Modeling a Chess Set

In this tutorial, you will create four pieces of a chess set using various modeling tools and techniques.

Skill Level: Beginner

Time to complete: 1 hour

Features Covered in This Tutorial

You will make a pawn, a bishop, a rook and a knight in these lessons. In the course of making these objects you will learn:

• Creating and editing spline objects.
• Using Lathe modifier to create a 3D object.
• Using Face extrusion to create geometry.
• Using Boolean compound objects.
• Using viewport background images.
• Using the Surface modifier.

Tutorial Files

All the files necessary for this tutorial are provided on the program disc in the \tutorials\intro_to_modeling directory. Before starting the tutorials, copy the \tutorials folder from the disc to your local program installation.

In This Tutorial

• Modeling a Pawn
• Modeling a Bishop
• Modeling a Rook
• Modeling a Knight

Modeling a Pawn

In this lesson, you will model a pawn for a set of chessmen. In a wooden chess set of standard design, pawns are turned on a lathe. You will use 3ds Max to do something similar: draw the pawn's outline, and then use a Lathe modifier to fill out its geometry. The Lathe modifier revolves the outline around a central point to create a shape, not unlike the way wood is turned on a machine lathe.

Features and techniques covered in this lesson:

• Using spline shapes to draw the outline of an object.
  This lesson also briefly introduces you to spline editing.
  A spline is a type of curve that is interpolated between two endpoints and two or more tangent vectors. The term dates from 1756, and derives from a thin wood or metal strip used for drafting curves in architecture and ship design.
• Editing the shape vertices and edges to better control spline drawing.
• Using the Lathe modifier to turn a 2D outline into a 3D model.

Tutorial Files:

Tutorial files for this lesson can be found in the \tutorials\intro_to_modeling folder.

Skill Level: Beginner

Time to complete: 15 minutes

Set up the lesson:

• Start 3ds Max or choose File > Reset if the program is already running.
  No startup file is necessary for this tutorial.

Set up the viewport background:

To create the profile of the pawn (and other chess pieces), you need to load a reference image into the viewport so you can trace over it.

1. Right-click the Front viewport to make it current.
2. From the Views menu, select Viewport Background. The Viewport Background dialog appears.
3. Click the Files button. Open the \tutorials\intro_to_modeling folder, and then double-click ref-chess.jpg to load it.
4. In the Aspect Ratio group, choose Match Bitmap. This ensures the image in the viewport does not get distorted.
5. To the right of the dialog, turn on Lock Zoom/Pan. This ensures the background image reacts to zooms and pans you may use for viewport navigation.
6. Click OK to exit the dialog. A bitmap now appears in the Front view. Press G to disable the grid, as you won’t need it for this exercise.

Now you are ready to begin drawing.

Start the pawn's outline:

You will draw the pawn's outline beginning with the “knob” on top.

1. Zoom in on the pawn reference in the Front view.
2. On the Create panel, click Shapes, and then click Line.
3. On the Creation Method rollout, set both Initial Type and Drag Type to Corner. This ensures all line segments will be linear.
4. In the Front viewport, click a point near the top center. Press and hold the Shift key to constrain the line to the vertical axis and then click a second point at the base of the pawn.
5. With the Shift key still pressed, click a point in the bottom-right edge of the base.
6. From this position, click a few points on the right contour of the reference image to create a rough profile, going up the side of the image. You do not need to be very precise at this time as you will be able to edit the profile later. To close the spline and end the command, click on the first point.
7. When prompted, click Yes to close the spline.

