MAXON Computer Cinema 4D Tutorials: The Head: Preparing The Cube Part 1

- Human Modeling: Meissie

Human Modeling: Meissie:
The Head: Preparing The Cube Part 1
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Version 6+

This tutorial will show you how to build a female model. Don't expect to get a course in human anatomy, that's beyond the scope of this tutorial. You will learn how you can pull a complete human figure out of a cube. To make it more manageable, the tutorials are split up into the head, torso, arms and legs. This section covers the building of the head.

Step 1: Before you start you are going to change the camera's focal length. Select the Camera Tool (Tools=>Camera) then in the Coordinates Manager under Focus change the X value from 36 to 50. Create a Cube (Objects=>Primitives=>Cube). Double click on the Cube icon in the Object Manager. In the settings dialog box input the following values. For the Width enter 120m, the Height is 150m and the Depth is also 150m. Under segments input 10 for the Width, 11 for the Height and 6 for the Depth.

Step 2: Make sure the Cube is selected in the Object Manager. Then make the Cube editable (Structure=>Make Editable) or hit 'c' for the keyboard shortcut. Switch to the Polygon Tool (Tools=>Polygons).

Step 3: Select the polygons as shown, with the Live Selection Tool (Selection=>Live Selection).

Step 4: With the polygons still selected activate the Extrude Tool (Structure=>Extrude). Go to the Active Tool Manager and enter 10m in the Offset field. Click Apply.

Step 5: Make sure that the top polygons are still selected.

Step 6: Extrude these polygons two more times by clicking on the Apply button twice in the Active Tool Manager.

Step 7: Now you will prepare the areas for the eyes. Switch to the Polygon Tool (Tools=>Polygons) then, using the Live Selection Tool (Tools=>Live Selection), select the polygons shown.

Step 8: You are going to do four inner extrusions. Select the Extrude Inner Tool (Structure=>Extrude Inner). Now in the Active Tool Manager enter 2m for the Offset and click Apply four times.

Step 9: Your head should now look like this.

Step 10: Your eyes need to be sunken in a bit. With the polygons still selected activate the Extrude Tool (Structure=>Extrude). In the Active Tool Manager enter -10m for the Offset and click Apply two times.

Step 11: The group of polygons should have moved a total of 20m inward. Your head should look like this so far.

Step 12: Now for the mouth. You are going to use the same method you used for the eye. Select the polygons as shown using the Live Selection Tool (Selection=>Live Selection).

Step 13: With the polygons selected activate Extrude Inner (Structure=>Extrude Inner) and in the Active Tool Manager input 2m in the Offset field. Click Apply four times.

Step 14: Without deselecting the polygons activate the Extrude Tool (Structure=>Extrude). In the Active Tool Manager input -10m in the Offset field and click Apply two times.

Step 15: You're nearing the end of the first part of ‘Preparing the Cube’. For the rest of the modeling you're going to put your head in a Symmetry Object, so you will have to get rid of one half of the head. Set your view to the Top View (F2) and switch from the Polygons Tool to the Points Tool (Tools=>Points). In Points mode select the right half of the head using the Rectangle Selection Tool (Selection=>Rectangle Selection). Be sure to uncheck 'Only Select Visible Elements' in the Active Tool Manager.

Step 16: Delete the selected points. Be careful not to delete the middle column of points. Your head should look like this.

Step 17: In Polygons mode activate the Live Selection Tool (Selection=>Live Selection) and select the polygons as shown.

Step 18: With these polygons selected create a Selection Tag (Selection=>Set Selection). In the Object Manager double click on the newly created triangle icon and name the selection 'eye'.

Step 19: Use the Live Selection Tool(Selection=>Live Selection) to select the polygons shown.

Step 20: Make sure that each time you set a new selection, there are no other Selection Tags selected/highlighted in the Object Manager. If there are, you will overwrite that selection set when a new one is created. With these polygons still selected make a new Selection Tag (Selection=>Set Selection). Name the Selection Tag 'nose'.

Step 21: With the selection tool still active select the polygons shown.

Step 22: With the polygons selected make another selection set (Selection=>Set Selection). Name it 'mouth'.

Step 23: Create a Null Object (Objects=>Null Object) and call it Headbackup. Put a copy of your head in the Headbackup for safe keeping. Just make sure you turn the visibility off on the Headbackup otherwise things can become very confusing.

Go to part 2