Well, to begin with, I honestly don't know why I'm doing this. The main problem with writing a tutorial for making a 3D Model is simple. What program do you write the tutorial for? I know Maya. It's the program that I learned to do these things in. I started out with 3D Studio 4 for DOS a long time ago - but I was never able to do this kind of modeling with that program simply because I didn't know how. Knowing what I know now, I could probably go back to it, and get something similar, but it wouldn't be the same.

Maya does NURBS Modeling. Sure, you can model with polygons too - but Maya doesn't do polygons very well. It's made to work with NURBs because Maya is more geared towards organic modeling.

3D Studio Max does Polygons. Sure, you can do NURBs too - but Max focuses more on Polygons, not NURBs.

Have no idea what I'm talking about? Never used Either program? Well, then I doubt that this tutorial will do you much good at all. I'm sorry, but that's how it is. I guess I can try to cover as much as possible, but this is not beginners stuff. This tutorial will assume that you already know how to run whatever 3D Program you're using. Because I can't make a really specific tutorial that will work for every 3D Program out there. But I also can't focus Just on Maya, since chances are that most of you don't have Maya. What good would a Maya tutorial do you, if you're using Lighwave? None.

So instead of covering each step used in making a 3D Head, I'm simply going to go over the basic ideas behind what I do. You see - I model in a rather unconvential way. During 2nd semester of my 3D Modeling class, the teacher brought in a small tutorial showing how to model a female torso by using splines and lofting them together. Suddenly a light-bulb went on in my head. I could model by drawing the lines around the exterior of the model and just lofting it together! It was like drawing lines! I could do that. I had never even thought of doing it that way before so I decided to try it.

The traditional technique used for modeling a head in 3D is to start out with a sphere with one of the poles of the sphere at the mouth. This way it's easy to change the mouth if needed for animation. A lot of beginners will just pop down a sphere, and start tweaking it from it's normal position (the poles at the top and bottom the head instead of having one of the poles at the mouth) If they ever try to open or change the mouth (which most biginner won't anyway, so it really doesn't matter) they have trouble.

I hate modeling form spheres. I never liked it. Not with something as complex as a head. It just bugged me. I hated starting from such a simple shape and trying to get somthing detailed and complex. I just never was able to do it effectively. But this nea idea of using splines was so interesting. I had to try it out.

The first few times, I got mediocre results. But they were still better then when I started with a sphere, so I fine-tuned my technique and now I think I have a very solid way of doing it that works very well for me.

The original problem of not having the pole at the mouth still exists, but I've managed to avoid wrinkles and creases, and I've managed to setup two heads (not having the poles at the mouth) with a full range of mouth phonics that work perfectly fine. So I don't see any reason to change my methods.

(end rant)

B. The Basics
(If you already know how to basically use your 3D Program, you can probably skip this too)

i. View Ports
Most 3D Programs have the same relatively simlar layout. 4 View Ports that all appear on the screen at the time time, that can be toggled individually to full screen. Some programs start-up with one view-port (usually perpective) full screen, but have a button, or a short-cut command that can be used to toggle to the 4 screens. They are: (at default)
Top (Z-X visible)
Front (Y-X visible)
Side (Z-Y visible)
Perspective (Z-X-Y visible)

There are 3 Axises in 3D Modeling. X, Y, and Z

Y is the up-and-down axis. Up is positive, down is negative.

X is the horizontal axis that goes paralelle to the front view port. Different 3D Programs use different positive/negative standards. There is some trick to remember them by using your right or left hand, but I don't remember it.

Z is the horizontal axis that goes parralell along the side view port.

ii. Toolbar
Most 3D Programs have some of the commonly used tools in a toolbar along the top/side of the screen for easy access. (some program also let you create personalized toolbars for your most commonly used tools)

Select - this tool allows you to select an object or objects. The normal short-cut keys usually apply (holding down shift, while using select allows you to select multiple things one at a time - control usually allows you to deselect individual objects) Most 3D Programs have a way to toggle between selection modes - whether your selecting entire objects, vertex/CVs, edges/isoparms, etc. (In Maya, press the F8 key while an object is selected, to toggle to CV/vertex selection)

Move - When an object is selected, and you choose the Move Tool, you should see a special thing appear at the pivot point of the object. In most programs it looks the same - it is 3 arrows, each pointing along a different axis. If you click directly on One of those arrows, the object will only move straight along that axis. If you click in the center of this thing, you can move the object freely along all of the visable axises (depending on which viewport you're using)

Scale - When an object is selected and you choose the Scale Tool, a similar guide appears as to the Move tool, but instead of arrows, small boxes usually appear (can varry for different 3D programs). Click on the boxes for each axis, and the object scales in that direction outwards from the pivot point.

Rotate - Same as the last two. A guide will apear that allows you to select which axis to rotate along.

Channel Box This is probably called something totally different in every other 3D program, but I can't think of anything else to call it. This is the area where all of the objects location information is shown when an object is selected.
All of the Object's Transformations Information.
These include:
Translate X
Translate Y
Translate Z
Rotate X
Rotate Y
Rotate Z
Scale X
Scale Y
Scale Z

Each has a text area next to it where you cange adjust the information. This is an alternate way to move/scale/rotate an object. You can type out the specific values in these boxes.

Different things will be displayed in the Channel Box depending on the situation.

