modelling a lantern 01 - lightwave 3d

Creating a Lantern By Erik Brimstedt

Introduction

In this Tutorial we will be creating a realistic Lantern. When I first modelled the Lantern I

was using a real one as a reference. While working in Lightwave I was taking

measurements of the Lantern and using that as I went by. The result was better than I

expected, and since I’ve had a few requests on a Tutorial being written on how to model

one, I thought it would fit nicely into my Online Lightwave Tutorial Shop.

If you have one of these Lanterns in your house, then by all means go get it! Have a look

at it and figure out what modelling techniques might be best to use. When I had a look at

mine, I noticed that most of it was just round shapes, and one tool quickly came to mind

– The Lathe Tool. I could build most of this using only the Pen Tool and then Lathing it.

Picture 1 shows the Lantern we are about to build. The image to the left is a rough

sketch of the outlines, which we will use as guides for the Pen Tool, and the image to the

right is an OpenGL shot of the main Lantern body.

Picture 1: A rough sketch and a preview of a Lantern

So we will create the Lantern in sections, starting with the base and moving upwards.

Before we start I should also mention that even though the Tutorial is step by step, it

might not be aimed at the very beginners of Lightwave. I will not explain where to find

tools or what tools do. If you’re just starting out with Lightwave, then my Beginners

Guide might be a good choice. Good Luck!

Creating the 2D Shapes

Chapter 1 - Lower Base Section

Okay, I have made a few in-scale drawings of the parts we are about to create. Start by

loading up Modeler and bring up the Display options panel by pressing “d”. Switch to the

Backdrop Tab and select the bottom left viewport, then use the settings shown in picture

2.

Picture 2: The Background settings

Click OK to save the changes, then size up the Bottom Left viewport to max. Zoom in

until the image fits the viewport as well. Now all we have to do is trace the lines of the

background image with the Pen Tool to create the basic 2D shape of the Base section.

Don’t be afraid to place out many points, I used 67 points for the Base Section. The more

points you use the more detail the Lantern will have, although 67 should be quite enough

for this section. The following pictures shows where I placed my points and where there

should be extra many points (for detail). Take a few seconds and study these and try to

place your points in a similar way.

Picture 3: The points placed out using the background image as reference

Select all the points you have created and hit “i” on your keyboard. This is the Point Info

Panel, which gives you information about each individual point you’ve placed. Picture 4

shows that each point has been given a number, and this number represents in which

order I created the point. As you can see I started in the lower right corner and then

went in a clockwise order to create the points. You can also remove the background

image now; it will make it a bit easier to see where the points are.

Picture 4: All 67 points selected & Point Info panel showing

The following picture shows some of the more tedious and detailed parts of this section.

Picture 5: Close-ups on the more detailed parts

This will become the base of our Lantern then, and we will keep it as a 2D shape/polygon

while we make the other ones, and then we’ll Lathe them all at the same time. Save your

object at this point, choose a filename such as “Lantern.lwo” or something similar.

Chapter 2 - Upper Base Section

The first 2D shape/polygon we made should be in Layer 1, so switch to Layer 2 now and

bring up the Display Options Panel. Go to the Backdrop Tab and just change the

background image, keep all the size and centre values, like in picture 6. All the 2D

shapes will be created at the same place for now, and later on we will move them to their

correct positions.

Picture 6: Backdrop settings for the second image

Click OK to save the changes, then start working with the Pen Tool again, like we did in

the first chapter.

For this section I used 38 points, shown in picture 7.

Picture 7: Points placed along the contours of the background image

Remove the background image for now and have a look at picture 8 for some more detail

on certain parts.


Chapter 3 - Glass Holder

So lets get on with the next section. Switch to Layer 3 and bring up the Display options

panel again, then switch to the Backdrop tab and change the “Image” to picture3.tif.

Just keep the rest of the settings to the way they were with the other two images.

Once again start tracing the outlines of the image in the Backview (Bottom Left

Viewport). Try to create the points in a similar way as me, and for this section I used 25

points, picture 9 shows the 2D shape I made.

Picture 9: Section 3 – the Glass Holder

This section was fairly simple to make, but there’s one thing you need to think about. As

you can see in picture 9, the mid section of the 2D shape does not contain any points,

and I want you to create yours the same way. This section will later have holes in it, and

that’s why we don’t want any points here, you’ll see why later on.

Select the two points shown in the top image of picture 10. As for now I have removed

the backdrop image.

Picture 10: Use the Set Value Tool and place the points

Use the Set Value Tool (ctrl+v) and enter –20mm for the X-axis and then click OK. Then

select the points shown in the bottom image of picture 10 and use the Set Value Tool

again, this time use a value of –32mm on the X-axis. Click OK and the points will move

to the new location.

This is it for this 2D shape, so lets get on with the Glass part.

Chapter 4 - Glass Section

Like before, open up the Display Options Panel and this time use picture4.tif as backdrop

for the BL Viewport. The Size and Centre settings should be the same as before. Switch

to Layer 4 and trace the outlines with the Pen Tool, and for this section I used 42 points.

Picture 11 shows my finished 2D shape of this section.

Picture 11: The Glass section

Picture 12 shows a close-up on the more detailed parts.

Picture 12: Close-ups on the detailed parts

This section is done now, so press “s” on your keyboard to save the progress.

Chapter 5 - Top Section

Switch to Layer 5, then open up the Display Options again and this time set picture5.tif

as backdrop, with the same size & centre values as before. Trace the outlines of the

backdrop like before. I used 53 points for this section. Like in the glass holder section we

need to place 4 of these points at a certain position, so try to create your shape as

similar to mine as possible, have a look at picture 13.

Picture 13: The Top section

Picture 14 shows the more tedious parts of this section.

Picture 14: Close-ups on the more tedious parts

Okay, now we’re going to place those 4 points I was talking about earlier.

Picture 15 shows information on what points to select and where to place them, so use

the Set Value tool again.

Picture 15: Use the Set Value tool

Select the two points shown in the left image of picture 15, then place them at 4mm on

the Y-axis using the Set Value Tool, then select the two points shown in the right image

of picture 15 and this time place them at 9mm.

That’s it for this section, so lets continue with the next one.

Chapter 6 - Top Section Cover

Switch to Layer 6 and change the backdrop image to picture6.tif, and like before, use the

same size & centre values. All these 2D shapes will be created at the same place but we

will position them later on. Start tracing the outlines for this shape; picture 16 shows the

one I made, using 48 points.

