Modeling a Pear : using the deform tool



This tutorial is about using the deform tool ( in the object tools toolbox ()). We will start our fruit body with a sphere. Then select the deform tool () with the following parameters:


You should have something like :

Unlike all the other tools in ppModeler the deform tools selects all the control points (handles) that are bellow the mouse pointer. Start by selecting all the handles in the upper half part of the deform grid. The number of selected points is shown in the information area (blue text). You must have 24 point selected. Then, with a right click, switch to the move selected handles tool ('Mv'), and move the handles toward the z positive values.
With another right mouse click, return to the select handles tool (). Select the right handles, and move them in the left direction. Then, select the left handles, and move them in the right direction. You should now have something like :

Repeat the process, without moving the lower level of handles:

Continue, until you have something which look like :

It's not necessary to obtain exactly the same model. Just try to have something with a good looking.
We have work on one view of the fruit. Now, switch to the other view ('x' or 'y' key) and select the handles to narrow the upper part of the pear :

The final fruit body, with the deform net look like :

You can judge the result before going on, by switching off the deform grid (). The fruit body look like :

Now, we will had the stalk. Add a cylinder, with 5 parts (). Scale it (menu edit->scale x,y,z) by (0.1, 0.1, 0.4), and move it near it final position ().

In order to blend the stalk, we will use the deform tool again, with the parameter (1, 1, 2). Proceed as with the fruit body in order to obtain something that look like :

Don't forget to give correct name to the objects with the menu options->statistics. Select an object in the object list, and press the "name..." button.

A quick preview of the result can be done by giving phong material to the pear body, and brown color to the stalk and switching the view mode to textured:

The last part of our pear is the leaf. We can build it with a 2 sided object from a polygon. But this kind of objects have bad properties. Its easier to build the leaf with a thin extruded polygon. So, activate the extrude tool () and draw the yellow polygon bellow :

Then, extrude this polygon by a small amount, and answer no when ppModeler ask if you want to convert the end faces to convex faces. We will do it by hand, in order to obtain a much better result.
Switch to the vertex toolbox (), and select the two vertices that defines the main vein. Add an edge between this two vertices (), and cut it into 8 parts (). The result is :

Now, selecting the vertices two by two, add edges in order to define the secondary veins:

Do the same for the other side of the leaf.
Scale, rotate, translate the leaf near its final position :

Hide the stalk and the pear body (right click on the name list, the circle in front of the name become red), and activate the deform tool. Deform the leaf so that it look like:

The final result is :


You can now transform the objects faces to planar convex faces (Select an object, activate the face toolbox (), select all the faces ('a' key) and launch the tool ) and give appropriate materials to each parts ().
Add a floor polygon (a grid of 1x1), add lights, move the camera and ray trace the scene :