In This Chapter

Polygonal modeling is typically used for hard-edged surfaces that don't bend or in situations where low polygon counts are important, such as modeling for games. In this chapter, you'll use polygonal modeling to build an architectural environment using smoothing when necessary and taking advantage of flat wall surfaces with low polygon counts to control rendering times. It's true, of course, that you can model any type of shape with any modeling system, but in this chapter, you'll see how to use polygons to create a small sculpture and a realistic office environment. With Maya 5, you can easily convert between polygons, SubDs, and NURBS patches. This allows you to begin the model in one format and then convert to another, if necessary, or to use the advantages of editing or rendering a model in another format.

This chapter includes a glimpse of the Smooth Polygon method, as you build an organic sculpture to be placed in the entrance of an office building. The office building in the second tutorial for this chapter focuses on manipulating polygon objects at a subobject level to build the architectural details quickly and efficiently with the aid of reference images in the background.

Also, you begin working with Maya in a more professional manner in this chapter, with the Hotbox and hotkeys. Unlike many hobbyist-oriented 3D programs, Maya doesn't come fully preconfigured. Professional Maya users rely on the Hotbox and usually configure their own hotkeys in addition to those supplied with Maya. This book includes a set of hotkeys for more commonly used operations.

Remember that every tutorial is demonstrated in movie form on the companion DVD. Along the way, you'll be learning about these important tasks and concepts:

• Installing presets See how to load a set of customizations for Maya's hotkeys and other preferences.

• The Hotbox and hotkeys Learn to use Maya's Hotbox along with hotkeys for tasks you repeat often. This method is quicker and increases your efficiency.

• Image planes You can assign an image to the orthogonal cameras so that the image is fixed in space and can be seen in the 3D views. This method is ideal for working from sketches or blueprints.

• Smooth Proxy A crude polygon cage that surrounds the smoothed version and acts as a manipulator for the object's shape.

• Subobject manipulation You'll adjust an object's basic shape by using its subobject modes: Face, Vertex, and Edge. This makes finer adjustments possible and enables you to add detail to certain areas, leaving the remaining model simpler.

• Connected mirror You'll use this feature to model only half the character, and the other symmetrical half will automatically reflect changes you make to the first half.

• Polygon smoothing You'll use this feature to subdivide polygonal objects so that you get a smoother result.

Key Terms

extrude To move a polygonal face so that its edges are surrounded with new polygonal faces, creating an area that extends outward; this method is used to build up parts of a model. You are effectively "growing" a face out of (or into) a surface.

polygon face/edge/vertex The three components that make up a polygon surface. A vertex is a single point in space defined by an X, Y, and Z coordinate. An edge is simply a line drawn between two vertices. When you have three edges defining an enclosed area, you can create a polygonal triangle. In Maya, a polygonal face can be made up of any number of triangles.

subdivide Splitting a polygon to create new faces for adding detail or for further editing.

Split Polygon method Splitting a polygon by drawing a line from one edge to another, thus cutting the polygon into pieces and refining the surface for adding detail or for further editing.

duplicate Duplicates or copies of an object made to avoid rebuilding objects and, therefore, to save time.

selection mask Activated by right-clicking on an object, this option allows you to choose components of the object for selection. For polygons, you can edit edges, vertices, faces, and UVs.

Hotkeys to Memorize

Ctrl+e Extrude polygon face.

Ctrl+d Duplicate object.

Ctrl+Shift+D Open Duplicate Options dialog box.

f Set focus around the cursor.

Insert Toggle Pivot Editing mode.

F8 Toggle subobject mode.

Delete Delete objects.