Modeling a Bird

This is a very basic subdivision modeling example which mostly uses two tools: subdivide and extrude.

Recall that these tools can be activated as follows:

• Subdivide: Hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the face normal end point.
• Extrude: Hold down the Ctrl key while dragging the actual face normal line.

You can also activate these tools using the keyboard short cuts, compass or the context sensitive toolbar.
 

1. Create a SDS cube and switch to the 'Edit/Face' mode.

The body of a bird

2. Select the left and right side faces. Now you can see their face normal handles.

Side faces selected

3. Subdivide the selected faces: hold down the Ctrl key and drag the left normal end handle towards the face center.

Faces subdivided

4. Select the topmost left and right faces and drag the 'move on normal' handle while holding down the Ctrl key to extrude. Do this twice.

Head and tail extruded

Head and tail extruded again

5. Now, switch to the top view and multi-select the right end faces. Stretch them wider (use the Transformation/Extend tool) to form a tail. Then use the Extend tool again to make the opposite end, the head, narrower.

The bird from the top view
 

6. Subdivide the end face of the head so that we can extrude a beak out of it.

Head end face subdivided and two faces selected for extrusion

7. Extrude two end faces a couple of times and scale them to look like a beak.

The head finished

8. Subdivide the bottom face of the bird. Subdivide the created middle bottom face again. Scale a suitable pair of the bottom faces smaller so that they can be used for extruding legs out of the body.

The bottom face subdivided twice and two faces selected for the leg extrusion

9. Now extrude the selected faces a couple of times to get the legs extruded.

 
Legs extruded

10. Subdivide the end faces of the legs. Then select the four outermost end faces in both legs for toe extrusion.

 
Subdivide the end faces of the legs. Four outermost faces selected.
 

11. This time start the 'Extrude' toll from the control bar. Set the 'Region' option to 'Separately' and extrude the toes.

12. Modify the extruded toe faces making three toes to point forward and one toe to point backwards.

Toes extruded

The next task is to extrude wings out of the side faces of the body to get our bird completed. However, this would just be repeating the steps described above. Therefore, we complete this example here.