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3. Sclale the same face really small, then extrude again and scale bigger, then extrude again and scale smaller again, to look like the picture...

Go to side view: Polygon/ Create Polygon Tool

1. Create a Primitive polygonal Cube

In this technique we first create a low detail head by nurbs patch modeling then convert it to apolygon object, then we add detail to it. The reason is that we have more control on the basic shape in Nurbs modeling and then we apply powerful tools in polygon modeling to add details. You should know the basics of modeling in Maya to do the modeling technique in this tutorial.

I used Maya 8, so the menu names and some windows are a bit different.

Dragon will be exported in Zbush for further refining, so mesh will be very basic. However mesh must be made from quads since Zbrush can't handle n-sided polys. I don't like triangles either since they don't deform very well.

I put together a quick tutorial about using a very useful script by Steven T. L. Roselle, tied with another simple trick I used anytime I needed to quickly attach extra objects or details to a deformed or bound nurb model. I am confident this is a basic tutorial for many users, but I trust that it will really help those of you in sharp deadlines... Steven's script allows you to get a curve with construction history by selecting the edges of a polygonal model..... I have actually seen an update that will allow you to get curves from poly faces somewhere, as well. This is the link to Roselle's script: http://www.aliaswavefront.com/en/Community/Download/library/maya/scripts/modeling/crvOnPoly.mel The trick I use is to attach models to a path curve derived by extracting curves with construction history from deforming nurb models. Very simple and useful expecially if you forget to bind obj detail, like some buttons, to a deforming character, or if you want to avoid some tedious cv weighting for small added elements, while in a deadline crunch.

1. Whenever I start up a new project, I always make a project folder for the work, that way everything is organised and in order. So in Maya I make a new project and set it to that project.

This is an overview of creating high polygon realistic 3D characters ( with a particular leaning toward the creation of the above model ). My inspiration for writing it, was that as a long time videogame artist used to working with real-time constraints, I wanted to learn high resolution modeling techniques, and I couldn't really find all the info needed on the subject in one handy place. It's a pretty barebones overview, since there is an entire books worth of material if everything were to be covered in serious detail. So I'm really talking about high level principles. It's also geared toward capturing a likeness, since that makes up the vast majority of the work I do, but I wont talk about rigging or lighting or rendering, since they're really not my areas of expertise, and entire tutorials in themselves. I'm attempting to keep it as non software specific as possible, but forgive me If I lapse into occasional Maya terminologies.

Advantages: 1. Simplicity 2. Intuitive interface (no stitching). 3. Speed of production. 4. Built in level of detail. 5. Single texture map for entire character. 6. All areas of the texture will be proportional to each other.

This final rendered image does include specular, and displacement maps to the stool. I am going to go through and explain what all three maps do, and how to apply them to your model.