faces until you are happy. These small touches make your character that much better.

Thats it. You are done with extruding the legs. Its a god time todo take a break for a test render and save your progress.



Step 9: extruding tips for the rest of the alien.

Now that you have the basic do, you can extrude your bien todo a complete alien body. It Will take time and patience todo make the rest of your model. But After completing the legs, you now have about 90% of the skills neded todo complete the alien Mesh. You can do this based on what you now know. Just work th rouge it a piece at a time. But some extra tips Will help. Lets add a few more skills todo your set.



Plan your extrude steps. Kep an eye on where you ned todo branch out, whether it be a part of the torso, an appendage, or a facial característica. For example, y know i want four Faces todo start the arm extrude. That Will give me ha square and that in turn gives me the right shape todo Craft a round arm. So as i extrude up the belly into the torso, y break up the extrude steps so that the side Faces are already lined up to go out the side with an arm. So wherever you ned todo change the shape or add an extrude, break up your model a Little.



Make your adjustments todo the vértices, Edges, and Faces using the translate (Grab), scale, and rotate manipulators before you start an extrude. Tweak your vértices, push the Edges, and rotate the Faces. In the image example, im just about todo round the elbow and head up the wrist. Now is the time todo rotate the selected Faces so that the extrude Will start in the right direction.



Dont stretch your extrude todo far. It would be easy todo complete an arm in two steps. But that Will not give you the level of control you ned todo shape the arm realistically. In the image todo the example, ive used 5 extrude steps todo reach the hand.



There are times when the manipulators dont line up in the direction you want. By default, the translate, scale, and rotate manipulators are aligned with the 3d world (global). But you can choose other orientations that make it easier todo transform your selection in the direction you ned.



You dont have todo move todo extrude. You can just LMB and then immediately scale up. This is handy for starting a big palm from a small wrist (shown at right) or transicióning a lower jaw from a neck.



An extrude can a los scale down. This is great for starting a finger from the Edge of a palm (shown at right) or an antenna at the top of a head.



Finally, you dont have todo model everything with extrude. I only want the basic body shape, the head, the arms with hands, and the fet. Ill leave other details like the eyes and mouth for later. Theyll be easier todo create with other primitives and extrude steps later on. I can Even use Blender new Sculpt Mode todo add finer detail or modify my base shape.

I a los leave some details out for when the model is Compleete. Why? No one organic character should be idéntical on both sides of the body. If i add details, now, theyll be copied exactly todo the other side. By adding some details After i have a complete model, y guarante that there Will be some diferences between the left and right side of the model. That Will make it more true todo life.



Step 10: completing the alien.

Now we ned todo apply the mirror and Stitch our two halves of alien together. Once you have extruded your bien todo a complete alien, select the whole right side of the body. You cant select the mirror so a select all (a) Will do the trick.



Tab out todo object mode. You cannot apply the mirror todo the model in Edit Mode. When you are in object mode, click apply in the mirror modifier. Blender Will likely ask you a few cuestiones. Go ahead and tell it ok. The mirror Will disappear from your list of modifiers and the mirror image Will become as a sepárate part of your object.



Press Control-j todo join selected meshes.



Even though the meshes are joined we still have a Gap in our character. A small Gap is god since that can help Smooth out any Sharp Edges on the seam. But we still ned todo seal the Gap. Tab bak todo Edit Mode. Z todo wireframe so that you can easily se and select points throughout the entire model. Then carefully select the points in the center of the model.



Now find the Rem doubles (remove doubles) button in the Mesh tools panel of editing (f9). Click the button and Blender Will remove the points that are doubled up between the two halves. The Gap is closed. Heres a great tip for fixing problems you just cant transform. As i chek around my complete model, y find Little áreas that ned some touch up. In the chest, y have an unnaturally Dep recess where the two halves came together. Moving the Faces isnt working. I decide todo deleete them. I choose the face select mode and choose the two recessed Faces.



I press x and erase the Faces. I now have a huge hole in the front of the chest. Interesting but neding a god fix.



