Subdivision Surface Modeling Tutorial

1. Launch Maya
2. Go Windows > General Editors > Script Editor
3. In the Script Editor window go Edit > Clear History
4. In the Script Editor window go Edit > Clear Input
5. In the Script Editor window go File > Open Script
6. Locate the script, and click Open
7. In the Script Editor window go Edit > Execute



Fake Sub-Division surfaces are loaded in Maya now.

Now for the modeling tutorial.

PART ONE, pulling and shaping

1.Create > Polygons Primitives Cube
2.On your tool bar at the top Select By Component Type, Turn on poly facets.



3.Select a facet and go Polygons > Extrude
4.You will see a manipulator that has the translate, rotate, and scale controls all in one.
5.Select the blue (z) arrow and 'pull' it away from the object.
6.Scale the object in all axis' (you can get the proportional scale tool by grabbing any of the other 'scale manipulator' cubes



7.Press F8
8.Press R on your keyboard
9.Scale the entire object in the Y axis (if you're not Y up, you're doing something wrong)



10.Save your file.

PART THREE, adding detail

1. Use the Split polygon tool to 'cut' lines into the hand for detail
2. Shape these new lines by pushing and pulling CV's
3. You can also 'extrude' these new polygons (As I've done here for the knuckles. I've also
deleted some edges at the top of the knuckles):



4. Now we can finally use our subdivision surface plugin
5. At the Maya command line, type fakeSubD, and press ENTER
6. You should see your blocky mesh turn into a higher-resolution mesh. Like this:



Now, at this point, you can work on the 'cage' (represented in the previous picture by the blue lines)
and see your updates in real-time. Or you can Edit > Undo the script to continue working in 'block' mode.


Let's add a fingernail. Use the Split Polygon tool to add poly edges around the 'nail'. Remember, adding
an edge is like adding a crease in your hi-res model. Play with this until you are happy. If you are not
working in 'cage' mode, be sure to check your results by subdividing the surface
(you can get back to block mode by pressing Z)



7. Save your file

In this tutorial, I've given you some ways to use Subdivision Surfaces effectively to model with. By adding
bones you can animate just the cage (So that your hi-res model updates underneath it)





PART 2, dividing the surface

In this section, we're going to pull fingers out of the hand. We'll learn to create more geometry from the existing cube
And insert seams. These techniques will be used later when we use them to add detail.

1. Select your object, and go Edit Polygons > Split Polygon Tool (your cursor will turn to an arrow)
2. Left mouse button click and hold on the top edge of the object
3. Drag your mouse left and right (while holding mouse button) to 'snap' to the center point
4. Release when the center point is snapped



5. Repeat for the bottom edge.



6. Press ENTER to 'enable' the edge we just added. (NOTE: the Z key, or Edit > Undo DOES NOT
work with this tool. If you place a point in the wrong place, press Delete to remove it)
7. Once, you've pressed ENTER from Step 6, press the Y key to use the same tool
8. Create places for the other fingers to go



9. Now lets use the Extrude tool from PART 1 to pull out some fingers
10. Go into component mode (press F8)
11. Select the four faces we've created, and go Polygons Extrude



12. Pull and shape the fingers using the Extrude manipulator
13. You can also shape the fingers by moving the CV's of the poly model
14. Try to make your 'blocked in' model look as much like a hand as you can

Here's a shaded model of mine up to step 14 (I'm leaving the thumb out for now):



15. Save your file

Posted in 3Ds MAX