Short Sword Tutorial

Beginners

By: Adam M. (Hihosilver)

This tutorial is based on modeling a Short Sword in Anim8or,
a free modeling program created by Steven Glanville. In this tutorial you will
learn to create a simple short sword using box modeling techniques and point-by-point
techniques as well as using subdivision objects and edge reinforcement. Lastly you will learn to use basic materials in Anim8or, as well as environment maps. Enjoy
the tutorial and I hope you learn something.

Reference Images:

When I start almost any project, I begin by getting references for what I’m going to model.
By simply using Google I found this image of a Short Sword:

Be sure to save this image somewhere on your computer where you can access it.

Next, open up anim8or. You should have a new workspace and be in Object mode Mode>Object.
Now we want to load our reference image into Anim8or. To do this, go Build>Reference Image…

you can then browse for the image you just saved to your computer, select it and press OK.
You should now have the reference image in your viewport. Next we want to move the reference image back so that it
doesn’t intersect with our model. To do this, first select the reference image with the object selector tool .
Then go to the top view by either going view>top or pressing the number 8 on the num-pad. To move the reference image back, we first want to
constrain all movement too only the y-axis (this is the y-axis relative to the viewport.) To do this we press both the ‘x’ and ‘z’ so that only the ‘y’
axis constraint is selected . You then use the move tool and move the reference image up
on the screen until you feel it’s out of the way.

Back in the front view View>Front or Num-5, you can see that the sword reference is crooked. To fix this, you’ll want to rotate the reference
image until the sword is perfectly upright. To do this, you select the object if you still don’t have it selected, and press the rotate tool .
We now want to allow movement on the other axis by selecting the ‘x’ and ‘z’ again so that all three buttons are lit in white. Now, using the rotate tool,
click and drag on the screen with the Right Mouse Button and drag until the reference image is rotated where the sword is straight up and down.

Note: When using the rotate tool you can use different mouse clicks for different rotations.<br>The left-clicker rotates the object on the x and y axis,
while the right-clicker rotates the object on the z axis.

Modeling the Hilt:

Now that we have the reference Image in place, we can begin modeling the Sword.
We’ll begin by modeling the Hilt of the sword. First we want to zoom in on the reference image so that we can be more precise with what we’re doing.
To do this I use the arc-rotate tool and the middle clicker or alt + right mouse button to zoom in.

Note: Once again you can use the multiple clickers to do different things. With the arc-rotate tool you can use the left-clicker to rotate, use the
right-clicker to pan, use the middle-clicker or alt+right-clicker to zoom. You can also rotate on the z-axis if you use the left-clicker outside the circle.

As you can see, it’s a cylinder, so first create a cylinder the length of the main hilt, dragging from top to bottom.
You should get something like this:

Next, double click the cylinder to change the parameters, as we don’t need so many divisions along the hilt. Change the settings to match:

You should now have a cylinder with four divisions. We now convert the object to a mesh object so that we can edit it more. To do this, select the object and go Build>Convert to Mesh.
Your object should now have a white selection box around it. We’ll now go into object-edit mode by pressing the object-edit mode button: .
Now change into wireframe mode by selecting the wireframe view button . You should now see points and edges instead of a shaded object.
Make sure you’re in point-edit mode . There are three modes: point, edge and face mode. In point-edit mode you can edit the points,
in edge-edit mode you can edit the edges, and in face-edit mode you can edit the faces. Using the drag select tool
select the top row of points, then use the uniform-scale tool scale the selected points to match the reference:

Now do the same with the next three rows of points. Some will move when resizing, so you’ll have to use the move tool constrained to the y-axis to move the points back up.
Next, using drag select, select top points and move them up to match the reference. You should get something similar to this:

Now, switch into face-edit mode, and solid wireframe view . Select the top face of the sword hilt. Now we only want to cut
across the single face, so when using the cut tool, hold CTRL. Click from the point you want to cut from, and drag to the point you want to cut too. When the point is in
red, you release the mouse clicker and you should have two faces now:

Repeat this across the face until you get something similar to this:

Next, drag select to top faces, and in front view use the group extrude tool to extrude the faces close to the reference like so:

I then used the non-uniform scale tool in combination with the move tool to position the top points correctly:

I then went to the side view, and used the non-uniform scale tool again to give the object depth on the z-axis as well.

