Creating a Human Figure

A 3D human figure object can be inserted for a realistic addition to the drawing. Constructed of NURBS surfaces for a high-quality model, the object contains a wide variety of parameters for full control over the figure type, position, and appearance.

The 00_Entourage_Figures.vwx object library also contains pre-configured human figure objects in a variety of poses and figure types.

Several figures can increase the time required to render the model in 3D.

Inserting the Figure and Setting Parameters

 

To insert and configure a human figure:

1.	Click the Human Figure tool from the Visualization tool set.

2.	Click to place the human figure in the drawing.

3.	The human figure parameters can be modified from the Object Info palette.

 

Parameter	Description
Height	Specifies the figure height, in the current unit
Body Type	Select the figure body type (Slight/Petite, Average, or Large)
Figure Type	Select the type of human figure (Man, Woman, Boy, or Girl)
Posture	Select the figure position; Custom is displayed when the figure posture has been adjusted in the Figure Custom Position dialog box (see Specifying a Custom Figure Position)
Hand Height	For the Standing (shaking hands) posture, specifies the height of the hands, in the current unit
Attire (Top)	Select the clothing for the top of the figure
Attire (Bottom)	Select the clothing for the bottom of the figure A dress overrides the selected top attire
Footwear	Select the figure’s footwear, or select None if the figure is barefoot
Hair	Select the figure’s hairstyle
Jacket	Places a jacket on the figure
Stockings	Places stockings on the figure
Tie	Places a tie on the figure
Set Attributes	Click to set the figure attributes more specifically (see Setting Figure Attributes)
Custom Position	Click to set a custom figure position (see Specifying a Custom Figure Position)

Setting Figure Attributes

Figure attributes can be set precisely to control the figure appearance.

To set figure attributes:

1.	Select the desired figure.

2.	In the Object Info palette, make the initial selections for the figure.

3.	Click Set Attributes from the Object Info palette.

The Human Figure Attributes dialog box opens, with the figure set to the current Object Info palette parameters. Select each desired model part and then set its attributes.

 

Parameter	Description
Preview	Displays a preview of the figure in the specified posture, with a sample of the selected texture and attributes
Rotate Left/Right	Rotates the figure preview 90 degrees to the left or right
Render	Select a rendering mode for the preview figure. If Automatically Render is not selected, click Render after each attribute change to view a rendered preview.
Automatically Render	Renders the preview figure automatically, according to the selected mode, after an attribute change (depending on the selected rendering mode and the inclusion of attributes such as textures, this can take some time)
Model parts	Select each figure attribute to configure, and then set its parameters
Class	Select a class to apply to the attribute from the list of classes in the file, or select Container to apply the object’s class to the selected attribute The class must have Use at Creation selected for the graphic attributes.
Fill Style	Select Class to use the class fill style for the selected attribute, choose None to apply no fill, or choose Solid to apply a solid color and then click on the color box to select the fill color
Texture	Sets the texture parameters for the selected attribute (RenderWorks required) from either the default resources or the current file’s resources; see VectorWorks Design Series Default Resources
Texture	Select the texture to apply from either the default resources or the textures in the current file, or select Class to apply the class texture; select None to apply no texture
Map Type	Select the texture map type
Radius	For sphere and cylinder maps, sets the texture radius; the default radius is the same as the 3D object radius. Increasing this value reduces the size of the texture on the object.
Repeat Horizontally/ Vertically	Repeats the texture in a horizontal and/or vertical direction
Scale Factor	Determines the texture size when projected onto the object; either enter a scale value or use the slider to change the scale
Horizontal/Vertical Offset	Sets the start location of the texture horizontally and vertically
Rotation	Sets the angle of texture rotation; either enter a rotation value from 0 to 360 degrees or use the slider to change the rotation angle

For more information on texture parameters and mapping, see Applying and Mapping Textures.

4.	Click OK to apply the attributes to the figure.

Specifying a Custom Figure Position

If the Posture selection is not sufficient to position the figure exactly as desired, a custom figure pose can individually position the figure’s head, body, arms, and legs.

Use the Rotate tool to set the overall position of the figure.

To specify a custom figure pose:

1.	Select the desired figure.

2.	In the Object Info palette, make the initial parameter selections for the figure.

3.	Click Custom Position from the Object Info palette.

The Figure Custom Position dialog box opens, with the figure set to the current Object Info palette parameters. Select the body part tab to change, and then set the part parameters by dragging the slider for the desired settings.

 

Parameter	Description
Preview	Displays a preview of the figure with the specified figure pose
Rotate Left/Right	Rotates the figure preview 90 degrees to the left or right
Render	Select a rendering mode for the preview figure. If Automatically Render is not selected, click Render after each position change to view a rendered preview.
Automatically Render	Renders the preview figure automatically, according to the selected mode, after a position change (depending on the selected rendering mode and the inclusion of attributes such as textures, this can take some time)
Revert	Returns the figure to its original position
Head	Specifies the head parameters
Angle	Indicates where the head is positioned along a vertical axis (looking “up” or “down”)
Tilt	Specifies how much the head tilts to the left or right
Turn	Sets the amount that the head turns to the left or right
Body	Specifies the body trunk parameters
Hip Bend	Sets the bend of the lower torso and legs
Waist Bend	Indicates the bend of the upper torso
Waist Tilt	Indicates how much the upper torso tilts to the left or right
Waist Twist	Specifies how much the upper torso twists to the left or right
Arms	Specifies the arm parameters
Arm Selector	For each parameter, select the arm for the position change, or select Both Arms to mirror the position change to both sides of the body
Arm Rotation	Specifies the arm position at the front or back of the body
Arm Twist	Specifies the arm position as it twists along the arm axis
Arm Angle	Sets the up and down position of the arm
Elbow Bend	Specifies the amount that the elbow is bent
Wrist Twist	Sets the angle of the wrist
Hand Twist	Sets the flex of the hand
Legs	Specifies the leg and foot parameters
Leg Selector	For each parameter, select the leg for the position change, or select Both Legs to mirror the position change to both sides of the body
Leg Rotation	Specifies the leg position at the front or back of the body
Leg Twist	Specifies the leg position as it twists along the leg axis
Leg Angle	Sets the up and down position of the leg
Knee Bend	Specifies the amount that the knee is bent
Foot Rotation	Indicates the angle of the foot
Foot Flex	Sets the flex of the foot

4.	Click OK to apply the custom position to the figure.