Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Creating the Cage
As was the case with the detail-out
approach, it's helpful (and often necessary)
to use a reference image when building
your spline cage. You can find the images
for this chapter on the companion CD under
Images\Chapter14. In the Setup\Chapter 14
folder, there is a Backdrop config file. Bring
up the Display Options window (<
d
>) and
click on the
Backdrop
tab. From the Pre-
sets pop-up menu, select
Load Backdrop
and load the
Spline_Head_Backdrop.cfg
file.
Once your images are loaded, zoom in on
the eye on the right (which is the charac-
ter's left eye). Oftentimes, finding the best
place to start a spline cage can be difficult. I
chose the eye as a starting point because it
can easily be divided into four sections (top,
bottom, left, and right), and that provides a
good starting point for building a quad cage
(see Tip #2 above).
1.
Begin by laying down three points over
the top of the eye in the Back viewport.
Then, with the points still selected, use
the
Create | Curves | Make Curve
| Make Open Curve
tool (or press
<
Ctrl
>+<
p
>) to generate your first
spline. Finally, use the Drag tool (or a
similar tool for moving points) to adjust
the spline in the Right view. Keep in
mind that the eye bulges out in the
center, so your middle point should
stick out farther than the points on
either side.
Figure 14-6: Load the Spline_Head_Backdrop file that we'll use as a reference for
building the spline cage.
