Step 3 - Modeling NURBS Car Fenders

In this free video tutorial you will learn how to duplicate NURBS curves, scale, and how to move its CVs in Maya NURBS Modeling feature. You will also learn how to create a surface from 2 dimensional curves.

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Note: If you have done previous 2 lessons, it means that you have hood file of your own and you can start from your own file otherwise you should download the file named Hood.mb right now for modeling fenders of NURBS car.

Let’s start the lesson,

Open the file named hood.mb
Open up Layer Editor from Channel Box

Make visible all layers by clicking in left empty boxes

Go to front image reference

Make invisible the Hood surface layer
Make visible the hood curves layer

Rename all hood curves one by one in out liner as mentioned below,
Left_hood_curve
Right_hood_curve
Front_hood_curve
Back_hood_curve

Note: Renaming curves will give you the benefit in next lessons when you will model the rest of the parts of NURBS car model.

Go to the front image reference view, hide hood surface if it has not been hidden yet
Duplicate Left Hood Curve
Move it towards the fender in image reference
Right click on the duplicated curve and get Hulls from right click marking menu
Try to place the duplicated curve on right corner of the reference’s left fender for making corner of fender, see the images below,

Once again you need to duplicate second curve in the same way as you duplicated first curve

You need to duplicate the curve again and again and try to fit it on the fender until you find the following result,

Note: When you are satisfied from all of your curves and you have set them on the references as accurately as you can, you need to loft all curve to create an initial surface.

Select all curves in sequence one by one
Then go to surface menu and choose loft command options
Reset all settings and click loft

Note: your work has not yet completed for fender. At this stage you need to add isoparms in fender surface object.

Right click on new surface which is fender and get isparms
Drag a select on the surface (you will see a red dotted line)

Go to the Edit NRUBS menu and select Insert Isoparms option box
Check At Selection option

After inserting new isoparms you need to select all new isoparms one by one
Go to the Edit Curve menu and select Duplicate Surface Curves
Delete the new fender surface one time and you will see only a bunch of curves

Again try to set all curves on reference images
Use your own idea for scaling, moving and rotating curves
And you are satisfied from your work, you need to loft all curves again,

Select the fender if you are satisfied and duplicate it

For mirroring the other side Change its scale Z value in channel box to -1

Hide all layers except Hood Surface Layer

Create new layer for fender object.
Assign material to it for giving it some shade so that you may work more effectively.

Note: Part 3  of the NURBS Car modeling project has been ended at this stage. 
Next part is  part 4. Go ahead, you are doing well. Ultimately you will model 
a sophisticated  mini cooper’s model.

More Video in this project ..... !!!