Picture 16: Trace the backdrop with the Pen Tool

Picture 17 shows Close-ups on the more detailed parts.


That’s it for this section, now lets get on with the last one.

Chapter 7 - Top Section Hat

Once again change the backdrop image, this time to picture7.tif. Switch to Layer 7 and

start tracing this section with the Pen Tool, I used 50 points shown in picture 18.

Picture 18: Trace the outlines with the Pen Tool

Picture 19 shows some more detail.

Picture 19: Close-up

There is one part of this section where the points need to be placed in a certain way, so

lets fix that now.

Picture 20 shows 6 points that need to be aligned. Select 2 at a time and use the values

shown in the picture.

Picture 20: Use the Set Value Tool to position the points

So just use the Set Value Tool here to position the points, we need them aligned here

since there will be holes in the mesh here later on.

That’s it for the basic 2D shapes, press “s” now to save the progress.

Lathing

Chapter 8 - Lower Base Section

Okay all the basic 2D shapes are finished. Picture 21 shows all the layers together at this

point.

Picture 21: All the layers together

Now we’re going to lathe these one by one, so lets start out with the Base Section.

Switch to Layer 1 and activate the Lathe Tool by pressing “Shift+L” on the keyboard.

Bring up the Numeric Panel by pressing “n”. We’re only going to change the amount of

Sides here, so set it to “16” and make sure the axis is set to Y, leave the rest and then

close down the Numeric Panel. Deactivate the Lathe Tool now to perform the operation.

The kerosene is stored in this part of the Lantern, and we need to have some sort of

opening on it where you fill it up. The cork itself will be created later, but we will put a

small bump in the mesh to simulate the opening. We will do this using the Smooth Shift

tool, but first we need to rotate the Base section a bit.

Activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the Axis to Y and keep all

the centre values to 0. So how much should we rotate this then? Well, we want the

polygon segments to line up straight with the grid pattern sort of. Picture 22 shows the

Base Section just after I Lathed it, and as you can see the point segments are lining up

with the grid pattern.

Picture 22: Base Section just after the Lathe Tool

I have marked one of the point segments in picture 22, and we want the polygon

segments to face this way instead. In the Numeric Panel of the Rotate Tool, enter this in

the Angle field:

360/16

That’s right, type exactly what I wrote above, Lightwave will do the math. Why do I

divide 360 with 16 then? Well, the Base Section was Lathed 360 Degrees, and we used

16 Sides, and thereby if we divide 360 with 16 we get exactly how many degrees there is

between each segment. So enter 360/16 and press enter, you will get 22,5 degrees. But

we are not done with this, now we have the amount of degrees between each segment,

but we want to rotate the Base Section half a segment. If we were to rotate the Base

Section 22,5 degrees the change wouldn’t be noticeable.

So we have to divide 22,5 in 2, so type this in the Angle field:

22,5/2

Lightwave will now produce 11,25 degrees, and this is the number we were after. Press

Apply now to rotate the Base Section, and afterwards it should look like picture 23.

Picture 23: Base Section rotated

As you can see now, the Polygon segment is facing the centre line perfectly; I’ve marked

one of the polygons segments with red in picture 23.

Now we are going to select 4 of these polygons to create the bump in the mesh. Select

the 4 polygons shown in picture 24.

Picture 24: Select these polygons

You can easiest do this by just clicking on the mesh in the Perspective View.

With these 4 polygons selected, activate the Smooth Shift tool by pressing “Shift+F” on

the keyboard. Then just right click in any of the Viewports and the points will be

duplicated at this place. Keep the polygons selected and activate the Stretch Tool by

pressing “h” on the keyboard. Press “Shift+A” now to fit the selection in the Viewports,

then place the mouse pointer in the centre of the selection in Top View and drag it

inwards a bit, like in picture 25.

Picture 25: Stretch the polygons inwards

Keep the polygons selected and activate the Move Tool by pressing “t” on the keyboard.

Move the selection downwards and to the left in the Back View, like in picture 26.

Picture 26: Move the selection down and to the left in the Back View

Keep the polygons selected and activate the Smooth Shift Tool again, then just right click

in any of the Viewports to duplicate the points once more. Now you can deselect the

polygons, the work on the Base Section is done. Press Tab now to activate

Metanurbs/Subpatches, then open up the Options Panel by pressing “o” on the keyboard.

Set the Patch Division to 4 and click OK. Picture 27 shows a few angles of my Lower Base

Section.

Picture 27: The finished Base Section

Open up the Change Surface Panel by pressing “q” on the keyboard, then create a new

surface called “Metal” and Click OK.

Chapter 9 - Upper Base Section

Switch to Layer 2 and press “a” on the keyboard to fit the 2D shape in the Viewports.

This section will later on have a small knob to control the kerosene flow, and thereby we

need to make a small hole in one of the sides, but first of all, lets Lathe it.

With nothing selected, activate the Lathe Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. We are

going to use 24 Sides for this section, so enter that and make sure the axis is set to Y,

then close down the Numeric Panel. Deactivate the Lathe Tool now to perform the

operation.

We are going to rotate this section to, but we can’t use the degree amount we used on

the last section since we used 24 sides for this one. The idea is the same though, so just

activate the Rotate Tool, bring up the Numeric Panel and enter 360/24/2 in the Angle

field. The result should be 7,5 degrees so just click apply to rotate the mesh. Select the

polygon shown in picture 28, easiest way is by just clicking on it in the perspective view.

Picture 28: Select this polygon

Activate the Smooth Shift tool and right click somewhere in one of the Viewports, then

activate the Stretch tool and place the mouse pointer in the centre of the polygon in the

Right Viewport (Bottom Right Viewport).

Stretch the polygon a bit inwards like in picture 29.

Picture 29: Stretch the polygon inwards

Now activate the Move Tool and move the selected polygon towards the negative side on

the X-axis, like in picture 30.

Picture 30: Move the selected polygon

When you have moved it, activate the Smooth Shift Tool again and right click in any of

the Viewports to duplicate the points. Keep the polygon selected and activate the Move

Tool again, then move it twice as much as last time, again towards the negative X axis.

When you moved it, hit delete on the keyboard to delete the selected polygon.

Press Tab now to convert this section to Metanurbs/Subpatches. Picture 31 shows 2

angles of my Upper Base Section.