Edit the pawn's outline:

1. With the spline still selected, go to the Modify panel.
2. On the Selection rollout, click the Vertex button.
3. In the Front viewport, zoom in on the bottom part of the profile you created.
4. Use the Select And Move tool to adjust the vertices as shown in the following illustration.
5. Select the two rightmost vertices and then activate the Fillet button on the Modify panel.
6. With the Fillet command active, place the cursor on one of the selected vertices and then click and drag to round off the two corners, as shown below.
7. Pan up to work on the middle section of the profile.
8. Select the vertex above the rounded corner you just created. If necessary, move it to a better position, based on the reference image.
9. With the vertex selected, right-click in the viewport and from the quad menu that appears, choose Smooth.
10. Adjust the vertex position to match the reference image.
11. Pan up to the next set of vertices.
    In some situations, you might need to add a vertex.
12. On the Modify panel > Geometry rollout, choose Refine.
13. Click the line where you need to insert the vertex.
    A new vertex is added to the spline.
14. Using the Move tool, adjust the position of vertices as shown in the following illustration.
15. Select the vertex sticking out to the right and fillet it to create a curve, as you did earlier.
16. Pan up the profile. Select the two vertices shown in the following illustration.
17. Using the quad menu, convert the two selected vertices to Smooth vertices, as you did earlier. Move them to fine-tune their positions.
18. Pan up to the top part of the profile. Select the two vertices to the right of the knob and make them Smooth vertices. Again, use the Select And Move tool to fine-tune their positions.
19. Zoom in to the base of the knob.
20. If you have only one vertex at the base of the knob, use the Refine tool as you did earlier to add another vertex.
21. Select both vertices and right-click to access the quad menu.
22. Use the quad menu to convert both vertices to Bezier Corner.
23. Use Select And Move to adjust the positions of the vertices and their handles to get the proper curvatures around the base of the knob.
24. Select the first vertex you created, at the very top of the profile. Use the quad menu to convert it to Bezier Corner.
25. Adjust the handles to match the curvature on the reference image.
26. Continue refining your profile, adjusting vertex positions and types to match the reference image.
27. When you are done, click the vertex button in the Selection rollout of the Modify panel to exit the sub-object level.

Lathe the outline:

At this point, you can continue with the file you created in the previous steps, or you can open the file pawn_outline_edited.max, and continue from there.

1. Select the pawn and click Modifier List above the modifier stack display.
   This is a drop-down list of various modifiers.
2. From the list, choose Lathe.
   
   

   The pawn is now a 3D object.
   The pawn model might not look as you expected, but that’s only because the axis of revolution, by default, is based on the spline’s pivot point rather than the left side of the profile. You will fix that in the next step.
3. On the Parameters rollout of the Lathe modifier, find the Align group and click Min.
   The pawn now looks better, albeit a bit “choppy.”
4. On the Parameters rollout of the Lathe modifier, increase the Segments value to 32.
   The pawn is now smoother, as you can see if you render the Perspective viewport, but the center seems a bit pinched.
5. On the Parameters rollout of the Lathe modifier, turn on Weld Core. This combines all the vertices at the center of the model into one.

In the Introduction to Materials and Mapping tutorials, you'll provide the chess pieces with more-convincing color and texture and create a shiny, reflective wood-grain chessboard.

Summary

In this lesson you learned spline creation and editing. You also learned to create 3D geometry using the Lathe modifier.

Next

• Modeling a Bishop

Modeling a Bishop

In this lesson you will model a bishop for the chess set. For the most part, the bishop is modeled the same way as the pawn, based on a profile shape and a lathe modifier. The difference is the gap that shows on the bishop’s head. You will use a Boolean object to achieve that result.

Features and techniques covered in this lesson:

• Using spline shapes to draw an outline of an object.
• Using the Lathe modifier to turn a 2D outline into a 3D model.
• Using Boolean to subtract geometry.

Skill Level: Beginner

Time to complete: 15 minutes

Set up the lesson:

• The basic shape for the bishop is built exactly the same way as the pawn in the last lesson. Follow the procedures in the “Modeling a Pawn” exercise or open the bishop_outline_edited.max file to work with a finished shape.
  This file contains the profile of the bishop and a reference background image. If you cannot see the reference image, do the following steps.

1. Make sure the Front viewport is selected and then press Alt+B to open the Viewport Background dialog.
2. On the dialog, click the Files button.
3. Locate the ref-chess.jpg image in the \intro_to_modeling folder and double-click it.

