Symmetric Modeling Tutorial

From K-3D

• Create the first half of your object. You do not have to complete it, the following steps will allow you to see the full object as you work.
• Hide the first half.
• Create a new MeshInstance object. This will become the second half of your object.
• Connect the second half mesh instance "mesh_input" property to the "mesh_input" of first half mesh instance. You will see a copy of the first half.
• Select the second half and apply the ScalePoints modifier. Mirror the second half of your object by setting the scale to "-1" for the desired axis. You will see the mirror-image of the first half, shaded as if it were turned inside-out.
• Apply the "FlipOrientation" modifier to the second half. It will now be shaded correctly.
• Show the first half. You will see your complete object.
• From this point forward, modifications to the first half are automatically visible in the second half. Modifications to the second half will not affect the first half, allowing you to combine symmetry with asymmetry in a natural way (for example: the human head is not perfectly symmetrical).
• At some point, you will probably want to combine the two halves of your object into a single mesh, so that you can apply operations to it as a whole. As an example, you will not be able to render your object correctly as a subdivision surface, unless it is a single combined mesh. To do this, use the MergeMesh modifier to combine the two halves into one. Then apply the Weld modifier to ensure that the two halves are correctly stitched-together into a single surface.