Picture 31: The Upper Base Section

Now this section should lie directly on top of the Lower Base Section, so we need to move

it a bit. Activate the Move Tool and move this upwards about 3cm on the Y-axis. You can

put Layer 1 in the background to see that it’s placed in the right spot. When you’ve

moved it, activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Enter –25 degrees

and set the axis to Y, keep all the centre values at 0 and click Apply. If you view Layer 1

and 2 together now they should look something like picture 32.

Picture 32: Layer 1 and 2 together

Layer 2 should also have the Metal Surface, so bring up the Change Surface Panel and

select the Metal surface there, then click OK.

Chapter 10 - Glass Holder

Switch to Layer 3 now. Keep everything unselected and activate the Lathe Tool, then

bring up the Numeric Panel. We’re going to use 48 sides for this one, so enter that and

keep the rest of the settings to the default, then close down the Numeric Panel and hit

Space on the keyboard to perform the operation. Now I want you to select every other

polygon in the mid row on this mesh, both on the upper and under side, like in picture

33. You do this easiest by just clicking on the polygons you want to select in the

Perspective view. Hold down Shift while you’re doing it, this lets you add as many

polygons as you want to your selection.

Picture 33: Select every other polygon in the mid row

48 polygons should be selected if you did this right. Keep them selected and activate the

Smooth Shift Tool, then right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the points. Once

done, activate the Stretch Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the settings

shown in picture 34.

Picture 34: The Stretch Tool settings

So click Apply to perform the stretch operation. Close down the Numeric Panel, keep the

polygons selected and bring up the Merge Points panel by pressing “m” on the keyboard.

Select the Fixed operation and enter 1mm in the Distance field, then click OK. 96 points

should be eliminated. Keep the polygons selected and press delete on the keyboard to

delete these polygons, then press “a” to fit the mesh in the Viewports.

Activate Metanurbs/Subpatches now. Picture 35 shows a few angles of my Glass Holder.

Picture 35: The Glass Holder

We’re going to move this section in position as well. It should be placed on top of the

Upper Base Section. I moved mine upwards 39mm on the Y-axis, and picture 36 shows it

together with Layer 2.


Layer 3 should also have the Metal Surface, so bring up the Change Surface Panel and

select the Metal surface there, then click OK.

Chapter 11 - Glass Section

Switch to Layer 4 and activate the Lathe Tool. Open up the Numeric Panel and use 24

Sides for this one, keep the rest to the defaults and close down the Numeric Panel. Hit

Space to perform the operation and then hit “a” to fit the mesh in the Viewports.

Open up the Options Panel by pressing “o” on the keyboard, then set the Patch Divisions

to 2 and click OK. Activate Metanurbs/Subpatches and then press “ctrl+d” to freeze

them again. Press “c” to copy the Glass section, then switch to an empty layer and press

“v” to paste it. Press “f” to flip the polygons, then bring up the Change Surface Panel by

pressing “q”. Create a surface called “Glass_Solid” and click OK to apply it. Cut the

flipped polygons out of this layer by pressing “x”, then switch back to Layer 4, but don’t

paste it in yet.

Once back in Layer 4, bring up the Change Surface Panel again and create a new surface

called “Glass”, then click OK. Now press “v” on the keyboard to paste the flipped

polygons, then press “m” to bring up the Merge Points Panel, select the Automatic option

and click OK. 4032 points was eliminated in my mesh, this depends on how many points

you used in the original 2D shape.

What you have in Layer 4 should look something like picture 37.

Picture 37: The Glass Section

Lets position this section now. Put Layer 3 in the background, then move the Glass

Section upwards on the Y axis about 75mm, until it rests on the Glass Holder.

Chapter 12 - Top Section

Switch to Layer 5 now and activate the Lathe Tool. Bring up the Numeric Panel and enter

24 for Sides, keep the rest to the defaults and close down the Numeric Panel. Then hit

Space to perform the operation.

We are going to make a few holes in this mesh, so select the polygons shown in picture

38. This is easiest done by just holding down Shift & clicking in the Perspective View.


24 polygons should be selected all together. With these polygons selected, activate the

Bevel Tool by pressing “b” on the keyboard, then bring up the Numeric Panel. We’re only

bevelling these inwards, so set the Shift Value to –0,8mm and press enter. The other

settings should be set to 0, then close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to

perform the operation. Keep the polygons selected and bring up the Merge Points panel

by pressing “m” on the keyboard, select the Fixed option and set the Distance to 1mm,

then click OK. 48 points should be eliminated.

Keep the polygons selected and press delete on the keyboard to delete them. This

section should have the Metal surface, so bring up the Change Surface panel and set it to

the Metal one, then click OK. Press Tab now to convert the mesh to Metanurbs/Subpatch.

You can also change the amount of Patch Divisions to 4 in the Options Panel, this is just

for the real-time preview but it gives you a bit more detail.

This section should be placed on top of the Glass Section, so activate the Move Tool and

move this 143,5mm upwards on the Y-axis. Layer 1 to 5 should look something like

picture 39 together now.

Picture 39: Layer 1 to 5 together

This is starting to look more and more like a Lantern, but we have 2 more shapes to

Lathe, and then a few details to add.

Chapter 13 - Top Section Cover

Switch to Layer 6 and activate the Lathe Tool. Bring up the Numeric Panel and set the

amount of Sides to 24, keep the rest to the defaults. Close down the Numeric Panel and

press Space to perform the operation. Open up the Change Surface Panel and apply the

Metal Surface to this part to. That’s pretty much it for this section; all we need to do is

move it to the right position.

Activate the Move Tool and move this upwards 157mm on the Y-axis. Activate

Metanurbs/Subpatches now and we’re done. Together with Layer 5 it should look

something like picture 40.


Again, save your progress by pressing “s” on the keyboard.

Chapter 14 - Top Section Hat

Okay, switch to Layer 7 now so we can lathe the last 2D shape. Activate the Lathe Tool

and bring up the Numeric Panel. Enter 24 for Sides and keep the rest of the setting so

the defaults, then close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation.

This section will have 4 big holes in it, so lets start by selecting the polygons where the

holes should be. Picture 41 shows which ones to select.

Picture 41: Select these polygons, 96 in total

With these polygons selected, activate the Smooth Shift tool and bring up the Numeric

Panel by pressing “n” on the keyboard. Set the Offset to –1mm here, the Scale should be

100% and the Max Smoothing angle should be at the default – 89,5 degrees. Close down

the Numeric Panel and press Space to perform the operation.

