Modeling a robot in Blender

[3dpoder]

modeling a robot in Blender
By Gaurav Nawani.

Modeling a robot. Level: begginer todo intermediate.

Introduction: 3d modeling is one of the most interesting parts of the CG, but it provides quite a challenge for a begginer todo the 3d modeling. In this tutorial we Will take you th rouge various techniques involved in modeling an simple looking robot in Blender. This particular robot is called papero and its a Companion bot produced by Nec corporation japan.

Pléase note that this article is not made for any commercial gains and neither is allowed todo be distributed or used for commercial gains. It is not afiliated todo Nec in any way. The Nec robot referenced here is purely for educational purpose only.

The best approach todo learn from this tutorial is a los todo consult the Blender manual where ever you find it necessary, especially if you are very new todo Blender then learn about the various naming conventions like view-port, Edit Mode, vertex, Transformer gizmo etc. In this tutorial care has ben taken todo provide these features as the heading of the steps, so that if we say add a Cube you can reference on how todo add an object step learned previously. Reading it once is recommended for all new users todo the 3d world of Blender Even if you are not able todo follow it properly.

Starting up.

First of all make a search on goggle for papero or Nec robots for reference images. Try todo figure out how the model looks from diferent views. There are few diferent versións available but we are going todo make a generic body. It would be helpful if you can get image1 from the net, if thats not posible it is a los provided in the sample blend file for this tutorial.


modeling the head.

Part-1.

Step 1. Adding a image todo the view port: start up Blender. First thing you ned todo do is deleete the default Cube. Right click on it todo select it, if its not already, then press [del] and confirm deletion in the popup. Now we Will add an reference image of the robot in the view port. Press [Numpad 1] for front view in the view-port, now go todo view |background image. menú of the view-port. In the popup click on the folder icon and navigate todo the reference image, select it and press enter.

Step 2. Adding primitives : now we Will start modeling, we Will first start with modeling the face. Kep the mouse in the view-port and press [spacebar] in the popup menú go todo add |Mesh | UV sphere. Again in the new popup reduce the number of vértices todo 24 and again 24 in another popup then press ok todo add the sphere.


Step 3. Working modes: note that the sphere is added at the place where the insertion cursor(red white striped circle) is and the center of the circle is represented with a Pink Dot. Alos you Will notice that the object added is in Edit Mode. You can toggle the Edit Mode todo object mode by pressing [tab] key once. Do it now.


Step 4. Moving objects: now todo position the sphere in object mode todo the head part as sen in the reference image in back. To do that, move your mouse over todo blue arrowhead, click and kep pressed the button and move the mouse upwards. The sphere object Will move upwards, kep pressing [Control] key todo make big grid jumps. Use [shift] in combination for minor grid jumps. Position the sphere as sen in the image.


Step 5. Scaling objects: todo scale any object in Edit Mode or object mode you first have todo select the object or its parts. Since the sphere is already selected. Press [s] key and any mouse movement towards the object center Will result in scaling down of object and inversely any movement away from object center Will result in scaling up of the size. Here scale up the size of sphere as shown in image following the reference in the back. Note again, you can compliment the scaling operación with [Control] or [shift] or combination of both for better control.


Step 6. Selecting vértices: up to now you were working in object mode. Kep selected the sphere and press [tab] todo get into the Edit Mode. Edit Mode is the Core of working on a 3dmodel, so learn and observe carefully. Now we Will learn todo select vértices. You can do various types of selection in Blender. To select or deselect all vértices use [a] key todo toggle. Press [a] til all vértices turn black(deselected). Now press [b] (box select) and move your mouse cursor todo the top left part of the vértices in sphere click and drag down so as todo select the left part as shown in the image.


Step 7. Deleting vértices: now we Will deleete the selected vértices. To do that, press either [del] or [x] key and in the popup, select vértices. As now you can se the selected vértices are all gone. We did that because the robot head is symmetric in appearance, so we ned todo just work on one half and later mirror it todo get the complete head. Now as you can se in the image, we have a los selected the ear part of the same sphere. Yes we Will deleete them todo. Do it the same bien as explained just now.



Creating the eye piece
Step 8. Zoming in the view-port: todo zoom in the view-port you can use scroll whel or [Numpad +] [Numpad -]. Now press [z] key todo toggle todo shaded view mode from wire fame mode. Now as in the image, select the two vértices by keping pressed [shift] key and right clicking on the individual vértices, select as shown in the image and then deleete the two vértices todo create the eye hole for the robot head.


Step 9. Using Subsurface: Subsurface is the most important tool in 3d Mesh modeling. To enable Subsurface on the Mesh, press [f9] and in the Mesh tab in the buttons window (below the view-port) click the Subsurf button, a los the optimal button and increase the divisions todo 2, se image.


