# Modeling a Shark

The common way of using ppModeler is starting with a simple primitive, and then moving vertices and adding details on the primitive.
So, we start with a cube(), with (1, 1, 1) subdivision along each axis. Then we smooth it ( in the tools tool box) and scale it 8 times along the x axis (menu edit->scale x, y, z...).
Before scaling, the result will look like :
Use the statistic to change the object name (menu options->statistics). Save the scene, with the name shark00.3de.
Now, we will give the basic form to our primitive. Go to the vertex tool box (F5 or ), and then select the front vertex (the one with the gretest x value). Use the arrow keys and the 'x', 'y', 'z' and 'f' keys to choose a good point of view. Bevel this vertex ().
Select the two horizontal vertices of the new created face and scale them (). This part will be the nose of the shark.
The result is :
Select the top front edge by selecting its two vertices.
Cut it in three parts (). Do the same for the two parallel edges of the top. Then, switch to the view all mode. Select the first added vertex of the center edge and the correponding vertex in the right edge. Add an edge between this two vertices (). Do the same for the second added vertex and then with the left edge.
The result will look like this :
Move the top vertices in order to obtain the shark profil. This is done only with the mouse. Use the right mouse button to switch between select vertex tool and move vertex tool.
Select the center vertices with the tool select vertices by rectangle ( in the drawing mode "view all" so that all the vertices will be selected (otherwise, only the visible vertices will be selected)), and scale them.
Now, we will add the top fin. Select the 4 top edges and cut them in 2 parts. Then add edges between the added vertices.
Move the top vertex.
Select the back edge of the fin and cut it in 3 parts and then move the newly added vertices.
Now, we will add the left fin. The right fin will be added at the end, by cutting the model in two parts and then miroring the left part.
First, we will remove the edge that cut the bottom left face in to triangles. Select the vertices in this face,
and remove the edge.
Switch to face tool box () and add a small face () of 30 %.
Move the new face in its own plane ().
We can now extrude the face () by 10 and scale () the extruded face by 0.9.
Extrude once more the end face by 1) and scale it by 0.5.
Move the end points of the left fin.
Now, we will model the tail. The back of the shark is to large, so select the back vertices move them and scale them down,
and move them backward.
Cut in two parts the top edge and move the new vertex upward.
Add two edge to give a thickness to the tail. Cut the back edge in 3 parts and the front in two. Then move the vertices.
Do the same for the bottom part.
Select the 4 border vertices of the tail, and scale them down to narrow the tail's base.
Now, we finish the core of the model. The cut with a plane tool will keep the right part of the model, so we must apply a symmetry ( in the tools tool box) before cutting the model. Then, the model is moved ( in the objects tool box) so that the center plane of the shark is in the (xy) plane. Cut with the (xy) plane ( in the tools tool box), then miror ( in the tools tool box).
In the miror tool, you must select three vertices that define the miror plane. Select one vertex of the head in the (xy) plane, one vertex of the top fin in the same plane, and the last one will be one vertex of the tail, obviously in the (xy) plane. Before doing the miror operation, check that all the vertices that belong to the (xy) plane are marked in red or green, and that no other vertices are marked. If it is not the case, play with the miror thickness () in order to obtain the good selection. Then press the "Ok" button.
Now, our model look like :
We will add the mouth :
Cut the edge where the mouth will be in 3 parts.
add the edges to obtain :
move the central vertices backward.
We will add the eyes :
Go to the face tool box and select the left face which will contain the left eye.
We will now draw the eye in this face. Activate the draw faces in a face tool (). Then add edges to obtain :
Press the "Ok" button in order to compute the required faces.
Then with the material tool ( in the object tool box) select a phong shading for the model.
Then select the eye face and with the material tool ( in the face tool box) select a black color for the eye. Do the same for the right part of the shark.
Rendering : Before rendering, we must convert the faces of our shark model to tiangles () because the model can have non-planar faces which will produce seams during the rendering process. move the camera to (-100, -20, -200) ( and press "Enter"). Points the camera to the object ().
Add a light () and move the first one ().
The camera and lights are now :
Raytrace (menu effect->ray tracing...) with the default value and a blue background :
The result file for ppModeler can be found here.