Model a Photorealistic Swiss Army Knife in Modo – Day 3

on Oct 21st 2009 with 14 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Software: Luxology Modo
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Estimated Completion Time: 3+ Hours
This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Photorealistic Swiss Army Knife in Modo

Subdivision modeling is an extremely powerful tool that can allow you to add high levels of detail to your models in a relatively short amount of time. In order to use it effectively, however, one must know when, and more importantly, when not to use it.

In this three part, beginner to intermediate tutorial series, professional Modo artist, Matt Braeley, will demonstrate how to model a photorealistic Swiss Army knife, using polygonal and subdivision modeling in Luxology’s Modo 302.

On day 1 Matt covered the creation of the main body, and on day 2 he began to add in the tools. Now, on Day 3, he will finish up with the final details.

Additional Files/ Plugins:

Final Effect Preview

Video 1

Download

Note: click the ‘Monitor’ icon to view tutorial in full-screen HD.

Video 2

Download

Note: click the ‘Monitor’ icon to view tutorial in full-screen HD.

Video 3

Download

Note: click the ‘Monitor’ icon to view tutorial in full-screen HD.

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By

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

Matt is currently working as a freelance 3D designer in the UK, trying his hand at VFX work in his free-time. He loves learning new things, finding inspiring graphics, and dreaming up impossible fx shots.  

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  • Jim Berton

    how come video 2 on day 3 is the same as video 2 on day 2?
    Is there a correct video2 for day 3? (they are both 22454.

  • Jim Berton

    i see if i click on the video, it’s the right one. if i click on download, it’s the same one as video 2 on day2.

  • matt

    i saw that, too. can’t wait until cgtuts fixes this…

  • http://kaleb-3d.com Kaleb Aylsworth

    Fixed!

  • Johan

    Thnx for a super tut! Be back soon!

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

      Thanks Johan!

      Matt

  • WitherVoice

    Quick few comments.

    1: loved the tutorial.
    2: what you labelled the “wood saw” is a fish scaler.
    3: what you labelled the “metal saw” is the wood saw.
    4: at the point I’m at in your tutorial series, your can opener would not be operational, as is edge is not sharpened.

    • http://www.badgrenola.com Matt Brealey

      Thanks for the comments WitherVoice, I’m glad you liked it! And are those can openers ever truly operational? Takes me the best part of a week… :)

  • Potado

    Hey Matt, excellent tutorial! But I’m sorta stuck when you make the skrewdriver. When you merge the vertices at the top, it does something weird and I can’t select the edgeloop anymore. Then when I try to bevel, it turns out really, really funny with edges everywhere. Would this be a new problem in 401 or is there something I’m missing? Thanks!

    ~ Potado

  • WitherVoice

    Okay. I was following your tut in 3dsmax, doing the same things more or less. Now I’m trying to learn how to use Modo, and doing it again. However, I’ve run into a problem. The reference images. I can make them as transparent as I like, but even though they fade into the grey background colour, I can’t actually SEE through them at all. They completely obscure vision of model, grid, and anything else behind them.

    Am I missing some kind of setting, or… something?

    • LeonArtO3D

      WitherVoice: In addition to what I said below, the reference images are projected onto a backdrop item. I don’t know how to affect this in the way you want but it would be handy. to see through them, then at least you wont be suspecting that you accidentally deleted your entire model! ‘Where the Hell did it go?’

  • LeonArtO3D

    WitherVoice, when you are using them, in say Right view, there is no problem. And when you switch to Perspective view, just click the eye-con in the Item List, and they disappear. The model, itself can be made transparent in the Shader Tree>Render>Base Material>Material Trans>Transparent Amount. I like it at about 70%. Hope that helps. Matt is super busy this month so he can’t check in as often as he’d like.

  • Jeff N

    I just wanted to thank you for the fantastic tutorial. I just bought Modo 501 and was looking for a way to get familiar with it and this tutorial was perfect. I now feel like I’m relatively competent at the modeling aspect of the program but I realize there’s a lot to learn in there. Really enjoyed this video series.

  • http://www.jonmcarter.com Jon C

    I know this is commenting on a long past tutorial, but I just wanted to thank the author Matt for a great tutorial. I recently made the jump to learning modo and this was an awesome tutorial to not only show the basics of navigation and tools, but the techniques of modeling in modo. Thanks again for the great tutorial!