Animation Advanced Effective Rendering 2
Today, we will model
a polygon example directly
Before starting the modeling process,
we will first discuss camera settings
Additionally, we will look at practical approaches
to polygon modeling and its applications
We will create a simple wooden boat as an example
Camera Settings
Let's try and understand
the modeling environment
before diving into modeling
Let's start by looking at the camera settings
As you see here,
a camera’s lens value changes how an image looks
I have brought a sample image to explain this
When we set up the lens value,
Values like 24mm, 35mm, 50mm,
or 300mm
affect the distortion of the subject
People naturally see in the 50mm to 55mm range
So let's say this 55mm is the natural view we have
Maya’s default setting
is about 35mm
If you use reference images
or other images from an external source,
setting the lens to 50mm or 55mm
gives a more natural look
Understanding lens values helps with accurate modeling
For example, a 300mm lens
makes objects look flat
A 24mm lens creates a fisheye effect
Let's take this photo as an example
An 18mm and 300mm image look very different
Let's look at the camera settings
before we move on
I will load a sample image to the Scene
Here is the sample image
Let's check the camera settings
Press Ctrl + A to open the Attribute Editor
In the first tab, no need for other things,
but you will find the Camera Attributes section
The Focal Length value is currently set to 35mm
I usually change this to 55mm for better accuracy in modeling
Pressing F frames the view to fit the screen
Setting the focal length to 55mm helps
keep the proportions more natural and prevents distortion while working
Now, let’s test different focal lengths
with the camera settings
I will change the Focal Length to 24mm and press F
It is now more distorted than at 55mm
Next, I will try 15mm, something more extreme
Pressing F and zooming in
shows an even stronger distortion,
similar to a fisheye lens
Now, I will set it to 5mm
Pressing F again, full frame,
and it shows an extreme fisheye effect
Let’s try 300mm this time
This creates a telephoto effect
Pressing F frames the image,
and you can see that it looks flatter,
much flatter than before
So what I do is this
Using 55mm generally produces the best results for me,
And I'm sure it's a nice place to start for you too
Applying Polygon Models
That was a brief explanation about the camera
Now, let’s move on to polygon modeling
I have prepared a sample for this,
so let me explain briefly
I downloaded this image from the internet
It's something I downloaded
Let's try modeling this wooden boat
I will go through each step
so you can follow along for the modeling process
and create the model together
First, in Photoshop,
I have a side view,
a top view,
a front view, and a rear view
Let's prepare four images
by cutting them separately
I have the four images ready
The top view,
the side view,
the front view,
and the rear view
Those are the four I have
So go ahead and do the same
Now, let’s bring these images into Maya and use them for modeling
I will close the reference images and open a new scene
New Scene, and open it up
To get an idea of the boat’s size,
will start by creating a polygon cube
as a rough template model
Pressing spacebar splits the view into four different perspectives
I will now use the scale tool to adjust the size of the cube
Looking at the side view, the boat seems
to be a bit longer, so I will scale it up accordingly
You can manually adjust each of the four views,
but pressing Shift + A
will frame the entire object to full screen
Looking at the front view, the boat shape is roughly set
I'll adjust the size accordingly,
but it doesn't need to be perfectly precise
Just keep in mind that the reference image will fit within this range
Next, I’ll template this object
Press spacebar, right-click,
and select Toggle Template
You can also use the Toggle Template option manually
Alternatively, Ctrl + Z, now press Ctrl + A,
go to the first tab,
click Display Options, and you will find
the Template option there as well
That's another way of doing it
A common method used in practice
is through the Display Layer panel
With the object selected,
click the last icon
Create a new layer and assign the selected object
This works similarly to layers in Photoshop
It's the concept of layers
just like in Photoshop
So the object is
now in a display layer,
allowing you to toggle its visibility
If you look at the layer, you’ll see a P symbol
Clicking it
changes it to T,
which stands for Template
So with this simple setup,
now the object is locked as a reference
for us to look at its size
Now, I’ll import the four prepared reference images
First, in the 4-view layout,
select the side view
Go with Select Camera
