Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Note
As you explore the different results that vari-
ous settings and tools produce in LightWave,
you'll start to build a kind of “library” of
results that you can reproduce
quickly
and
reliably
. This is how working in LightWave is
like playing jazz. You get to know certain
“riffs” by heart, and you know where they'll
fit and how to “change keys” if you need to.
If someone came to me and wanted a logo
rendered out to a
final
, five-second “end tag,”
and wanted it completely done in a half-hour,
they'd get something like the finished logo in
Figure 5-6. It's all about establishing your own
personal “
patterns
.”
What takes ten hours of exploration today
can take ten minutes tomorrow — once you
know
exactly
where you're going!
Bridge
The Bridge tool allows you to connect
points or polygons by creating new geome-
try to “bridge the gap” between them. The
Bridge tool can be used for everything from
tunneling through objects to connecting the
hands and feet to a character's arms and
legs.
1.
2.
Press <
D
> (capital letter) (or go to
Multiply | Subdivide | Subdivide
)to
activate the Subdivide tool. Subdivide
is used to add geometry to low-resolu-
tion objects by dividing larger polygons
into smaller ones. For now, just select
Faceted
and leave Fractal at 0%. This
divides each poly into four new ones.
Run the Subdivide tool again with the
same settings to break the object up
even further.
Drag out a box in the Top viewport.
Then, holding the <
Ctrl
> key down as
a constraint, drag in the Back viewport
to create a perfect cube. The exact size
isn't important.
Figure 5-7: Subdivide a perfect cube twice to add extra geometry.
Figure 5-8: Running the Bridge tool “connects the dots” and cuts a diamond shape
in our cube.