Lathing the Bishop

1. On the main toolbar, click the Select tool. Select the spline representing the bishop’s profile in any viewport.
2. With the Spline selected, go to the Modify panel. From the Modifier list, choose Lathe.
3. On the Parameters rollout, click the Min button in the Align group.
4. Set Segments to 32 and turn on the Weld Core option.

Create and position the box:

To create the gap in the bishop's head, you'll create a simple box and then subtract from the bishop model.

1. Zoom the Front viewport in, near the bishop’s head.
2. From the Create menu, choose Standard Primitives > Box.
3. In the Front viewport, click and drag to define the base of the box. Do not worry about specific dimensions; you will change those in a moment.
4. Once you have defined the base, move the mouse and then click to define the height.
5. Go to the Modify panel and set the dimensions of the box as follows:
   • Length=15.0
   • Width=2.0
   • Height=50.0
   
   
6. On the main toolbar, click the Select And Rotate button. Rotate the box in the Front viewport so that it is aligned with the gap on the bishop’s head (in the reference image).
7. Use Select And Move to position the box on top of the gap.
8. In the Top view, move the box on the Y axis (green axis) until you can see it on both sides of the bishop.

Create the slice with a Boolean operation:

1. Select the bishop in any viewport.
2. On the Create menu, choose Compound > Boolean. The bishop is now a Boolean object and the command panel automatically switches to the Create panel, showing you the parameters of the newly converted object.
3. On the Pick Boolean rollout, click Pick Operand B and then click the box in any viewport.
   When you perform a Boolean operation, the first object selected (in this case the bishop) is recognized as Operand A and the second object selected (in this case the box) as Operand B. You can then choose the type of operation to perform, whether it’s union, intersection, or subtraction, and, in the latter case, which operand to subtract from which.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned to remove geometry by cutting a hole in an object using Boolean operations.

Next

• Modeling a Rook

Modeling a Rook

In this lesson, you will model a rook for the chess set. You'll build the rook the same way as in the previous lessons, where you created a pawn and a bishop, except for the top part with the battlement. If you were making a wooden chess set, you wouldn't be able to use a lathe for this part of the piece, and so it is with the 3D model: Although the basic structure of the rook is a lathed spline, like the pawn and the bishop, its top requires a different modeling technique.

Features and techniques covered in this lesson:

• Using face extrusion to change geometry.
• Adjusting smoothing groups for better results.

Time to complete: 15 minutes

Set up the lesson:

• Open the rook_outline_edited.max file.
  This file contains the basic shape of the rook. If you prefer to build the rook from scratch, delete the yellow profile and recreate it as you did in the previous lessons with the pawn and the bishop. Make sure, however, that you do not take into account the battlement at the top of the rook, as you will create those later using polygon extrusions.
  The Front viewport should contain a reference image. If you cannot see the image, perform the following steps:

1. Make sure the Front viewport is active and then press Alt+B to open the Viewport Background dialog.
2. On the dialog, click the Files button.
3. Locate the ref-chess.jpg image in the \intro_to_modeling folder and double-click it.

Lathe the basic shape:

1. On the main toolbar, choose the Select tool. Select the spline representing the rook’s profile in any viewport.
2. With the spline selected, go to the Modify panel. From the Modifier list, choose Lathe.
3. On the Parameters rollout, click the Min button in the Align group.
4. Set Segments to 36 and turn on Weld Core.

Prepare the top for the battlement:

1. With the rook still selected, make sure you are still in the Modify panel. From the Modifier list, choose Edit Poly.
2. On the Selection rollout, click the Polygon button.
3. Try selecting the top of the rook.
   You can only select a fraction of the area; 1/36th of the top area, to be exact.
4. On the Selection rollout, click the Vertex button.
5. Select the vertex in the top-center area of the rook.
6. Hold the Ctrl key down and click the Polygon button again on the Selection rollout. All polygons connected to the selected vertex are automatically selected.
7. Press F4 to turn on Edged Faces display, if necessary. This allows you to see the shaded object and its underlying geometry.
8. On the Edit Polygons rollout, click the Settings button next to Inset.
9. In the dialog that appears, set Inset Amount to 4.0.
10. Click OK to close the dialog and save the inset.

