This tutorial was based on XSI 1.5. Some features have changed since then although the core principles and elements discussed below remain essentially the same.

The labrador tutorial will get you through modelling basics in XSI and introduce you to subdivision surfaces.

If you know what you want to model, start searching for Data and images / videos material on the internet. If you have a camera you can, as well, get specific data that will best suit your needs. Front, side and top view of the model are essential ( better indeed, if taken from the same model ).

I will repeat, great data leads to great detail and natural looking models.

First i took pictures from differents labradors, and from one to another there is huge differences when it come to details. So don't waste time while modeling and prepare the best you can your work

With precious help from Mathieu 's Osmoze Labrador, i could find all i needed to achieve good modeling.

Now we are going to set up the workspace for speed modeling !

1. start editing the current default layout, it will be red highlighted.

2. Layout > new layout > blank to clean the screen .

3. right mouse > set view > view manager to show the viewports.

While this could be sufficient, we need some other tools onscreen. CREATING A MODELING PANEL

1. View > Custom toolbars > new to create a blank toolbar. Give the name you want.

2. Pass again in edit layout mode with the panel open. With right mouse split vertically once. Then split the right pane twice horizontally. Finally split twice the left pane horizontally.

3. Set up the views as shown ('cause i had videos, i put thetimeline 3d and the playback panel )

4. Final refinement, on the image clip viewer view, right mouse and add view switcher. Add the explorer.

5. Leave Edit mode and save the new layout when prompted.

THE FINAL TOUCH

Now we are going to add a browser to avoid searching each reference file with the image clip viewer.

1. views > browser opens the browser. Browse directories to your data. Add to favorite.

2. Set the browser to thumbnail display.

3. Hide the left pane with the center arrow. Now resize it to fit on the right side of the screen.

4. You can resize and place the browser and you modeling toolbar opened or close, they will remember each place and size.

5. to hide or open a toolbar, double click its title bar.

STARTING MODELING

We are going to start from a polymesh cube.

1. You could now choose some reference images and drag them from the browser into the scene.

2. For the overall shape we can pass in rotoscope mode in the right view to model the side of the dog. Don't forget that clips can be modified in the fx tab without altering the original source. Thus, you can crop or modify hue/brightness... to suit your modeling needs

1. Get a primitive mesh cube. Press V to enter translation mode. Choose the view submode in xyz. this will help you to adjust freely newly created polygons in that plane.

2. Activate Immed in the Edit panel, this will freeze the operator stack after each action, preventing the history to grow. You can still undo with Ctrl + z.

3. Now press Y while dragging over the right side of the cube to choose a polygon. Don't relax until you completely surround the polygon. This is supra key mode .

4. When you relax, the cube turns yellow and the center has stuck to the middle side of the cube, the polygon has been choosen, you are still in translation and you passed in polygon mode.......

5. adjust the form of the cube to fit the nose with pressing T and draging over points. You are now in point mode. You can translate those red points to change the shape.

EXTRUDING

1. Press Y once and relax (this is sticky key mode). You are in polygon mode. Press V, you can now translate.

2. Press Ctrl + D, this will duplicate selected polygons in the same position.

3. Translate to the right, try to follow the rough lines of the side.

4. To adjust the zoom ratio and position between the image and 3d world, the pixel zoom icon can link the image with the mesh and liberate.

EDGES

We are now going to need some triangles.

1. press E while dragging over an edge. You are in edge mode with translation.

2. press right mouse button over an edge, the context menu for tagged edges appear. (Alt + mouse right if you are in extended component ie : Softimage 3D) Choose collapse. The edge disappeared and the 2 endpoints have been merged. Now you can make tris! .

3. If you are in XSI key mode, to add to selection / remove / toggle use the same keys as windows : Shift / Ctrl / Alt or none. This is similar as Max controls. I prefer Softimage 3D extended controls but if you want to play Octopussy with Shift + Y to add...if not you can call extended selection by activating the toggle Select > extended component ( you need to return to xsi default layout )

1. Select the last polygon on the back of the dog. Turn off immed mode ( this way you will be able to update the changes from the property editor ).

2. From the context menu choose extrude polygon along axis. The property editor appear.

3. Choose local component for extruding from the local coordinates of the polygons. Increase the subdivs to 5. In the tab of transformation you can now set values for scaling with the per subdiv toggle, thus refining the tail.

4. You can now easily made the legs by extruding along axis.

5. You can return to the extrude operator by expanding the cube in the explorer and clicking the extrude operator icon. Don't forget to return to immed mode, when you need no longer operations in the history. But you will collapse all operators.

SUBDIVIDING

You may need to subdivide locally to extract the legs.

1. Press I to pass in Edge Raycast mode and choose some edges near the chest just passing by them. In extended mode with the 3 mouse buttons you can easily select / deselect / toggle ( look at the bottom of the screen to see how the functions are mapped to the 3 buttons).

2. Now from the context menu choose subdivide edges evenly. From the property editor, set the number of subdivisions ( you can experiment all of these tools )and close.

3. Extrude the legs and tweak the points as desired.

If you don't want to keep the polys with 5 sides, you can add edge easily.

1. Press space bar to pass in object mode. The dog turns white. From the context menu choose add edge tool.

2. you can pass on edges and points, its flashes to give you feedback. When looking at the status bar, you can see the 3 functions mapped on the mouse buttons.

3. Press Ctrl while in add edge mode. Terms change to "bisect", this mean you will automatically snap to mid edges while cutting. Now you can add edge easily.