MAYA

Maya Nurbs Modeling Lantern Tutorial


Let's start with Maya nurbs modelling. In this tutorial we will be focusing on modeling an old style lantern. The tools will we use are EP and CV curve Tools and Revolve and Extrude surface Tools.We will try to go all step by step in making of this beautiful lantern. Its always a good practice to have a reference photo or a dummy with so there be a more accuracy in your final output. But here, we didn't got a good reffrence.

Open up your maya application. Move to shelf tab and click on Curves shelf






The third from the left is an EP(Edit Point) curve tool.
You can also get to the EP curve from the Create Menu- EP Curve Tool.


















In the image above just above EP Curve Tool there is one more curve tool that is CV(Control Vertices) Curve Tool, which is not available in the curve shelf tab, to get it into the curve shelf tab go to Create Menu with Ctrl + Shift button press and click on the CV Curve Tool. What you will get now, a new tool available at the end of the Curve shelf tab as you can see in the image below






Note :- Shelfs are available for doing work quickly, it's just kind of shortcut available to us to get our work done more quickly, rather than going again and again back to the Menus, we can switch to our desired shelf tab and work in our own pace.

We have set our scene with the required tools we will be using in the modelling process, now step ahead and move to the side view of your scene.Click on the CV Curve Tool on the curve shelf tab and start creating the base of the lantern,













As you can see in the image above I have cretated the outer line of the base of the lantern , the reason we have created the half side of the base, becoz next we are going to revolve it that will make the whole complete round base, after making the point at right places hit enter and we have done with the outer line of the base. The next is to manipulating the CV's if you think there we need modification in the shape.To make modification in the curve right click on the curve and you get the options with which you can do the modification. Now get into the object mode and you have the shape something like the below one.












You have pivot point at the center of the shape, now with shape still selected go to Surface-Revolve and click on the little square button next to the Revolve. Now you have Revolve window pop up. Go to Edit- Reset Settings, and now click on revovle






















You have now the basic base surface like this



















Now go to Create- Nubbs Primitive and click on Sphere, with this you have a sphere on the panel, now place it on the top of the base of the lantern and scale it down on the Y axis.





Now with CV CCurve tool create the shape something like this image in the side view


















Get into the object mode and revolve it as we did for the base of the lantern after revolving it we get the shape of the surface




















Again move in the side view and with CV Curve tool create the side handles of the lantern









In this step we are going to use the extrude tool for that we have already created a path on which the will extrude. Now go to Create-Nurbs Primitive and click on circle. We have to manipulate this circle to get our desired shape, place the circe on the botton of the path shape at it is in image below



















Select the both the shape, first select the circle after that select the path shape and now go to Surface- Extrude and click on the little square button next to the extrude to get its properties and select the properties as in the image below and click on extrude.














You have something like this, now we need to duplicate the handle to place it on the other side, for that select the handle and press CTRl+D to duplicate it, now we have a another handle to place it on the other side go to attribute editor and make thescale z axis value to negative










































Its time to create the top cap of the lantern for that we are going to create again with the curve tool and revolve the same.





















Here we have got a nice lantern.
















thanks for all friends for reading.
please leave your comments.

Making Glass shader(MAYA)

how to make a glass shader

Here i have explained how to make a glass shader in maya (with screenshots).

In maya get into hypershade (menu-window-rendering editors-hypershade).

Here select the blin material, 2 ramps and a envChrome.

Now we look how to connect and change the attributes to get the glass.

1. select the ramp1 (double click) and change the color as mentioned in the image(black & grey).

Type - V Ramp

Interpolation - smooth

Now connect the ramp1 to transparency as shown in the image.
(connecting method - select the blin(double click) and then keep the mouse pointer on the ramp1 in hypershade hold the center mouse botton(scroll button) and drag and drop in the attribute editor in transparency of the blin without releasing the button as shown in the image.

Now select the ramp2 and change the color grey & black and change the type & interpolation as shown in the figure.

(note: interpolation can be in linear or smooth)

Then connect it to reflectivity in blin (as we connected ramp1 in transparancy)

now select the envChrome(double click) and change the attributes as shown in the image

chrome attrib

(expand the tabs to view attrib)sky attrib

grid placement

connect the envChrome in the Reflected color as we saw above connecting of ramps

Now change the attribs marked with that values and color.

now u have got the glass shader

Finaly we get connections like following

Please leave comments so that i can improve my blog and tutorials.

also feel free to ask help i am always ready

to see the original image click on the image

GLASS RING

 Glass Ring 

I created with same mesh.

Applied glass shader with blinn material with connecting two ramps and with environment of chrome so that it will look more realistic.

I have used two spotlights one for caustic with nill intensity and caustics of 70000 photons.

Another one for normal lighting of one intensity.

Then i render with Mental-ray in production quality with caustics  with size 1024x768. After 2.33 min i got the result that you are watching.

Friends please give comments & suggestions so that i can improve much more and also feel free to ask help.

GOLD RING

 Render

  Maya,

  using mental ray

            caustics & final gather