Exercise 11: Giraffe

[gamekommander]

- 6 point spline

The book isn't clear in it's directions. The book just says "From the Left view, extrude along the leg all the way to the hoof." which I would take as meaning I don't need to rotate it, but the picture in the book shows the6 point spline rotated so it looks like a circle from the left view.

[robcat2075]

You first draw the 6-point spline in the top view. At first, it will look thin and flat from the left view.

 

In the book they have tilted it sideways slightly to make that first ring at the top of the leg slant at about a 45 degree angle(it will look like an open ring in both the top and side view. Figure 4 on pg 123 in my book shows that it is slanted). Then after they extruded the next ring they leveled that new ring out again and left it level for all the remaining rings they make down to the bottom of the leg.

 

An alternate way would be to leave the 1st ring level at the start and do all your extrudes, THEN go back and tweak the top one.

 

Notice in the side picture in the book that none of the rings is really completely level, some are tilted forward, some are not. Notice also that they are not all the same distance from each other. The ones in the knee are close, some others are far apart. Nor are they all the same size

 

You can adjust each ring after you extrude it before you make the next one. You can select just one ring and (S)cale it , ®otate it, move it(T)... whatever it takes to get it to look like the picture in the book. And you should have that rotoscope visible in your left view to compare with.

[gamekommander]

Good:

Not:

[robcat2075]

Is the "not" version the same model but from a slightly different view? Or did you do something between "good" and "not"?

 

Either way, what is stopping you from going to the front or side view and moving those spline rings back into place? Grab them, drag them. Drag each one until it's in the right place.

 

It look a bit like you're not careful with the extrusions. It looks like you moved one of the rings sideways, and then the extrude automatically moved all the following rings sideways by the same amount.

 

After you extrude every ring, check it in front and side view to make sure you're going down and not sideways. If a ring went in the wrong direction, grab it and drag it into place before you do the next extrude.

 

Here's a vid of making the leg:

 

giraffelegMP4.mov

[robcat2075]

After a little more testing, I don't think the problem is that you moved a ring sideways.

 

Tilting that first ring can sometimes make A:M extrude in the direction of the tilt. This won't be noticeable from the side, which makes it important to check each extrude from both front and side views before moving on.

 

All in all, it's easiest to leave the first ring flat when you make you first extrude, and tilt it later, like I did in the vid.

[Caroline]

Couple of shortcut keys you might be able to use:

 

Click on a spline, press the comma , key. That selects just that spline so you can move it.

 

Click on a CP, and press the T key then click and drag to turn the model so you are viewing it in 3d space.

 

R - rotate the selected area.

S - scale the selected area

[Rodney]

I hope more people will download Robert's tutorial up two posts from here.

It illustrates several important things in workflow and for newbies gives nice insight into basic modeling technique.

 

Robert demonstrates what I would call the proper way to model the leg in his video.

This methodology is designed to take you beyond giraffe legs into more complex modeling.

This method uses a Rotoscope which is indicative of a desired level of quality and accuracy that you won't get without reference. The method's primary strength is in quality and accuracy.

 

Process:

Stitch a basic spline loop

Extrude as needed

Adjust, rotate and refine in 3D space

 

There are other ways to create giraffe legs in A:M.

Another way, also quite accurate when used with a Rotoscope, would be to lathe the leg and adjust the lathed geometry into place. This methology will work especially well for you once you have a good grasp of modeling in 3D space. This method's primary strength is speed.

 

Process:

Stitch a basic spline line

Lathe

Adjust, rotate and refine in 3D space

 

Are there other methods? Sure!

But those two methods can be used to model giraffe legs in 3D.

[Rodney]

Robert's Animation Diagnosis of Steve's Centaur character jumping had me looking up videos of horses in motion. Of course it wasn't long until I started finding all kinds of other interesting things to distract my attention.

