3D Computer Mouse

In this tutorial you ll learn how to create a Computer Mouse like this one:
Part 1: Place reference
1.Define a box Length 13,85 width 9,05 Height 5,0 (the proportion of the reference images)
2.Click and right click on it than move your box to O,O,O coordonate
3.Select your box and and select the zoom extend tool in the bottom right of your screen  to center your box in all views
4.Select the move tool and click one axes by holding SHIFT key
5.A "Clone options" dialog box open, define "mouse" as name of the object copied and select OK
6.Right click the new object and select Hide.  This copied object will be the base of our future mouse.
7.Open the material editor
8.Select one material.
9.Select the diffuse map.
10.Select bitmap, browse to select top.jpg image
11.Uncheck the Tile
12.Go to parent and put the self-illumination to 100
13.Select the checked blue cube (that will show the material in your view ports)
14. Set "top reference" as name of the material
15. Redo the steps 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 with the images front.jpg, back.jpg , side.jpg, and named the materials respectively "front reference", "back reference" and "side reference".
You obtain this in your material editor:
Now we'll assign these materials to the faces of the created box.
16. Select the box and convert it to editable poly
17. Go to poly level
18.Select all the poly and flip them
19.Select all the poly and flip them
20.Turn your box in the perspective view and select the top and side poly than delete it
21.Select the bottom poly
22.Open the material editor and select the "top reference" material
23.Assign it to the selected poly
Deselect the bottom poly and you'll have this:
24. Do the steps 18,20 and 21 with the front, back and sides poly You'll obtain this
Note that the front and back looks to be wrong placed but you'll understand why it is inversed during the modelization  If you right click the label in each view port (Top, Left, Front)and select "Smooth + Highlights"
You'll see your references in each view
25. Go to Edit poly level
26. Right click the reference and select "Properties..."
27. Uncheck the box "Show frozen in grey" and select ok
28. Right click the reference and select "Freeze selection"
29. Right click the reference and select "Freeze selection"
Now you have your reference ready for modeling as you have frooze it  you can't no more select it by mistake.
Part 2: Modeling
1. Select the menu Tools > Display Floater
2. In the display floater dialog box select Unhide => By Name...
3. In Unhide Object dialog box select the mouse and click Unhide button
4. Right click the perspective view port name and select "Edged Faces"
You'll see now the edges of the object
5. Select the mouse object (check at upper right if it is mouse that is selected)
6. Right click the mouse and select Properties
7. Check the "see-Through" option and click Ok
8. You have this:
9. Define Length Segs:4 Width Segs:4 Height Segs:2:
10. Convert the mouse object in Edit Poly:
11. Select the right part of the mouse polys and delete them  Max asks for deletion of isolated vertices, select yes:
12. Go to vertex level
13. Move the vertex to follow the reference, you have to obtain someting like this:
14. Add a meshsmooth modifier and after go to edges level:
15. Select these edges:
16. Chamfer the edges 0,02:
17. Go to vertex level:
18. Weld these two point at the rear:
19. Select these poly, don't forget to select the little tri at the intersections:
20. Extrude the poly created by -0,2 and select local normal:
21. Delete these poly:
22. Delete these poly:
23. Go back to edge level, you'll obtain this:
24. Add these edge to the selection:
25. Chamfer the edges of 0,01:
26. Chamfer the edges of 0,01:
Now we have to clean the chamfer result.
27. In this region weld these two points:
28. Select these edges and make a ring. Youy must obtain this (add unselected edges if any):
29. Make a connect by 1:
30. In the top view make these cuts with the cut tool following the reference:
31. Select this poly and delete it:
32. Select these points and move them down:
33. Select these points and move them down lesser:
34. Select these edges and chamfer it of 0,01:
35. Now we have to clean the result in these area:
36. From this we must obtain this by welding points (use target weld tool):
37. Make a mirror of your model in a copy mode :
38. Attach the two part by clicking attach then the other part :
39. Weld all the central points (be carreful to weld correctly, don't weld too much points where the chamfer are done)
To check if everything is welded correclty add a meshsmooth or a turbosmooth modifier on iteration 2:
40. On the meshsmooth (or turbosmooth level) select the mouse and convert it to edit poly:
41. On the edges level select these edges and select loop:
42. Chamfer these edges of 0,02.:
43. select the poly created and delete them:
44. By adding a meshsmooth or a turbosmooth iteration 1 you'll obtain this:
You can create a torus to make the wheel, with some materials you obtain this:

Posted in 3Ds MAX