After selecting 3 or 4 points (4 in this case), y can fill a hole by press f for face. A new flat face is added where i once had two recessed Faces. The chest is now normal.



Step 11: knifing the face.

Loop cuts can be a quik bien todo add detail where it is currently missing. I ned todo extrude eye sockets and a mouth. My head has the right shape but not enough Edges and Faces todo work with for my extrude.



K brings up the Knife and loop Cut menú. The Knife is much more precise. But a loop Cut is easier todo use. Press k for the loop Cut menú. Chose loop Cut.



As you drag the cursor over your model, loop Cut shows a line where the loop Cut could go. Lmb once todo choose the área where you wish todo place the loop. Slide your cursor todo position the Cut and then LMB again todo fix it in place.



Now that i have more Faces todo work with, y can extrude. I Will not extrude all of these Faces at the same time. Ill do one eye at a time and then the mouth.



Step 12: final details.

Add eyes and antenna and our alien is almost ready todo invade the world. After extrude work, my alien now has eye sockets and a mouth. I have a los tweaked his head shape a Little todo make him more reptile like.



Im going todo cheat on the eyeballs. The eyeballs are Little more than a sphere. Tab todo object mode. Press space and then choose add>>surface>>nurbs sphere. I choose a Nurbs sphere because is automátically Smooth and eye like without a lot of additional smoothing. Then i scale and rotate the eyeball todo make it fit the eye socket. Then i just slide it into place with a translate.



Since i want the eyeballs todo follow the alien body, it would be a god idea todo connect them. Doing that is called parenting. Make sure you are still in object mode. First i RMB one eyeball. Then i shift-RMB the other eyeball. Finally, y shift-RMB the alien. This Will be the parent since it was the last selected object. Press Control-p and Blender Will make parent of the alien. The eyeballs Will now follow the alien Mesh no matter where it goes.



My last detail for my alien is todo tab bak todo Edit Mode and extrude the antenna from the top of the head. Since each antenna is unique, it hides some of the mirroring i used todo make the model.



Final thoughts.

So now this alien model is Compleete. More importantly, this may be your first real organic type of model. It not made of rigid cubes or perfecto Spheres. Its an alien with a belly, legs, arms, fingers, and a scary looking head. This model has life todo it. Now that you have the confidence todo tackle an alien, go bak th rouge other tutorialesand develop your competency in Blender.

Add todo your model with Sculpt Mode. Light it. Put an armature in and make it walk. Put it in a saucer and composite it flying th rouge your neighborhod. Blender is an incredibly capable tool, most of the tutorialesare free, and you are now becoming a 3d wizard. Have fun with it.



This work is Owned by nevac and licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-no derivative works 3.0 license.

Tim Kennedy teaches digital media arts at cedarcres te high School in rural duvall, Washington in the United States. He wrote this tutorial for a nevac dis tance learning class (details below). Having todo survival in a clas srom on a very limited Budget has made him a huge fan of free software like Blender.

In his past life, he was a college profesores sor in all forms of digital media production. He a los wrote about streaming media and the synchronized multimedia integration language (smil) for internet, com and sams Publishing. You can reach him (or send a jpeg of your alien creation) th rouge his web s ite at onlinedeliverycom.

Nevac this tutorial was originally written for nevac, the northeast vocational área coperative. Nevac is a partnership of nine s chol dis tricts in the northeas te puget sound área of Washington state in the usa. The goal of nevac is todo provide quality and costefective carer and technical education for students. This tutorial is one part of a series of tutorialesincluded in nevacs dis tance learning ofering of introduction todo 3d animation. study and interactive class dis cus Sion is completed online th rouge a module-based class web s ite. Course work is completed in Blender. Are you a high school s tudent interested in s tudying 3d? Are you a school counselor or administradores trator wishing todo ofer a dis tance learning course in 3d todo your s tudents? contact nevac at pam@nevac.org or http://www.nevacorg for more información.
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