Create the battlement:

1. Open the Modify panel, if necessary.
2. On the Selection rollout, make sure you're at the Polygon sub-object level.
3. Use the Select tool to select four adjacent polygons in the outer ring.
4. Skip the next two polys and then select the four after those. Repeat the procedure around the circumference until the selection resembles the following illustration:
5. On the Edit Polygons rollout, click the Settings button next to Extrude. On the dialog that appears, set the Extrusion Height value to 4.5 to match the height of the battlement in the reference image in the Front viewport (change the value if necessary). When you are finished, click OK to save the extrusion and exit the dialog.
6. On the Selection rollout, click the Polygon button to exit this level.
7. Press F4 to exit Edged Faces display.
   Note the faceted effect on the battlement. You will fix that in a moment.

Adjust smoothing groups:

1. Make sure the rook object is still selected and that you are still at the Modify panel.
2. From the Modifier list, choose Smooth. The entire rook now appears faceted.
3. In the Parameters rollout, turn Auto Smooth on and leave Threshold at the default value of 30.0. Any two adjoining faces that meet at an angle less than that value will be made part of the same smoothing group and no edge will appear between them.
   
   

   The rook appears smoother now.

Summary

In this lesson you learned to create new geometry using face extrusion. You also learned how to use smoothing groups to give your objects a smoother look.

Next

• Modeling a Knight

Modeling a Knight

In this lesson, you will create a knight for a chess set using custom splines and the Surface modifier. The Surface modifier makes a 3D surface from an arrangement of intersecting splines.

Modeling a knight presents a special set of challenges: its unique contours demand that it be sculpted carefully. The Surface modifier is ideal for this type of modeling.

Features and techniques covered in this lesson:

• Building a spline cage.
• Refining and Connecting spline vertices with new segments.
• Applying and adjusting the Surface modifier.
• Using the Symmetry modifier.
• Extruding patches using the Edit Patch modifier.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time to complete: 1 hour

Set up the lesson:

• Load the file knight_start.max from the \intro_to_modeling folder.
  The scene is empty except for a background picture that you will use as reference as you model the knight. If you cannot see the reference picture, follow these steps.

1. Make sure the Front viewport is selected and then press Alt+B.
2. On the dialog that appears, click the Files button.
3. Locate the ref-chess.jpg image in the \intro_to_modeling folder and double-click it.

Draw the knight outline:

1. Maximize the Front view by pressing Alt+W.
2. On the Create panel, click Shapes, and then click Line.
3. On the Creation panel > Creation Method rollout, set both Initial Type and Drag Type to Smooth. This will help set the base profile, given the curved nature of the chess piece.
4. Click to create a contour for the knight. Do not take into account the horse’s mane or the base for now. Keep in mind that this kind of modeling does not require a lot of detail, so try to keep the number of vertices to a minimum. You will adjust them later.
5. Make sure you close the spline by clicking the starting point.
6. Go to the Modify panel. On the Selection rollout, click Vertex.
7. Adjust the positions of the vertices around the shape of the knight. Select the following vertices.
8. Right-click and choose Bezier Corner from the quad menu.
9. Use the Select And Move tool to adjust the vertex handles so that the profile fits the reference image better.

Create the inner spline cage:

1. You will start adding detail where the head intersects the neck. On the Modify panel > Geometry rollout, turn on Connect and then click Refine.
   Note: Refine adds vertices to a spline. If the Connect option is on, all inserted vertices will be connected by segments in the order they were created.
2. Click the Bezier Corner vertex at the intersection of the head and the front of the neck.
   A dialog opens:
   This dialog points out that there is already a vertex where you clicked. You still have the option to refine the spline, adding yet another vertex very close to the existing one, or you can simply use the existing vertex and connect it to others you will be inserting. Typically, use the Connect Only method when this warning appears.
3. Turn on the “Do not show this message again option” and click Connect Only.
4. Click a point to the right at the back of the neck.
5. Right-click to finish the command. You now have an additional segment going from the front to the back of the neck.
6. Add two more “levels” to the neck as shown in the illustration below.
7. Use Refine/Connect to add a vertical line of detail going from the neck to the head.
8. Continue adding detail until the spline cage looks similar to the following illustration.

