Lamp

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The Problem :

This was an exercise to learn the Nurbs and Curves modeling method in Maya. Being only allowed to use these tools, I had to recreate a lamp. This method worked well for the natural curves of the lamp, however the sharper corners near the base of the lamp posed a unique issue.

The Solution :

I started with the base of the lamp as it was a unique challenge I was excited to tackle. I started with the square nurbs and stacked them in the rough outline of the base. When I went to select and loft the squares together, I soon realized each edge of the squares were separate and not connected. Instead of selecting each square, I lofted the sides one at a time, which gave nice corners as well. For the main part of the lamp, I decided to use the freeform curve creation tool. It was in this stage where I discovered how wonky Maya’s curve editing capabilities are. In order to reach my desired level of detail, I had to switch between four different tools just to edit one control vertice. I started with the curve editing tool, which allowed me to change the handles of the bezier curve, then I would switch between the edit point to edit my existing vertices, and add new ones by switching to edit curve, applying the knot tool, and then switching back to the edit point and curve editing tool. Once I had completed the main part of the lamp, I simply revolved it together.