to make sure the side camera is selected
You can check in Outliner
that the side view camera is selected
This is the default camera in Maya
View - Select Camera
Now, Ctrl + A
Go to the second Shape tab, scroll down,
and find the small triangle
next to Environment
Click to expand the menu
Now, we can make the image plane
Click Create Image Plane
to generate an image plane for the side view
With the image plane selected,
go to the second Shape tab in the Attribute Editor
Under Texture Filter, you’ll find Image Name
Click the directory folder
to import an image
I have already copied my images
into this directory
If you don’t see your file, change the filter to All Files
Since this is the side view,
I’ll select the side view image
It didn’t load correctly
That’s because the file format is not JPG
or another supported format
I’ll go back to Photoshop
and convert all four images to JPG format
Now that I’ve completed the conversion
for all four images,
I’ll reload the side view image in JPG format
Side view, let's open the image
The image has been loaded, but it appears too small
I’ll use the Scale Tool to enlarge it
I'll adjust the size
to match the template model
Since having the image in the center
would obstruct modeling,
I’ll move it slightly to the side
using the Move Tool
Now, let’s import the top view image
Switch to the top view,
go to View → Select Camera,
and make sure the top camera is selected
Press Ctrl + A
to open the Attribute Editor again
Just like before, go to Environment, click Create Image Plane,
and load the image
Switch to Perspective View to check the placement
Now, I’ll import the top view image and open it
This is the top view
Again, the image appears too small,
so I’ll use the Scale Tool to resize it
Since it’s hard to determine the exact size,
I’ll align the side view image to the center grid for reference
Using Grid Snap, or the X key,
I’ll snap it to the center to ensure accuracy
With the side view properly aligned,
I can now adjust the top view size more accurately
The front-to-back length seems too short, so I’ll stretch it using Scale
That looks about right
Let's move it slightly to fit it perfectly
Let's enlarge it a little more
Now it looks perfectly in size
If it's difficult to match the sizes precisely,
press Ctrl + A, scroll down,
and adjust the Width and Height values
under Placement Extras
This allows for finer adjustments
for the Width and the Height values
I'll increase the size slightly
and align it at the bottom
Now, let's load the front view image
Go to the front view,
then select View → Select Camera to confirm
that the front camera is selected in Outliner
With the camera selected, press Ctrl + A
to open the Attribute Editor
In the Shape tab, click Environment,
then select Create Image Plane
Now, I'll load the front view image
The image appears at the top, so open
Switching to Perspective View, I'll scale the image to the appropriate size
Since it's not centered properly, I'll align it to the center
Placing it in front might be more convenient for modeling
Before moving it,
I'll adjust the size
to match the boat’s widest section
Let's use the widest part
The boat's widest part appears to be around here,
so I'll scale it accordingly to fit it perfectly
Since the pivot point is off-center,
press D to move the pivot and align it with the center
To the center, press D to align
Release the D key, and the pivot will be set
With grid snapping,
or the X key, I'll lock the object to the X-axis
and snap it to the correct position
Once the front view is properly aligned,
modeling should be easier
I'll also adjust the height to align the bottom of the boat
The bottom edge now roughly matches the reference
If needed, you can also
load a rear view later,
but these three images
should be enough for modeling
In Perspective View, the grid can be distracting,
so I'll turn it off
Now, the initial setup
for modeling is complete
Let's start modeling
Since the template object is no longer needed,
I'll hide it in the Display Layer settings under Channel Box
by disabling Visibility
Also, everyone,
make sure to save your work as you go
To begin modeling the basic shape,
I'll define the overall structure
I'll use a polygon cube to form the base shape
Enabling wireframe mode
will make editing easier
That's how it has been shaped
We can halve this here
Since the boat
is a symmetrical object,
because of that,
I do not need to model everything
I only need to model one half and mirror it later
It will create one whole object
This method is common for characters
We model half and mirror it to complete the full shape
To split the object in half, I'll use the Multi-Cut Tool
Hold Shift,
select Multi-Cut Tool,
then right-click to confirm selection
Release to confirm the selection
So the color is, not exactly blue,