Keep the polygons selected and bring up the Merge Points panel by pressing “m” on the

keyboard, select the Fixed option and enter 2mm for Distance, then click OK. 80 points

should be eliminated. Keep the polygons selected and press delete on the keyboard to

delete these polygons.

Open up the Change Surface panel and give this section the Metal Surface. Now lets

move it in position. Put Layer 5 in the background, then move the Top Section Hat

upwards 194,5mm on the Y-axis. The Top Section Hat should rest on the Top Section in

Layer 5. Activate Metanurbs/Subpatches for the Hat now, and together with Layer 5 and

6 it should look something like picture 42.

Picture 42: Layer 5, 6 and 7 together

We’re going to alter the surfaces a bit to see a somewhat preview of what it will look like

later on, so open up the Surface Editor and select the Metal Surface. We are just

changing the basic settings now; we will deal with textures later on in Layout.

Enter these settings for the Metal surface, the settings below are the only ones you need

to change, leave the rest to the defaults:

Color: R: 120 G: 110 B: 100

Diffuse: 80%

Specularity: 75%

Glossiness: 20%

Reflection: 15%

Smoothing: ON

Once done, select the Glass surface and change the following:

Color: R: 190 G: 200 B: 210

Diffuse: 40%

Specularity: 50%

Glossiness: 40%

Reflection: 25%

Transparency: 75%

Refraction Index: 1.5

Smoothing: ON

Once done, select the Glass_Solid surface and use the following settings:

Color: R: 190 G: 200 B: 210

Diffuse: 40%

Specularity: 0%

Reflection: 0%

Transparency: 75%

Refraction Index: 1.0

Smoothing: ON

That’s it for the basic surfacing, close down the Surface Editor. All the Layers together

should look something like picture 43 now:

Picture 43: The Lantern at this point

We are now done with all the Basic sections of this Lantern, so lets get on with the

details. Save the progress now by pressing “s” on the keyboard.

The Details

Chapter 15 - Handles

Lets start out with the two handles that the Lantern should have. Switch to Layer 8 now,

which should be empty, then open up the Display Options Panel and go to the Backdrop

Tab. For the Bottom Right Viewport, use the settings shown in picture 44.

Picture 44: The backdrop settings

Click OK to apply the background image to the BR Viewport. We can’t just trace this

background image with the Pen Tool like before since the shape of it isn’t quite that

simple. What we need to do is make a polygon that has the shape of the intersection of

the Handle, and then extrude it and work from there.

Set the Grid Size to 2mm and use the Point Tool to place 4 points at the positions shown

below. What you can do here is simply place 4 points at a random location, and then

move them one by one using the figures below.

Picture 45: The Point Info Panel showing the locations for each point

Once you finished positioning the points, activate the Mirror Tool by pressing “Shift+V”,

then mirror these points across the Z-axis at the centre. You can use the Numeric Panel

if you want to, just set the axis to Z and the Centre values to 0, then close down the

Numeric Panel and press Space to perform the operation.

Use the Mirror Tool again and this time mirror all the points across the X-axis at the

centre. Drag a lasso around the points shown in picture 46 to select them.

Picture 46: Select these points, 8 in total

Copy these points by pressing “c” on the keyboard, then paste them in again in the same

layer by pressing “v”. Keep the points selected and activate the Rotate Tool, then place

the mouse pointer at the centre of the Top View and rotate these points –90 degrees. If

you want to use the Numeric Panel for this, then set the axis to Y, the Angle to –90

degrees and all the centre values at 0, then click Apply.

Keep these 8 points selected and activate the Move Tool, then move these 1,6mm on the

X axis, then activate the Mirror Tool and mirror them across the X-axis at the centre.

Picture 47 shows the Top View at this point.

Picture 47: The Top View at this point

We need to add a few more points before we turn it into a polygon, so activate the Point

Tool and place 4 points at the positions shown in picture 48.

Picture 48: Place 4 new points at the positions shown

Keep these 4 points selected and activate the Mirror Tool. Mirror these across the X-axis

at the centre. Once done, deselect the Mirror Tool and add the 4 new points to the

selection until you have 8 points selected, shown in picture 49.

Picture 49: Select these points

With these points selected, activate the Mirror Tool and mirror them across the Z-axis at

the centre and we’re done. Deselect everything, then start selecting these points in a

clockwise order, and once all the points are selected, press “p” to create a polygon. All

right, the first step done in creating the handles, picture 50 shows the polygon.

Picture 50: The polygon

Now we’re going to extrude this polygon, but first lets move it into position. Use the

backdrop in the BR Viewport and place it in the upper area of the straight handle-part,

like picture 51 shows.

Picture 51: Place the polygon here

Okay, for the following procedures are a bit tedious, but I’ll try to explain it as good as

possible. Activate the Extrude Tool by pressing “Shift+E” on the keyboard. Working in

the BR Viewport, extrude this polygon just a few millimetres downwards using your left

mouse button, like in picture 52.

Picture 52: Extrude the polygon slightly downwards

Deselect the Extrude Tool and then select the polygon facing downwards. Activate the

Move Tool and move this polygon to the bottom of the straight handle-part, like in

picture 53.

Picture 53: Move this polygon downwards

We will now use 4 Tools to make the polygons follow the curve of the backdrop image.

Smooth Shift, Rotate, Move and Stretch, and we will be working freehand in the BR

Viewport. Keep the polygon facing downwards selected and activate the Smooth Shift

Tool, then right click in any of the Viewports to duplicate the points. Zoom in on the

lower part of the handle and use the Move Tool to move the polygon downwards even

more, like in picture 54.

Picture 54: Move the selected polygon downwards

When you’re done moving, use the Smooth Shift Tool again to duplicate the points, then

activate the Rotate Tool. Place the mouse pointer just to the right of the polygon and

rotate it a few degrees to make it follow the curve of the handle, like in picture 55.

Picture 55: Rotate the polygon a bit, making it follow the curve.

The Red Dot indicates where the mouse pointer was placed, i.e. the pivot point

Now activate the Stretch Tool and place it at the same spot as with the Rotate Tool

(Where the Red Dot was in picture 55). Stretch the polygon inwards a bit so that the

outer part follows the backdrop image. Duplicate the points again using the Smooth Shift

Tool, then combine the Move, Rotate and Stretch Tool to make it fit the backdrop image.

Picture 56 shows another segment added.