Delete unwanted vertices:

The next step is to ensure that there are no loose vertices on the spline cage. In this method of modeling, it is essential that the spline cage is made of three- or four-sided areas only.

1. Make sure the spline is still selected and that you are still at the Vertex sub-object level.
2. Look for any loose vertices and select them.
3. Press Delete to remove the unwanted vertices. Make sure that a quad area has no more than four vertices, where segments intersect.

Fine-tune the spline cage:

The next step is to adjust the spline cage to get a nice flow of segments. When you refined the spline cage, you introduced a number of intersecting segments and subsequently a number of intersecting vertices. It is very important that these vertices which share the same position in space be moved together.

1. Make sure the spline is still selected and that you are still at the Vertex sub-object level.
2. In the Selection rollout, turn on Area Selection and leave the value at 0.1. This ensures that when you select a vertex by clicking it, all vertices that are within the distance specified in the threshold value get selected as well.
3. Use the Select And Move tool to relocate vertices to get a nice flow of segments in the spline cage.

Give the spline cage volume:

So far, you've built everything in the Front viewport. The collection of segments lies therefore in the same plane. In this step, you will adjust the spline cage so that it starts shaping into a 3D volume.

1. If the Front viewport is still maximized, press Alt+W to return to the four-way viewport layout.
2. Click Zoom Extents All to see the spline cage in all four viewports.
3. Using the Select tool and the Ctrl key, select all the internal vertices plus the two center ones on the bottom segment.
4. In the Top viewport, move the selected vertices down on the Y axis (green axis).
5. Keep adjusting the position of these inner vertices to give the volume a more interesting shape (narrower snout, thicker bottom neck, and so on). Feel free to experiment but do not move the other vertices around the perimeter; you'll need them to mirror the object later.

Adjust the tangents on the perimeter:

1. Select all the vertices that run along the back of the neck, except for the top one.
2. Right-click in the viewport and convert the selected vertices to Bezier Corner.
3. Move the angled tangents so they are in a more vertical position. This will give the segments a stronger angle of attack as they meet the mirror line.
   Tip: If you try to move the tangents and find the direction locked in one axis or another, press F8 to constrain motion to the XY plane.
4. Repeat this procedure on the two vertices near the mouth, and those running up the front of the neck.
5. Repeat the procedure on the vertices running along the top of the head, but then use the Front viewport to make the tangents horizontal.

Test the Surface Modifier

You will eventually mirror this spline arrangement to make the other side of the knight, but before doing so, you need to check the current setup to see if the Surface modifier works on it.

The Surface modifier places a 3D surface over each set of three- and four-sided polygons formed by the splines.

The polygons must be completely closed in order for the Surface modifier to make the 3D surface. By trying out the Surface modifier now, you can correct any “holes” in the surface before you mirror the splines.

1. With Line01 selected, exit the Vertex sub-object level.
2. From the Modifier List, choose Surface from the Object-Space Modifiers section. Depending on how you built your spline cage, the appearance of the knight in the Perspective viewport might look solid or hollow.
3. In the Parameters rollout, try turning the Flip Normals option on or off until the knight appears as shown on the right side of the illustration above.
4. Expand the Line entry in the modifier stack and then click Vertex. Turn on Show End Result so you can work on the spline cage and see the effect of the Surface modifier simultaneously.
5. In the Front viewport, select the vertex on the neck where you see a dip in the muscle tones. Right-click and convert that vertex to Bezier Corner.
6. In the Top viewport, adjust the handles into a sharp inverted V. This will help simulate the muscle tones on the neck. Keep an eye on the Perspective viewport for reference.
7. Experiment with this vertex and others to mold a better-looking neck. You can use this technique on other parts like the snout or the head as well.