 

Here... because I know it'll be useful to me some day is a link to some Youtube videos of Giraffe Walk/Run Cycles etc.

 

Here is a particularly good video with a giraffe walking and running. (we get the other critters... birds/herds etc. for free)

 

After all... we don't model these characters just to have them stand there.

Eventually we've got to animate 'em.

[gamekommander]

Thanks for your help, especially the vid.... I don't know what i'm going to do with only 4 class periods left before everything has to be turned in (3 behind remember?). I did alright on the legs but now I'm having problems attaching them. This is definitely the instructors fault for trying to have us turn so many when the book says completion time 5 hours, and that's without having to redo it half a million times.

 

EDIT: progress pic... i'm starting to attach the leg on pg 124. Back leg still looks really thick but I can hide it with the camera angle.

[robcat2075]

The book shows you where to break a few splines on the body so you have loose ends to attach the leg splines to. It doesn't look like you've done that yet.

 

But it also doesn't look like you've finished extruding the body yet either. You dont' attach the legs on page 124. Page 124 is just showing you where to extrude the body rings to so they will line up with the legs when you do attach them. (page 126)

 

You should read thru that whole tut once before you start so you now what's going to happen.

[AMkyle]

Excercise 11: Girafffe

 

completed Sunday, January 5th, 2009

 

 

Commments - i really had fun doing this project, especially when i realized how easy and simple forming some parts can be.

 

One part i had trouble with was attaching the back leg though, so, when i realized it wasnt connected, i had to clean it up and connect it myself in another way. Luckily it still looks great.

 

 

Instructors : Caroline, Rodney, Book Manual.

 

 

 

[Caroline]

That's a great effort - well done for persisting so well through your difficulties

[Rodney]

That's a great effort - well done for persisting so well through your difficulties

 

Hear! Hear! I couldn't agree more.

You tamed that giraffe like you're an old pro at this.

 

I'm really looking forward to your next effort

Go get 'em!

[matt_stanford]

Loving these exercises!!! Although this one took more like days than hours to complete! Stuff like work keeps getting in the way! I think I had the usual problems...decals not looking great, not being able to find where to 5 point patch the back leg for AAAAAGGGGGGGGGGEEEESSS, and then being left to my own devices for the ears, eyes and horns. Learnt loads though, and with a lot of persistance...and the forum...i finished my giraffe last night As soon as i finish work I'll try to post up a picture. Looking forward to the exercise...and modelling more animals!!!

[TNT]

Exercise 11: Giraffe

 

Got the giraffe done.

The model seems OK but the decals don't look that good.

Is it actually possible with the provided decals to get a really good match or is this more to understand how the decals apply?

I grabbed a pic off the internet of a giraffes face and used part of it to try to fill in a little detail. It worked sort of but not great.

Maybe I missed something and need to try again.

 

[Caroline]

You're right about the decals - it is very hard to get them to look right. I think this exercise is more about advanced organic modelling, and just an intro to decals.

 

You now know how to put a decal on? And reposition it? And make it look a bit better? That is a good result then.

 

And that's a fine looking model

[TNT]

You're right about the decals - it is very hard to get them to look right. I think this exercise is more about advanced organic modelling, and just an intro to decals.

 

You now know how to put a decal on? And reposition it? And make it look a bit better? That is a good result then.

 

And that's a fine looking model

 

Thanks Caroline

 

I do have one question.

When I applied the decals ALL of the 5 point patches looked like melted plastic as the image was pulled out near the edges of each patch.

I could see the base surface color that was applied in the center of each of the 5 point patches and distorted decal around the edges.

The decal on the other patches all looked as expected.

The 5 point patches rendered OK.

I am using version 14c.

Is that normal to have the 5 points not show decals correctly in the model and chor windows?

 

I'd post a pic but I'm away from my AM pc.

 

Thanks,

[robcat2075]

Is that normal to have the 5 points not show decals correctly in the model and chor windows?