Picture 56: Duplicate the points, then Rotate, Move and Stretch the polygon

Once more, duplicate the points, and this time move the polygon a bit further down the

backdrop image, like in picture 57.

Picture 57: Another segment added

Duplicate again, then move, rotate and stretch the polygon to fit the end of the backdrop

image, like in picture 58.

Picture 58: Fit the polygon

Okay, open up the Display Options Panel now and remove the backdrop image, then put

Layer 1 in the background, which should be the Lower Base of the lantern. Use the Drag

Tool, ctrl+t, and drag the points to match the shape of the Lower Base, like in picture

59.

Picture 59: Use the Drag Tool to drag the points to fit the outer shape of the Lower Base

Select the end polygon again and use the Smooth Shift tool to duplicate the points.

Working in the Back View (BL Viewport), place the mouse pointer in the centre of this

polygon and use the stretch tool to stretch it inwards both horizontally and vertically, like

in picture 60.

Picture 60: Stretch the polygon

Deactivate the Stretch Tool. Working in the BR Viewport, Rotate & Stretch the polygon to

fit the shape of the Lower Base again, like in picture 61.

Picture 61: Rotate & Stretch it to fit the Lower Base of the lantern

Keep the polygon selected and triple it by pressing “Shift+T” on the keyboard. That’s it

for the lower part of the handle; lets get on with the upper part.

Zoom in on the upper part and select the polygon facing upwards, then duplicate the

points using the Smooth Shift Tool and move it upwards a bit, like in picture 62.

Picture 62: Use the Smooth Shift tool and move the polygon upwards

Use the Smooth Shift Tool again to duplicate the points, then combine the Move, Rotate

and Stretch tool to make the polygon follow the curve of the backdrop image, like in

picture 63.

Picture 63: Smooth Shift, Rotate, Move and Stretch to fit the backdrop

The Red Dot indicates the pivot point

Do the same procedures again and add another segment, like in picture 64.

Picture 64: Another segment added

As you can see the on the backdrop image, just before the end the handle widens out a

bit, so add another segment and place it just where the widened part starts, like in

picture 65.

Picture 65: Add another segment at the beginning of the widened part

Add yet another segment using the Smooth Shift Tool, then working in BL Viewport, use

the Stretch Tool to widen the polygon outwards a bit, to make it follow the backdrop

image somewhat, like in picture 66.

Picture 66: Stretch this segment outwards in the BL Viewport a bit

Now put Layer 6 in the background. This is the Top Section Cover, which the handle will

be attached to. Add another segment and move it to the start of the Top Section Cover in

Layer 6, you can remove the backdrop image now if you want to.

Once you’ve moved it, use the Drag Tool and make the points of the polygon fit the outer

shape of Layer 6, like in picture 67.

Picture 67: Move the new segment to fit the Top Section Cover in Layer 6

Keep the polygon selected and duplicate the points once more using the Smooth Shift

Tool, then working in the BL Viewport, stretch the polygon inwards again, like in picture

68.

Picture 68: The final segment added and stretched inwards a bit

Triple this polygon now by pressing “Shift+T”, and we’re done with the basic shape of

the handle.

Next we are going to add a hole at the top section of the handle, where the steel wire will

go through. Zoom in on the upper part of the handle, and put the backdrop image back

in the BR Viewport. Activate the Knife Tool by pressing “Shift+K”, then make a cut in the

curve. Have a look at picture 69 and you’ll know where to put it.

Picture 69: Use the Knife Tool

Keep the Knife Tool activated and add another cut a bit further down on the handle, like

in picture 70.

Picture 70: Add another cut

Once done, deactivate the Knife Tool.

Working in the Perspective View, select the polygons shown in picture 71. 14 polygons

should be selected.

Picture 71: Select these polygons by clicking on them in the Perspective View

14 polygons should be selected

Activate the Smooth Shift Tool and right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the

points. Working in the BR Viewport, use the Stretch tool to size the polygons down

vertically, then use the Move Tool and move the selected polygons to fit the backdrop

image, like in picture 72.

Picture 72: Stretch and Move the polygons to fit the backdrop image

Deselect these polygons and select the 4 polygons shown in picture 73.


Use the Smooth Shift Tool and right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the points,

then working in the BR Viewport, place the mouse pointer at the centre of these polygons

and use the Stretch Tool to stretch them slightly inwards, like in picture 74.

Picture 74: Duplicate and stretch these 4 polygons inwards

The Red Dot indicates where the mouse pointer was placed for the stretch operation

Keep the polygons selected and use the Smooth Shift Tool to duplicate the points again.

Then activate the Stretch Tool once more and bring up the Numeric Panel by pressing

“n”. Use the settings shown in picture 75.

Picture 75: Stretch the selected polygons using these settings

Click Apply to perform the operation, then close down the Numeric Panel and deactivate

the Stretch Tool. Keep the polygons selected and bring up the Merge points panel by

pressing “m” on the keyboard. Use the Automatic function and click OK, 6 points should

be eliminated. Finally delete the selected polygons by pressing delete on the keyboard.

Open up the Change Surface Panel and give the Handle the Metal Surface, then activate

Metanurbs/Subpatches by pressing “Tab” on the keyboard. Picture 76 shows a few

angles of my finished handle.

Picture 76: A few angles of the finished handle

Activate the Mirror Tool now and mirror this handle across the Z-axis at the centre, and

together with all the other Layers, picture 77 shows my Lantern at this point.

Picture 77: All the Layers together

That’s it for the handles, press “s” now to save the progress.

Chapter 16 - Lower Base Details

Okay, lets get on with the details on the Lower Base. We will have the small knob that

controls the kerosene flow, and a small opening where you refill the kerosene. Lets start

with the small opening. As the modeler looks now, Layers 1 till 8 are taken up by the

Main Lantern body, and for the following procedures we will need a complete new Layer

Group. Switch to Layer Group 2 now; picture 78 shows before and after the switch.

Picture 78: Layer Group Switch; 10 New Layers

Okay so we have 10 new Layers now to work with, and even though the correct names of

these Layers would be 11 to 20, I will refer to them as Layer 1 to 10. Open up the

Display Options Panel by pressing “d” on the keyboard, then move to the Backdrop Tab

and use the settings shown in picture 79.

Picture 79: The backdrop settings

Click OK to apply the changes.

Use the Pen Tool to trace the outlines of this backdrop image, like we did in the

beginning of this Tutorial. I used a total of 41 points for this section, shown in picture 80.

