CREATING A CREATURE... As all creations, in the beginning there is excitment. Sometimes we are just excited and we do not know that we are about to create. Perhaps it is this power that starts the rush. Enough rushing let us check our path and tools.

Path: TRUESPACE 2 is the program that is necessary to create the creature. This program is located through the start menu to programs. The Maui Community Collage computer graphics class ICS 161 is the motivator instructed by Louis Tomaino.

Tools:

• Open "True Space 2" and try these tools as I introduce them.
• The creature's ["Ralph"] entire body is made up of primary objects,
• [ click-pick one]
• proportioned with the scale tool, [click and drag with one or both buttons for and evenly proportioned scaling]
• and layered on top of, or next to each other using the move object tool.
• It is extremely important to use different perspectives as you are moving and proportioning the objects.

I use a large perspective view with a small top, side and front view so as to follow the shaping and re-sizing from different views.

• Start with a sphere using the primary object tool and we will test some tools.
• Click on the scale tool and in each view move the mouse while re-sizing and shaping.
• The undo tool is helpful to return the size and shape back quickly and perfectly and the delete key works on your keyboard as will as the one next to undo on the screen.
• One tool is most helpful to see closely while building and creating is the zoom tool.
• Beside the zoom tool you will see an eye move and rotate tool. The rotate tool will only work in a perspective view.
• The axis button, will show you the axis [X,Y or Z]. At this point you could move the axis to any part of the object or return to normal using the neighboring axis tool. Click to release. To rotate the object you can manually move it, or exactly move only.
• This exact move is done by right clicking in the object tool box, which will bring up a data box with object information.

  Technique:
  There are a few more stages to creating that I will share with you as we build a FOOT using two created objects.

  • We will select a cone using the primary tool and rotate it 90 degrees on the X axis or type in 90 in the X rotation space of the object info. box and enter.
  • With the right mouse button down push away to stretch the cone to 8 squares.
  • Select a rectangle from Primitive Objects [P.O.s]and looking in the top, side and front views stretch the box to cover the last four squares of the pointed end of the cone.
  • Select the cone again, click on the boolean/object subtraction tool. Take the bottle that appears and click in the box while the cone is selected and the box and contents [point] are subtracted.
  • Copy this object and move it aside up and away from the original.
  • Select a new sphere from P.O.s and fit it over the wide end of the cone back in a little more than 1/2 way.
  • Take advantage of the zoom tool, in all views and the rotation tool in the perspective view.
  • Render; [box]to check closeness of fit and 3DR [wire frame] will hold through moves.
  • In the object inf. box I have the sphere Location: x=[-0.019] y=[-3.847] z=[0.986]. The cone I have not moved is location 0, 0, and z=[1.000] Rotation: 90. on the x and Size is 2.027, 1.998, and 3.818.
  • Hold down the boolean/subtraction tool until you pop up the Object Union tool and hit them with that bottle again.
  • Move our new toe up and away and move the cone back.
  • Create another sphere and move into the same position as before but no more than 1/2 way in this time. This will become the front or ball of our foot. Not quite as rounded as a toe [you may take your shoes off now] we are going to flatten the sphere some.
  • Flatten the sphere with the object scale tool while in the left view, by left clicking and dragging sideways.
  • If you are having trouble my object inf. box reads for the cone: Location is 0.000, -0.097, 1.050. Rotation is 90. on the x axis and size is 2.027, 1.998, 3.818. Inf. on the sphere is Location:0.009, -3.979, 1.050. [no rotation] Size:1.998, 0.919, 2.028. It is not necessary to use these exact figures as you may be moving objects quite well without them.
  • Union the sphere and the cone. "UN-successful cross section" and then after clicking "OK" it disappeared? Click undo and move the sphere in a little into the cone. Same message, but look my object united anyway. If your object did not yet union then try in a different view or keep moving an object slightly.
  • Create a box and stretch it to cut off the bottom 1/2 of the object [unless your feet are thicker].
  • Highlight object, object subtraction tool on, bottle in box, click.
  • In the left view right click and drag to flatten the top of our foot. We will call this the ball of the foot
  • Find the toe you pushed aside copy, and move to the side.
  • Scale down and rotate to fit the narrow end of the toe which is now a heel to the narrow end of the foot ball . Let the heel drop a little lower than the foot ball and bury the narrow end into the foot ball.
  • Create a box to cut off the part of the heel that is hanging down. If it will not work try in a different view. If that still doesn't work take down the object inf. and move the foot ball out of the way. Now complete your subtraction and then enter inf. back into object inf. box to return your foot ball.
  • Union the foot together and copy and move.
  • Find the toe and scale it down to fit a foot and copy; move, scale, copy, move, scale copy until you have ten toes.
  • You can use the rotation tool to angle your toes to fit better.
  • To create an arch in your foot create, stretch and move a sphere under the big toe side of your foot and object subtract. OOPS to much or too little then undo will bring it back.
  • You can glue each foot and toes together and move through the foot and tools using the arrow keys on the keyboard.
  • Start with the foot and then glue the toes and then click on object tool arrow on the screen to stop gluing. Yes there is an unglue but you have to select using keyboard arrows.

  
  

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