Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
FIG. 3.1
Primitives menu in Silo.
this topic. The basic idea is to start with a cube (hence the name), cylinder,
or more advanced primitive shape and, using a few very important tools,
divide up, extrude from, and mold the shape into a i nished object. It is a
similar concept to sculpting with clay, where you begin with a lump, rough
out the masses by adding, removing, or manipulating the material, and then
go over and over it again adding more detail. Box modeling works-in-progress
might bear little resemblance to the i nished product before the detail is
added, and the artist must be careful to add detail methodically to avoid
traps that create messy geometry or break from the conventions listed in
Chapter 2. The following sections cover primitive creation, mirroring, and
important box modeling tools used to divide, expand, and modify primitive
shapes.
P rimitives
Primitives are the building blocks for box modelers, and are accessible in Silo
from the
Right Click
menu or the
Create
drop-down menu ( Figure 3.1 ). The
menu gives access to the basic shapes, and to custom primitives such as the
Base Man with Feet
or the
Base Bust
that have already been modeled to
a certain point and can serve as an advanced jumping-of point. The most
common starting point, the cube, has a keyboard command:
Alt
C
. By
selecting
opt
in the menu next to any of the primitives that have it, you will be
able to set various parameters such as height, width, and number of sections.
You can adjust these parameters before or immediately after creating a
primitive.
M irroring
Often in the modeling process, what you are working on will have some type
of symmetry, and rather than trying to make very similar changes to two
sides of a model, Silo includes mirroring functionality.
●
There are two important types of mirroring. To try them, start by inserting
a cylinder into a new Silo scene with
Alt
Y
; the cylinder will insert itself
at the XYZ origin of your scene. To see the ef ect we will be creating, it is
best to slide the shape along the X (red) axis a bit (Figure 3.2a).
