A study in simple modeling, basic texturing and label mapping
This tutorial is designed for the Maya novice, and will demonstrate the following concepts:
1. Create a banana
The model can be created using any of various methods; you could create a sphere and deform it, or create a profile curve as I illustrate below.
To build a revolve, start by creating a profile curve along a horizontal axis. Snap the two end CVs to the axis to avoid overlap or holes. Revolve the curve along that axis.
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With construction history on, adjust the overall shape by altering the provile curve until you have the basic banana shape you want. Delete the history, and continue shaping by moving the hulls up and rotating them outward. Try to fan the hulls outward to match the curvature of the banana, as this will give you a higher quality surface.
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Insert Isoparms, if necessary, to give you more geometry and more control over your surface. RMB-click anywhere on the banana surface, and choose "Isoparm" from the marking menu that appears. LMB-click on an isoparm you wish to duplicate, and drag it across the surface to its desired position. It will appear as a dotted yellow line. Shift-click on additional isoparms for multiple insertions, dragging each to its position as you go. Then select F3->Edit Surfaces->Insert Isoparms to complete the operation.
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Select a "Latitude" isoparm towards the bottom of the banana, move it into place and select F3->Edit Surfaces->Detach Surfaces to detach the bottom piece, as shown. This makes it easier to apply a different texture map to the end of the fruit.
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Finally, move individual CVs to tweak the surface into its final, irregular shape. Double-click on the "Translate" icon to open the option box. The default setting is "World", this moves the CVs according to world or grid space as defined by the X, Y and Z axes. Selecting "Normal" enables you to move the CVs along the surface, in U and V space instead.
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We're now ready to create our materials and textures.
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