Hexagon Sword : A Strategic Modeling Masterclass

Please note start times for sessions 1 and 2 = 1 hour later for those artists living in the United States

Time : 20:00 GMT (London) / 13:00 PDT (Los Angeles) / 16:00 EDT (New York)

We’ve seen this scenario play out all too often:

There are lots of swords and other weapons out there, but what if the concept you have in mind calls for a specific sword in a specific style that you can’t seem to find?

You think to yourself “Well, Daz Hexagon is free, and if it’s good enough for artists like DZFire, Protozon and FirstBastion, maybe I should take a look?” You find some YouTube videos on how to use Hexagon and the basics of modeling a 3D object and you’re ready to start. But halfway through your project, you realize that you’ve modeled yourself into a corner and don’t know how to escape!

In this class we’ll go over a strategic approach to modeling from conception to getting a usable prop.

We’ll walk through planning your modeling project from setting up reference images, to dividing the mesh into segments, to surface planning and then UV mapping.

We’ll identify common areas where new modelers make mistakes and how to resolve them.

We’ll also go over importing your object into Daz Studio, parenting the prop (a sword) to your figure’s hand and even go over creating a blade length morph for it!

You’ll Learn

• Strategic modeling : tips to make a smoother workflow
• The difference between a personal use model and a commercial one when it comes to planning and modeling
• Finding, preparing, and setting up reference images in Hexagon
  • Our example be an old Celtic design using a crude anthropomorphic handle
• Identifying the pieces of a model and considerations for how to divide the mesh
• Where to add mesh density and where to keep it simple
• Using Hexagon’s modeling tools like “Bend” and “Clone” to make modeling faster and easier
• Using Hexagon’s troubleshooting tools to find bad geometry such as:
  • N-gons (faces with more than 4 vertices)
  • Non-planar vertices
  • Non-manifold mesh
  • Flipped normals
• Defining surfaces and material zones
• Dealing with the hilt : ways of capping a cylinder
• Why even the Hexagon Pros use other tools for UV mapping
• Importing your creation into Studio
• Refining the model in Studio to make it more usable
• Parenting the sword to a figure’s hand
• Adding a morph for the blade length to get more use out of a single model

Two Session Course Includes

• Two x 1.5 hour webinar sessions and HD recordings
• Class materials

Who is this Course for?

• Artists who want to create their own bespoke hard body props
• Artists who need an introduction or a refresher course on Hexagon
• Artists who need a smoother and strategic workflow for modeling

Requirements

• DAZ Studio
• Hexagon
• Postwork software : Photoshop or GIMP

Session 1 – Saturday the 14th of March

Time : 20:00 GMT (London) / 13:00 PDT (Los Angeles) / 15:00 EDT (New York)

Session 2 – Saturday the 21st of March

Date : Saturday the 21st of March

Time : 20:00 GMT (London) / 13:00 PDT (Los Angeles) / 16:00 EDT (New York)

About the Presenter : Karl Knarr (AKA JonnyRay)

Whilst Karl’s formal training is in computer programming, he has been learning and sharing tutorials on DAZ Studio since 2014. You can read more about Karl’s digital artist journey and his tutorials here