Lightwave

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Creating the Hall of a Mansion by Erik Brimstedt


Page 6
Railings

Now we will create the Rail-Holders. The following procedures might take some time but the result is quite pleasing.

Switch to Layer 5 and size up the Side View, then zoom in until you have a grid size of 100mm. Activate the Pen Tool and create an 11 point polygon in clockwise order, like the one in Picture 46. It is not important where you place the points since we will fix it later.

Picture 46: Use the Pen Tool and place an 11 point Polygon (Note, in the picture above I just placed the points out, we will place them in their correct position next)

As you can see in picture 46, I've named each point with a number, and now we will use exact values on each of them to place them right.

Select point 1 and bring up the Point Info Panel by hitting "i", then use the values shown below, one point at a time.

Y Position Z Position
1 0 0
2 400mm 0
3 400mm 40mm
4 375mm 25mm
5 350mm 35mm
6 325mm 25mm
7 300mm 35mm
8 150mm 35mm
9 125mm 25mm
10 100mm 40mm
11 0 40mm

Once you've placed all points, hit "ctrl+a" while holding your mouse pointer over the Side View to fit the polygon in the view. We don't need this polygon, so hit "k" to kill it, then activate the Mirror Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Use the following values.

Axis: Y

Center X: 0
Center Y: 450mm
Center Z: 0

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the mirror operation. Once again press "ctrl+a" while holding your mouse pointer over the Side view to fit the points in the view. Select the points shown in picture 47, we don't need these two so you can delete them.

Picture 47: Select the two points shown and delete them

Now select all these points in a clockwise order, it doesn't matter which one you start with. When all the points are selected, press "p" to create a polygon out of them. Activate the Lathe Tool and use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

Start Angle: 0
End Angle: 360
Sides: 8
Offset: 0
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. You can now size down the Side View until all 4 views are the same size, then bring up the Change Surface Panel and create a new surface called "Rails". Give it a brown colour (R: 170 G: 90 B: 40) and set the specular to 75%. Keep the Smoothing turned off for now, then click OK. Activate the Bevel Tool and use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

Shift Inset
1 5mm 10mm

Now, look at the perspective view. If the Polygons are facing inwards, press "f" to flip them, the Rail-Holder should look something like picture 48 at this point.

Picture 48: The first Rail-Holder

All we need to do now is clone this Rail-Holder a bit.

Activate the Move Tool and use the following values in the Numeric Panel.

X 900mm
Y 180mm
Z -1,86m

Click Apply and the Rail-Holder should move. Activate the Clone Tool and use the following settings.

Number of Clones: 15

Offset
X: 0
Y: 175mm
Z: 280mm

Leave the other values to their default and click OK. Activate the Mirror Tool, bring up the Numeric Panel and set the Axis to X, keep the centre values at 0. Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. The Rail-Holders for the stairs are now finished, and picture 49 shows them together with the stairs object.

Picture 49: The finished Rail-Holders for the stairs

Hit "s" to save the progress we've made so far.

Working in Layer 5, switch to Polygon Mode and drag a lasso around the first Rail-Holder we created, like in picture 50.

Picture 50: Drag a lasso around the first Rail-Holder we created

Copy this Rail-Holder and paste it in Layer 6, we will continue working with it later, now it is time for the Ceiling Supports.

Switch to Layer 7 and size up the Side View, then zoom in until you have a grid size of 200mm. Activate the Pen Tool and create a 15 point polygon, like in picture 51.

Picture 51: Create a 15 point polygon; don't worry if it doesn't look good (Note, in the picture above I just placed the points out, we will place them in their correct position next)

Now use the Point Info Panel to position these points one by one. Use the following values.

Y Position Z Position
1 0 0
2 2m 0
3 2m 70mm
4 1,85m 100mm
5 1,35m 100mm
6 1,25m 70mm
7 1,15m 100mm
8 1,05m 70mm
9 950mm 100mm
10 650mm 100mm
11 550mm 70mm
12 450mm 100mm
13 350mm 70mm
14 250mm 100mm
15 0 100mm

When you have positioned all the points, press "k" to kill the polygon. Activate the Mirror Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel. Set the Axis to Y and the Y Position to 2m. Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Size up the Side View, then select the point shown in picture 52.

Picture 52: Select the point shown

Okay, we don't need this point so just delete it. Keep the Side View sized up, then start selecting these points in a clockwise order, when all of them are selected, hit "p" to create a polygon. Activate the Lathe Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Start Angle: 0
End Angle: 360
Sides: 8
Offset: 0
Axis: Y
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Look at the perspective view now, if the polygons are facing inwards, then flip them by hitting "f". Keep everything unselected and activate the Bevel Tool, bring up the Numeric Panel and use the following settings.

Shift Inset
1 10mm 20mm

When the bevelling is done, activate the Move Tool and use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

X -2,54m
Y 0
Z 2,55m

Click Apply and the object should move. Bring up the Change Surface Panel and set the surface to "Rails", then click OK.