 

Decals in shaded view are a really just a quick approximation. With Shift-Q you can drag a bounding box on the screen to test render a portion of the model if need be.

[TNT]

Is that normal to have the 5 points not show decals correctly in the model and chor windows?

 

Decals in shaded view are a really just a quick approximation. With Shift-Q you can drag a bounding box on the screen to test render a portion of the model if need be.

 

Thanks for the tip.

I tried it and it works great...of course.

[Rob_T]

This is a big lesson so I'm going to ask questions as they occur to me. I've read through the lesson and I've watched Robcat's Tut on making the leg and at this point I just finished closing the mouth on the head. So pretty early in the game.

 

My question is about the ears and horns. The lesson says to simply make them and that's fine. I'm sure I'll figure it out with the knowledge I've gained so far. What I wondering; from an animation perspective, is it better to attach things like ears and horns or does it not matter?

 

When I did the last lesson I considered animating the plane but decided against it because of the time it would take.

 

But it occurs to me in this lesson, that in the fighter lesson, the instructions had us take things like the nose cone, wings and props and basically just jam them into the fusalage. My experience with rigging the flower in lesson 9 tells me that had I tried to rig the fighter and animated it, it would have flown apart on me (much like my leaves popping off before Robcat helped me figure outt hey weren't really attached).

 

But at the same time I wonder about things like the props which has a rapid 360 degree movement. If the props and nose cone were attached to the model wouldn't if cause problems with the mesh it's attached to?

 

So I'm wondering, from an animation perspective; is it better to actually attach mesh or do certain things like wheels and propellors (and Giraffe ears which I believe have a 360 range of motion but not repeatedly so while they need to be able to spin all the way around they do not need to spin more than once like wheels and propellors) work better if they are left apart from the main model mesh and rigged.... well actually I don't know how they would be rigged. Since every model I've seen has a skeleton in which every bone is attached to another at some point I wonder if you could have a completely unattached bone like a "propeller" bone all by its lonesome ready to spin when necessary.

 

Or is all of this handled in the rigging constraints that Robcat mentioned before?

[robcat2075]

What I wondering; from an animation perspective, is it better to attach things like ears and horns or does it not matter?

 

What really matters is the bones they are associated with. They may look nicer if they are woven into the same mesh as the head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But at the same time I wonder about things like the props which has a rapid 360 degree movement. If the props and nose cone were attached to the model wouldn't if cause problems with the mesh it's attached to?

 

 

Remember how you had a separate bone for each petal of the Flower? And yet the petals didn't fly all over the place when you posed the flower. Boning things right is what it's about.

 

A nose cone that spins freely would have no need to be spline attached to the fuselage.

 

So I'm wondering, from an animation perspective; is it better to actually attach mesh or do certain things like wheels and propellors (and Giraffe ears which I believe have a 360 range of motion but not repeatedly so while they need to be able to spin all the way around they do not need to spin more than once like wheels and propellors) work better if they are left apart from the main model mesh and rigged.... well actually I don't know how they would be rigged. Since every model I've seen has a skeleton in which every bone is attached to another at some point I wonder if you could have a completely unattached bone like a "propeller" bone all by its lonesome ready to spin when necessary.

 

Or is all of this handled in the rigging constraints that Robcat mentioned before?

 

Generally, you attach things that would be part of a continuous surface, like an ear is part of the skin of a giraffe. A physically separate mechanical part, like a wheel, would not be attached with any splines to another part.

[Rob_T]

A nose cone that spins freely would have no need to be spline attached to the fuselage.

 

and

 

Generally, you attach things that would be part of a continuous surface, like an ear is part of the skin of a giraffe. A physically separate mechanical part, like a wheel, would not be attached with any splines to another part.

 

Ok, but when my leaves mesh wasn't attached to my stem properly they seperated from my flower when I moved it. If, for example, a car has wheels with no mesh connection to the rest of the car how do you keep the wheels from flying off when you animate the car? Would you rig them seperately as well? Do you have to position the car and then the wheels as if they were seperate models? Would that be the case for an airplane prop?

