In this new tutorial series, I'll show you how to create an awesome Magnum Mecha Character using Maya. This unique series will take you through the entire process of modelling, texturing and rigging the magnum mecha character.
1. Setting up Reference Images
Step 1
Open Maya.
Step 2
Go to View > Image Plane > Import Image as shown in the following image.
Step 3
In the Open window, selected Front.jpg file and click on Open button to import the image in the front view port.
NB:- The reference images of the robot have been supplied with the tutorial.
Step 4
Jump in the side view port and once again go to View > Image Plane > Import Image.
Step 5
In the Open window, selected Side.jpg file and click on Open button to import the image in the side view port.
Step 6
In the perspective view port, you can see both reference images are intersecting each other. So, you need to place the images properly.
Step 7
With both reference images selected, move upward and place them on the origin of the grid as shown in the following image.
Step 8
With the front reference image selected, place it back in Z axis and with the side reference image selected, place it back in X axis as shown in the following image.
Step 9
With the first image plane selected, go to its attribute editor and then turn off Display radio button. Repeat the process with the second image plane also.
Step 10
In this way, the reference images setting process has been completed. You can see the reference images in their respective view ports as shown in the following image.
2. Starting Foot Modelling
Step 1
To begin with the foot modelling, go to Create > Polygon Primitives > Interactive Creation and turn on its check box.
Step 2
Create a cylinder on the grid of the perspective view port as shown in the following image.
Step 3
With the cylinder mesh selected, set the values of Subdivisions Axis to 8 and Subdivisions Height to 2.
Step 4
Go to the Shading menu in the panel menu bar and turn on X-Ray option to see through as shown in the following image.
Step 5
With the cylinder selected, click on the right mouse button and select Vertex option to jump in the vertex selection mode. Alternatively, press the F9 key on the keyboard.
Step 6
With the necessary vertices selected, modify the shape of the cylinder mesh according to the front and side reference images as shown in the following image.
Step 7
With the cylinder selected, click on the right mouse button and select Face option to jump in the face selection mode. Alternatively, you can press F11 key on the keyboard.
Step 8
Select the top faces and press Delete key to delete these faces.
Step 9
With the top border edges selected, go to Edit Mesh > Extrude. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl-E for extruding the selected edges.
Step 10
After applying Extrude command, you can see the extrude gizmo appears on the selected edges. Click on World/Local key button.
Step 11
Click on any gizmo box and then drag it onto the center box to scale down as shown in the following image.
Step 12
To add more details to the foot, go to Mesh Tool > Insert Edge Loop.
Step 13
With the Insert Edge Loop selected, insert several indicated edge loops as shown in the following image.
Step 14
After editing and modifying the vertices, it looks like as shown in the following image.
Step 15
Moving further, create a polygon cylinder with Subdivision Axis as 8 and Subdivision Height as 1.
Step 16
Jump in the front view and arrange its vertices according to the leg shape.
Step 17
Select the top faces and press Delete key to delete these faces.
Step 18
To add more details to the leg, go to Mesh Tool > Insert Edge Loop.
Step 19
With the help of Insert Edge Loop tool, insert three edge loops as shown in the following image.
Step 20
Press the F9 key for vertex selection mode and then edit the vertices according to
the front and side reference images.
Step 21
Jump in the perspective view and with the top boarder edge loop selected and then go to Edit Mesh > Extrude. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl-E key on the keyboard.
Step 22
After applying Extrude command, you can see the extrude gizmo appears on the selected edges. Click on World/ Local key button.
Step 23
With the help of Insert Edge loop command, insert an edge loop as shown in the following image.
Step 24
With the help of Insert Edge loop command, insert the indicated edge loops as shown in the following image.
Step 25
With the subdivided faces selected, use Extrude command to extrude the selected faces little bit inside the Z axis.
Step 26
Delete some unwanted faces as shown in the following image.
Step 27
Go to Mesh Tool > Append to Polygon tool to create polygon in the gap area.
Step 28
With the help of Append to Polygon tool, click on the parallel border edges one by one to create polygon in the opened border area as shown in the following image.
Step 29
With the help of Insert Edge loop command, insert edges around the corners to make hard edged surface.
Step 30
In this way, the detailed hard surface modelling is completed.
Step 31
Following the same way, perform the hard surface detailing to the opposite side of the mesh also.
3. Creating Knee
Step 1
To begin with the knee of the robot, create a cylinder primitive and place it around the knee area as shown in the following image.
Step 2
Set the values of Subdivisions Axis to 12 and Subdivisions Height to 1.
Step 3
With the cylinder selected, go to Show > Isolate Select > View Selected and turn of its check box. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl-1 button to apply isolation command on the selected object.
Step 4
With the upper and lower faces selected, press Delete button to delete these faces.
Step 5
Create a sphere polygon object with Subdivisions Axis as 12 and Subdivisions Height as 12 and place it according to the reference images and as shown in the following image.
Step 6
Keep the values of Subdivisions Axis to 10 and Subdivisions Height to 8.
Step 7
With the sphere selected, press Ctrl-1 button to isolate it. Select the upper and lower faces and delete them as shown in the following image.
Step 8
With the upper and lower border edges selected, apply Extrude command. With the help of Insert Edge Loop tool, insert edge loops as shown in the following image.
Step 9
Unhide all hidden objects. Go to Shading > Wireframe on Shaded and check on turn on its check box option.
Step 10
With the cylinder selected, insert edge loops. Select the faces and apply Extrude command to extrude the faces as shown in the following image.
Step 11
After extruding the faces, insert edge loops around the corners for creating hard edged surface.
Step 12
In this way, details have been added to the object. Press 3 key on the keyboard for smooth looking hard surface as shown in the following image.
Step 13
Jump in the side view and create a sphere polygon with Subdivisions Axis as 16 and Subdivisions Height as 12.
Step 14
Jump in the perspective view port. Select the indicated upper and lower faces as shown in the following image.
Step 15
With the indicated faces selected, press Delete key to delete them. After deleting the faces, it should look like as shown in the following image.
Step 16
With all upper and lower border edges selected, apply Extrude command and extrude the edges as shown in the following image.
Step 17
Insert several edge loops for creating hard edged surface using Insert Edge Loop and Multi Cut tool as shown in the following image.
Step 18
Insert three more edge loops as shown in the following image.
Step 19
Jump in the face selection mode and select the faces in loop and extrude them out a little bit as shown in the following image.
Step 20
Keep inserting edge loops and offsetting them a little bit for various corners for creating hard edged surfaces.
Step 21
After pressing 3 on the keyboard, you can see the smooth shaded preview in the view port.
4. Mirroring Object
Step 1
Being in the face selection mode, select the half faces in X axis and delete them. With the rest half mesh selected, go to Edit > Duplicate Special and click on its option box.
Step 2
In the Duplicate Special Options window, set the value of Scale X to -1 and then click on Duplicate Special button.
Step 3
It creates a mirrored mesh on the other side. With both meshes selected, go to Mesh > Combine command to combining selected.
Step 4
Jump in the vertex selection mode and with the center vertices selected, go to Edit Mesh > Merge and click on its option button.
Step 5
In the Merge Vertices Options window, keep the Threshold value as 0.0001, turn on Always merge for two vertices and then click on Merge button.
Step 6
After mirroring and combining the ball mesh, place it according to the reference images.
Step 7
In
this way, the foot modelling is
completed.
Conclusion
In the next part of the tutorial, I’ll show how to model pelvis and adding more details to the leg.
