Making a Viking Helmet, Part 1-2 (Modeling, 3Ds Max)

[Maяcel]

Making a Viking Helmet
Part One & Two

Difficulty: Beginner, Walktrough
Software: 3Ds Max
Content: In this part of the Tutorial you will learn to make a simple helmet with horns, part one will deal with the actual modeling of the helmet, and part two will deal with uvw mapping the helmet.
Part three and four will cover making a texture for the helmet in photoshop and gimp respectively.

Part One, Modeling

Step 1:

1) Select this tab (the create tab)
2) Select geometry and make sure that the drop down box is set to ‘Standard Primitives’
3) Select the ‘Box’ button
4) Click and drag a square in the perspective viewport with your left mouse button, then release the mouse button and move the cursor upwards and click to finish the box.

Click to view content: 

Step 2:

1) Select the ‘modify’ tab
2) Set the length, width and height to 50
3) Set the length, width and height segments to 4
4) Set the X, Y and Z all to 0,0 (that way your box will be in the center)
5) Select the ‘Spherify’ modifier from the ‘modifier list’ dropdown

Click to view content: 

Step 3:

1) Make sure that the Spherify modifier is set to 100%
2) Right Click on the new sphere and select convert to editable poly

Click to view content: 

Step 4:

1) Set the Selection to Element, and left click the sphere to select it
2) Then in the Polygon: Smoothing Groups tab select the Clear all button
3) Then select the ‘1’

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Step 5:

1) Set the Selection to Vertex
2) Left click(and hold it) in the front or side viewport, and drag a selection box over the bottom half of the sphere
3) Hit ‘delete’ on your keyboard to delete the selection

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Step 6:

1) Set the Selection to Edge
2) Select the edges of the bottom of the helmet.
3) Click the ‘Select and Move’ button if it isn’t active already.
4) Hold shift and drag the green y arrow down to make the bottom of the helmet.

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Step 7:

1) Set the Selection to Polygon
2) Make sure that the ‘window / crossing‘ button is set this, if not click it(this make you only select everything that is entirely inside your selection box, instead of everything intersecting with it)
3) Select the lowest rim of the helmet
4) Press on the button next to the button that says extrude
5) Set the ‘extrusion type’ to ‘Local Normal’ and the ‘Extrusion Height’ to something like 1,5.
6) Press ‘Ok’.
7) Now with the rim still selected set the Smoothing Group to ‘2’(press 2 in the ‘Polygon: Smoothing Groups’ Tab)

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Step 8:

1) Set the Selection to Polygon(it should still be)
2) Make a selection like the one you see, do this by clicking the polygons(holding the ‘control’ button on your keyboard to add to the selection)
3) Hit the button next to the bevel button.
4) Bevel type set to Group, Height to 1,275 Outline Amount to -3,45
5) Press ‘Ok’.

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Step 9:

1) Set the Selection to Vertex (! Ignore Back facing Should Be off)
2) Make a selection by dragging boxes around these vertices, holding shift every time you draw a new one.

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Step 10:

1) Select the scale button
2) Click and drag the inner piece of the scale triangle, and scale the selection down until it looks circular.

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Step 11:

1) Now make a selection of the other side of the helmet, and delete the selected side.

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Step 12:

1) Set the Selection to Polygon, the selection should be this
2) Select the bevel options button
3) Settings are Bevel type=Group, Height=4,6 outline amount=-1,7
4) Press ‘Apply’.
5) Change the settings to Height=9,0 outline amount=-1,0
6) Press ‘Apply’ twice.
7) Change the settings to Height=4,0 outline amount=-0,5
8) Press ‘Ok’.

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Step 13:

1) Set the Selection to Vertex
2) Select the vertexes on the horns tip
3) Press the weld options button
4) Increase the weld threshold to weld all of the selected vertexes together, and press Ok.

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Step 14:

1) Set the Selection to Polygon
2) Select all of the horns polygons, plus those around it.
3) Set the smoothing group to 1

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Step 15:

1) Select all of the horn polygons
2) Clear the smoothing groups
3) Set the smoothing groups to 3

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Step 16:

1) Set the Selection to Edge
2) Select the edges which connect the helmet with the horn
3) Hit the split button.

Click to view content: 

In the next part we will uvw map the helmet, and finish it by mirroring the completed part of the helmet to the other side.

I hope that you have enjoyed the tutorial so far, stay tuned for the remaining parts.

[Maяcel]

Part Two, UVW Mapping

Part Two will be finished and uploaded within a week, part 3 and 4 will be made and uploaded in the following few weeks.

[abbews]

You call this beginner? It looks awfully hard and complicated!

Very good tutorial otherwise Marcel! +rep

[Killerbee]

Oh mang, if only I still had my 3ds trial

Awesome work dude !

[Maяcel]

You call this beginner? It looks awfully hard and complicated!

Very good tutorial otherwise Marcel! +rep

Well learning 3Ds max is hard
I called it beginner because it explains every step i take. And it actually is simple model without much optimized poly count.

Oh mang, if only I still had my 3ds trial

Awesome work dude !

too bad, is it possible to download a trail from a different version of 3Ds max(9 instead of 2010 for example)?

[Killerbee]

is it possible to download a trail from a different version of 3Ds max(9 instead of 2010 for example)?

I know it is in Photoshop :

PS Cs3 extended
PS CS3
PS CS4 Extended
PS CS4
PS CS2
...

But I assume I could try to get another trial

[Lü Bu]

Lucky I got my 3d max 2010™

[TMSKILZ]

Lucky I got my 3d max 2010™

I have 3Ds Max 2010 as well, but yea, it's very hard & complicated, but hopefully like anything else in life, w/ practice & patience I will get a hang of it & master it over time.

Besides "Notepad" what program do I need to view the .cas graphic files? I tried both 3Ds Max & Photoshop CS4 & neither could open it.

[Killerbee]

Is this gonna be finished, or ?

and for those who don't have 3dsmax, it's not too hard in Blender. Just make a sphere, cut half of it, extrude the vertexes where the horns should be, and then merge at center to get the pointy end

[Maяcel]

ill probably do a new series, maybe even video.

[Killerbee]

Nice !

Perhaps you could also include tutorials (.jpg format ) in your modders' resources ?

[Maяcel]

there is a tutorial section indeed, mostly pdf files, and some links to tutorials here.

[Maяcel]

Just done recording part one of the new modeling tutorial series, It'll be 4 parts, Low Poly, UVW Mapping, High Poly, Texturing/Normal map rendering. This is what we'll be making, a celtic helmet for 'De Bello Gallico'.

[Lü Bu]

I have 3Ds Max 2010 as well, but yea, it's very hard & complicated, but hopefully like anything else in life, w/ practice & patience I will get a hang of it & master it over time.

Besides "Notepad" what program do I need to view the .cas graphic files? I tried both 3Ds Max & Photoshop CS4 & neither could open it.

you must have this .CAS importer/exporter for max... http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...do=file&id=141
It cant be opened by Photoshop...

[Musculus Maximus]

Any progress here? Was a nice start