Picture 80: Trace the outlines with the Pen Tool

Picture 81: A Close-up on the more detailed part

You can remove the backdrop once you’re done. Activate the Lathe Tool, bring up the

Numeric Panel and set the amount of Sides to 16. Leave the rest to the default settings

and close down the Numeric Panel, then press “Space” to perform the operation.

If the polygons are facing inwards after the Lathe, then just flip them by pressing “f” on

the keyboard. Press “Tab” to turn it into a subpatch and apply the “Metal” Surface.

We’re done with this Layer for now, so switch to Layer 2 and open up the Display Options

Panel again. Go to the backdrop Tab and use the settings shown in picture 82.

Picture 82: Backdrop settings

Working in the Bottom Left Viewport, use the Pen Tool as before and trace the outlines.

We don’t need so many points for this section; I used 16, shown in picture 83.

Picture 83: Use the Pen Tool to trace the outlines of the backdrop image

And without the backdrop image the shape should look something like picture 84.

Picture 84: The finished shape

Activate the Lathe Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then enter 20 for sides and leave

the rest to the default values, close down the Panel and press Space to perform the

operation.

If the Polygons are facing inwards after the Lathe operation, then just flip them by

pressing “f”. Activate the Move Tool and move this object upwards on the Y-axis 58mm,

you can use the Numeric Panel if you want to.

Switch to Layer 3 and activate the Box Tool, then use the settings shown in picture 85.

Picture 85: Box Settings

In the Bottom Right Viewport, select the two points on the bottom left side of this box,

like in picture 86.

Picture 86: Select these 2 points

Activate the Set Value Tool by pressing “ctrl+v” on the keyboard, then set the axis to Z

and the value to –2mm, click OK and the points should change position.

Deselect the points and do the same with the other side of the box, only this time set the

value to 2mm on the Z-axis. The box should look like the one in picture 87 when you’re

done.

Picture 87: The modified box

Now switch to Layer 2 and put 3 in the background. First of all we are going to smooth

this object out a bit. Press “Shift+D” to activate the Subdivide Tool, then use the

Metaform function and click OK. Layer 2 with Layer 3 in the background should look

something like picture 88.

Picture 88: Layer 2 as foreground and Layer 3 as background

Activate the Boolean Tool by pressing “Shift+B” on the keyboard and use the Subtract

function in the panel that comes up, then click OK to perform the operation.

Switch to Layer 3 and delete the box now, we don’t need it anymore. Go back to Layer 2,

then in the Perspective View, select the 3 polygons that were subtracted into the object,

like in picture 89.

Picture 89: Select these 3 polygons

Activate the Smooth Shift Tool by pressing “Shift+F”, then right click once in one of the

Viewports with your mouse. Activate the Stretch Tool by pressing “h” on the keyboard

and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the settings shown in picture 90.

Picture 90: The Stretch Tool settings

When you’ve entered the settings, click Apply to perform the operation, then close down

the Numeric Panel. Keep the polygons selected and activate the Smooth Shift Tool again,

then right click in one of the Viewports to duplicate the points. Activate the Move Tool

and move these polygons downwards on the Y-axis about -1mm, you can use the

Numeric Panel if you want. Once you’ve moved the selected polygons, press “Delete” on

your keyboard to delete them, we don’t need them anymore.

Now we need to make this object into a Subpatch object, but since we used the Boolean

Tool earlier we will have a few polygons that carry more than 4 points, and we all know

that Subpatches only works with Polygons that carry either 3 or 4 points. So we need to

select these polygons and triple them before we can turn it into a subpatch object.

Keep everything unselected and make sure you’re in Polygon Mode, then bring up the

Polygon Statistics Panel by pressing “w” on your keyboard. Picture 91 shows the

Statistics Panel, and you’ll notice the section I’ve marked with red, these are the

polygons we need to select, so click the “+” next to the line that says “>4 Vertices”.

Picture 91: Click the + in the line marked red

Close down the Statistics Panel now. 28 polygons should be selected, looking something

like picture 92 in the Perspective View.

Picture 92: The selected polygons that carry more than 4 points

With these polygons selected, press “Shift+T” on your keyboard to triple them, then

deselect everything. Copy this object by pressing “c” on the keyboard, then press “f” to

flip all the polygons. Once they’re flipped, press “v” to paste the object back in.

Turn this object into a subpatch now by pressing “Tab” on the keyboard, then give it the

“Metal” surface. This object should look something like picture 93 in the Perspective

View.

Picture 93: The subpatched object with the Metal surface

Now switch to Layer 3 of Layer Group 2 and activate the Box Tool, then use the settings


Picture 94: The Box Settings

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to create the box. Open up the Change

Surface Panel by pressing “q” and give this object the “Default” Surface for now. Fit the

object in the Viewports and use the Knife Tool and make a cut about 1mm from the

bottom, like in picture 95.

Picture 95: Make a cut with the Knife Tool

Select the polygon facing upwards in the Bottom Left Viewport, like in picture 96.

Picture 96: Select this polygon

(left image shows the lasso, right image shows the selected polygon)

With this polygon selected, activate the Bevel Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then

bevel this polygon 3 times with the following settings.

Shift Inset

1 0 2mm

2 -400um 400um

3 -9mm 0

When you’re done with the bevelling, keep the polygon selected and press “Delete” on

your keyboard to delete it. Press “Shift+D” on the keyboard to bring up the Subdivide

Panel, then select the Metaform function and click OK. Do this one more time, subdivide

it using the Metaform function again and click OK, then press “Tab” to turn it into a

subpatch object. Apply the “Metal” Surface to this part as well using the Change Surface

Panel. Picture 97 shows Layer 2 and 3 together.

Picture 97: Layer 2 and 3 of Layer Group 2

Switch to Layer 3 and cut the object out by pressing “x” on the keyboard, then switch to

Layer 2 and paste it in there. This is the part of the Lantern where the flame will be.

Switch to Layer 1, we’re going to position the Refilling part we made earlier. Activate the

Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the Axis to Z and the Angle to –35

degrees. Keep all the centre values to 0 and click Apply, then close down the Numeric

Panel. Next activate the Move Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the X Offset to

35mm and the Y Offset to 36,5mm. Keep the Z Offset to 0 and click Apply, then close

down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deactivate the Tool.

Layer 3 of Layer Group 2 should be free, so switch to that one now. Activate the Disc

Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the settings shown in picture 98.