 

Also, is my Giraffe wearing Nylons?

 

I noticed this in the fighter lesson and although it mostly goes away in the final render it still appears in render lock mode. Whenever I've made any kind of oval spline the system always seems to choose the most narrow peak as the point to add this "seam" looking thing. I tried adding more control points to the area where the seam was showing but that didn't resolve it. I also tried adjusting the handles on the control points... that only mitigated it a bit. It was still obvioulsy there.

 

So is there a tried and true way to rid yourself of this seam?

 

EDIT: Also, the back leg and front are made the same way. According to the book, "Repeat this process for the rear leg."

 

So if it has the same number of splines and is roughly the same shape is there a reason I can't simple copy and paste the front leg and resize it for the back? Seems like a no brainer and the kind of thing TAO Lessons usually direct you to do so I'm wondering if there is a specific reason I should not?

 

And thanks again Robcat.

[robcat2075]

Ok, but when my leaves mesh wasn't attached to my stem properly they seperated from my flower when I moved it.

 

Because the stem wasn't properly attached to the bone. The stem didn't have any CPs attached to the bone at those points.

 

 

 

If, for example, a car has wheels with no mesh connection to the rest of the car how do you keep the wheels from flying off when you animate the car?

the wheels are attached to bones that are children of some bone in the car. Move the car, the wheels move with it. The mesh itself has no influence* on what bones CPs can get assigned to.

 

 

 

*it is possible to do something wrong and be fooled into thinking it does. But I won't try to describe the series of mistakes and careless button pressing someone would have to do for this.

 

 

 

 

Also, is my Giraffe wearing Nylons?

 

something is not right with the cross section you are extruding. It probably is a bias problem but I'd have to see the cross section to know.

 

EDIT: Also, the back leg and front are made the same way. According to the book, "Repeat this process for the rear leg."

 

So if it has the same number of splines and is roughly the same shape is there a reason I can't simple copy and paste the front leg and resize it for the back? Seems like a no brainer and the kind of thing TAO Lessons usually direct you to do so I'm wondering if there is a specific reason I should not?

 

Yes, it could be done. On the other hand , the practice you get from making it from scratch won't hurt you.

[Rob_T]

Ok I think I get that attached/unattached stuff now. It's the bones and control points that matter not the connecticity of certain areas of mesh to other areas of mesh.

 

As for the line on the Giraffe... I saw the same thing on my fighter model. I just figured it was common.

 

 

Project file attached. If you have the time. Thanks again. Let me know if I start taking you for granted.

Lesson_11_Giraffe2.prj

[robcat2075]

On the cross section:

 

I'm wondering how you managed to make that CP "peaked" without the peak/smooth buttons recognizing it as peaked.

 

I haven't been able to duplicate that mishap. I'm impressed.

 

I'm presuming that CP is the first/last CP you drew.

 

Notice that when you click on the CP only one side of the bias handle shows up at a time, unlike the other CPs. Notice that each side is pointing at a different angle, unlike a regular smooth CP.

 

 

It's like two unrelated splines coming together at the corner of a cube, sharing a CP but not truly connecting to each other.

 

I can't figure out how you did that when drawing the cross section from scratch.

 

My first suggestion is to remake the cross section and check it for hidden peakedness.

 

Plan B: use the detach button to remove one side and use left+right mousebutton to reattach it. You'll have to do that to each ring.

[Rob_T]

On the cross section:

 

I'm wondering how you managed to make that CP "peaked" without the peak/smooth buttons recognizing it as peaked.

 

I haven't been able to duplicate that mishap. I'm impressed.

 

I'm presuming that CP is the first/last CP you drew.

 

Notice that when you click on the CP only one side of the bias handle shows up at a time, unlike the other CPs. Notice that each side is pointing at a different angle, unlike a regular smooth CP.