but something closer to being cyan
In top view, I'll press Shift
and drag downward
to snap the cut vertically
Since this is the vertical view,
set it to vertical, and click
Now, go to Perspective View to check
The top and bottom are now evenly split
Since the center isn't perfectly aligned,
I'll select vertices in top view
and snap them to the center grid
So it is all aligned
Switching to shaded mode, I can check the shape
To see the wireframe,
press Alt + 5 to toggle wireframe mode
We are starting with the big shapes
I will show you in top view
The widest section of the boat appears to be around here,
so I'll add another cut using the Multi-Cut Tool
Since only half of the boat needs to be modeled,
I'll delete one half
Selecting one side,
either left or right, doesn't really matter,
I'll delete the unnecessary half
To check the polygon’s boundary edges,
press Ctrl + A, go to the Shape tab,
and click Mesh Component Display
As I mentioned last time,
click Display Borders to highlight the boundaries
This makes it easier to check the polygon,
for open edges or closed seams
when you need to later
Now, I'll mirror the other half of the model
Go to Edit, then scroll down
to Duplicate Special
Open the Duplicate Special options
by clicking the settings icon
The Duplicate Special options window will appear
First, reset the settings to default
in case previous adjustments were made
You may have been testing
for different options before this
So just in case, let's reset it
And here,
you need to check the key values
The first one is Translate,
then Rotate, and finally Scale
The first one is X, second Y,
and the last one is Z
So down here, we need the x-axis
And for the x-axis, we need to do the following
This is the positive one, and we require its negative X copy
Since we've scaled the model,
mirroring now might cause errors
It will not look accurate
So let's clear the history
by pressing Alt + Shift + D
Now, the history is removed
Now, we need to freeze transformations
You can check for the values here in this Channel Box
It has all the values we've been working with
What we need is to set the model's scale to 1:1
before mirroring, which will go to -1
to mirror the one we have
Since we have all the changed values,
we need to freeze these to reset
Then we get 1
We also covered this in the last session
Open Modify and go to Freeze Transformations
Click it, and you'll see the transformation values
reset in the Channel Box
I will click on Freeze Transformations
Now, it is all reset
The scale is now 1:1
What we need is the minus value
So this is the first one of X, Y, and Z, which is X
What we need is not +1 but -1
So enter -1
Now, apply this Duplicate Special
Now, the mirrored copy is created
Let's move the mirrored object
But it does not follow the original
We need it to be linked dynamically,
so that it works as a perfect mirror
So let's set it up again
Remove this copy
Go back to the Duplicate Special Settings
Here, instead of Copy, select Instance
Select Instance, and once again,
click Duplicate Special
Now, let's move the original
Now, the mirrored half is
also moving in perfect symmetry
Switch to top view and adjust the shape
Refine the top and side shapes to match the image
Now, the boat appears very big
Even from the back,
the back view is misaligned, so let's reposition it
So, let's refine the polygon shape
This is the most prominent part
So use Multi-Cut Tool to add a division
Hold Shift, then cut along the shape
Grab on the vertex
Since the image plane is active,
right-clicking over it
brings up unwanted options
Make sure to right-click on an empty area
while the polygon is selected,
before choosing Vertex mode
If this is too much work,
go to Show under View panel
Go to Viewport and go down
to find Image Planes
Disable it to remove it, which is more convenient
It also says Alt + 4 can do the same thing
Let's try the Alt + 4 method
You can work on it without the image
I don't mind having it, so I will keep it here
So let's shape the boat
Now, on the side view,
let's use the Scale key
You could also use Rotate
Use Move to align
From the top view, the boat has a streamlined shape
So I'll split it twice, once near the top
and once near the bottom
Hold Shift, use the Multi-Cut Tool,
and cut vertically along the shape
Now the shape is divided
Adjust the shape as needed
If some sections are unnecessary, select and delete them
for a cleaner workflow
As you work,
you’ll see a history log in the Channel Box
under the Input Nodes
If you don’t need this history,
it's best to clear it periodically
Press Alt + Shift + D to delete the history
This helps prevent unnecessary data buildup
The inside of the model might appear too dark
To improve visibility, enable default lighting,
then check Two-Sided Lighting
