Maya 3D: Zero to Hero/Tutorial:Excalibur

AutoDesk Maya 2015

Excalibur
Even if it doesn't seem like it, you already have learned everything you need to model a 3d object (which from now on, we'll call a mesh). Don't believe me? I'll show you. First thing first you'll need to create a primitive, which would be a "simple" mesh from which we can create pretty much everything, in this case that would be a cube.

Configuration Trick
I'd like to make a little change in configuration before we begin: when you try to create something with Maya it'will begin an interactive creation process where you make first a base than an height, I personally think it's pretty annoying so I'll go to create->Polygon primitive and uncheck the interactive creation at the end of the list. From now on when you try to create whatever the program will make a generic object in the middle of the scene, of course you'll be able to change length, width and height just like in interactive creation you'll simply do it AFTER it's been created.

Birth of a Mesh
If you've followed my previous advice you have already seen the create menu, that's a perfectly fine way to create a primitive, still a more intuitive way exist: the ribbon-like menu called simply Shelf. Choose the fourth tab 'Polygons' and click on the cube. Congratulation! You've made your first 3d object, now let's make it more interesting.

Channel Box
Next the top-right of the 3d view there is a Menu called Channel Box, if what you see is another menu called attribute editor press CTRL+A that will cycle between Channel Box and Attribute Editor, if there is nothing at all, it's possible to open it on Window->General Editor->Display Layer Editor. After you created the cube select it to watch some sentences appear in the Channel Box, now press W and move the cube around,

On Moving - Clicking on an arrow will make an object move along the corresponding axis, while grabbing the center will enable you to move it anywhere; pressing CTRL and grabbing an arrow will make it move anywhere BUT the axis that the arrow represent

you'll see the number on translation change based on where you put the object, the same thing will happen pressing E and rotating the cube, just this time will be the rotate variables changing, ditto for scaling (letter R). This mechanism works also in reverse: put a number in Chamber Box and the object will move, rotate o scale based on what you put in. But enough about that it's not what we're here to do, press the voice under Input (probably Polycube1) and you'll see other voices: width, length and height are pretty self-explanatory but the last is what really interest us

Subdivision
Up until now we have worked in Object Mode, the mode in which you work on entire objects, now let's mix up things a little: press F10 to go in edge mode. An edge is a line connecting 2 vertex, in a cube there are 12 edges, a lot less than what we need for a sword, let alone the mighty Excalibur, so we're gonna change the number inside subdivision in the Channel Box: 3 for width and 5 for height. Edges will appear around the cube: 4 around the height and 2 around the width, it's not an error, number of subdivision refers to the faces which are respectively 5 and 3 just like written.

Modelling
Select the top edges and press W, drag then up along the green arrow until you're satisfied with the length of the blade. Select the middle two edges of the remaining four on BOTH sides, the scale them (r) along the x axis (the red one), then, without deselecting the edges, press W and bring the edges up the y axis until you like the guard of your sword and press F11 to go into Face Mode. Select the three faces on the bottom of the sword and bring them down until you're satisfied with the length of the handle and scale them until you like it's girth. Select the three faces on top and scale them at 0 on the x axis: meaning that with the scale tool you should put the red cube on top of the yellow one, then go in Vertex Mode, select the outer vertex and move them down the y axis, then select the other two vertex and scale them to 0. Select the edges on the sides on the top of the handle and scale them. Lastly go into Object Mode and scale the entire mesh on the Z axis. Your legendary sword is ready, not the most impressive but satisfying none the less, and we'll take care of the impressiveness in time. But not before learning another two or three commands that would have made this tutorial half as difficult.