 

 

It's like two unrelated splines coming together at the corner of a cube, sharing a CP but not truly connecting to each other.

 

I can't figure out how you did that when drawing the cross section from scratch.

 

My first suggestion is to remake the cross section and check it for hidden peakedness.

 

Plan B: use the detach button to remove one side and use left+right mousebutton to reattach it. You'll have to do that to each ring.

 

Yeah I see that... the bias handles for all the CP's but the last one I Shift+click to connect the circle (like you said the first and last CP drawn) are all rounded with bias handles that appear for both sides of the spline at the same time. That one CP has individual handles for both sides of the spline. Even pressing the smooth button doesn't fix it. I tried.

 

I also recreated a brand new 4 CP circle spline and it happened again. The first/final CP was peaked with no indication it was and smooth won't fix it. No matter what I do that CP has 2 seperate bias handles.

 

This is a real bother. If every spline I make does this I'm going to either have to jump through those hoops you described above every time I model or live with the seam. Any ideas? The only solution I've found so far is to delete the offending CP and then draw a new 3 CP line and then marry the 2 remaining ends of the circle to the ends of the 3 CP line to close the circle. When I did that it gave me all smoothed CP's. So far it's the fastest solution I've found. Although it's too late for this lesson because no way I'm redrawing this whole damn Giraffe.

 

It's funny that when I choose "peaked" it clearly changes the bias settings and when I choose "smooth" it changes them back but still the 2 seperate bias handles remain. Wierd.

 

On a side note is there any better diagrams for attaching the legs? I keep ending up with 2 x 5 point patches next to each other (which is a no no and doesn't skin) no matter what I do and the manual is almost useless. The manual has excellent images of how to attach the first few CP's but the underside isn't well illustrated at all and it clearly has two five point patches next to each other. Something I have been unable to make work.

 

I did find a work around by adding a spline and kicking one of the 5 pointers over a row and it looks fine but I want to do it correctly and I cannot figure out how the lesson got that many 5 point patches next to each other.

 

Project file attached.

Lesson_11_Giraffe4.prj

[robcat2075]

but the last one I Shift+click to connect the circle

 

AHA! just click.

[Rob_T]

but the last one I Shift+click to connect the circle

 

AHA! just click.

 

 

Yep. That was it.

[Rob_T]

Is there any way to make your points extrude in the opposite direction they extrude as a default?

 

Also, If you have done several extrusions and you realize you want to add another ring at the top where you started can you select the first ring and make it extrude again but from the opposite direction that it already extruded?

[Rob_T]

Ok, the model is finished. There was a whole bunch of settings for the model properties at the end but mine looks fine.

 

The decals sure are cranky. There is a purple spot on the chest I couldn't get rid of no matter what I tried. I noticed it's in the manual too but it's way worse on my model.

 

Considering some of the creative spline stitching I had to do and crankyness of the decals I'm curious to see what this model will do in an animation. I'm going to stick it in a walk cycle tomorrow and see if it rips the decal to shreds when it renders.

 

I'll post it once I'm done.

 

Now I'm going to go pass out.

 

4 AM! Good Lord what have I done!

 

[robcat2075]

That looks well done!

 

 

Is there any way to make your points extrude in the opposite direction they extrude as a default?

 

Also, If you have done several extrusions and you realize you want to add another ring at the top where you started can you select the first ring and make it extrude again but from the opposite direction that it already extruded?

 

You can drag any extrude to a new location if it didn't go in the direction you wanted. A"M will try to use the new direction for the next extrude.

[Rob_T]

That looks well done!

 

 

Is there any way to make your points extrude in the opposite direction they extrude as a default?

 

Also, If you have done several extrusions and you realize you want to add another ring at the top where you started can you select the first ring and make it extrude again but from the opposite direction that it already extruded?

