# Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Detailing Your Simple Person 1

|previous=Modeling a Simple Person
|subcat=Basics
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```
!Your goal. Few
real-life objects have perfectly sharp edges. People, in particular,
consist of mainly smooth surfaces. How does one model a smooth object
using flat faces and sharp edges?

In this module, you\'ll learn how to smooth a mesh by using subsurfaces
and smooth shading.

\_\_TOC\_\_

You\'ll need the simple person model from the previous module. If you
haven\'t done it, either go back and do it now or download the pre-made
model from
.

If the model doesn\'t look solid, your Viewport Shading setting may be
set to Wireframe. To switch to Solid shading:

1.  Activate the 3D View window.
2.  Press .

## Subsurfaces

!The sub surface
modifier.
So far, all the meshes you\'ve created have had sharp edges, giving them
a faceted appearance like that of a cut diamond. To model a smooth
object (like a human body) you might think you need a huge number of
vertices and faces. 
partly solves this problem by automatically subdividing a mesh into a
finer mesh suitable for smooth rendering.

You subsurface in Blender by adding a
 to an existing mesh
object. A  is simply an
algorithm (automatic process) which can be added to an object. (Blender
modifiers are analogous to Photoshop adjustment layers.)

To get started, make sure Blender is in Object Mode, with only the
simple person object selected:

1.  If Blender is in Edit Mode, press .
2.  To select the simple person,  on it.

To add a subsurf modifier to the selected object:

1.  Click on the modifiers tab (wrench icon) in the Properties window.
2.  *Add Modifier → Subdivision Surface*.

You could also add subsurf modifier by pressing
.

The object\'s appearance should immediately become more faceted and more
rounded. In addition, several subsurface controls will appear in the
Modifiers tab. 

The model may include some double vertices. To get rid of these:

1.  Edit the model in Vertex select mode.
2.  Select all vertices.
3.  *Mesh → Vertices → Remove Double*
4.  Try again.

You need to look in to upgrading (or possibly even downgrading) your
graphics drivers. Having the right graphics driver can avert many
problems. 

What just happened? The default subsurf modifier (one level of
Catmull-Clark) subdivided each face of the object into four smaller
faces that are progressively angled. This softened the sharp edges of
the original model where faces met at 90-degree angles.

### Controls

For this model, one level of subsurf isn\'t quite enough. To increase
the number of levels to two, just increase the number in the text box
directly underneath *Subdivisions*. The *View* setting controls the
number of subdivision levels visible in the viewport. This is very
useful when you have a high-poly scene, just decrease the number of
visible subdivisions to speed up viewport action.

You can specify additional levels of subsurfing to be used during
renders. For extra smooth renders, you might want three levels of
subsurfing. Set this with the *Render* control immediately below the
*View* control.

The *Apply* button applies the modifier to the mesh. Do not click it
yet. We\'ll be playing with the model a bit longer before we apply the
changes. While useful with some modifiers, applying a subsurf modifier
produces a very complex mesh, and there\'s no need to do so here.

Remember that you can undo any accidental modifications with
.

Blender can combine a series of modifiers by
 them. For this reason, the
Modifier tab includes buttons for arranging and removing modifiers.

You can hide edges created by the modifier by activating the *Optimal
Display* toggle button. The effect is especially clear with the
Wireframe draw type.

You can edit the mesh in modified form (without actually applying the
modifier) by activating the *Adjust edit cage to modifier* toggle
button, a small button with a triangle and vertices, to the left of the
Up/Down arrows (the arrows are for changing the position of the modifier
in the stack) in the Modifier panel.
![](Modifier_editmode.png "Modifier_editmode.png")

Try this out:

1.  Press  to enter Edit mode.
2.  Make sure Blender is in Vertex select mode.

    :   Note that the vertices no longer lie on the surface of the
        object.
3.  Activate the *Adjust edit cage to modifier* button.

    :   Now all vertices lie on the surface of the object, and you can
        adjust the (modified) vertices directly. However, any additional
        vertices created by the modifier cannot be directly edited
        without applying the modifier.

You will be editing the boxy version of the simple person awhile longer,
so before continuing, deactivate the *Apply modifier to editing cage
during Editmode* button. 

## Smooth Shading

!Your simple person after setting
smooth.{width="400"}
Subsurfaces do a good job of smoothing out corners in meshes. Even with
two levels of subsurfaces, however, the simple person does not look
completely smooth; when viewed close up, it has a scaly appearance. This
is because each face is
---shaded to resemble a
flat surface---resulting in sudden changes in brightness at most edges.
For a smooth object, you want
, which smooths out the
changes in brightness.

1.  Go to Object Mode.
2.  Set the draw type of a 3D View window to \"Solid\".
3.  Select your subsurfed object.
4.  In the Toolshelf on the left, look for a caption called *Shading*.
    Under it should be a button called *Smooth*.

    :   All the mesh edges will be smoothed out, leaving no sudden
        changes in brightness. The faces blend smoothly into one
        another, making the edges nearly invisible. If the icosphere has
        not smoothed properly and is dimpled, enter Edit Mode by
        pressing , select all
        vertices (A) and recalculate the normal direction (CTRL+N). This
        is also available in the Toolshelf under *Normals*.
5.  Click the other button under *Shading* in the Toolshelf, named
    \'Flat\'.

    :   The edges will reappear. Now you know the difference between
        Flat and Smooth.
6.  Since the model looks better with smooth shading, click
     on the \"Smooth\" button again.

Note that if you didn\'t have subsurf enabled, then the mesh wouldn\'t
look much different. This is because smooth shading doesn\'t affect the
mesh shape, it just changes how the computer draws the triangles.

Smooth shading also removes a lot of definition. A good way to get rid
of this is simply to add a subsurf modifier like you just did. The
modifier will not only require fewer vertices, but add definition.

<File:Blender3D_FlatShading.PNG%7CFlat> Shading
<File:Blender3D_SmoothShading.PNG%7CSmooth> Shading

Save your work. You will continue refining this model in the next
module.

### Additional Resources

-   For more about modifiers, see
    
-   For more about Blender subsurfaces, see
    .

