Modeling the Character - Game Character Creation with Blender and Unity - page 48

front viewport so you can line up grid lines and images properly in the right view-
port. Enter a value of 1.60 in the Size setting and a setting of .1 in the X placement
value in the right viewport. The Y value can remain 0 (Figure 3.5.)
7. Save your file. Look at C03_model_sheet.blend to see what your workspace should
look like.
Now that you have the model sheet images set up, you are ready to begin working with
the zombie's torso.

Shaping the Torso for Low Polygon Count
One of the difficult parts of 3D modeling humanoid characters is knowing where to
begin. 3D programs often do not feature a “human” primitive object and those that do
often limit modeling to certain body types and facial features. New 3D modelers will
often look to sphere or cylinder primitives for the bases of their body shapes. While there
are certainly some very talented people out there who can do this kind of modeling, in
this tutorial you'll start from a cube.
The reasons for beginning from cube primitives are many, but the most important for
game artists is that they offer more control over polygon count and topology than other
primitives. With a cube, you begin with a six-faced object that can be subdivided and
shaped to your liking. A common argument against beginning from cubes is that a cube
is not a very organic shape and other primitives lend themselves to curves better. This is
true, but a few quick adjustments to a cube at the beginning of the modeling process alle-
viate blocky-looking characters later on.
In this tutorial, which will cover the shaping of a cube into your zombie's torso, I will
show you how tools in Blender help make the conversion from cube to low-poly organic
shape easy.
1. Continue with your model from the model sheet portion of the chapter or open C03_
model_sheet.blend from the online resources folder for this chapter.
2. Press the Tab key while your mouse is over the 3D Viewport to enter Edit mode. All
of the vertices in the cube should be selected. Press the W key to open the Specials
menu. Select Subdivide Smooth from the pop-up. Your cube should look like the one
in Figure 3.6.
3. Here you will try to get the most out of the polygons you currently have. Switch to
vertex selection mode by pressing the vertex selection button on the viewport header.
Move vertices around with the Move tool (G key) to get a shape that resembles the
one in Figure 3.7.
4. Select the same vertices on the left side of the mesh as those shown in Figure 3.7; then
press the X key and select Vertices in the menu to delete them.

Figure 3.5
Settings for the side
viewport