im starting a every-few-days modeling tutorial, where forumers can give feedback, and ask questions/give help, all based around the simple, easy to use, happy modeling system, known as MS3D.
MILKSHAPE TUTORIAL ONE. GETTING TO KNOW MS3D.
first of all, we need to get the software. www.milkshape3d.com . that wasnt hard!
now, we need to familiarise ourselves with the interface. that will be lesson one. on first look, MS3D looks like a poorly designed VB app, but on closer inspection, it has some fun features to make your life easy. see the attached refrence image for placements.
Familiarise yourself with the tabs, and placements. were going to run through the basics on this tut.
after each objective, clear the screen, with File>new.
Objective 1. creating a box.
go to thr primitaves tab, snd click the 'Box' button under sphere, above extrude. now. move your mouse to any 2D view, and click, and hold down, the left mouse button. you can now, by moving your mouse, ajust the dimensions of the box, exept one axis, being your mouse isnt 3d. make it square, but keep the mouse down. now look how your perspectives change. now make it a rectangle, see how the views change? get used to that, amek a few boxes, and we will move on to another primitive.
Objective 2. more complex primitives.
go to the primitives tab, and click sphere. you will notice you ahve some options now, on the bottom of then tab. stacks and slices. for now, were going to ignore them. create a sphere, and notice the changes when you make it wider, and taller. now change the stacks to 20. it looks alot smoother now, but this makes huge polycounts, and thats bad. (ill go into polycounts later) now, get familiar with the stack/slice settings, and see what changes what. when your happy with your knowlage. select 'Geosphere' make a geosphere. you should notice somthing. in 2d, its structured alot differntly, but in 3d, it looks (nearly) the same. whats changed? your options for starters. you now have a depth option. the geosphere isnt very flexable in making, but in modeling it is, as you can move the faces around a bit better, i usually use them for making player faces.
Objective 3. That darn cylinder.
ok. click cylinder. the first thing that should pop into your mind, is those stack/slices options are back, along with a 'close cylinder option. first, make a default cylinder. i am right now going to point out, that if the cylinder is going to be kept straight, you only need 1 stack. now, un-check the 'close cylinder' checkmark. compare the tops of the cylinders.
you know have a basic knowlage of primitive contstruction. now, were going to learn how to manipulate faces.
Objective 4. Face Manipultaion.
create a box. now, press the 'Select' button. more options. yay! now, select face, and make sure 'select by vertex' and 'ignore backfaces' arnt checked. now, make a box around the one of the sides of the box. now click 'move' and drag what you selected around. we can now move our box. now, lets play with those settings! make a new box (delete the new one) check the 'ignore backfaces' option now, select one of the box's sides. move it. notice only one of the sides moved. we can now manipulate the shape of the box! yay! now, click the 'select by vertex' option. when you select the whole side, you get the same resault, but when you just select a corner, see what happens. now, experiment with combinations of each setting, along with using them on other primitaves. when your comfortable, select some faces, and press the 'del' key! no more faces! this is great for reducing the poly count when 2 objects will touch but some of the faces are never seen.
Objective 5. tips and tricks.
now, lets get lazy create a box, and select all of it. now, go to Edit>duplicate selection. now. move the selected box away, its an exact clone of the one under it. now. make a box on the left of the screen, and use Vertex> Mirror Left<-->Right. it moved! now, try both options in conjunction with eachother. neat for making a left and right arm without re-creating the bugger.
Next tutorial: Your first model.
till then, FEAR ME!
MILKSHAPE TUTORIAL ONE. GETTING TO KNOW MS3D.
first of all, we need to get the software. www.milkshape3d.com . that wasnt hard!
now, we need to familiarise ourselves with the interface. that will be lesson one. on first look, MS3D looks like a poorly designed VB app, but on closer inspection, it has some fun features to make your life easy. see the attached refrence image for placements.
Familiarise yourself with the tabs, and placements. were going to run through the basics on this tut.
after each objective, clear the screen, with File>new.
Objective 1. creating a box.
go to thr primitaves tab, snd click the 'Box' button under sphere, above extrude. now. move your mouse to any 2D view, and click, and hold down, the left mouse button. you can now, by moving your mouse, ajust the dimensions of the box, exept one axis, being your mouse isnt 3d. make it square, but keep the mouse down. now look how your perspectives change. now make it a rectangle, see how the views change? get used to that, amek a few boxes, and we will move on to another primitive.
Objective 2. more complex primitives.
go to the primitives tab, and click sphere. you will notice you ahve some options now, on the bottom of then tab. stacks and slices. for now, were going to ignore them. create a sphere, and notice the changes when you make it wider, and taller. now change the stacks to 20. it looks alot smoother now, but this makes huge polycounts, and thats bad. (ill go into polycounts later) now, get familiar with the stack/slice settings, and see what changes what. when your happy with your knowlage. select 'Geosphere' make a geosphere. you should notice somthing. in 2d, its structured alot differntly, but in 3d, it looks (nearly) the same. whats changed? your options for starters. you now have a depth option. the geosphere isnt very flexable in making, but in modeling it is, as you can move the faces around a bit better, i usually use them for making player faces.
Objective 3. That darn cylinder.
ok. click cylinder. the first thing that should pop into your mind, is those stack/slices options are back, along with a 'close cylinder option. first, make a default cylinder. i am right now going to point out, that if the cylinder is going to be kept straight, you only need 1 stack. now, un-check the 'close cylinder' checkmark. compare the tops of the cylinders.
you know have a basic knowlage of primitive contstruction. now, were going to learn how to manipulate faces.
Objective 4. Face Manipultaion.
create a box. now, press the 'Select' button. more options. yay! now, select face, and make sure 'select by vertex' and 'ignore backfaces' arnt checked. now, make a box around the one of the sides of the box. now click 'move' and drag what you selected around. we can now move our box. now, lets play with those settings! make a new box (delete the new one) check the 'ignore backfaces' option now, select one of the box's sides. move it. notice only one of the sides moved. we can now manipulate the shape of the box! yay! now, click the 'select by vertex' option. when you select the whole side, you get the same resault, but when you just select a corner, see what happens. now, experiment with combinations of each setting, along with using them on other primitaves. when your comfortable, select some faces, and press the 'del' key! no more faces! this is great for reducing the poly count when 2 objects will touch but some of the faces are never seen.
Objective 5. tips and tricks.
now, lets get lazy create a box, and select all of it. now, go to Edit>duplicate selection. now. move the selected box away, its an exact clone of the one under it. now. make a box on the left of the screen, and use Vertex> Mirror Left<-->Right. it moved! now, try both options in conjunction with eachother. neat for making a left and right arm without re-creating the bugger.
Next tutorial: Your first model.
till then, FEAR ME!