3DS Max Low-Poly Sword Tutorial

This tutorial is done using 3DS Max ver. 8.0 Educational. In order to prepare for making
our sord go to the !"ustomi#e$ drop don menu and select the !%nits Setup$ option. In
the %nits Setup dialogue &ox' select the !%S Standard$ radio &utton. (eet )Decimal
inches should &e the default setting for %S Standard.
Step *+ (rom the create standard primitives menu select plane creation and create a plane.
Step ,+ -ame the plane o&.ect !Sord/0lade$ and set the length and idth of the plane
under the parameters section. The length should &e 313$ 2or something close3 and the
idth should &e 01*.45$
Step 3+ 6ress the !#oom extents all$ &utton to &ring 7our o&.ect into vie in all
vieports.
Step 8+ 9eselect 7our o&.ect and go from the !creation$ control panel to the !modif7$
control panel. %nder the parameters set the !:ength Segments$ to 8. The idth segments
should &e at 8 &7 default.
Step 5+ Either in the Top vie' or in the profile vie' hich ever 7ou prefer' #oom in on
one of the ends of the plane. This end ill &e the tip of our sord. -o right click on the
plane o&.ect and select convert the plane to edita&le pol7 mode. Then select vertex mode
on the control panel.
Step ;+ Select all the vertexes on the end of the plane and click the !properties$ indo
next to the !eld &utton$. Set the !eld threshold$ propert7 to , inches and click the ok
&utton. This elds the selected vertices into one vertice.
Step 4+ <e ill need to provide more tapering at the tip of the sord so e ill need to
move some of the vertices up closer to the tip. In order to do this e ill select all four
vertices in the ros and select the move tool. Then move the four vertices closer to the
tip.
Step 8+ -o e are going to eld some of the middle vertices together so that the tip of
our sord ill have one central spine. <hen e perform this eld e ill need to loer
the eld threshold to * inch.
Step =+ -o its time to start orking on the taper of the &lade. This part ill re>uire
some !touch$ and personal discretion. <e ill select the edge vertices of the &lade. <e
ill then use the scale tool to move the edges in. To provide the taper e need to move
the vertices closer to the tip in further. Tr7 to provide a smooth taper
Step *0+ -o e have the &asic shape of our sord &lade. <e need to make it 3
dimensional. (or this e ill &e using the shell modification from the modifier list. Set
the outer amount to .,5 inches. The inner amount should default to 0.
Step **+ 0ake in the shell modification &7 reconverting the o&.ect to edita&le pol7.
Step *,+ -o e need to eld the edge vertices together giving us the sharp tip and
edges of the sord. (or this e ill need to select each pair of corresponding vertices
along the edge and eld them. I find this to &e easiest &7 using a selection &ox in the top
vie. Make sure the eld threshold is set to * inch.
Step *3+ 9epeat step *, along &oth edges of the &lade.
Step *8+ <e need to make the flat section of the &lade somehat smaller to increase the
edge on the loer &lade. So e ill select the interior vertices of the &lade. <e ill then
use the scale tool to make the flat portion of the &lade narroer.
Step *5+ -ext e need to add a slight groove to the central flat portion of the loer &lade.
To do this e must select onl7 the center ro of vertices 2on &oth top and &ottom3 and in
the perspective vie' e ill scale the selected vertices on the ? axis.
Step *;+ -o its time to start orking on the hilt of the Sord. (or this e ill create a
&ox o&.ect. -ame the o&.ect Sord/@ilt. In the modif7 panel set the :ength and @eight
of the &ox to .5 inches and set the length to ; inches. Then set the idth segments to 8.
Step *4+ "onvert the hilt to edita&le pol7 and go into vertex mode. Select the four vertices
on each end of the hilt &ox. Aou should have 8 vertices selected total. Then move the ends
forard on the A axis.
Step *8+ -ext e ant to narro the ends of the hilt so e ill select onl7 the &ottom
vertices on the end 2should &e 8 total vertices3 and move them forard.
Step *=+ I ant to make the ends of the hilt gro &roader as the7 go out so I1m going to
scale the ends outard' and scale the center of the hilt inard slightl7.
Step ,0+ I don1t ant the hilt to &e >uit as &ox7' ith such sharp s>uare edges so I1m
going to chamfer the edges on the &ottom of the hilt. To do this e ill need to go into
edge mode and select the edge e ant to chamfer. Then click on the chamfer settings
indo and set it to .* inch and click ok.
Step ,*+ -ext go to pol7gon mode and select the entire hilt. Then got to the modifier list
and select the smooth option. "lick the autoBsmooth check &ox and set the threshold to
45. Cnce 7ou have this done' &ake in the effect &7 reconverting the o&.ect to edita&le
pol7.
Step ,,+ -ext e need to make the handle of the sord. "reate a c7linder and set the
radius to .3 inches and the height to ; inches. Then e need to rotate the c7linder so that
it ill match up ith the &lade and hilt. <e ill select the rotate tool and rotate the
c7linder =0 degrees on the D axis 2in the perspective vie3.
Step ,3+ -o most sords don1t have a perfectl7 round handle. The handles are usuall7
flattened somehat as this fits &etter in the human hand. <e ill need to deform our
c7linder to make it the right shape. (irst' hoever' e ill need to decrease the num&er
of sides our c7linder has. Eo don to ; sides' making our c7linder a hexagon. Then e
ill convert the c7linder to edita&le pol7.
Step ,8+ Cnce in edita&le pol7 select vertex mode and scale the handle in the (ront vie
port. (irst select the top and &ottom vertices and scale them inard to flatten the handle.
Then select the entire handle and scale it outard to make the handle ider.
Step ,5+ -ext e ill &e making the pommel of the sord. (or this e ill select the
plane creation tool and create a , inch &7 , inch plane. Then convert the plane to edita&le
pol7 and go into vertex mode. Then select the four corner vertices and ith the scale tool'
scale them inards deforming the plane.
Step ,;+ Aou can make the pommel an7 shape 7ou like &7 modif7ing the outer edge
vertices. Cnce 7ou have the pommel in the shape 7ou ant e ill use the shell
modification' as e did ith the &lade to turn the pommel into a 3D o&.ect. Set the outer
amount to .5 inches. Cnce this is done &ake in the modification &7 converting the o&.ect
&ack to edita&le pol7.
Step ,4+ -ext e need to smooth the edges of our pommel so it doesn1t look so &ox7. In
order to do this e ill go into edge mode and select the outside edges of the pommel.
Then click the settings indo on the chamfer control. Set the chamfer to .05 inches and
click ok.
Step ,8+ -ext e ill appl7 a smooth modifier to the pommel. Select smooth from the
modifier drop don menu. Select autoBsmooth and set the threshold to 85. Then &ake in
the modifier.
Step ,=+ -ext e ill move the pommel into place at the &ottom of the handle. <e ma7
need to scale the pommel slightl7 to make it match the handle. <e ant the portion of the
pommel here the handle connects to &e slightl7 larger than the handle so that the handle
does not hang over an7 edges hen the to are connected.
Step 30+ all the pieces of the sord are complete and in position. -o e can look at the
over all picture and see ho it looks. If an7 pieces appear to &e out of scale e can use
the scale tool to ad.ust them. In m7 case I think the hilt of the sord looks too small.
Thus I1m going to scale it slightl7 larger.
@ere is the overBall sordF
0onus+ @ere is an image of the sord ith materials applied and rendered in 3ds Max