We now want to create the notch that runs between the grip of the sword and the pommel. We’ll start by going into edge-edit mode and selecting the ring of edges. To easily select an

entire ring of edges or “edge loop”, select one of the edges and press ‘q’ or go Edit>Select>Quad Loop Select. Now, use the bevel tool to bevel the edges and create a new ring of faces where the notch will be. After beveling leave the faces selected and use the

group extrude tool again, but this time inwards to create the indentation.

Now that we have the main form of the hilt, we’ll make this object a subdivision object. Basically subdivision objects smooth the base mesh, but leave you control
over the base mesh. Converting an object to a subdivision object is NOT a way to hide mistakes. It should be used with control and intent. To do this, select the object
and go Build>Convert to Subdivided. There is another command that subdivides a face by going Build>Subdivide Faces… There is a big difference between

this and a subdivision object. Subdivision objects leave you with the base mesh that you can even revert back too if you wish. You can see the base mesh in either wireframe view:

As you can see, the “notch” was made very rounded instead of sharp like it was previously. So now we need to use “edge reinforcement” which is basically creating edges close together, therefore “reinforcing” them and creating a sharper transition in the subdivision. This can be done by editing edge properties or by adding an edge loop close to another. Here’s a great tutorial on edge reinforcement written by Dion. This is possible with the bevel tool. This time we’ll use
beveling to reinforce the edges. To do this, select the two outer rings of edges around the “notch” on the base mesh. You can do this again by selecting one edge on each mesh
and pressing ‘q’.

Note: You can select multiple edges, points or faces with the right clicker, the middle clicker deselects points edges or faces.

Now use the bevel tool again, but make a small bevel. As you bevel the edges, you can watch the effect on the subdivision object. The closer together the edges are, the sharper the corner is,
the further away they are, the smoother the corner is. You should now have something like this:

Now we’ll do the same for the top of the pommel. Select the top ring, and bevel again.

Now do the same with the base of the object:

Now you should have a completed model of the grip/pommel.

Modeling the Cross-Guard:

Now we’ll model the cross-guard of the sword. To begin create a cube over the general area of the cross-guard using the cube tool , remember the cube tool is in the basic edit mode:
Now double click the cube and change the settings like so:

Now select the cube and go Build>Convert to Mesh. In point-edit mode, move the points to form around the cross-guard.

If you rotate around the object you may notice your cube may be much too long on the z-axis. To fix this, go to side view and use the non-uniform scale tool to resize
the cross-guard properly:

Now we want to form the cross-guard from the top as well. This mainly takes looking at the reference image and deciding how it will look. Go to the top view,
but you may notice that the grip/pommel is in the way. You can simply hide it by selecting it in the basic edit mode and press ‘h’ or go Edit>Hide.
Note: You can show all objects as well using either ‘Shift + h’ or going ‘Edit>Show All’

Now, in point-edit mode, select the points from the top view and move them until you get a similar result:

Now convert the mesh object to a subdivision object, Build>Convert To Subdivision. We’re now going to explore the other form of edge reinforcement, “edge properties”.
With edge properties you can decide whether you want the edges to be smooth, creased, or a certain level of rounded. When setting an edge to creased, the edge will appear creased
on the mesh. When set to smooth, the edge will be smooth. When set to rounded, the edge will change how rounded it is. The higher the number, the more creased it will be.
So we’ll select the following edges:

Now go Edit>Edge Properties… I set the edges to a Rounded level of 2. Now you’ll see that the mesh is pretty creased and not as smooth as we want it. To fix this,
we’ll change the level of subdivision. To do this, double click the object and set ‘working’ to 3.

Note: You can change the ‘working’ section of the subdivision object to any integer from 0-4. When set to 0, you will return to the base mesh, and you can convert back to mesh from there.
Beware that you don’t always go to 4. Subdivision objects create a lot of poly’s and that makes Anim8or run slower and renders take longer.