Refine the mane line:

1. Adjust the Perspective viewport so that you are looking at the back of the neck.
2. Using Connect/Refine, start from the vertex at the very top of the head and work your way down to refine a mane line as shown in the following illustration.
   As you refine the segments, surface patches temporarily disappear from view but reappear once you finish the command. This is because you are introducing additional vertices and this creates patch areas that have more than four vertices. Once you are done refining the spline cage, however, the end result is made up of quads again and therefore displays correctly.
3. Exit the Vertex sub-object level and then click the Surface modifier to go to the top of the stack.

Mirror the spline arrangement:

1. If you haven’t done so already, highlight the Surface modifier on the modifier stack.
2. From the Modifier list choose Symmetry.
3. On the Parameters rollout, set Mirror Axis to Z.
4. Orbit around the object in the Perspective viewport to see the full 3D object.

Extrude and adjust the mane:

1. Highlight the Surface modifier on the modifier stack. From the Modifier list, choose Edit Patch. This inserts an Edit Patch Modifier above the Surface modifier and below the Symmetry Modifier.
2. If necessary, turn off Show End Result.
   You should be able to see only one half of the knight in all viewports.
3. On the Selection rollout of the Patch modifier, choose the Patch button.
4. In the Perspective viewport, select the patches that make up the horse’s mane.
5. In the Geometry rollout > Extrude & Bevel group, click the Extrude button.
6. Bring the cursor close to the selected patches in the perspective view and then click and drag to extrude the patches. Keep an eye on the Front viewport for reference.
7. On the Selection rollout, switch from Patch to Vertex and turn on Show End Results.
   Because of the direction of the extrusion, you need to adjust the vertex position to give the Symmetry modifier a little help.
8. In the Front viewport, use region selection to select all vertices on the outer edge of the mane. Use the Ctrl key if necessary.
9. In the Top viewport, move the selected vertices up until they intersect along the mirror line. Keep an eye on the other viewport to see if the Symmetry modifier worked nicely to weld the seams.
   Note: This was a rather simplistic way of adjusting the mirror line. Ideally, you want to move the vertices individually or in groups, while at the same time adjusting tangents for better effects.
10. Adjust the positions of the vertices and tangents in the Front viewport to follow the reference image and create a nicely flowing mane.

Create the base:

Even though you could have created the base as part of the same spline cage, it is easier to build it as a separate object and then attach the two objects together as a single mesh. The base is a simple lathed object, much like the ones you created in the previous lessons.

1. From the Create menu, choose Shapes > Line.
2. On the Creation Method rollout, set both the Initial Type and Drag Type to Corner.
3. In the Front viewport, click a point in the top center of the base, just below the knight.
4. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the line to the vertical direction, and then click a point at the bottom center of the base.
5. Move to the right and click a point at the bottom-right corner of the base.
6. Release the Shift key and go up the right side to create a rough profile of the base. Make sure you close the spline when you are done.
7. Go to the Modify panel. On the Selection rollout, choose Vertex.
8. On the Geometry rollout, choose Fillet.
9. Use the Fillet tool to round off the vertices that need it.
10. Exit the Vertex sub-object level.
11. From the Modifier list, choose Lathe.
12. Set the Segments to 32 and turn Weld Core. In the Align group, click Min.
    Note: If you need further detail on how to create a lathed object, refer to the first lesson in this tutorial: Modeling a Pawn.

Turn the two objects into a single mesh:

1. Make sure the base is still selected. Right-click it and from the quad menu, choose Convert to > Convert to Editable Mesh.
2. On the Edit Geometry rollout, click Attach and then click on the knight in any viewport.
3. Change the object’s name to Knight.
   The knight is now complete.

Summary

In these lessons, you created four chess pieces, learning different tools and methods in each case. Creating a pawn taught you about working with splines and the lathe modifier. Creating a bishop and a rook taught you about editing geometry and using Boolean compound objects to add or subtract components. Finally, you learned to model using a spline cage approach using the Surface modifier with spline objects.