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Sculpting other facial features

Lesson 2: Sculpting a NURBS surface

Lesson 3: Lofting curves to create a surface

 

Learning Resources > Tutorials > Getting Started with Maya > NURBS Modeling > Lesson 2: Sculpting a NURBS surface > 

Beyond the lesson

In this lesson you were introduced to a few basic techniques related to sculpting surfaces:

• The Sculpt Geometry Tool is indispensable for quickly shaping a variety of surfaces. As you do your own projects, pay special attention to the position and density of isoparms before you begin sculpting.
• Isoparms converge at a single point (the pole). Pole regions of a primitive or surface are hard to sculpt so it’s best to avoid using the Sculpt Geometry Tool there. For example, when you created the original sphere in this lesson, you rotated it 90 degrees around its Z-axis. Because of the rotation, ears for the head would need to be modeled via a different technique (for example, you could model a pair of ears and parent them to the head).
• The density and orientation of isoparms on a surface affects the results with the Sculpt Geometry Tool. As you gain NURBS modeling experience, you’ll learn how to use the density and orientation of isoparms to your advantage.
• Primitive objects are useful objects for sculpting in many cases. After you create a primitive, you typically sculpt, scale, trim, or otherwise alter the object into a more complex shape. Though most primitives are surfaces rather than curves, they still derive their shape from curves.

  

  In general, a sphere makes a convenient foundation for creating a simple head, but it’s not ideal if you plan to animate an expressive, talking head. Many 3D artists start with a cylinder or a lofted surface. The procedures for doing this are more complex than starting with a sphere and are beyond the scope of this lesson.