An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging by Cheryl Cabrera Chapter 2 Modeling Basics

An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging

by Cheryl Cabrera

Chapter 2 Modeling Basics

Characters, from left to right, by Katie Folsom, Ben Willis, Cheryl Cabrera, David Bokser, and Ryan Yokley.

Snack attack by Jeff Gill (2006).

Character Modeling Workflow

Turning X-ray mode on with wireframe on shaded in each view panel makes it easier to see what you are doing when you are modeling in Maya.

Object mode allows you to affect the ENTIRE piece of geometry, while component mode affects only a certain area.

The Status Line mode options.

The EP Curve Tool can be found on the Curves shelf.

The EP Curve Tool can be found under the Create menu. The profile curve of a wine glass

created with the EP Curve Tool.

The Revolve Tool can be found on the Surfaces shelf.

The Revolve Tool can be found in theSurfaces menu set by pressing (F4) on the

keyboard under the Surfaces menu.

The surface of a wine glass created from the profile curve with the Revolve Tool.

The NURBS cylinder can be found on the Surfaces shelf.

The NURBS cylinder can be found under the Create menu.

The Lattice Deformer can be found on the Deformation shelf.

The Lattice Deformer can be found in the Animation menu set by pressing (F2) on the

keyboard under the Create Deformers menu.

The Lattice Deformer applied to a Sphere. Notice there are 3 S divisions (left to right),

5 T divisions (top to bottom), and only 2 U divisions (front to back).

The NURBS sphere can be found on the Surfaces shelf.

The NURBS sphere can be found under the Create menu.

These NURBS spheres have 8 sections (vertical or longitude) and 4 spans (horizontal orlatitude). The sphere on the right has a start sweep of 60 degrees, which opens the sphere.

The command to delete History can be found under the Edit menu.

The Insert Isoparms command can be found on the Surfaces shelf.

The Insert Isoparms command canbe found in the Surfaces menu setby pressing (F4) on the keyboard

under the Edit NURBS menu.

Adding additional Isoparms.

The Sculpt Geometry Tool can be found on the Surfaces shelf. It can also be found on the Polygons shelf and the Subdivisions shelf.

The Sculpt Geometry Tool can be found in the Surfaces menu

set by pressing (F4) on the keyboard under the Edit NURBS menu.

Using the Sculpt Geometry Tool to add facial details to a sphere.

You can also choose component mode and select points in the selection mask area in order to easily select and move CVs.

The Polygonal cube can be found on the Polygons shelf.

The Polygonal cube can be found under the Create menu.

The Split Polygon tool can be found on the Polygons shelf.

The Split Polygon tool can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing (F3) on the

keyboard under the Edit Mesh menu.

The Split Polygon tool

The Extrude Polygon command can be found on the Polygons shelf.

The Extrude Polygon tool can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing (F3) on

the keyboard under the Edit Mesh menu.

The Extrude Polygon tool has a little blue circle which toggles between world space and local space, changing the direction of the extrusion.

The Keep Faces Together option can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing

(F3) on the keyboard under the Edit Mesh menu.

Extruding polygonal faces with Keep Faces Together option checked (left sphere) and

extruding polygons with Keep Faces Together option unchecked (right sphere).

The NURBS to polys command can be found under the Modify menu.

The Convert NURBS to polygons Options.

Selecting polygonal faces and deleting them to leave half of the object (in this image, half of a sphere).

The Combine command can be found on the Polygons shelf.

The Combine command can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing

(F3) on the keyboard under the Mesh menu.

On the left are two separate polygonal cubes, on the right, they have been Combined into polySurface1. Notice that the outliner still shows nodes

pCube1 and pCube2because of construction history.

Snapping vertex points together using the Move tool and the (v) hotkey on the keyboard.

The Append Polygon tool can be found in the Polygons menu set by pressing (F3) on the keyboard under the Edit Mesh menu.

Creating a new polygon to fill a hole using the append polygon tool.

The Insert Edge Loop tool can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing (F3) on

the keyboard under the Edit Mesh menu.

The Insert Edge Loop tool inserts edges completely around the polygonal object.

The Merge command can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing (F3) on the

keyboard under the Edit Mesh menu.

The Merge command can be found on the Polygons shelf.

Clicking and moving a vertex that has been snapped on top of another shows that these two overlapping vertices are not merged together.

The Mirror Geometry command can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing (F3) on the keyboard under the Mesh menu.

The Mirror Geometry command can be found on the Polygons shelf.

If any vertex points are not lined up with the origin, you will not achieve a desired mirror.

The Face Normals can be displayed using the command found under the Displaymenu. The polygonal object must be selected before applying this command. The Face

Normals can be hidden again by applying the same command.

The Conform command can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing (F3) on the

keyboard under the Normals menu.

The sphere on the left has some normals that are flipped inside, the sphere on theright is the same sphere after the Conform command has been applied. You can see

the selected faces have had their normals flipped back to the outside.

The Reverse command can be found inthe Modeling menu set by pressing (F3)

on the keyboard under the Normals menu.

The Average Normals command can befound in the Modeling menu set by

pressing (F3) on the keyboard under the Normals menu.

The sphere on the left has had normals flipped, which can cause the faces to beviewed sharply. The sphere on the right is the same sphere after the Average Normals

command has been applied. Notice how much smoother the sphere on the right appears.

The Smooth command can be found in the Modeling menu set by pressing (F3) on the keyboard under the Mesh menu.

The Smooth command can be found on the Polygons shelf.

The character on the left is the low poly version, which doesn’t look very polished. Thecharacter on the right has been smoothed. MAKE SURE TO UNDO the smooth at this point

by pressing (z) on the keyboard if you are testing to see your result.

