Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Extruding and editing
Extruding and editing are the keys to box modelling. There are a plethora of tools to
use (splitting polygons and so on) in box modelling, but extrusion is the basis. Every
time you extrude a polygon, you not only add just another face, but also the sides for
that face. It's basically like adding another chunk of clay to manipulate.
If you select the faces on the bottom of the lamp and extrude them (without any
movement), you'll notice that the bottom of the lamp flattens out. This is because the
curves are calculated by polygon proxy density. You've just created another batch of
polygons; therefore, the density is higher and the curve is sharper. So, extrusion
can be used to make more defined areas, which are pictured on the top-left section
of the following screenshot:
Extruding and editing part 1
If you select the faces on the top of our future lamp and extrude them, you'll see
the same flattening effect. Now, move them up. It appears that you've just stretched
the top of the lamp. You can size these polygons to create interesting shapes. Move
them, rotate them—do anything that your imagination leads you to do (shown in
the top-right section of the preceding screenshot).
