Now the basic mesh is formed, we will bring it into Anim8or (or some other
modeller that you're happy with) to trim, smooth and add detail. Feel free to
add your own interpretation here; this won't be an Anim8or tutorial, nor will
it be a step-by-step guide. Experiment, and have fun!
Once you've got the tube to fit as well as you can in Poser, it's time to
export it to Wavefront OBJ format. Loads of dialogue boxes will pop up when
you do this: use the default settings for most of them. When the hierarchy
window appears (see right), select just the tube; or if you used several
morphing props to create your shell, select them all.
Here's a view of the mesh imported into Anim8or, and zoomed in.
Since Poser's scale is minuscule compared with most of the 3D world, this
zooming will be considerable, so use the "fit to screen" feature,
and use it often.
If you had used more than one mesh to form your rough outline, you would
normally join them all up at this point, either by welding vertices or by
adding new faces as necessary. When Poser bends a joint, any parts of the
mesh which are not joined together will rip apart at the seams... Not at
all a pretty sight.
You can also add details at this point. I've cut away some of the faces
at the back of the skirt, and created new ones to make a vent or slit.
Using Anim8or's "extrude connected faces" tool, I've created a
waistband and a bump at the back where the zip would be. Is it called a fly?
Don't know. Ask a dressmaker. :-)
The basic morphing tube is deliberately designed with a small number of
polygons, to keep the number of morphs manageable. This means that the finished
garment will probably appear a bit angular in some views. You'll also find
that the sharp edges created by the face extrusion won't render too cleverly
in Poser - if in doubt, import the mesh and do a quick test render.
To counteract this, we use Anim8or's "subdivide faces" to smooth the
mesh. Be aware that this increases the number of polygons, though, so don't go
overboard. If you have a modeller with a selective smoothing facility then you
can avoid this problem.
Next: Feel the Width