Toy Soldier Modelling

Here are the steps I took in modelling my broken toy soldier character.


I started by making a cylinder with multiple segments. I then converted it to an editable poly and used the scale and extrude tools to form the shape of the soldiers body, collar and belt.
I then cut this model in half down the Y axis, added a symmetry modifier and a mesh smooth modifier.


I then repeated the above step without smooth or symmetry modifier to create the head. I then attached this model to the body cylinder to form the head.
I also created a new cylinder which I made an editable poly and extruded it multiple times to form the leg and boot.


The above stage was then repeated once more to make the arm and the hand of the toy soldier. I took care on the arm and leg to include topology that would allow me to skin the model with ease.


I then attached the leg, arm and hand to the toy soldier model and collapsed the symmetry modifier to the editable poly modifier. I was not able to delete and tweak the verticess of the left leg to make the broken leg.
I spent some time tweaking the vertices of the hat to reach the final shape. I also made a buckle and feather out of two boxes that I attached to the toy soldier model.
Finally, I deleted some faces on the face and extruded the edges out to create the nose.


I then spent some time editing the vertices of the boot, creating a mudflap by extruding some of the polys out.
I then created a number of cylinders which were scaled and attached to the toy soldier model to form the buttons, eyes, pupils, mouth, bluckle pin and shoulders. I also formed a belt buckle, eyebrows and moustache from boxes which were scaled and attached to the toy soldier model.
The final stage of modelling was to delete planes on the side of the head and extrude the edges out to form the ears.


I then made a number of materials which I added to the different parts of the model. The specular levels were edited to form more shiney points on the model.


I spent a qhile looking for an appropriate wood texture for the broken stump and added a UVW map modifier. to make sure the texture sat on the model properly.

I chose to model and texture the model this way because I feel that it adds to the 'cartoony' theme of my animation and makes the model look more like a toy soldier, than something that is supposed to be organic.

I am happy with this model and feel that it will lend itself to the story and theme of my animation.