Doc:Tutorials/Modelling/BSoD/People, People!

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[edit] Organics

This tutorial will guide you through the basics of organic modeling, that is, the modeling of organic objects. The model we'll be creating in this tutorial is a human head.

Start off the scene as normal, Ctrl X. Add a cube and in EDIT mode, subdivide it by pressing W and selecting Subdivide. Because we're doing organic modeling, we want shapes with nice smooth curves and not too many harsh edges/corners. To achieve this we are going to use the subsurf modifier.

Subsurfing works by creating new points on the mesh whilst also smoothing the resultant mesh. For example, fully subsurfing a cube would result in a sphere.

To apply the subsurf modifier, make sure you're still in EDIT mode and press F9 and under the Modifiers tab, select Add Modifier and choose Subsurf. If your screen doesn't look like the image to the left, check your settings against mine.

[edit] Eye Eye

We'll start with the eyes, however, as the face is (almost) symmetrical, we only need to model half of it, then mirror it. So select the verts on the left hand side and delete them with X => Vertices.

Go into FRONT view. We now need enough verts so that we can manipulate them into the shape of the eye socket. To do this, we're going to use the Loop Cut tool. This creates a new "loop" of verts in a given plane. To demonstrate this, simply press Ctrl R and move the mouse so the purple line appears vertically in the middle of our mesh. Press the  LMB to confirm, then  LMB again to confirm placement. As you can see, a new "loop" of verts has been created along the purple line.

We need another two vertical loop cuts and four horizontal ones. Do this now, just like the previous loop cut, make one cut to the left of the first one and the other to the right. Then make two cuts above the horizontal central line and two below.

Try to translate the horizontal loops (row of verts) so that they are closer together, like in the image to the right.
Now, because we don't want to mess up the back of the head, go into SIDE view and hide all verts from the center backwards, but not including the central vertical line itself. Flip back into FRONT view and we'll start to mould the shape of the eye.

Another way to perform translation other than pressing M is to use the 3D Widget, this is the white circle with three (you can only see the red/blue) arrows pointing out from it. Dragging one of these arrows allows you to translate the selection (be it mesh, vert or object) in the direction of the arrow. This can be extremely useful, especially when modeling organics.

We are going to curve our horizontal loops so that we get an arch style shape. Try to replicate the pattern shown in this image. Repeat the same with the lower two horizontal loops, but the right side will curve more sharply down.

You may notice that I'm editing in SHADED mode, this is purely personal preference and I recommend you try both ways (ie/ this and WIREFRAME mode) and choose which one you prefer.

[edit] The Eye Hole

At the moment we just have a solid shape, we need to punch a hole through for the eye. To do this, select the central vert, position the mouse below the vert and press V then move the mouse downwards and click  LMB to confirm. Refer to the images as it's hard to explain exactly which vert should be selected.

Now we need to shape the eye hole into a more eye-shaped cavity, so let's do that now. Once you've done this, depth is needed, as the eye is every so slightly recessed into the face. To move the hole backwards rotate the view (use the  MMB ) to a 3/4-ish angle. Select the four verts that make the eye hole and move them backwards by about 0.8. This is where the 3D Widget comes invaluable. The value used for translation does not have to be exactly the same as mine, indeed, variety is the spice of life.

Back in FRONT view, you can now translate the horizontal loop directly below the eye hole upwards to just a shade below the eye hole and then translate the loop below this down a little bit, to smooth out any sharp edges. Finally, we want to add another loop below the eye loops in readiness for the nose. If you note in my image, the face looks smooth. To attain this smoothed look, select all verts and press W then select Set Smooth.

[edit] The Nose

To create the nose, we simply extrude part of the face forwards. Select the verts on the left hand side of the face (in FRONT view) from the eye down to the loop we just created. Go into SIDE view and extrude forwards by about 0.15. Go back into FRONT view.

We are only making half the nose at the moment, so what we need to do is delete the faces on the left hand side of the nose. To do this, select the verts making up the left side of the nose and press X then select Faces.

Next we need to make the nose thinner and generally fix the shape up. First thing to do is translate the bridge of the nose upwards a bit so it's level with the centre of the eye. Translate the sides of the nose towards the left and do the same with the verts to the right of the nose. Try to make the tip (bottom) of the nose flare outwards by making it a little wider than the rest of the nose. Translate verts around until you're satisfied with the shape, then head into SIDE view to mould the profile. Again, just manipulate verts until you're happy with the profile of the nose. A good tip here is to rotate the view around using the  MMB so you get an idea of how it's developing. You will probably change the shape you created in FRONT view, this is OK, flip back to FRONT view if you need and just tweak verts until the shape looks nice and realistic. Making the nostrils is pretty simple, just select the four verts that make the base or underside of the nose and extrude them upwards very slightly. Scale down a bit, and then with the view pointing "up" the nostril, translate the four verts that make the nostril into a natural position. Click here to proceed to part II.