Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
polar globe. The Quadball is essentially a cube that has been divided and smoothed based on a subdivision
level. The base level of 0 has only six sides and is smoothed via subdivision surfaces. Going up to level 1
will divide each of the six faces into four (for a total of 24 faces). Again, this is smoothed with SubDs by de-
fault. Increasing the subdivision level will always quadruple the number of faces making up the sphere. The
positive side to this for a sphere is that it is made entirely of four-sided polygons and subdivides very well.
On the negative side, it will always have a little bit of a cube shape (not an exact sphere). The Tesselation
sphere is made entirely of interlocking triangles (think Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida). At a base
level of 0, the form is an icosahedron (consisting of 20 equilateral triangles). Each subdivision level will,
like the Quadball, quadruple the number of polygons. Like the Quadball, this provides an even surface but
does not smooth well with SubDs and must have the desired amount of smoothing added when the sphere is
created.
Figure 2-7:
Globe, Quadball, and Tesselation types of spheres
The Cylinder Tool
The
Cylinder tool
works much like the Sphere tool. Size is set by Radius fields, the Sides field defines the
number of subdivisions around the Axis (radial), and Segments defines the subdivisions perpendicular to the
Axis of the object. Overall, the Cylinder tool is quite simple. However, clicking and holding the icon for a
second will reveal an interesting option: the Capsule tool. This tool acts as a hybrid between the Sphere and
the Cylinder.
By choosing the Capsule tool, two additional fields are activated: End Segments and End Size. The
former controls how far out the spherical cap will reach, and the latter determines how many edges define
the cap. The Capsule creates smooth, even geometry and makes an excellent start for any model shaped
like…well…a capsule! This does also come in handy with some more-complex models, where you can use
pieces of a simple primitive to form the shape of something else. A good amount of modeling skill comes
with recognizing the simple forms that add together to make up the shape of your desired form. The options
for the Cylinder tool are shown in
Figure 2-8
.
Figure 2-8:
Cylinder tool options
