Part 2: Creating a Rocket (continued)

Coloring the Rocket

Now it's time for a little color. You'll use the Color Per Vertex Editor to color the individual polygons of the shape.

  1. You should have Cosmo Worlds open with the model of your rocket with its newly created fin. If you don't have your model available, open a new file (File > New) and import shipAndFin.wrl, a file provided for this tutorial. Choose File > Import. Clear the Selection field, then type in this pathname and press Enter: /usr/share/Insight/library/SGI_bookshelves/Help/books/CosmoWorlds_UG/Models/shipAndFin.wrl

  2. Change the draw style to As Is. In the Viewer Menu, choose Draw Style > As Is.

  3. Select the ship by clicking on it.

  4. Open the Color Per Vertex Editor by clicking on its button in the Looks palette:


    The Editor window pops up.

  5. Notice that a copy of the selected object appears in the editor window. This is to preview the color before pressing Apply. Once you press Apply, the coloring is applied to the object in the scene. You can undo mistakes in the Color Per Vertex Editor by using Ctrl-z.

    To reposition your view of the rocket in the editor's preview window, Alt-drag.

    Also notice the buttons along the bottom of the window. Pass your cursor over the buttons to see a description of what each button does.

    For an overview of the icons and buttons, look at a diagram of the Color Per Vertex Editor.
  6. Make the ship blue.
  7. Make the windows gray.
  8. Color the fin red.
  9. Color the rocket's end to a fiery glow.
  10. Take a moment to save your file before continuing.

Importing and Placing the Pontoons and Fin

The rocket is almost done! Now you'll attach the two "pontoons" to the underside of the ship using the Snap Target and the Snap Source arrows. You'll use a sample file for this part of the tutorial; it contains a ship with special markings for placing the pontoons. A file with a pre-made pontoon is also included for this tutorial.

  1. If you don't have Cosmo Worlds open with the file you've been working on, then create a new file and import the file shipAndFinWithColors.wrl:
    /usr/share/Insight/library/SGI_bookshelves/Help/books/CosmoWorlds_UG/Models/shipBasic.wrl

    You can save this file as rocket.wrl or give it another name.
  2. Reposition your view of the ship so you can see its underside. Notice that there are two quads that are darker blue. These are the spots where you will attach the pontoons.

  3. In the File menu, turn off Interactive Import Placement. Then import the file shipPontoon.wrl.
  4. De-select the pontoon by clicking on the background.

  5. Click-middle over one of the darker blue quads on the ship. The yellow Snap Target appears. You can drag the Snap Target if it isn't precisely where you want it.

  6. Select the pontoon and reposition your view so you can see the blue top-end of the pontoon that will be attached to the ship. You may need to hide the ship so that you can see pontoon. Choose View > Hide Unselected Objects to hide the rocket (later, choose View > Show All Objects to bring the rocket back into the view). Ctrl-click middle over the pontoon to place the green arrow for the Snap Source.


    The Snap Target and Snap Source arrows placed. Remember to select the pontoon before moving to Snap Target.

  7. Re-select the pontoon by clicking on it.

  8. Press Ctrl-m, or choose Layout > Move Selection to Snap Target. The pontoon will snap to the bottom of the ship.

  9. Make the second pontoon by cloning the original. Select the pontoon and choose Edit > Clone.

  10. Place the Snap Target on the other dark blue quad on the other side of the ship. (Click-middle on the quad.)

  11. When you paste the clone, it will appear on the Snap Target. Choose Edit > Paste Clone.



    Jump to: Layout Tools to learn more about the snapping arrows and other alignment tools.

  12. You're almost done. Now, to group the pontoons to the rocket, then save and close the file.

Grouping the Rocket

  1. Shift-click to select each part of the rocket.

  2. Choose Edit > Group to combine the parts into a single object.

Jump to: Grouping Objects to learn more about this task.


Saving and Closing the File

Yay! You've learned how to select and edit PEPs and how to use the snapping arrows. Your rocket is complete. Choose File > Save from the main menu to save your file. If you are continuing to Part 3 now, keep Cosmo Worlds open.

Next, you will create a scene composed of the planet and the rocket. You'll learn how to animate the rocket to land on the planet.

Part 3: Animating the Rocket