Having worked through the basics of modeling with NURBS in the previous chapter, you're ready to explore more complex surfaces and advanced modeling techniques. You'll continue modeling the house, adding a detailed front porch, stairs for the porch, a chimney, and doors and windows . Along the way, you will see the rest of the main methods for modeling with NURBS. Here are some of the concepts and techniques covered in this chapter: -
Using curves to create complex surfaces You can connect, spin, or extrude curves in many ways to model complex surfaces. -
Snapping You can snap elements (such as CVs) or objects to any NURBS-based CV, edge, or curve for precise placement. -
Rebuilding You can re-create NURBS surfaces with more or fewer divisions to retain the current shape and to add or remove detail in specific areas. -
Modeling from existing objects You can start a surface with the edge of any existing NURBS object to quickly model new details in a specific place. Key Terms edit point A point that lies on a curve or surface, displayed as a small x in Maya. You create a shape by creating sequential edit points. Moving these points changes the shape of the curve or surface. control vertex ( CV ) A NURBS control point that defines the shape of a curve or surface. CVs often float somewhere in space, seemingly tugging on the fabric of the NURBS surface. isoparms The curves that define the surface topology of a NURBS object. These NURBS " dividers " create the surface as a sheet, with U and V directions that make up the sheet. span The part of a curve between two edit points. Spans are not directly edited; they " react " to changes you make to the edit points. hull A visualization enhancement in which the CVs are connected with lines to yield a kind of imaginary cage that shows the CV influence across a surface. multiplicity A factor specific to each point on a curve that determines its strength or hardness ”how "pointy" it can be. pivot point The designated center point of an object or a curve, which rotates or scales around that center point. | Hotkeys to Memorize Insert adjust pivot point toggle Ctrl+g group selected objects g repeat last action x (with Move) snap to grid c (with Move) snap to edges or curves F9 edit NURBS object CVs F8 exit Component Editing mode of NURBS objects t (on revolved objects) adjust the revolve axis | Custom Marking Menu Hotkeys Custom hotkeyed marking menus used in this chapter: Ctrl+c Create NURBS Curve Alt+c Edit NURBS Curve Ctrl+z Create NURBS Primitive Alt+z Edit NURBS Surface Ctrl+Alt+z Create NURBS Surface | This chapter uses custom marking menus that were loaded at the beginning of Chapter 5, "NURBS Modeling Basics." These commands can be found readily in the Hotbox ( mainly in the fifth row, under Edit Curves, Surfaces, or Edit NURBS) if you do not have the marking menus loaded. |