Friday, May 22, 2009

Creating Jack-O-Lantern

Open 3ds Max. Create Ellipse in Top viewport. Use Length=200 and Width=250.

2. Right click and convert ellipse into Editable Spline (Convert to>Convert to Editable Spline). Go to Modify tab. Activate Segment selection. Select one of four line segments in viewport. In Geometry rollout, enter 4 right next to Divide, and then click Divide button. 4 vertices will be added along line segment. Repeat this process with the rest of line segments.

3. Change selection to Vertex. In Top viewport, select leftmost vertex. Move outward, click and drag at Bezier handle (small green box) to make more rounded curve. Repeat the process with all vertices inside red circle.

4. Select all vertices inside red circle (look at image below). To select more than one vertex, hold Ctrl while selecting. Right click and choose Corner in quad menu. When finished, turn off selection.

5. Next, create one segment of vertical line in Front viewport. In Command Panel choose Create>Shapes. Choose Spline from drop down list. Click Line button. Click twice under and above the horizontal line. To make sure you have straight line, hold Shift while clicking. To finish creating line, right click.

6. Select ellipse spline. In Command Panel, choose Create>Geometry. Choose Compound Objects from drop down list.Click Loft button. In Creation Method rollout, click Get Path. Then, click vertical line in viewport. Lofting works like extruding a shape along a path.

Go to Modify tab In Skin Parameters, use Shape Steps=2 to reduce polygons. Next, in Deformations rollout click Scale button. Scale Deformation window will open. Note: Deformation rollout only can be found when you go to Modify tab.

7. In Scale Deformation window, you'll see a horizontal line. This line represents lofting surface. By changing line shape you can get different lofting surface. First, activate Display XY Axes to make symmetrical lofting surface. Then click Insert Cornert Point, and click in the middle of line twice. You'll get 2 additional point.

Select and move leftmost and rightmost points down. Notice the object shape is also changed. Move the middle points like image below. Right click each middle point and choose Bezier-Smooth. Next, you can adjust Bezier handle to create curved line. When finished, close window. Right now, you have nice looking pumpkin.

8. You may scale pumpkin object along X, Y or Z axis if necessary to get proportional pumpkin shape.

Continue your previous lesson. Make sure pumpkin object is selected. Choose Shell modifier from Modifier List. Use Inner Amount=15 and Outer Amount=0. Shell modifier is used to give 15 unit thickness to the pumpkin

2. Next, create eyes and mouth shape using Line. Then, select one spline, go to Modify tab, in Geometry rollout click Attach button. Click other spline in viewport. When finished, you have only one spline containing eyes and mouth..

3. Make sure spline is still selected. Apply Bevel modifier. Use Start Outline=-4, Height=140 and Outline=10. You may use any values based on eyes and mouth shape you created earlier. Just make sure you get object shape like image below

4. Select pumpkin object. Go to Create>Geometry. Choose Compound Objects amd click Boolean. In Pick Boolean rollout, click Pick Operand B. Click eyes and mouth object in viewport. Voila, you get substracted eyes and mouth in pumpkin.

5. I use cylinder to create a stalk. Create cylinder in Top viewport using values like image below. Move cylinder on top of pumpkin

6. Apply Taper modifer to cylinder to make smaller outline at bottom of cylinder Use Amount=0.5. Then apply Bend modifier and use bending amount=50.

7. Apply material and put omni light inside the pumpkin. Use yellow color for omni light. Add additional surrounding lights and render. Image below show sample of finished Jack-O-Lantern