And Finally ( Round up Part 2)

[fig 15]

Look at the image above. Yes Sir! We seem to be getting there, or at least coming to the end of this modelling session. I cant wait to move on to the next one. I promise to go into more detail as my skills improve, or as I learn a faster way of doing things. Please feel free to leave your comments about this blog, be they positive or negative, as it would help me improve on techniques, and also the quality of the tutes.
We have been able to attach the aliens head onto the torso. I made some final adjustments to the diameter of the upper right limb. The characters pose at this stage is neutral. most 3d characters modelled are in this neutral pose when finished as it is the most hassle free pose for a model to adopt during the construction phase.
However it may be good practice to learn how to model with the prospect of animation in mind, and try to make some of the models joints closer to the position that they would assume during the cycle of animation. This in addition to placing the edges properly makes sure very little unwanted deformation takes place.

[fig 16]

In [fig 16] above, the model is about to be uv mapped. uv mapping is a step you have to go through before you can texture your model. Basically a texture is a set of square (2 dimensional) coordinates sort of stretched around the surface of your 3 dimensional model.
The red edges marked out show where I would want the programme to do the splitting
There are certain rules you should apply here in texture mapping a character.

1. Small areas like the extremities should take up a lot of space on the map for any appreciable detail to be able to register.
2. Go to town with allocating space to the head and face as well. Human beings instinctively look at an object that represents a face, be it a sculpted statue, a drawing, or a 3d model. By detailing the face properly, it would make the model stand out.
3. Try not to waste space if you can. Wasted space is represented by the areas not covered in the map.

[fig 17]

The [fig 17] shows the splitted uvs, which were split according to the red lines I selected. To me this looks like about 80% utilisation of texture space, which isn't all that bad. Hey maybe I should try to write a script to be able to compute the percentage utilisation, that would be nice and mighty useful.

Finally the images below show how the fully textured character looks. It took me about 2 days to completely model and texture him, under normal circumstances, I can work much faster, but I was distracted on other projects during the modeling and making of this tutorial.

[fig 18]


[fig 19

[fig 20]



[fig 21]