NURBS/Surfaces Modelling

NURBS is an acronym for Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline, a description of the

mathematics underlying the curves or splines used in this type of surface modelling.

NURBS afficionados appreciate its capability for modeling:

• organic, flowing surfaces such as animals, people, or fruit

• smooth industrial surfaces such as cars, glassware, and many home appliances
• smooth surfaces adjustable over broad areas with few control points e.g.
undulating landscapes

Computer graphics has various drawing or modeling methods based on different

types of curve algorithms. You may have come across A-spline, B-spline or bezier
curves. NURBS curves are in most respects an improvement on these. With NURBS
curves, you can position points on a curve or surface exactly where you want them
and reshape the curve or surface by moving just a few control points that lie on or
near the curve. When you create a curve in Maya, you're creating a NURBS curve and
this helps with versatility and control when manipulating curves.

That said, some modeling in Surfaces can be fiddly and complex. As ever it's horses
for courses and it is a great modeling technology - when used appropriately.

Curves

A key to understanding NURBS is an understanding of curves.

Curves have various attributes to help you manipulate and shape them. Examples are
CVs (control vertices), edit points, and hulls (see image below).

Surfaces

Surfaces are made of bezier patches. They also have attributes to help in
manipulation and surface quality such as surface points, isoparms and trim edges. A
limitation with NURBS patches is that they are four sided only (unlike polygons
which can have any number of sides).
As ever with Maya pay attention to your selection masks so you know which elements
you're selecting:

The three icons on the left above on the Status Line control which general selection
mask you're using (Hierarchy, Object, or Component) and the other icons select
various sub categories of these masks. Settings here dictate whether you're selecting
CVs, isoparms, hulls, surface points, surfaces or whatever.

Creating Surfaces Models

You can start your SURFACES modeling by creating a primitive or you can start by
creating a 2D curve or curves. There are several types of NURB primitive available in
the Create Menu. Most of these are SURFACES surfaces but some are curves. To see
an example take a look at a SURFACES cube. In the Outliner notice that unlike a
Polygon Cube you find that a SURFACES cube is composed of a collection of
‘patches’, six in total, all separately transformable. Under the input section of the
Channel Box – you find the section ‘makeNurbCube1’ and you can change the
dimensions of each 'patch'. You can make a copy of one or more surface patches and
use the copy as an independent object, or duplicate a model of half a face to make a
complete one. Here is an example of a model constructed using SURFACES patching
methods. Tessellation means that you create a set of polygons from SURFACES
geometry. SURFACES patches are eventually tesselated during rendering (just as
polygons) to approximate the true shape of the surface. The quality of a SURFACES
surface depends partly on how finely tessellated it is.

If you need to create your own SURFACES from scratch then you normally start with
either the CV Curve Tool or the EP Curve Tool. The former enables you to specify
control vertices with Control Vertices (CV) and the latter edit points (EP).

Control vertices (CV)

Edit Points (EP)

Either way the resultant curve is the same, a Surfaces curve, it's just a question of
how you might go about drawing it. For precision (eg tracing a shape) EP Curves may
be best. When constructing a Surfaces object with CVs be aware that using many CVs
result in a slower model processing time and difficulty making smooth shape changes
between detailed and broad areas, so try to keep CVs to a minimum when you are
creating the model.
There's two further curve creating tools - The Pencil Curve Tool which as the name
implies lets you draw curves in a continuous line and Arc Tools which enable you to
create arc curves.

These Curves, Surfaces and Surfaces menus give a good overall indication of the
kinds of functionality common to Surfaces modeling. For a quick indication of what
they accomplish hold the cursor briefly over each function (in Maya) and read the
help line that appears simultaneously at the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

Curves can be split and joined (a speciality of

Surfaces curves), copied, tweaked, extended and so
on until you've got a framework that you think will
work to support a surface. It's sometimes a bit like
setting up a tent framework before stretching the
fabric over it.

What's more you can still use these curves after

you've created surfaces from them. Though curves
aren't rendered Maya keeps a history of how the
surfaces were created so that editing, moving or
tweaking the original curves can change the shape
or position of the finished surfaces. This technique
can also be used for animation. Tweak a curve in
frame one (thus affecting the surface it helped
create), then change it again in a later frame and
watch how the change in shape is animated over
time.
 After creating your curves framework you usually
go to the Surfaces Menu to create a surface from
your underlying curves. There are several
techniques for accomplishing this.

Loft: Use Surfaces > Loft to construct a surface

that passes through a series of profile curves.

Planar: Surfaces > Planar creates a trim surface

from one or more planar curves (e.g. a filled circle
from a curve circle outline).

Revolve: Use Surfaces > Revolve to construct a

surface by revolving a profile curve about an axis. It
works like a lathe, and a table leg or a glass might
be a typical result.

Birail: Surface > Birail Tools (1, 2 or 3) create a

surface by sweeping one or more profile curves
along two rail curves. The number in the menu
name tells how many profile curves you sweep
along the rail curves. Birail 1 sweeps one profile
curve, Birail 2 sweeps two, and Birail 3+ sweeps
three or more.
Extrude: Surfaces > Extrude will create a surface
by sweeping a cross-sectional profile curve along a
path curve (e.g. extrude a circle along a line to form
a pipe).

Boundary: Use Surfaces > Boundary to create

three-sided or four-sided surfaces from three or
four curves. And Square

Bevel: Use Surfaces > Bevel to create an extruded

surface with a beveled edge from any curve,
including text curves and trim edges. You can bevel
curves, for instance, to create a ledge on a building,
or the rolled edges of a computer screen. Most
objects in real life have bevelling to some degree, so
it helps add realism and detail to models.

Bevel Plus: Surfaces > Bevel Plus is a more sophisticated version of the bevel tool.

There are various ways to manipulate surfaces once they are built and most of these
are found in the Surfaces Menu. You can trim surfaces (e.g. in the shape of a letter)
by retaining specified regions of the surface and discarding others. You can attach
surfaces, fillet surfaces (attach by creating connecting geometry), stitch surfaces
together and so on. But you can’t delete Surace Patches! (See this forum discussion)
It's here that many of the fiddly aspects of Surfaces modeling come into play as you
try to join disparate shapes for a smooth or seamless finish. Several surfaces might be
created separately and then need to be stitched or joined together seamlessly to
create the finished model. Typically you might be attaching a Surfaces modeled ear to
a Surfaces modeled head. Then you might use similar techniques to insert the eyes.

Workshop part 1

The Mad Hatter's NURBS Party

Become a virtual milliner. Create a selection of hats and caps (as demonstrated in
class) using Surfaces techniques. Surfaces are ideal for this soft-edged floppy kind of
modeling (even if its a hard-edged hat).

Using Curve profiles and Surfaces> Revolve, create cups, or even a kettle.