In Episode 2 of the making of “Captain Morgan and his Starship Pirates” we explored some basics about drawing lines that user m2morgan64 had to master before he could create his exceptional models using 3DVIA Shape for his game under development.

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Next, we need to be sure that we really know what we’re seeing. If you are drawing an object on a piece of paper, you always know where your lines are - on the paper. You’ll never be surprised that one of the lines you just drew is actually on the back side of the paper, or on its edge, or has just plain disappeared. In 3D space there are all kinds of such surprises.

That’s why being able to confidently move around in 3D space is so important. If I draw a simple rectangle, a line from corner to corner, and then a vertical line without changing my viewpoint - I can end up not knowing where it went. The first image below demonstrates this confusing state of affairs. I can change my model color, as I’ve done in the second image, but that takes time. If I simply change my viewpoint, as in the third image, it’s easy to see where the line is and that it went where I wanted it to go.

white-line-white-background-1-0.png    white-line-colored-background-1-0.png    white-line-white-background-rotate-viewpoint-1-0.png

If I have a more complicated model, it is even more important to be able to zoom around and in and out to check up on what I’m really creating. In the first image, I think that I’m drawing a line across the gray face of the model. Once I move my viewpoint, I see that my line is heading somewhere else entirely. If I had continued to model without checking, I would have been really surprised later.

where-is-the-line-really-going-color-background-2-25.png     not-going-where-i-thought-it-was-color-background-2-2-25.png

The value of knowing where you are is even more apparent when you see the whole crazy asteroid that this is part of:

 importance-of-f4-image-witout-lines-3-25.png   the-environment-button-1-5.png

“What?”; you say, “Of course it’s hard to see - where did all the lines go?” That brings up the importance of knowing about the “Environment” button (or just use F4 and be done with it) to be able to see all of the edges to help guide your modeling.

importance-of-f4-image-with-lines-3-25.png

“Enough already! You’ve convinced me. Now, how do I do all of this amazing rotating and zooming and everything?” I’m glad you asked.  Depending on which part of your brain you like to use, we have multiple tools to help you.

For those who love video presentations with avatars; there are video tutorials created using TVnima.com. (The “Navigation” tutorial is, oddly, at the end of the list, rather than at the beginning.)

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If you prefer more traditional tutorials, we’ve got a bunch of those too. (The “Viewing in 3D” section is the first item under the “Using 3DVIA Shape Tools” heading.)

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And we have a quick synopsis right here from an excellent and more complete blog post on the subject done by Rodd back in November.

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By now, I hope you are ready to find your way around your model in 3D space and avoid some of the more likely surprises. Then again, there is always my favorite button on the screen:

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Undo!

P.S. If you have specific questions about this blog post or previous ones, you can ask me directly, now that we have Messaging!

Go to Episode 2!

Go to Episode 1!