Switch to Layer 8 and activate the Box Tool, then use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

LOW HIGH SEGMENTS
X -2,65m X -2,45m X 1
Y -25mm Y 50mm Y 1
Z 2,45m Z 2,65m Z 1

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to create the box. Activate the Bevel Tool and bevel this box with the following values in the Numeric Panel.

Shift Inset
1 5mm 5mm

Cut this box out of Layer 8 and paste it in Layer 7. Activate the Mirror Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Axis: X
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation.

Activate the Mirror Tool again and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Axis: Z
Center X: 0
Center Y: 0
Center Z: 1,25m

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Make sure you are in Polygon mode, then drag a lasso around the two latest clones we made of this object, like in picture 53.

Picture 53: Drag a lasso round two of the ceiling supports

Copy these with "c", then paste them again in the same Layer with "v". Keep the selection and activate the Move Tool, then use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

X 0
Y 0
Z -4,5m

Click Apply to perform the move. You should now have 6 of these ceiling supports and we need 2 more. Working in Top View, drag a lasso around the top left one, like in picture 54.

Picture 54: Drag a lasso around the top left one

Copy this by hitting "c", then switch to Layer 8 and paste it there. Under the Modify Tab you should have a few "More" pull-down menus, and I want you to activate a Tool called "Center1D" now, you can find it under one of the pull-down menus. When you activate the tool, set the axis to X and then hit OK. The object should now be centred on the X axis. Activate the Move Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

X 1m
Y 0
Z 0

Click Apply and the object should move. Activate the Mirror Tool, bring up the Numeric Panel and use the following settings.

Axis: X
Center: 0 on all



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Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Cut these two out of Layer 8 now and paste them back in Layer 7. When you're in Layer 7, cut the ceiling supports out, then switch to Layer 3 and paste them there. Hit "s" now to save the progress we've made.

Go to Layer 6 now, where one of the Rail-Holders we pasted in earlier is. Activate the Move Tool and use the following values in the Numeric Panel.

X 1,65m
Y 2,75m
Z 0

Click Apply and the Rail-Holder should move.

Activate the Clone Tool and enter the following values in the Panel that comes up.

Number of Clones: 25

Offset
X: 0
Y: 0
Z: 280mm

Keep the rest to the default settings and click OK. Activate the Move Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

X 0
Y 0
Z -2,61m

Click Apply to move the Rail-Holders. Three of these Rail-Holders are now covered by the bigger ceiling supports. Keep Layer 6 active and put Layer 3 in the background, then select the Rail-Holders shown in picture 55 and delete them.

Picture 55: Select the three Rail-Holders shown and delete them

Keep everything unselected and activate the Mirror Tool, then use the following values in the Numeric Panel.

Axis: X
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Size up the Top View and fit the Rail-Holders in the view by hitting "ctrl+a". Drag a lasso around the four top right Rail-Holders, like in picture 56.

Picture 56: Drag a lasso around the four top right Rail-Holders

Copy these and paste them in Layer 7. Activate the Rotate Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Axis: Y
Angle: 90 degrees

Center:

X: 2,55m
Y: 0
Z: 2,55m

Click Apply to perform the rotation.

Activate the Move Tool and use the following values in the Numeric Panel.

X -60mm
Y 0
Z 0

Click Apply to perform the move. Activate the Mirror Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Axis: X
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Cut these Rail-Holders out of Layer 7 and paste them back in Layer 6. Go back to Layer 7 and activate the Box Tool, then use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

LOW HIGH SEGMENTS
X -2,5m X -1m X 1
Y 3,8m Y 3,85m Y 1
Z 2,5m Z 2,6m Z 1

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to create the box. Activate the Mirror Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Axis: X
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Switch to Layer 8 and activate the Box Tool again, then use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

LOW HIGH SEGMENTS
X 2,49m X 2,59m X 1
Y 3,8m Y 3,85m Y 1
Z -4,5m Z 2,5m Z 1

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to create the box. Activate the Mirror Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Axis: X
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Switch to Layer 9 and activate the Box Tool once more, then use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

LOW HIGH SEGMENTS
X 850mm X 950mm X 1
Y 3,72m Y 3,77m Y 1
Z -1,95m Z 2,38m Z 1

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

Size up the Side view and fit the box in the view. Switch to Points Mode and drag a lasso around the four left points, like in picture 57.

Picture 57: Drag a lasso around the left points in Side View

Activate the Move Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

X 0
Y -2,72m
Z 0

Click Apply to move the points. Activate the Mirror Tool and bring up the Numeric Panel, then use the following settings.

Axis: X
Center: 0 on all

Close down the Numeric Panel and hit Space to perform the operation. Activate Layer 7, 8 and 9 and cut the objects out by hitting "x", then switch to Layer 7 and paste them there.

Switch to Polygon Mode and select all the polygons in Layer 7, then activate the Bevel Tool and use the following settings in the Numeric Panel.

Shift Inset
1 5mm 10mm
2 0mm 10mm
3 -2mm 5mm

Now we are finished with all the basic objects in our Mansion Hall. The next 2 chapters will be about creating a carpet for Level 0 and Level 1, but you don't need to create these if you don't want to, you can jump directly into the scenery part (Pages 9-11).

Save everything now by hitting "s".

Page 6

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