 

You can drag any extrude to a new location if it didn't go in the direction you wanted. A"M will try to use the new direction for the next extrude.

 

Cool. When the CP's popped out on the left I thought dragging them to the right would cause all kinds of problems. Glad to find out I'm wrong.

 

Well, this was completely unnecessary, but I did it anyway. I wanted to sharpen some of the skills I've learned. I was concerned that as I plowed ahead and learned new things the stuff I had already learned would become rusty as I used it less.

 

I was right.

 

I had to go back through several of the lessons to make this film and it still didn't come out exactly like I wanted it.

 

I think one of the biggest problems I had was the rig. Making a walk cycle with a skeletal structure as undefined as I make it (which, from the flower lesson is the only way I know how to make it) means animating is damn hard. When I made the walk cycle I had all sorts of problems (pasting mirrored for example gave me no usable pose because the legs did not move where they were supposed to and even more disturbing the joints spun around 270 degrees or so making the ankles and knees look like Tootsie Rolls). I had to animate both steps by hand instead of just one.

 

I think one of the biggest mistakes I made was when I was having problems with the feet going through the floor. When I had that problem with Rabbit or Shaggy it was usually one of those special ankle or hip joints and I just had to set the interpolation to zero slope and it stopped. But I don't know how to rig those special joints. So when my feel started dipping into the floor I set everything I could find to zeros slope to try and stop it and it made the Giraffe walk kind of jerky. In the end I had to add some extra keyframes to keep the feet from going through the floor and by the time I was done I was so unhappy with my walk cycle that I shot the movie from the thighs up. You can still tell it's jerky though.

 

I was surprised that the decals held up so well. I was expecting problems with tearing or artifacts but it far exceeded my expectations.

 

I made myself a giant 3D wall (30 feet high and 40 feet wide), found myself a Google image of the African Savannah and then used Robcat's tutorial to make a gigantic background for my giraffe to stroll through.

 

I think it came out pretty well for someone who barely knows what he's doing.

 

Enjoy. 6 hours = 5 seconds.

giraffe_on_african_savannah.mov

[robcat2075]

I think one of the biggest problems I had was the rig. Making a walk cycle with a skeletal structure as undefined as I make it (which, from the flower lesson is the only way I know how to make it) means animating is damn hard.

A proper leg will need more than just basic bones that you attach CPs to, as you found out. My "Simplest IK Leg" vid introduces some rigging concepts, but a fuller solution will be one of the already-developed rigs you can learn to install later.

 

I was surprised that the decals held up so well. I was expecting problems with tearing or artifacts but it far exceeded my expectations.

That is a benefit of a low density mesh.

I made myself a giant 3D wall (30 feet high and 40 feet wide), found myself a Google image of the African Savannah and then used Robcat's tutorial to make a gigantic background for my giraffe to stroll through.

you could also just make it a rotoscope on the camera view

 

I think it came out pretty well for someone who barely knows what he's doing.

 

Enjoy. 6 hours = 5 seconds.

that's surprisingly effective! He has that slow giraffe lope about him.

[Rodney]

RobT,

I'm downloading your movie now!

 

Here is a Decaling methodology that you won't find in the manual.

As you are now a master decaler this is as good a time to introduce it as any.

 

Note: Test this with a simple model (a simple grid would work well) and simple decal (not the giraffe) until you get the feel.

 

Create an Action using the Model you want to Decal

Right Click on your Model in the Project Workspace, Locate the Decal Right Click and choose Edit

(This will open your UV Editor window)

Go to [Window] on A:M's Menu Bar and open both UV Editor and Action Windows

(Close down other windows as needed)

Move CPs around while viewing the model in the Action window

Note how the Decal changes

 

This method will give you a lot of flexibility and precision in placing decals where you want them to be.

 

(Shout out to Nancy for elevating the status of this little secret recently)

[Rodney]

Got 'er downloaded.

