Modeling the Foot
When you model the foot it is important to pay attention to its skeletal structure (Figure 6-29). Most of the muscles in the foot are either between or underneath the bones. Therefore, their influ- ence on the shape of the foot is not as great as that of the bones.
Fig. 6-29 The foot bones.
Modeling the Foot Steps
Step 1 (Figure 6-30). Select the polygons at the front of the foot and merge them into one.
Step 2 (Figure 6-30). Bevel the front foot polygon forward to where the toes will begin. Give it a rough shape.
Step 3 (Figure 6-30). Split the front foot polygon into 5 sections for the toes.
Step 4 (Figure 6-30). Bevel out the toes.
Step 5 (Figure 6-30). Slice across the toes to split them into sections at the joints and the beginning of the toenail. Pull and push points to refine theshape of the toes.
Fig. 6-30 Foot Steps 1 to 9. 1). Merging the front foot polygon so it can be beveled out. 2). Beveling the front foot polygon for- ward. 3). Dividing the front polygon into 5 sections for the toes. 4). Beveling out the toes. 5). Slicing across the toes to make more points that can be moved. Shaping the toes. 6). Starting the toenail by selecting the top polygon at the toe tip. 7). Beveling the toe polygon down and scaling it smaller. 8). Beveling the toe polygon up and enlarging it. 9). Slicing across the middle of the toenail and toe tip. Dividing the toes across the top to make them more rounded.
Step 6 (Figure 6-30). Begin the toenail by select- ing the top front polygon of the large toe.
Step 7 (Figure 6-30). Bevel the toenail polygon down and make it somewhat smaller.
Step 8 (Figure 6-30). Bevel the toenail polygon up and scale it larger.
Step 9 (Figure 6-30). Slice across the middle of the toenail and through the toe itself. Move points to finish the toe. Follow the same steps to make toenails for the other 4 toes. It is important to also slice across the top of the toes the same way as the fingers and thumb. The extra lines are then used to pull points up in order to make the toes more round.
Fig. 6-31 Step 10. Finalizing the foot and toes in the various view windows.
Step 10 (Figure 6-31). Finish the work on the foot by improving its shape. You will most likely have to split some of the larger polygons.
Step 11 (Figure 6-32). Mirror duplicate the completed foot and attach it to the other leg. Bend the arms and legs so they will deform better during animation. Except for some details this completes the nude figure. In the future, rather than starting from a box again, you may decide to just use this model as a base. You should find it easier to reshape a completed model into other ones with different proportions. Be sure to make the facial morph targets (chapter 11) before you do this. It will save a lot of time because you will not have to model new ones for the next figure. Of course, if the face has a radical makeover, you will have to adjust some of the morphs.
Fig. 6-32 Step 11. Mirror duplicating the foot and bending the arms and legs for improved animation flexibility.