Picture 98: The Disc settings

Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deselect the Tool. In the Top View,

zoom in the right end of this cylinder, then switch to Layer 4 and put Layer 3 as

background. Use the Pen Tool and place points to form the Shape shown in picture 99,

we wont use a backdrop image for this Shape, it’s not very complicated or detailed. I

used 11 points.

Picture 99: Place points to form a similar shape

Once you’re done, activate the Lathe Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the

amount of Sides to 16 and the Axis to X. Set the centre value for the Y-axis to 45mm,

and keep the other two set to 0. Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to

deactivate the tool. Press “Tab” to turn this object into a subpatch, then press “x” to cut

it out from the Layer. Switch to Layer 3 and paste it in here, then apply the “Metal”

Surface.

Activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, set the axis to Y and the Angle

to -25 degrees. Keep all the centre values to 0 and click Apply. Close down the Numeric

Panel and press Space to deselect the tool.

All the details for the Lower Base section are finished now, and picture 100 shows them

together with the Lower Base as well.

Picture 100: The Lower Base with all the details

Chapter 17 - Top Section Hat Details

Okay Layer 1-3 in Layer Group 2 should be taken up by the Lower Base Details, so switch

to Layer 4 now. Activate the Box Tool and use the settings shown in picture 101.

Picture 101: The Box Tool settings

Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deactivate the Tool. We are going to

create a small metal piece that sits on top of the Hat. Fit the box in the Viewports by

pressing “a”. Working in Top View, select the 4 points shown in picture 102.


Activate the Move Tool and move these points 2,4mm on the X-axis, you can use the

Numeric Panel if you want to. Once you’ve moved them, do the same procedure with the

left side.

Deselect everything when you’re done moving and select the corner points on the

positive Z side (in Top View). A total of 4 points should be selected here as well, have a

look at picture 103 and you’ll know which points I mean.


Activate the Move Tool and move these points –4mm on the Z axis, then do the same

procedure with the other side, picture 104 shows the object after all the points have been

moved.

Picture 104: The object after the points have been moved

Activate the Knife Tool and make a cut along the X-axis at the centre, like in picture 105.

Picture 105: Make a cut at the centre

When you’re done, select all the outer points of this object, like in picture 106. A total of

20 points should be selected.

Picture 106: Select all the outer points

Use the Move Tool and move these downwards on the Y-axis -0,8mm. You can use the

Numeric Panel if you want.

We’re almost done with this small metal piece, we’re just going to move 4 more points

and then smoothen it out a bit.

With nothing selected, press “Shift+D” to activate the Subdivide tool, and in the panel

that comes up, select the Faceted function and click OK. Working in Top View, select the

two points shown in picture 107, then move them 1mm on the X-axis.

Picture 107: Move these points

When you’ve moved the points, do the same thing to the other side, but this time move

them –1mm on the X-axis. Use the Subdivide tool again but use the “Metaform”

function this time. This will smoothen it out a bit. Finally turn the object into a subpatch

by pressing “Tab” and make sure it’s carrying the “Metal” Surface.

Together with the Top Section Hat, this little metal piece should look something like

picture 108.

Picture 108: The metal piece together with the Top Section Hat

That’s the only detail the Top Section Hat will have, now we only need to create some

Steel Wires.

Chapter 18 - Creating the Steel Wires

Phew, we’re almost done with the modelling! All we have left to model are some steel

wires. One will be attached to the small metal piece on the Top Section Hat, and that’s

the one we will start with. We won’t be using any backdrop images when we create

them, and if you want to create them freehand on your own then feel free to do so

(that’s what I did). Otherwise you can just use the values I supply and you’ll get an exact

match of the Lantern I created.

Go to Layer Group 2 and switch to Layer 5, which should be free. We are going to create

these steel wires using splines and then extruding a disc along them, nothing

complicated at all.

With Layer 5 active, put Layer 4 in the background and use the Point Tool and place 11

points in the Back Viewport, you can size the Viewport up if you want to. Picture 109

below shows the position for each point; you can just place 11 points and then position

them afterwards using the Point Info Panel. Picture 110 shows the positioned points.

Picture 109: Position each point

Picture 110: The positioned points

Deselect everything and activate the Mirror Tool by pressing “Shift+V”, bring up the

Numeric panel and set the axis to X, keep all the centre values at 0 and click OK. Now

lets make a spline out of these points. We need to select the points in a clockwise order.

Select the point shown in picture 111, then select the rest in a clockwise order.

Picture 111: Select this point

Once you selected them all, press “ctrl+p” on your keyboard to create an open spline.

Picture 112 shows the spline.

Picture 112: The spline

Now we need an object to extrude along this spline, and we are going to use a simple

disc for this purpose. Switch to Layer 6 and activate the Disc Tool, then bring up the

Numeric Panel and use the settings shown in picture 113.

Picture 113: The Disc Tool settings

Close down the Numeric Panel and press “Space” to deselect the Tool, then activate the

Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel again. Set the Angle to 30 degrees and the

axis to Z. The centre values should be the following:

X: -5mm

Y: 224mm

Z: 0

Once you’ve entered the values click Apply. Now we can extrude this disc, so keep Layer

6 activated and put Layer 5 in the background, then activate the Rail Extrude Tool by

pressing “ctrl+r”. Select the “Uniform Knots” function and set the amount to 30, then

just click OK. What you have in Layer 6 now should look something like picture 114.

Picture 114: The first steel wire

(Note, if the polygons are facing inwards after you used the Rail Extrude Tool, then

simply flip them by pressing “f” on the keyboard).

Apply the “Metal” surface to this steel wire now. Cut the steel wire out of Layer 6, then

switch to Layer 5 and delete the spline. After you deleted it, paste the steel wire in.

Picture 115 shows it together with the small metal piece and the Top Section Hat.

Picture 115: The first steel wire together with Top Section Hat

The next steel wires will be a bit more tedious to create. The basic spline we’re going to

use will still be created the same way. We place a number of points and then we make an

open spline out of them. so lets do that first.

Switch to Layer 6 of Layer Group 2, then put Layer 4 of Layer Group 1 as background.

This is the glass section, and we will create 2 steel wires that follow the curves of the

glass section nicely.

Press “a” to fit the glass section in the Viewports, then use the Point Tool and place 8

points like in picture 116.

Picture 116: 8 Points placed

Picture 117 shows the exact position for each point; you can use the Point Info Panel to

position them after you created them.