 

HehHe! Nice solution. He's lookin' good.

That looks like one of those safari videos where the guy is taking video out of the top of a van.

 

Definitely keep Robert's tip about using a Rotoscope in mind.

That'd save you the time in creating the wall you could easily pan the image right/left.

A little movement of the background will give a sense of the giraffe living in the environment.

 

Where It'd probably be best to create a wall to add the image to would be where I wanted to distort the imagery. You can't really do that with Rotoscopes.

 

At any rate, well done!

 

I just went to the zoo yesterday with the family. We did so much walking and climbing we can hardly walk today. The girls got to feed the elephants. We were getting rained on pretty hard by the time we saw the giraffes so trotted over to see the monkies. I'm glad the exercises touch base with real creatures like this giraffe... may not be as flashy as a dragon or mythological beast... but are fascinating in their own way.

[Rob_T]

Thanks guys, a little encouragement goes a long way here.

 

Especially now since I'm banging my head against this face in 11.5. Like I was telling Fuchur in chat earlier... I don't feel like I'm modeling anymore... I feel like I'm sculpting and I'm a lousy excuse for an artist.

 

Rodney,

 

I saved your decaling tip in my tips folder for next time I have some time to play with decaling. I was also reading through the post you guys have up discussing "Porcelin" which sounds really intrueging considering how sloppy this (face) model is going to end up being. The chat is fascinating even without understanding most of it. I want to be largento.

 

The wall, as an object could be moved as well. But as far as adding a rotoscope to the camera view I think I would need to see some sort of tutorial on that. I have no idea how that would work.

 

Thanks again guys.

[Rodney]

as far as adding a rotoscope to the camera view I think I would need to see some sort of tutorial on that. I have no idea how that would work.

 

Your wish is my command:

 

Rotoscope Tutorial

1. Select Image

2. Drop on Camera in Choreography

3. Render

Optional: Move Right/Left/Up/Down, Scale and adjust other settings as necessary

 

 

 

I want to be largento.

 

If you are going to be anybody else.. might as well be Largento.

 

That might make a cool ad campaign: "Be Largento".

Hmmm... I like it.

[NancyGormezano]

Note: Test this with a simple model (a simple grid would work well) and simple decal (not the giraffe) until you get the feel.

 

Create an Action using the Model you want to Decal

Right Click on your Model in the Project Workspace, Locate the Decal Right Click and choose Edit

(This will open your UV Editor window)

Go to [Window] on A:M's Menu Bar and open both UV Editor and Action Windows

(Close down other windows as needed)

Move CPs around while viewing the model in the Action window

Note how the Decal changes

 

You don't need to create an action - you can see the UV editor changes in the model window

[Mad0dog]

Exercise: Giraffe

 

Name: Mike

 

Issues: None. This was good experience with modeling. I thought it would take a lot longer than what it did.

 

Question: Why does the decal not show up on 5 point patches? The render was fine, but before I rendered all of the 5 point patches did not show the decal? Not a big deal as the render gets it, just a side questions.

 

On to faces!

[robcat2075]

Question: Why does the decal not show up on 5 point patches?

 

Usually they do just fine. Not sure why they didn't for you.

 

Save and restart change it?

[Shelton]

It could be the normals are facing incorrectly.

 

Steve

[Rodney]

You don't need to create an action - you can see the UV editor changes in the model window

 

 

I somehow missed Nancy's post with this important comment.

These many months later I can't think of why I thought opening an action window was important.

There was a reason... um... or not.

 

A belated thanks Nancy for the tip!

[Timekiller]

Exercise 11

complete 23 Jan

 

 

I defiantly understand this one better this time. I still need a much better understanding of how the spline/patch/modeling process works. The decals are a little off I guess because my scale was a little off.

 

Anyway here it is.

[robcat2075]

I defiantly understand this one better this time.

 

That looks successful. Once you understand how splines behave, it gets easier to know where to put them.