Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The Basic Shape for Kila
Now we'll begin building our final model. As with Primitive Kila, we first have to block
outthebasicshapetogetagoodideaofthewholecharacter'sshapeandproportions.Don't
be too concerned with details at this stage; we will cover that stage of the modeling in
Limbs and Torso
This time we will begin with cylinders rather than cubes. If you look at the human body
from a geometric standpoint, it is made up of cylindrical shapes (except the head, which is
spherical).
We know our polygon limit: 4500. With this in mind, we can estimate the configuration of
the cylinders that will make up the left arm, left leg, and torso. Because the overall shape
of the character is roughly symmetrical, we only need to model her left side. Then we can
duplicate it and mirror it across at a later stage, saving half the work.
Foracharacterthatcomesoutatbetween2000and3000polygons,you'llgetamanageable
number of polygons to begin with by starting with cylinders that have eight subdivisions
around the axis and eight height subdivisions. This also leaves you with a smooth cylinder
thatwon'tlookblockyorfacetedwhenviewedinthegame.Ihavetheluxuryofmorepoly-
gons for this character, so I am going to begin with a 10-subdivision setup.
The beauty of this method of creating characters is that it is fully scalable; you can begin
withjustafewsubdivisionstocreatealower-resolutioncharacter,ormoresubdivisionsfor
a smoother character with greater detail, to use for rendering or FMV (Full Motion Video).
