Hola

| TUTORIAL

PART 2 IN ISSUE 10 2 OF

ON SALE COMPUTER ARTS PRO JECTS 13 SEPTE MBER

ON THE CD

You’ll find all the files you need to complete this tutorial in the folder marked Tutorial\Vinyl
TIME NEEDED

CINEMA 4D PART 1 OF 2

VIRTUAL VINYL
The vinyl toy is a medium that has flourished in the past three years with designers such as Pete Fowler and Tado exhibiting their creationsworldwide. If you’re looking to show the full potential of your concept, but feel limited by software such as Photoshop and Illustrator, then this tutorial is the answer. 3D applications can give you the freedom to create any shape without the mess and technical aspects that come with clay and plastic prototypes – you can also make as many as you want. I’m going to show you how to build a virtual vinyltoy using Cinema 4D. By employing just one simple technique

3 hours
SKILLS

The vinyl toy is now a truly iconic form of design, but it can be difficult and expensive to create a one-off original. Chris Weston shows you how to make a life-like design using Cinema 4D
you’ll be able to create a virtual representation that captures every angle and detail of your design. The technique I’m goingto use is called point-to-point modelling and it enables you to mould any conceivable 3D shape. To do this you’ll need to work with three tools: Add Points, Bridge and the Structure Manager. Using these tools you’ll be able to draw the outlines of each shape and convert them into a 3D polygon. When the basic model is built, you can finish it with a slick graphic texture.
Illustration and tutorialby Chris Weston www.chriswestondesigns.com

• Symmetry • HyperNURBS • Polygon • Add Points • Bridge
INFO

Chris Weston is a creative currently working at integrated agency Billington Cartmell based in London. To find out more, go to www.chris westondesigns.com.

1

Open my lighting setup, which can be found on the CD in Tutorials>Vinyl> Lighting.C4D. You need to prepare a polygon that willhold your points. The Symmetry function will reflect every point you add, so that it takes only half the work to make your model. To do this go to Objects>Modelling>Symmetry. Now you should see the Symmetry icon appear in your Objects Manager.

56 September 2007

|

ART140.tut_2 Sec1:56

7/8/07 11:13:19

TUTORIAL |
BRIDGING
The Bridge tool works best when you concentrate on linkingfour points at a time. With the Bridge tool selected, click and drag over the first point in parallel lines from left to right. This should give you a clear polygon block. If there are any diagonal lines start again, as this will cause problems later in the

2

Put a HyperNURBS inside the Symmetry function. A HyperNURBS is great for making organic-looking shapes and giving your polygons a nicesmooth finish. To do this, go to Objects>Nurbs> HyperNURBS then drag it over the Symmetry icon in your Objects Manager.

building process. Remember that you should always work in parallel lines and groups of four points.

The next stage of the model is to duplicate and nudge the outline to create the 3D shape. Simply copy and paste your existing points using the Structure Manager. Then nudgethe duplicated points to create two outlines. Repeat this process until you have a 3D shape made of points. Remember to keep them in an even number.

5

Now you have a full 3D vinyl toy you can view from any angle. Apply a plastic texture and a graphic of your choice to it. I created a camouflage graphic using Photoshop, which can be found on the CD in Tutorials>Vinyl>Tex>Texture.tif. I alsoadded a 20% noise bump map to give the model a better level of realism.

8

6 3
Now you need to add a polygon object inside the HyperNURB icon. Go to Objects>Polygon. You’ll need one polygon object for each part of your toy. This will enable you to move and colour the pieces individually if you need to.

ADDING POINTS
When adding points to your polygon object always hold down the Ctrl key...