3DSMax saber hilt modelin tutorial

 

I have seen many of newbie guys askin for hilt modelin tutorial on www.gamingforums.com so i decided to make one. This tutorial is not only for newbies it's for guys who want to make perfect lightsaber with more than 1000 verts(vertices) and put it ingame without any error messages.This tutorial is for 3dsmax because i'm using it(you can get plugins for it on www.darkcreations.cjb.net (it has been down last time i visit it)). It can be also used for gmax except uvw mappin tutorial because gmax can't export uvw map.(gmax is shorter version of 3dsmax with much less options you can download gmax,official tutorial and tempest pack(need for exoprtin your model in .md3 file) from www.discreet.com/products/gmax )

 

Tools you need:

3dsmax or gmax

adobe photoshop

md3view

pakscape

picture of saber you makin(you can get many of pics from www.thelightsaber.com )

 

 

PART I:MODELIN

 

My suggestion:while you going through this tutorial use same pic as i have use. You can find it at

www.thelightsaber.com/history2.htm.

 

Open 3dsmax then go to customize/viewport configuration menu. Open layout tool bar and choose second viewport. Than change left view to front and right to perspective(rigtclick to left or right part) it should look like this:

 

Next thing you need to do is to open views/viewport background and choose your picture. After you choose it be sure to check match bitmap and lock zoom/map and in viewport option choose front and click OK

 

When you get your pic in viewport click g to get rid of grid and click min/max toggle button(button marked with red box on pic) to maximize front view.

 

Now make a cylinder with 20 sides and with 1 heigh and cap segments. After it's done rotate it for 90°

 

After that choose cylinder and rightclick it. Choose convert to/editable mesh. After you done that click modify(marked in red). From selection parametar choose vertex and move vertex like on the pic.

 

Click min/max toggle again and choose polygon from selection param and click ignore backfacingin than click left side of cylinder in perspective view. When you are in perspective view click F2 and F4.

 

With this polygon selected type in extude bar 0,01 and in bevel –3,20. when you do that type in extude 75,5 and you'll get this.

 

With same poly selected type in extude 0,01 and in bevel 3,20 to resize it,now type 8 in extude and 1,3 in bevel. Then extude 48 and 1(don't extude 49 (48+1 you'll have a problem),bevel 1,5,extude 2,extude 1,5 and bevel 1,5. After that extude 8,2 and again for 28,3 then bevel it for 8. you'll have this:

 

now make a cylinder with 20 sides and 1 cap and heigh segment rotate it,convert to editable mesh and using vertex size it to look like this one.Be sure to turn of ignore backfacin

 

Now go to edit/clone and clone that cylinder as copy. Move it left to the second place and continue the same process until you get this.

 

When you done this select the first cylinder(the one that was beveled and extuded many times and will be more) Go to modify and choose polygon.Now click right side of cylinder.Extude it 0,01 than bevel 2(yeah,i know this bevelin and extudin is so borin,but…) Extude it again 60 ,0,01 and 12. now you'll get something like this.

 

Now select this polygons in red. Be sure that ignore backfacin is turned of..

 

when you selected it use select and uniform scale tool witch is next to the rotate tool.Scale this polys to 92% You can see how many percent you scale it here.

After you done this move polys down until you get this.

After that choose vertex and move this vertexs

to get this.

 

Now select right side poly again. Extude 1,5,bevel –2,extude 2,then 1,5 and bevel 2.you have made 1st recess. Extude 4 and do the same things you have done for 1st recess. Now you have 2nd recess. It should look like this.

 

 

here comes the top of saber. Select right polygon if it isn't and extude 15. extude again for 9. now bevel 5. extude 0,01 and bevel –5.and you have 1st bulge. Do the same for  next 5 bulges.on the last,6thbulge don't do extude 0,1 and bevel –5.You'll get this.

 

Now extude 0,01  bevel –10 and extude –7 to get this.

 

Your saber is almost done. All you need to do is to make some buttons and using extude and bevel tool you need tu finish left side. After you done that your saber should look like this one.

 

Be sure to attach al the parts i one using attach button in modify

And after you have attach them find smooth in modifier list and use it.

 This is the end of part one.

 In next part you'll learn about scalin,uvw mappin  and cuttin model in few parts. For any information or suggestion send me a e-mail to damir.berkovic@public.st.carnet.hr