Picture 117: Position information for each point

Once you’ve positioned the points, use the Mirror Tool and mirror these points across the

X-axis at the centre. Like before, select the points in a clockwise order, starting with the

one shown in picture 118.

Picture 118: Select all the points in a clockwise order starting with this one

Once you’ve selected them all, press “ctrl+p” to create an open spline. We will need two

of these splines since there will be 2 steel wires in the end, so we need to duplicate this

one. Press “c” to copy the spline, then switch to Layer 7 and paste it there.

Working in Layer 7, press “k” to kill the spline and so that we only have points left. In

Top View, select the 8 points on the left side, like in picture 119.

Picture 119: Select the 8 points on the left side in Top View

Delete the selected points, we will mirror the other side like before, but first we need to

move a few points around.

In Top View, select the points shown in picture 120.


Use the Move Tool and move these two points 2mm on the X-axis. Once you’ve moved

them, use the Mirror Tool across the X-axis at the centre. Like before, select all the

points in a clockwise order and press “ctrl+p” to create an open spline (start with the

same point as before).

Why did we do the thing we just did then? Well, if we left the two splines exactly the

same, the two steel wires would at some point pass through each other, but by moving

these two points one of the steel wires will pass just outside the other one. This will be

shown better later on when we have extruded the two wires, so lets get on with that.

Switch to Layer 8 and activate the Disc Tool, then use the settings shown in picture 121.


This disc will be created at the exact position where the splines start; so all we need to

do before we extrude it is rotate it a bit. Activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the

Numeric Panel. We will perform 2 rotate operations, and the following settings are for the

first one:

Angle: -20 degrees

Axis: X

Center X: -26mm

Center Y: 59mm

Center Z: -21mm

Click Apply to perform the Rotation, then change the settings in the Numeric Panel to the

following:

Angle: -40 degrees

Axis: Z

Center X: -26mm

Center Y: 59mm

Center Z: -21mm

Once again click Apply to perform the Rotation. Close down the Numeric Panel and press

Space to deselect the Tool. Keep Layer 8 activated and copy this disc by pressing “c”,

then switch to Layer 9 and paste it there. Switch back to Layer 8 and put Layer 6 in the

background, then press “ctrl+r” to activate the Extrude Rail Tool. Use the “Uniform

Knots” function and set the amount to 40, then click OK.



Apply the “Metal” Surface to this steel wire. Layer 8 should now look something like

picture 122.

Picture 122: The first steel wire for the glass section

Now switch to Layer 9 and put Layer 7 in the background, then repeat the Rail Extrude

operation to create the second steel wire, use the same settings as before. Apply the

“Metal” surface to this wire as well. Working in Layer 9, activate the Rotate Tool and

bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the axis to Y and the angle to 180 degrees. Keep all the

centre values to 0 and click Apply. Cut the steel wire out of Layer 9 and paste it in Layer

8, then delete the two splines in Layer 6 and 7. Cut the two steel wires out of Layer 8

and paste them into Layer 6.

We only have one more steel wire to create now and then we’re done with the Lantern!

This one might be even more tedious to create than the last ones. Switch to Layer 7 of

Layer Group 2 which should be free now and activate the Point Tool, then create 19

points in one of the Viewports. It doesn’t matter where you create the points since we

will position them with the Point Info panel next. Select all the points once you’ve created

them and bring up the Point Info Panel by pressing “i” on your keyboard, then place

them one by one using the values shown in picture 123.

Picture 123: Position the points using these values

The positioned points should look something like picture 124 in the Bottom Left and Right

Viewport.

Picture 124: The positioned points

We are going to create a spline like before, but first lets mirror them. Activate the Mirror

Tool and just mirror these points across the Z-axis at the centre. We are going to select

these points so we can create a spline out of them, and the easiest way to do this is to

use the Perspective View. However, right now you’re probably using a Smooth Shaded

preview which will make the points not showing, so change the Render Mode to

Wireframe for the Perspective View. Picture 125 shows the points in the Perspective

View.

Picture 125: Perspective View – Wireframe Mode

In the Bottom Right Viewport, zoom in the lower left area of these points, like in picture

126.

Picture 126: Zoom in this area

Now working in the Perspective View, start selecting the points starting with the one


Picture 127: Start selecting this point, then select in the order the arrow shows

Work your way around and select all the points. Once you’re done, press “ctrl+p” to

create an open spline.

Picture 128 shows the spline at the bottom parts, does yours look the same?

Picture 128: The spline

Lets move on to creating the Disc, which we will use for the extrusion. Switch to Layer 8

and activate the Disc Tool, then use the settings shown in picture 129.


Close down the Numeric Panel and press Space to deselect the Tool. Before we can

extrude this disc we need to rotate it a bit, to make it follow the spline nicely. Activate

the Rotate Tool and use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

Angle: 32 degrees

Axis: Z

Center X: 500um

Center Y: 183,5mm

Center Z: 0

Click Apply to rotate the disc. Now lets extrude it, activate the Rail Extrude Tool by

pressing “ctrl+r”, then select the Uniform Knots function and set the amount to 60.



Cut the steel wire out of Layer 8, then switch to Layer 7 and delete the spline. Paste the

steel wire into Layer 7 and apply the “Metal” Surface. Switch to Polygon Mode and make

Layer 5, 6 and 7 active now.

Bring up the Polygon Statistics Panel by pressing “w” on the keyboard, then click the “+”

next to “>4 Vertices”. This will select all the end polygons that carry more than 4 points

(8 in total). We don’t need these polygons; so once they are selected simply delete them

by pressing “Delete” on your keyboard. Now activate subpatches on all the steel wires.

Now lets tidy the Layers up a bit. Switch to Layer 4 of Layer Group 2 (the small metal

piece), cut it out and paste it in Layer 7 of Layer Group 1 (the Top Section Hat). Go back

to Layer Group 2 and activate all the Layers that have an object in them, press “x” to cut

all these objects out and then paste them in Layer 9 of Layer Group 1. Save the object

now by pressing “s”, and we’re done! Picture 130 shows the Lantern in the Perspective

View. (Note, I have applied the Default Surface file to all the parts in the following image

to clearly show all the details, this is something you don’t need or want to do)

Picture 130: The Finished Lantern Model!

Well that’s it; I hope everything worked out fine! If you located a bug or want to

comment the tutorial, then mail me at [email protected]

modelling a lantern 01 - lightwave 3d

Documents

uniform knots

display options

smooth shift

small metal

top section

main lantern

rail extrude

top section