Step 10. Creating a face from vértices: select the vértices as shown in the image10 and press [f] key once todo make a face out of selected vértices. Now repeat it for other vértices on the hole as shown in the image11.


Step 11. Subdividing an edge: select the two vértices which are inside the hole for the robot eye. Press [w] key and select subdivide, as son as you select it the face gets divided into two Faces. Image12. Repeat the steps with other newly created Faces.


Step 12. Merging Faces: triangular vértices Faces are bad for a Smooth surface so we ned todo convert the two triangular Faces todo a single four vértices face. To do that select all four vértices of any of thre vértices Faces. Watch image 12 for example. Now go todo Mesh |Faces |convert triangles todo quads in the view-port menú. And the triangular face gets converted into a four sided face.


Step 13. Scaling the vértices: now select the vértices as shown in the image13 and scale them up a Little bit so the shape of the eye hole looks like a circle. Here try todo move the outer vértices of the eye in a straight line, use various methods of selection that you have learned earlier.


Step 14. Extruding the Faces: get in todo side view by pressing [Numpad 3] and select all the vértices of the eye that form a circle. Press [e] todo extrude the selected vértices and start moving the extrusión in the direction of green axis of the Transformer gizmo as sen in the image 14 (a) and (b).


Step 15. Kep the last selection, now press [Numpad 1] todo change bak todo the front view. Here once more press [e] todo extrude and immediately press [s] todo scale down the extrusión a Little. Se image 15.


Duplicating the vértices: todo make a copy of the selected vértices/Faces you can press [shift +d]. Continued from the last selection press [shift +d] and immediately press [p] (to sepárate it from the Mesh into another object) click selected in the popup. Now you can press [tab] todo get out of the Edit Mode todo object mode. Right click todo select the new circular Mesh and press [tab] todo enter Edit Mode for it.

Step 16. Now we ned todo create the tuve like section for the eye. Select all the vértices [e] extrude them down a Little (image 16a) now get in todo side view [Numpad 3] and extrude the selected vértices towards green axis twice as sen in the image 16b.


Step 17. Welding the vértices: welding or merging vértices gives us a closed face which we want for the bak of the eye piece todo be like. Now again press [e] and immediately right click todo leave the transform state. Now press [alt + m] in the popup select at cursor and you can se the duplicate vértices get removed and they all form a face as sen in image 17.


Loop selection: now we ned todo create a eye cover Glass for the eye piece, select the second loop of vértices from the eye piece. Press [alt + b] and hover your mouse over the second circular loop in the image 18. The active selection Will show a blue loop forming on it as son as it does left click once todo select the loop. Duplicate it and sepárate from this Mesh. Get out of Edit Mode [tab] now select the newly created Mesh and press [tab] todo get into Edit Mode.

Step 18. Following the image 20 extrude once and scale it down (image 20a) then extrude it again, immediately right click. Then press [alt +m] todo join the vértices and complete the face for the eye cover Glass. Get out of Edit Mode.


part-2
Creating the ear & mirroring the head
You have noticed that Many times we have duplicated a Mesh part todo start working on another part of the model. This is done for two reasons firstly the duplicated Mesh we get fits closely todo the par of the model where we picked it from and secondly it sabes a lot of time, if we made that part from scratch like scaling moving and positioning it close enough. In the coming part we are going todo deal with it Even more.

Step 1. Inner ear: again we Will use duplicating method todo make the ear piece. First select the head Mesh get into Edit Mode do one extrusión todo very small distance towards red axis (image 19b) and duplicate it by [shift +d]. Now get out of Edit Mode and select the newly created Mesh. Again get into Edit Mode [tab] and do thre extrusión in red axis as sen in the image 19c, finally create one more extrusión and scale it down a Little. Create a duplicate[ shift +d] from current selection and sepárate [p] it from the Mesh.


Step 2. Outer ear part: exit the Edit Mode and select the Mesh just created. As sen in the image 20 extrude it thre times and once more right click and weld the selected vértices [alt +m].


Step 3. Once again get out of the Edit Mode and add a sphere of 16x16 ([space bar] add |Mesh |uv sphere) in the middle of the ear as shown in the image 21, make sure that you position if right. Chek the position in front view and side view se image 21.


Step 4. Mirroring a Mesh: now the head is almost Compleete. Since the head is completely symmetric, we can go ahead and mirror it todo get a completed head Mesh. To do that select the head Mesh and make sure that you are in the front view now press [tab] todo get into the Edit Mode. Press [a] key til all the vértices are selected. Now press [shift +d] todo duplicate the selected Mesh. Immediately right click todo cancel any transformation. Now press [m] todo bring up the mirror menú popup, here choose x global. You Will se the selected Mesh is mirrored.


