Asset Creation: Maya Scenography Modeling - Creating Games with Unity and Maya - page 28

Handrails
Step 25: Create handrails, optimize them into one mesh ( Figure 2.23 ).
Center the pivot, and name it EntryWayHandrails . Delete the history.
Figure 2.23 Completed handrails.
Tips and Tricks
If an element is optimized before duplicating (for instance deleting the
top and bottom planes of the vertical posts of the handrails), it'll save the
step later of selecting a big bunch of them later.
Archway and Booleans
Step 26: Create the start of the entry arch with a modified cube . Create
a cube (Create>Polygons>Cube), then scale and position it similar to
Figure 2.24 . Select the top face, and using the Extrude tool, extrude and
scale the top of the box ( Figure 2.24 ).
Figure 2.24 Beginning of entry arch.
Why?
The idea for this next group of steps will be to use Maya's Boolean
functions to create a form. Booleans work on the idea of subtracting (or
adding or intersecting) two shapes. To make this work we have to have
this block to subtract from. In the next step we will form the shape we
wish to subtract from this block.
Tips and Tricks
Notice that in Figure 2.24 the scaling that occurs after the plane is
extruded only happens along the X axis. This makes sure that the front
two polygons line up and makes the Boolean to come a bit cleaner.