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[DrewL]

I'm slowly getting the hang of Anim8or so far. I really like experimenting with the shapes like cubes and spears. Right now i like to figure out how to create a fish and\or insect creature through Anim8or? If so please let me know. I working on trying to create a series of 2-3 minute short films based on these animals.

[kreator]

hello, just wondering if you need any help with creating your fish?

its better to create anything using point mode as opposed to using the primitives.

[DrewL]

I do need some help creating a fish. Is there any simple ways to creating one?

[kreator]

I made this parrotlike fish using point edit mode and subdivision.






Obviously he needs texturing! Is this the sort of thing?

[DrewL]

The design is great. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

[kreator]

OK will prepare a written tutorial for you

[kreator]

An Anim8or Fish

By Kreator



To make a fish something like the one shown, open up Anim8or and make sure your workspace is in LEFT view  (keypad 4).
Select Point/edit mode (keystroke shift/p) then select the "add edge" icon.
(In the menubar make sure in File/Configure UI that smooth outlines and Smooth points are checked else you may not see anything appearing)


Move the mouse to a suitable position in the workspace for the fishes mouth, Hold down the shift key the click the left mouse button whilst holding down the shift key and drag out an edge.
 



When you have drawn an edge you can release the shift key. You can now create additional edges to create the outline profile of the fishes body.





Still using the connect edge connect the outer edge as the image below ( ensure that as they are connected the point to be connected turns red. Also make sure each of your edges create a four sided box (Quad)





One you have completed joining all the edges you can fill the edges using either "Fill Holes" in the menubar under Edit or a easier option is to use the keystroke Shift/j .... If they should turn Blue use the keystroke option Shift/n to flip them to Yellow.
 



Select each vertical edge on the topside of the Fish body then use edit/connect edges or use Keystroke j. Do exactly the same for the bottom vertical edges.






Select all the centre edges of the fishes body, then switch to top view (Keypad 2)Select move (Keystroke m) and drag out the edges to the left.
 



Revert to Left View and now select both the upper and lower edges that we created with the connect edges tool.





Switch to top view (Keypad 2)Select move (Keystroke m) and drag out the edges to the left.Move these slightly out but do not move them further than the inital centre edges that were moved earlier.





Switch Now to Front View and have object mode enabled (Keystroke Shift/a) and select the fish body.





We are now going to mirror the object, so go to menubar/Build/Mirror Image.



Select as per the above screenshot and click Ok


Now we have to adjust the new object that we have added so click anywhere to turn both objects off and then click the new one that has been made,you will want to move the new object out until the two outlines are just touching then move it again so there is a miniscule gap. Now have both objects selected then go to Menu/Build.Convert to Solids.

Both objects will now become one, But we must connect the points, so select point mode and use drag select Keystroke d to highlight the top points as shown in the next screenshot.



Use shift/L to hightlight the Merge points requester and use the default 0.50 as the merge ratio if the points do not merge
then adjust the ratio higher ( Use ctrl/z to undo your previous commands)




Now Do exactly the same for the bottom set of Points.

Once you have completed this your Fish should look something like this

[kreator]

 Now we need to pay some attention to the fishes body as it looks like a tube in top view, and we will want to have some fins.In top view, and in point mode select the two points as shown in the screenshot below.





 
Switch to Back View and use the Non Uniform Scale tool (Keystroke n) To scale the two points as the next screenshot









Then select the other points shown below and scale them down.









They should look something like this:-









With all these points selected use Shift/L to merge the points
I used a ratio of 1 to merge them.









Select the points shown in the next screenshot then use the Non Uniform scale tool (Keystroke n) to shape the body,









and then select other Point loops to shape the body until it looks like this:









Finally we want to bevel the outer edge of the fishes body to prepare the fins ready for extrusion
Select the three edges as per the screenshot( to be in edge mode keystroke e)









Now use the q key to select quad loop, all the edges we need will be selected.









We use the bevel tool (keystroke b) to add some additional faces use the left mouse button held down and slowly drag out some new faces until they look like the screenshot below.









More to follow..

[kreator]

We will now work on the Fins which are fairly simple to create.


move into the tail area (Use the arc rotate tool to zoom into the tail Keystroke Ctrl/r)







Select Point mode and have Faces selected (Keystroke shift/p and g respectively ) and select the faces shown in the screenshot below.





You now should be in Left view.Use the Extrude Faces connected Tool (Keystroke Shift/y) and drag out a new set of faces.





Change to point mode (Keystroke p) and select two points with the drag select tool then use the move tool to move those points up ( see Screenshot)





Switch those moved points off then select the lower two points and do the same move in the opposite direction.


Switch to face selection (g) select with drag select the faces at the end of the tail and then use the Extrude faces (Shift/y) to create a new set of faces. Repeat the moving of points for this new set until you have it looking something
like so:





Further updates to follow....

[kreator]

Now we can Create The Dorsal and Anal Fin. You should be in Face mode (g) then select the faces as shown in the following two images...You may need to zoom in to select them or you can use select drag...








In Left view select Extrude Faces Connected (Keystroke Shift/y)
and drag out a first set of new faces,





then do the same again drag out another set





Now switch to points (keystroke p) and using select hightlight some points on the dorsal fin and use move to adjust the shapes

[kreator]

Lets now form some Pectoral Fins for our fish and start also to form the eyes. We need some more geometry to create these so select in edge mode the two edges as shown below





now use keystroke shift/q and we should have all the edges we need to connect with keystroke j.






Select the edges as shown in the next image





then use keystroke q to select the loop for the edges then use keystroke j to connect them.






In left view and face mode selected drag select faces as shown,






These will form the pectorals,with both faces still selected use the inset tool (keystroke i) until you have it looking like the image below





Switch to point mode (p) and select the points indicated in the inset faces
 

 
manipulate these points until your inset faces look like a slot
Mine is a horizontal slot (though you may prefer to do a verical slot which would look more natural)


Once you are happy with it switch back to face mode and select the amended slots





Now we can start to extrude the faces with Shif/y I like to use the Scale faces Tool shift/k as I am extruding, to make a more convincing Fin (See image below)

[DrewL]

Thank you very much for the tutorial. I can't to start using it.

[kreator]

No Problem.... but we are far from finished, so to the next part




Lets make the eye sockets now, select the two faces shown in the screenshot below - best in arc rotate to select the two.





You will need to go into point mode and select the points that
make up these faces see image below .. these are the points we need and should be moved up.





Once you have them both as per the screenshot we want to go to face mode then select the adjusted faces,





Use the extrude tool to add add some thickness (not too much)





Then whilst the faces are selected, inset (Shift/i)the faces.





Now we can Extrude in the resultant faces.





Finally hit the delete key to delete the faces





And just as a slight diversion lets Turn the fishes body into a subdivision, Hightlight the object in Object mode
then go to Menubar Under BUILD you will find "Convert to Subdivided" just click on this option and your model will
be subdivided..



Do a Ctrl and Z  to undo the subdivision option, as we have not quite finished modelling in our base mode yet, Just the pelvic fins and the mouth to go and we should be ready for texturing and making some morphs for animation.

[kreator]

Textured this little fish now with Roadkill.....

Further details for Roadkill at:
http://www.anim8orworld.com/Forum/index.php?topic=178

Just have some fishy morphs to doo then will be in position to animate