This ensures
the inside and outside display correctly
This makes modeling smoother
And, let's go back and see
what I wanted to explain further
before I continued modeling
This is completely fine
to model it like this
But I like to use a more advanced approach
Rather than this basic method,
there are other modeling techniques,
something more advanced
Let me demonstrate that
To explain more about curves,
I will open a new scene
and enable the grid
Let me talk about curves now
Mastering curves
makes polygon modeling more efficient
It speeds up the process
Technically, curves belong to NURBS modeling,
and they are similar to NURBS modeling
But, mastering these
can still enhance polygon modeling
for a quicker and a more accurate work
Let's go to the side view
and draw a basic profile shape using the CV Curve Tool
Let's say this is the rough shape
Let's duplicate it
Now, we have two NURBS curves
I will enable component display
Now, using EP Curve Tool,
I will create a path between the two curves
By holding C, I can snap to the curve
Now, it's properly connected
Press Enter to confirm
Press G to repeat the command
Let me explain with what we have
Let's enable the component
What I am about to discuss
is generating a surface
along these curves
Maya has a tool for this,
though it is still in the realm of NURBS
Still, let's go for it
Go to the modeling menu
and find Surfaces, and go down
to find Birail
Let me separate the Birail Tool menu
So here, we have Birail 1, Birail 2,
and Birail 3+, plus alpha
Let me demonstrate how one could use this
Let's try Birail 1 Tool
The help line at the bottom
says, Select the profile curve
So it wants me to select a curve
So these two curves
are rail curves
I will set this one as the profile curve
So select profile curve
The help line says, now,
select two rail curves, which can be one, and now two
So now we have a surface
Since this is flipped,
enable Two-Sided Lighting in the Lighting menu
This technique is useful
because it preserves history
Toggle the wireframe
Now, let's edit this
What happens is this
Moving the profile curve
automatically updates the surface
Let's try moving it like this
Now, let's add
another profile curve
Create - Curve Tools - EP Curve Tool
Snap to the center again
Now, I'll extend the bottom
The two rail curves and the profile curve
should always meet
No, let's work on this Birail 2 Tool
Now, the system asks
for two profile curves
So select two
Now, it says we need two more rail curves
So select everything
Now, we get this surface
Because of the second profile curve, the shape bends downward
Since the history is still active, we can edit it freely
Using profile and rail curves,
we can create various complex shapes
Let’s try another example
Go to Create → Curve Tools → EP Curve Tool
This time, I’ll snap the curve at this position
Toggle the visibility
and adjust the shape accordingly
Now, we have the third one
We have Birail 1, Birail 2, and Birail 3+
If there are three or more profile curves, we use Birail 3+
Let’s test it now
First, select all profile curves as instructed
Any number of profile curves
Now we need to select the rail curves
Then, select the rail curves and press Enter
Now, the shape is generated
If we select the third profile curve and modify it,
we can create any desired shape
We can scale it like this too
Since we are working with polygon modeling,
we need to convert the NURBS surface into polygons
Maya has a conversion tool for this
Let's take a look at this converting process
It's an important detail
Go to Modify → Convert,
then select NURBS to Polygons
Open the options window
Currently, this object is recognized as a NURBS surface,
I am showing it like this
We can know that this is a NURBS object
which can be confirmed in the Outliner
It says, NURBS object
So this is not a polygon
It must be converted before polygon-based editing
First, reset the settings to avoid unintended changes
Now, go to the options, and we get this
We want a quadrilateral mesh, so go for quad
Now, Tessellation method
determines how the surface is divided into polygons
Choosing General allows manual control
Ignore most settings
and focus on Per Span number
of Isoparms for precise control
Also, for the second one,
NURBS has U and V axes
Go for the lower one for U
And for V, go for Per Span # Isoparms
Now we see 3, 3, so this adds three each
Let's apply
Select the NURBS object and click Apply
Now, we have a polygon surface
To avoid confusion, go to Outliner,
and to see the polygon,
let's hide the original NURBS object
by pressing H
Now, we see the converted polygon
This is the polygon
It still retains history
So if I edit the original curves,
the polygon automatically updates
We can select and edit it like this
Now, after finalizing the editing,
Select polygon object