Step 5. Merging the mirrored surfaces: now using the Transformer gizmo of the x axis (red) bring the two meshes closer so that the near Edges are overlapping each other watch the image 23a for the highlighted part, at this point you can zoom in and make sure that those Edges are correctly overlapping each other, now deselect all other vértices and make a box selection [b] around the highlighted part as sen in image 32a, press f9 and go todo the Mesh tools buttons tab (image 24) and make sure the limit value is 0.001 and then click remove doubles button and you should get removed 24 in the popup.

Now get out of the Edit Mode and as son as you get out of the Edit Mode you might se ha black line in the middle of the head Mesh as sen in image 23b. Again get in todo Edit Mode select all vértices and press [Control + N] (calculate normals). Now the Mesh Will look Smooth and you have created the head of the robot.



Step 6: creating the rest of the head parts. Now following the procedure of duplicating and mirroring go ahead and do the same for the eye piece (image 25a) eye Glass and the ear ball. After you have done that the final model should look some thing like in the image25b.


part-3
Creating the upper & lower body
Step 1. Make sure you are in object mode. Go todo top view [Numpad 7} and add a UV sphere [space bar] add |Mesh | circle of 24 vértices (image 26). Get out of the Edit Mode and change the view mode todo side view [Numpad 3]. First position the circle just below the ear part.


Step 2. Rotating the objects: press [r] key todo rotate the circle as shown in the image 27a. Get into Edit Mode and extrude once downwards on the z axis (blue) and scale it as shown in the image 27b. Following the image extrude once more.


Step 3. Extrude once more following the image 28a. Now we ned todo make out the body design as sen in the reference images. To do that get in todo the front view [Numpad 1] and box [b] select the vértices as shown in the image. [g] Grab the vértices and immediately press [z] and pull them down as shown in the image 28b and 29a.


Step 4. Adding a loop of vértices: at this point we ned todo extrude vértices once and then scale them down so that we get a Smooth bend Edge for the body. But you Will notice that the body looks a bit pulpy so we Will add a new loop of vértices just near the bottom part (image 29b) todo make it look like a solid surface with defined Edges. To add a Edge loop press [Ctrl + r] the cursor Will now change in todo a blue loop line and Will follow the position of the mouse, bring it down and near todo the bottom part as sen in image 29b and click todo add the loop.


Step 5. Lower body: make a duplicate [shift +d] of the same selection and sepárate it from the Mesh. We Will use it todo make the lower body. Get out of the Edit Mode[tab] and select the newly created Mesh and again get into Edit Mode [tab]. Now extrude once and scale it a Little. Again extrude and bring the extrusión down a Little, extrude and bring it down as sen in image and here move the vértices in the same line. Now extrude twice following the image 30a and weld[alt +m] the last extrusión.


Step 6. Get in todo the side view and scale the lower part of the upper body and upper part of the lower body as shown in image31a. Get out of Edit Mode completely and add a plane [add |Mesh |plane], position it near the side bottom of the robot body, watch image 31b for reference, press [f9] for editing buttons and enable Subsurf button. The Mesh Will turn roundish.


Step 7. Kep the view in side view [Numpad 3] extrude the side of plane (two vértices) two times and move the vértices todo look like as in the image 32.


Step 8. Change the view todo front view [Numpad 1], and extrude the plane thre times outwards (red axis), and manipulate the vértices todo as they look in the image33a image33b.


Step 9. After the robot shoe has ben done select all the vértices of the show and issue [shift +d] move the selection todo other side of the robot and After position it mirror [m] it in x axis. Se image 34.


part-4
Adding left over details
Step 10. Changing the selection modes: the basic model is just about Compleete, we forgot todo add the Little Bump in the middle of head. Now select the head Mesh and get into Edit Mode now we ned todo use the selection method as face as it Will provide for easier selection. Press [Control + tab] and in the popup select the face selection the view Will change a bit as shown in the image. Now you can start selection the Faces by right clicking on them, here you Will ned a group of Faces todo be selected so kep pressed the [shift] key.


Step 11. Extruding Faces: change the view todo side. Extrude the Faces upwards(blue axis) once. Now we ned todo rotate the selected Faces only on x axis so we Will press [r] and immediately press [x] and move mouse todo rotate. Rotate the selected Faces so that they look like as in the image.


Step 12. Change view todo front. Now change the selection mode[Control +tab] todo vértices. And select the side vértices (thre each side) as shown in image37a. Following the background image in the view-port move them down (z axis).


Se the outcome of it in the shaded [z] mode.


This wraps up the modeling tutorial. There are various smaller details left for the robot, they are left as an exercise for the Reader. You can use use the methods provided here todo create them, like the speakers in the front part of body and the tires of the robot. Make sure todo read the other tutorial on texturing the robot in the learning section.

Gaurav naw ani.
www.blenderart.org.
.

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