Other Tools

Every program has a couple dozen little buttons all around it's view screen that each do something different. Not all of them will do you any good. Most of them won't. The really useful stuff is usually hidden among the menus. Explore these and test them out to see what they do.
Usually it won't make any sense. There are a lot of technical words used in 3D that take a while to get used to, and unfortunetly each program tendes to use their own names for things.
Maya is especially bad at making up names for it's things, that are called something entirely diferent by other programs.

iii. Terminology

Here are some common terms and my attempt to explain their meaning:

Polygon: A polygon is a triangle with 3 points that exist in space. A Polygonal Object is a shape made up of hundreds/thousands of these flat triangle. Polygons are the traditional types of models. It takes a LOT of polygons to make an object look smooth and rounded. In the end, it is still made up of flat sides. These flat sides have to be very small and many to make it look like a round side.

Vertex: A Vertex is the point where the edges of the polygon meet. To adjust the shape of the polygonal object my selecting and tweaking the vertexes.

Edge: An edge is the flat 'edge' that connects the vertices together.

Face: A face is the flat triangle that is formed by 3 vertices/edges.

NURBs: The New kind of modeling. (well... newer than Polygons) Instead of flat triangles, NURBs are made of Splines - or curves. I don't remember what NURBs stands for - so don't ask. Nurbs objects, unlike polygonal objects, are very smooth and rounded. It's actually rather difficult to get a straight edge with a nurbs object.

CV: Control Vertices - CVs are what control the curve of the NURBs splines. Like the Vertex, these are points that you select and move to change the shape of the object, but unlike Polygonal Verticies, CVs are not located directly on the object. The CVs pull on the curves to determine the general direction that it will go from one CV to the Next. They're nice since you can have very few CVs that are easy to control, yet have a very smooth sorface.

Isoparm/Spline: In Maya, they're called Isoparms, but I have no idea if any other program actually callls them that. They are the curves that make up the surface of the NURBs object. The curves that criss-cross each other and are adjusted by the CVs. On a single Spline curve, the only CVs that will be touching the Spline will be the beginning and end CVs. All of the others will not make direct contact with the curve.

Wireframe/Mesh: Term for describing the 3D Object.

Loft: Takes two or more curves, and creating a surface between them. Lofts work best if the curves used have the same number of CVs / Vertices.

Extrude: Take two curves - The first is the shape used, *example- a circle* and the second a path *example - a curve* creates a tunnel. The first shape is created out along the path curve.

Boolean: Taking two or more objects and making them into one. There are three types of booleans; Union, Difference, and Intersection.

Bevel: Select an Edge and choose bevel. It will take the single edge, and creat two edges from it - creating a new surface that turns in from the initial direction.

Mirror: Takes the geometry and flips it along a specified axis.

Pivot Point: the Point (usually in the center) of an object that it scales and rotates from. Most programs allow you to move the location of the pivot point, which is useful in animation.

Point Light / Omni Light: Generates light from a single point, out in all directions.

Spot Light: Generates light from a single point, in a specific diretion through a cone of light.

Render: Generates an image of the scene.

Raytracing: More advanced Rendering algorithm that takes all of the objects, their textures, and all lighting into account for each and every object in the scene. Used to generate realistic shadows and reflectiongs. Takes longer.

Lattice: I don't know for sure that other programs have this, but I'm assuming they do (I know maya has it, and I REALLY like using these) A Lattice is a very simplified box, created around a selected object or selected CVs/Vertices that can be used to adjust that object's general shape.

Skeleton / Bones: Used in animation. When bones are created inside an object, and that object is skinned to the bones - each bone controls a different part of the object. When the bone is rotated, the area of the object that is controled by that bone is rotated.

IK Chain: A special thing used with bones that allows you to move the end top bone, and adust all the bones between the top bone, and the end bone... gah - I can't describe this. It's really useful for animation, but does nothing special for modeling alonel, so you probably don't need to know this right now.

Texture: The texture assigned to an object is what determines how it will look. If you don't texture the item, it will always look gray.

Phong: A kind of texture map that is somewhat shiny.

Lambert: A kind of texture map that is not shiny at all. Very dull shades and very little highlights.

Blinn: A very shiny type of Texture Map.

Bump Maping: A bump map is a black and white file. The black areas are indents, while the white areas bump out of the surface. It is a way of adding texture and grain to a surface, whithout having to model small creases or bumps.

Transparency Maping: Another map that is done with whites and black. Black is solid, while white is transparent. Gradual gradients from white to black will create gradual fades into transparency.

Maya Specific: These are things that are in Maya and probably aren't exactly in other programs, or are probably called something else in other programs.

Outliner: A window that lists every object in your scene.

Playblast: Goes through each frame of your animation taking screen-caps of each one. A quick and easy way to test you animation without having to spend hours rendering, just to find that you still need to change somethings.

Hypergraph: A really weird and incredably annoying thing in Maya. Most people who use maya either REALLY HATE this thing, or use it all the time... I hate it. I hate it sooooo dearly.... oh yea - Um.. It graphs out every object you have in your scene and shows how each object connects to other things like bones, etc.

Hypershade: What Maya calls it's Texture thing. This is the best place to create and assign textures to objects.

Blendshape: Maya's name for Morphing. If you go back to the Old 3D Programs (like 3D Studio for DOS) they call Morphing "Morphing" but somtime during the late 80's or early 90's some guy Trademarked or Copyrighted the word "Morph" so if you want to use that word now, you have to pay him. So everyone came up with new words to replace it and BlendShape is the one Maya uses. In order to animate an object 'morphing' from one shape to another, the two objects have to have the exact same number of Vertices/CVs.