1. Go into
FX mode and flatten the sphere, just as we did above.
2. Go into
the Material mode and set the Diffuse Color to Black. Leave everything
else at default values. That's it.
Putting
it all together
So now we have an eyeball that's pretty much together.
Parenting
All
we have to do is attach the "Iris" and "Pupil."
Using tools in the composer, rotate the "Iris" and "Pupil"
so that they'll be flat against the indentation we made in the
"Inner" object. (To make this process easier, you should
temporarily hide the "Outer" object by clicking its
Hide button in the timeline.) You'll also want to scale the "Iris"
to fit flush against the edges of the indentation of the "Inner"
object. Make sure that no part of the "Iris" intersects
the "Inner" object, as it will be quite obvious in the
final render.
But before
you move the "Iris" onto the "Inner" object,
you should align the "Pupil" right behind the "Iris"
so that it blocks the hole in the "Iris." Then parent
the two together using the same hierarchy tool we used to put
together the three pieces of the eyeball. (Make sure the "Iris"
is the parent, not the "Pupil.")
Now move the
"Iris" into position. Since it is now the parent of
the "Pupil," the "Pupil" will move along with
it. Once the "Iris" is in place, you should link it
to the "Outer" object. So unhide the "Outer"
object in the timeline and make sure that "Iris" is
the only object selected. Use the hierarchy tool called Link to
Parent (as above) to link the "Iris" to the "Outer"
object.
The hierarchy of all the objects
in the timeline window.
Lighting
Now we'll do a little three-point lighting on our eye so we can
get a decent render out of it. Unless you're doing medial illustrations,
you're never going to use three-point lighting on an eye, but,
what the heck. We're going to use three spotlights: two in the
front, one in the back. Our main light will be offset about 45
degrees to the right and 45 degrees up (as in the image a little
further down). Give it a slight rose color, and leave its intensity
at 100 percent. (You can access brightness and color controls
by right clicking the light in the timeline and selecting Properties.)
Click
Image To Watch!
The Fill Light's color and intensity properties.
Click image to watch it in action (534 KB QuickTime).
Our fill light
will be on the left side, with angles that mirror our main light.
Put a slight blue tint on the light, and set the intensity to
50.
Our back light
will stay white at a 100 intensity. Angle it so that you just
get a slight crescent at the top of your eye when looking at the
front view.
Do a test
render. If you don't like the results, you might need to do a
little tweaking. I found the biggest challenge to be in the indentation
of the "Inner" object and how it lines up with the iris.
You might have a similar problem.
The final appearance within the Composer window.
Once you've
worked out any flaws, you're good to go. You can now rotate and
move the object (using the "Outer" object, which is
the ultimate parent) to create animations. Or, if you just want
a still, you can render that too.
Click to see a quick animation
Well, that
wasn't too tricky. In future installments, we'll get into eyelids
and eyelashes. In the meantime, let
me know of any ideas you come up with for creating eyes in
Amorphium. If you have any further questions, visit me in the
Digital
Media Designer or Creative
Mac forums.