You should now have a finished hilt model that looks something like this:

We will now start work on the blade of the sword itself.

Modeling the Blade:

We’re going to use the “point-by-point”* modeling method for the blade, mixed with box modeling methods we’ve already explored.

*Point-by-point modeling is where the artist draws in the points and edges him/herself. Some find that this allows for much more control, but it can also take longer and be more tedious than box modeling.
Neither box modeling nor point-by-point modeling is better, they both have their ups and downs. It’s up to you to find which you prefer. Personally I tend to use a mix of both.
It’s good to be versatile and able to use both methods, as sometimes one will be easier for the job than the other.

To use the point-by-point modeling method, we’ll use the add-points tool in anim8or (in point-edit mode):
To create a new mesh using the add-points tool, hold “shift”, then click and drag where you want the edge. Note that you’ll want to be in either wireframe mode to be able
to view the points and edges you’re adding. After creating the first edge, you want to click and drag from a previous point to a new position to add more edges to the mesh.
To begin, try drawing two edges as shown below. (Note: Edges will not actually appear in red, this is to make viewing easier for you.)

Now continue by drawing more edges along the blade like so: (note again, the large black points and red edges are only for your viewing pleasure.)

Zoom in to the base of the blade and draw in more edges like so:

You’ll want to make sure that the edge going down the center of the blade is centered for mirroring which we’ll discuss later. To do this, double click and points in the middle
of the blade and set their ‘x’ location to 0.

Next, draw in one more edge that goes straight down the center of the blade so that your mesh looks like this (you can get the edge you’re drawing to continue straight down by constraining
the axis so that you can only draw on the ‘y’ axis.):

Now zoom in on the tip of the blade and draw in points/edges like so:

Now we’re going to “fill holes” which basically means that we’ll fill in the gaps with faces (this only works when edges form a closed polygon.)
To do this, select all the edges you created and go “Edit>Fill Holes” or press “Shift + j” as shown in the image below:

Now, if you rotate around the model, you’ll see that the blade is completely
flat. We want depth of course, so we’ll begin by extruding out the center of
the blade. To do this, select all the faces that run along the ridge in the
reference image. We then use the “group extrude” tool as before. You should get something like what’s shown in the image below:

Now that we’ve extruded, if you rotate around the model, you’ll notice that the bottom center points were kept. You want to delete all these points that are shown in the two images below:

Next, if you look at the tip of the blade, you’ll see that the extrusion gave the tip depth, and we want it sharp since we’re making a sword. To do this, select the two points shown
in the image below and go “Edit>Merge Points” or press “shift + L”. You’ll get a pop-up box. The value you enter will decide how far away points must be to have them merged. So the
higher the value you enter, the further away points can be to be merged. For this model, try entering a value of ‘1′.

When the points are merged, they may not be merged to the exact point you want. So, double click the merged point and set its ‘z’ value to ‘0′.

Now, we want to give the sword more depth. To do this, begin by selecting all the points on the blade except those that run along the outer section of the blade. The part we want to leave sharp.
Now, in a side view, drag the points forward to give the blade depth. You should have something like what’s shown below:

Now we want to “smooth” the transition from the depth of the sword to the tip of the sword. To do this simply select some of the points close to the tip of the blade that you moved
forward in the previous step and move these points a bit closer to the center of the blade (still in the side view). You should get something as shown below:

Finally we’ve completed most of the blade. Now we need to mirror. Mirroring a mesh is basically copying a mesh, then flipping it over a certain axis. Many people use mirroring to save work.
This means that you only have to model half of something, then you can mirror it. In this case, we only needed to model 1/4 of the blade. To mirror the blade, select the portion of the blade that
we’ve modeled so far, then go “Build>Mirror”. You’ll get a popup window that asks what axis you want to mirror over. For this model, we want to mirror over the x-axis. Select ‘x’ then press ‘ok’.
Now you should have two halves of the sword. Note that mirroring does NOT join the meshes, it only copies the mesh then flips it. So first, select the two halves of the blade in Object/Edit mode and go
“Build>Join Solids”, this will join the two meshes as one. So now, we want to select all the points down the center of
the blade as shown in the image below and go “Edit>Merge Points”. Since the points are so close together, we want to use a very small value so that points close to each other that we don’t want
merged will not merge. So enter a value such as ‘0.01′ and press “OK”. You should now have one interconnected mesh.