Previewing the smooth on a polygonal model.

Superman by Chris Grim (2006).


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.1: Model a head, neck, and torso

Create EP Curve Tool.

Tracing your drawing with the EP Curve Tool. An X marks each click of the mouse and

becomes a point on the curve.

Refining the curve by adjusting the positions of the points on the curve with the move tool.

Creating the surface for you character’s head and torso using the revolve command.

Refining the surface by adjusting the positions of the points on the curve with the move tool.

Adding a lattice deformer to your head and torso shape. Using a lattice allows even distribution and the changes

to affect the entire piece of geometry.

Refining the surface by adjusting the positions of the lattice points with the move and scale tools.

Edit Delete by type > History.

Renaming the torso and head shape in the channel box.

Click on the “create a new layer”button in the Layer Editor and rename it geometry_layer.

Saving and naming your scene 02_asgn01_body_geo.ma.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.2: Model a Leg

Turning off interactive creation.

Creating a NURBS cylinder, positioning it for the leg, and dividing it for adequate deformation later.

Adjusting the lattice for additional divisions. Using a lattice allows even distribution

and the changes to affect the entire piece of geometry.

Refining the shape of the leg by adjusting the positions of the lattice points with the move and scale tools.

Deleting history to remove the lattice and bake the \changes to the shape of the cylinder.

Keep your scene organized by labeling your geometry appropriately.

Duplicating the geometry and changing the ScaleX value to the negative inverts the shape.

Changing the TranslateX value to positive positions the leg evenly on the opposite side of the origin.

Freezing transformations makesthe geometry transformation

values return to 0 for translationsand rotations and 1 for scale.

Saving and naming your scene 02_asgn02_leg_geo.ma.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.3: Model an Arm

Creating a NURBS cylinder, positioning it for the arm, and dividing it for adequate deformation later.

Adjusting the lattice for additional divisions. Using a lattice allows even distribution

and the changes to affect the entire piece of geometry.

Refining the shape of the arm by adjusting the positions of the lattice points with the move and scale tools.

Rotating the forearm for better deformation when the hand twists.

Deleting history to remove the lattice and bake the changes to the shape of the cylinder, then renaming the geometry appropriately.

Freezing transformations on the arm geometry.

Saving and naming your scene 02_asgn03_arm_geo.ma


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.4: Model a Hand

Creating a NURBS cylinder, positioning it for the palm, and dividing it for adequate deformation.

Adjusting the lattice for additional divisions and reshaping the lattice to make the sphere into a palm.

Making the index finger.

Making the fingers and thumb.

Duplicating the hand for the left side.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.5: Model a Foot

Creating a NURBS sphere, positioning it for the foot, and dividing it for adequate deformation.

Adjusting the lattice for additional divisions and reshaping the lattice to make the sphere into a foot.

Duplicating the right foot to create the left foot.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.6: Model Eyes

Turn the geometry layer invisible by hiding the V in the Layer Editor.

The NURBS sphere option box.

Adjusting the ramp attributes.

Adjusting the ramp colors to make an eye shader.

Creating another NURBS sphere for the eyelid.

Inserting isoparms and selecting the HULLS.

Reshaping the eyelid to add dimension.

Adding a lattice deformer to the eye and eyelid.

Scaling both the lattice and the base larger.

Exposing part of the eyeball while reshaping the lattice (left) can be alleviated by scaling the eyelid slightly larger (right).

Grouping the eye parts and renaming the group to right_eye_geo.

Repositioning the right_eye_group.

The Duplicate Special option box with the Duplicate input graph option checked.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.7: Adding Details to the Face

Adding an isoparm.

Adding additional isoparms using the option for between selections.

Creating a nose shape.

Use the reflection option to create eyebrows.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Assignment 2.8: Model Ears, Hair, and Accessories

Creating an ear using a NURBS sphere.

Creating hair using a NURBS sphere.

Curly hair using a NURBS cone.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Optional Assignment 2.9: Combining Everything into a Single

Polygonal Shape with Additional Approaches to Modeling Hands and Feet

Converting NURBS to polygons.

Selecting half of the faces of your polygonal face and torso.

Combining all polygonal surfaces into one.

Add a new edge in order to align the torso with the leg.

Aligning the torso vertices with the leg vertices.

Merging the overlapping vertices.


by Cheryl Cabrera

Tutorial 2.9a: Box Modeling a Foot

Creating a polygonal cube to become the foot.

Snapping the vertices of the cube to those of the leg.

Merging the overlapping vertices of the foot and leg.

Adjusting the bottom row of vertices.

Extruding the foot parallel can occur if first clicking on the blue circle (shown yellow in this image because it is already selected) then clicking on the arrow to drag the extrusion forward.

Reshaping the extruded faces into a foot.

Creating a polygonal cube to become the hand.

Figure 2_02_Tut2.9b

Reshaping the cube into a palm.

Making sure Keep Faces Together is unchecked.

Extruding the fingers to the first knuckle.

Scaling the extrusion to separate the fingers.

Adjusting the positions of the finger geometry.

Extruding the fingers to the second knuckle.

Extruding the fingers to the tip.

Extruding the thumb to the first knuckle.

Extruding the thumb.

Inserting a new edge in order to align the arm with the hand.

Combining the hand and body geometry.

Aligning the hand and arm vertices, then merging them.

Deleting construction history.

Mirroring the Geometry

Fixing the pole at the head into fewer quads.

Mirroring the right side to create the left side.

Mirroring usually causes the mouth vertices to pinch.

Checking the position of the Face Normals.

In this character, I remodeled the head all over again in polygons.

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An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging by Cheryl Cabrera Chapter 2 Modeling Basics