Escalight - 3dsmax, Photoshop, Flash Tutorials, Free 3D models, etc

by Didik Wijaya
This tutorial needs you to understand basic use of 3dsmax.

In this tutorial, you will model a cartoon like pig. This tutorial will give you basic understanding how to model in 3dsmax. Pig's body created using 3dsmax Extended Primitives' ChamferBox, converted into Editable Poly and then extruded and beveled in some places. Enough talk, let's model this cute rounded pig.

1. Create new 3dsmax document. In Command Panel, choose Extended Primitives from drop-down list. Click ChamferBox button. Then, click and drag in Top viewport to create ChamferBox. Clik Modify tab and change Chamfer Box parameters like picture below. You will get an object like a ball here.

2. Right click on ChamferBox, and choose Convert to Editable Poly. Before you begin modeling, right click on Perspective viewport's name and choose Edged Faces. Now, you can see edges. From Modifier List drop-down menu, add Symmetry modifier to object to make left and right side the same. In rollout Parameters, choose Y for Mirror Axis and activate Flip.

3. In Modifier Stack, move to Editable Poly row. Change Selection to Polygon. Select several polygon in front side. Tips: to select several polygon in the same time, click while hold Ctrl key. In rollout Edit Polygons, press Bevel button and then give a slight bevel. Using Select And Non Uniform Scale, reduce their height. Next, press Extrude, and give rather long extrusion, and lastly give a tiny slight bevel.

4. Select two polygons in front (look at picture below). Using Select And Non Uniform Scale, give more height. In Edit Polygons rollout, click Inset button, and click and drag to give a slight inset. Next, give extrusion with negative value (inside). The nose part is finished.

5. Now, we're going to create feet. Rotate perspective view until you can see the belly clearly. Select two polygons. Don't bother to select four polygons left and right. Remember, you have applied Symmetry modifier. Give extrusion. In rollout Edit Geometry, press Z button on right of Make Planar button. All vertexs in polygon selected will have the same height at Z axis.Give one more extrusion and bevel. The feet part is finished.

6. In the next step, we will create ears. Rotate your view in order to see upper body. Select 3 polygons, as usually, only in the left side. Add bevel three times. Everytime you add bevel, move beveled polygon forward, rotate, and do non uniform scaling to make it sharp. At the end you will get a typical pig ear.

7. And now the eye, select one polygon below ear. It will be the eye. Add inset. Change selection to Edge. Select upper edge. In Front viewport, move upper edge down a little bit to make the polygon more square. After that, select all four side edge and add extrusion with negative value (inside).

8. In modifier stack, select Symmetry row and this is what you will get so far.

9. Now, right click on your pig model and choose Convert to Editable Poly. You need Symmetry modifier no more. If you are not satifisfied with your model, you may tweak a little bit, before converting it into Editable Poly. Next, we will create a curly pig tail. Instead of extrude polygon again and again, we will use a unique feature from 3dsmax, which is Extrude Along Spline.

In Command Panel, click Create Tab. Press Shapes button and then Helix button. In viewport Left, click and drag to create helix spline. Click Modify tab, and change the values like image below. You may create this spline anywhere on Left viewport.

10. Select pig object. Enter Modify tab. Change selection to Polygon and select two small polygon at behind. In Edit Polygons rollout, click Settings button at the right of Extrude Along Spline button. A dialog box will open. Click Pick Spline button, and click helix spline you have created earlier. Enter the same values as displayed in the image and don't forget to activate Along to face normal. Extrude Along Spline will extrude the selected polygons along helix spline, and the result is you have a nice curly pig tail.

11. Finally, turn off all sub-object selection and add MeshSmooth or TurboSmoooth modifier. An iterations value of 1 or 2 will be great. Congratulations, you have finished your own "Babe", cartoon style pig. Oink, oink, oink!

Source file can be downloaded here (3dsmax ver 8 in zipped format, 33kb)

Any question or comments regarding this tutorial should be sent to:
Didik Wijaya, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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