and clear history using Alt + Shift + D
Now that the history is removed,
the polygon remains unaffected
by this curve adjustment
That's an alternative method of polygon modeling
Instead of manually cutting and hsaping
one big object,
we can also use NURBS curves
and covert into polygons
Using this,
we could model this boat
faster and more efficiently
So for modeling projects like for this boat,
this allows us a very fast method
to shape whatever we want
It is widely used in professional workflows too
Back to our boat modeling,
I'll hide the old polygon model
Next, I'll create four curves
by doing what I just showed you
To generate the polygon surface,
I will create four curves
So, I will prepare two profile and two rail curves
and show you from there
I just paused to prepare the curves
I have two rail curves
and three profile curves
Let's apply the Birail command
Go to Surfaces - Birail
Detach the menu
Since we have three profile curves, go for Birail 3+ Tool
Click, one, two, three, press Enter,
then select two rail curves
Now, we generated the NURBS surface
Let me add another point here
If we proceed with modeling directly,
the span intervals are inconsistent,
creating an irregular surface like this
To fix this,
let me teach you this method
Ctrl + A gives you the Attribute Editor
In the second tab,
locate the parameter values,
including UV and Degree values
The Degree value should remain 3,
while the UV values are currently 42 and 5
By setting similar parameter values,
we can achieve a more uniform structure
Go to Surfaces and go down
to find Rebuild
Reset the settings, choose O to # Spans,
set Degree to 3,
and input U = 40,
and V = 5
Clicking Rebuild evens out the surface,
like this
Now, we can proceed with polygon conversion
Let's convert this into polygons
Open Modify, go down
to Convert and NURBS to Polygons
Select Quad Output and choose General
Select Per span # Isoparms
Click on the third option
I think we can use 1 for U
For V, let's try 2
Okay, now close it
Since the NURBS surface
is no longer needed, let's hid it
using H
Now, we have a polygon mesh,
which we will mirror to complete the shape
Go to Edit - Duplicate Special, set Instance,
and enter -1 in the Scale X field
Click Duplicate Special,
and the bottom of the boat is looking more complete
This is a very fast method for the modeling process
With our basic boat body shape completed,
we can not hide the reference images
as well as the NURBS curves
Now, we almost have the complete shape of the boat
Let's disable wireframe mode to confirm
This looks like a boat
Toggle wireframe mode again
Since the boat should be thicker,
select the object,
hold Shift + Right Click
Choose Extrude Face
We can adjust the thickness using this
Let's bring back the reference images
Other parts aren't too difficult
So I will add details
and components to this boat
before I come back in a second
I will pause now and be back with the complete shape
I am finally done building the boat
It took some time, but it is finally ready
Viewing it in wireframe mode, this is how it looks like
This session demonstrated a step-by-step
boat modeling process
In just five lessons, we covered
the fundamentals of polygon modeling
If any parts were unclear,
please re-watch the lessons from the beginning
The more you watch it, the better you will get
This concludes the fifth session
of the Polygon Modeling Course
Let's summarize what we've learned today
Today, we explored various
modeling approaches,
focusing on Birail surface generation
and polygon conversion,
to be more specific
Through these five lessons, we covered
the fundamentals of Autodesk Maya's polygon modeling
While polygon modeling includes many additional
advanced features,
this course focused on establishing
a solid foundation of the concept
Understanding the core principles of polygon modeling
and practicing multiple exercises
will help reinforce your skills
Camera Settings
The lens value affects how the subject is distorted
The human eye sees objects similar to a 55mm lens
A higher lens value makes the subject appear flatter, while a lower value increases distortion
Background images also vary significantly based on lens values
Applying Polygon Models
Use polygons to prepare separate images for the top, front, back, and side of the boat
Create a Template Model to estimate the boat's siz
Use Side Shape → Environment → Create to generate an Image Plane
Click the folder icon to import the edited reference images
Use Multi-Cut to split the Polygon Cube in half Adjust the Polygon Cube to match the boat's shape
Understanding Birail
Birail 1 Tool: Select one Profile Curve, then two Rail Curves
Birail 2 Tool: Select two Profile Curves, then two Rail Curves
Birail 3+ Tool: Used when there are three or more Profile Curves