Now we have half of the blade complete. Once again we want to mirror the mesh. This time mirror it on the ‘z’ axis. Join the two meshes again. Next, in the side view, select all the points that you want merged
(all the edges that will form the sharp edge of the blade), then merge the points as in the last step.<br>
You should now have a full blade. So, last of all, we want to make it seems as if it’s coming out of the hilt. To do this, select the edges at the base of the blade and move them upwards so that they’re inside the hilt as shown below:

You are now finished modeling the sword. The next step is to add materials!

Creating Materials:

Since the manual does such a great job of explaining materials and how they
work, begin by reading the materials section of the manual. It will help you to understand what we’re
doing and why we’re doing it. To begin creating materials press the ‘Materials’
button at the top of the screen  .
This will bring up the materials toolbar on the left. To create a new material
double click the box with “new” written in it. You will get a popup box. Enter
the values as shown in the image below. As I said previously, to understand
the different attributes of a materials read the manual’s section on materials.

To apply the materials, select the hilt and cross-section in Object/Edit mode
and press “Apply” found at the top of the materials toolbar.

Now, for the blade of the sword, you’ll notice that the center extruded ridge
of the blade is lighter than the rest of the blade. So we’ll create two materials
for the blade. Create two materials as shown below:

Now select the faces that create the extruded ridge as shown below:

Now “Apply” the “Sword Center” (or whatever you chose to call it) material.
Instead of going through and selecting faces again, there’s an easier way to
select the rest of the faces. To do this, go “Edit>Select>Select by Material“.
You then want to choose “Sword Center” as the material. It will select all the
faces that you just applied the material to. If “Select by Material” is grayed
out, that means you need to be in face select mode. Now do this again, but this
time choose the “Hilt” material and check the “add to selection” box. Now we
have all the faces selected that have materials. So now go “Edit>Select>Invert
Selection“. This will invert your face select, and you can now “Apply” the “Sword
Outer” material.

Now we have some nice materials, but we want them to be more realistic! As you
know, metal reflects, and as you can see in the reference image, the hilt and
cross-section reflect as well. So, in anim8or we can fake this with “Environment
maps”. An environment map can be a single image or 6 images that form a “Cubemap”.
We’ll use a cubemap since it’s more realistic. Here are the images I used for
you to download:

Right:

Left:

Up:

Down:

Front:

Behind:

Save these images somewhere, such as a textures folder (though you may want
them in a subfolder so that they’re more organized), then, in Anim8or, double
click the “Hilt” material and press the “Textures” button in the pop-up box.
Next, press the “…” button that matches the “Env. Map” section at the bottom.
Next press “Load Texture” to load a new environment map. In the pop-up, load
the corresponding images to the corresponding sections and press “OK”. You can
then select the Env map created and press “OK” three times to get through the
three pop-up boxes. Now you’ll notice that the environment map takes away the
previous material. That’s because the intensity of the Env. map is set to 100.
To change this, go to the material dialogue box again, press the “Textures”
button and change the number under the “%” collumn that corresponds with the
“Env. Map” section to something like ‘10′. After pressing “OK” twice through
the dialogue boxes, you’ll notice that the environment map has toned down and
you can see the original material again, yet it seems to be reflective!

Now repeat this for the sword materials, this time you can change the value
for the environment map before you exit out of the dialogue box, and you don’t
need to reload the texture. I gave the sword materials a value of ‘20′ for their
environment map.

Congratulations! You’ve finished modeling the sword. Now you can render
the sword and share it with friends or the CG-Nation
community.
You can learn about the scene mode HERE.
To render with shadows, check out my rendering tutorial HERE.

Here’s the final image I came up with:

Lastly, you can download my anim8or file HERE.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial!