I need some help starting with a cube...

[BazC]

Hi there!, I'm no expert but I can suggest a few things. First off, if you're having difficulty with this try doing a few simple tutorials, there's loads of great one's here in the tutorial thread and most subdivision modelling starts with a cube. If there isn't enough there for you do a search on Google for box modelling tutorials. There must be hundreds on the web (Box modelling is subdivision modelling starting from a cube) once you're familiar with Wings it doesn't really matter what app the tutorial was written for.
If it's the shape that's putting you off try selecting the cube in body/object mode (shortcut b) and smooth once (shortcut s) this will give you a friendlier shape and is the way many people start a model from a cube.
Other than that it's just a matter of pulling verts around joining thing up, extruding etc. It's really no different to using a sphere or icosahedron. It's worth getting used to because most people would say the cube is the most useful primitive.
Good luck! If you have difficulties don't hesitate to ask more questions :o) - Baz

[Goatfuzz]

Thanks for the advice BazC! :D

I'll have to try that later (I can't today because a lot of people are coming over today :annoyed:).

[BazC]

My pleasure!

[nospline]

That you are requesting to start from a cube shows great promise already. ... :D


Take a cube and select all, hit "s" once, twice, three times and watch what happens each time...

now back up and take same basic cube, select whole cube object and hit the edge icon or simply hit the "e" key so as all the edges are highlighted, then right click and choose "hardness>hard", then hit the face icon or hit the "f" key, then hit the "s" key once twice three times and watch what happens each time... when you have divided you hard edged cube to the number of divides you wish for be sure to select all, edges, hardness>soft before continuing to model if you want to divide further while also wishing for things to round out... and this is but the begining... dividing a cube...

next take same six sided basic cube and select each face along one axis... like a front and back... so that two opposite faces are selected... right click and choose extrude>normal... move the mouse to the right and extrude approx one cube distance... deselect via hitting the space bar, rotate 45 via middle mouse button so you can see the three side by side poly's on the bottom while still viewing the front... select the bottom three, right click extrude normal... approx one cube space down... then rightclick and scale>uniform... notice each face is beveling... now back things up to the the selecting the three faces before the extrude... faces selected, right click and extrude>region>normal... extruding one cubes distance... now right click and scale>uniform... notice they all act together... as in appossed to idividual scaling as from when extrude>normal was used...

next take same basic cube and select the face on top...extrude>normal one cube space... now hit the "+"key on your key board... you should now have the top cube selected... right click and extrude>region>normal.... now deselect and select the bottom cube, the bottom face... extrude>normal one cube space... deselect.... select the opposite side faces on bottom cube and extrude>normal so as it is now three wide... now deselect and select the bottom faces and extrude>region>normal like you did earlier in the quick tip above, only when scaling instead of uniform scale in along one axis... should be z axis here... then extrude region once again and you are down to the belly button... do you see where we are going here... just keep going... one more, then deselect the middle poly and extrude out the legs and arms rough like, say three segments... then select all and smooth once... then select a center vertical edge... any vertical edge running dead center of the model on front... hit "L" key , right click and choose loop cut... when whole side is highlighted hit the backspace to delete said part... now you start by going to the leg and arm and doing a loop selection and cut up where they are the right size just before the round... now extrude and rotate along one axis till you have the sections upper joint lower joint and hand/foot area extruded... now go in and cut connect and conquer... and if you cut and connect something then carry things right around the whole... keep that mesh nice...

note... to cut edges to make more edges you select the edges, hit the number key which you require then hit "c" to connect things...

I dunno... there are as many ways to go about things as there are ideas from individuals.... once you have popped out several different basic models you will find yourself discovering little tricks and learning the tools and how they apply to the concept via process... a few models in and you will be flying :D

good luck eh. :)

[Goatfuzz]

Whoa! Much appreciated nospline! You provided several useful tips in there (mainly the ones at the end of your post are the ones I didn't know). Thanks a million... :beer:

[waterhycinth]

i just want to personally thank you for that nospline .... i truly learned something about 3d modeling from your explanation...maybe i'll now get to work on a real model....wooohooo:applause:

[nospline]

Hey, your most welcome... there's a lot more to it than this, and I probably missed some stuff along the way but hey, it's all really straight ahead once these and a few more basics have been done twenty or fifty times. :D

Just keep popping a cube on screen... hit "r" to reset... and start chunking out those basic shapes... add as much detail as possible before smoothing beyond your original divide if ya even made one... and keep in mind that soft smoothes will leave ya rounder and smaller so chunk as large as ya need from the git go... have fun all.

I will write up a few things and post within a day or so... who know's, you may be flying by then already... keep pushing those poly's around you guys.. :D

[Golgafrincham]

I have just downloaded the latest version of wings and tried to follow some tutorials, and ended up staring at the screen in confusion.
Thanks to your explaination/tips it now makes sense to me.
I,m off to learn some more.
Thanks.

[nospline]

Well, here's a little more for you then... that is if you would like to meke pipe like structures... .


pop a cube on screen... select the body icon ( the all red pyramid on the far right ) ... select cube object, right click and scale>uniform down so the cube ends up about a quarter inch big... yes, a small cube...choose duplicate>z and then move your mouse right or left and watch the new cube slide along the axis...

now select both cubes, duplicate >x

now select the four and duplicate along >y

space your cubes even as possible by eye... ;)

hit the spacebar to deselect, then hit "f" or the face icon... now select those faces which are opposite to each other and which when added to will close the cube square frame.

that would be three faces per cube right?

now when all 24 faces are selected, right click and Extrude>normal... and only extrude a tad... say an eighth of an inch... now you have these extrudes popping out on those 24 faces...

now... deselect, and choose the opposite faces which will close to make up a pipe when filled in... right click and choose bridge...notice a bar is complete...now bridge the rest two by two... you should now have a cube frame sitting in front of you...

here's the thing... the reason we extruded first instead of just bridging from the git go is... this extrude stops the influence from going to the bridge when smoothing... the tighter the edgeloop of the extrude is to the corner, the tighter the inside radius of the square pipe frame will be upon smoothing... without this extrude, when you smoothed just a bridged square the inside radius would flair towards the center thus not leaving nice pipe look... so extrude before bridging when making those pipe frames eh... I find that an eighth of an inch or less makes just a tiny flair where the pipes join, thus looking like pipes connected eh play around with this distance and let us know your findings... :)

remember to make the whole structure in cube bar form before smoothing to round pipe like results... two or three smoothes from the cube shape will give you some pretty nice pipes... and remember those extrude>normals eh ...

looking forward to viewing some dune buggies real soon so get at er folks... haha, just joking, but yea... enjoy ok.... take 3D flight and fly with Wings :D

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