Modelling a Sword in Maya

Preparing your reference

So, lets get started. Fire up any version of Maya and import your reference image/images. I found a reference image of a medieval sword while searching google so I would like to share it with you if you want to follow this tutorial as closely as possible.

Step 1

It's time to set our reference image.

Go to your top view port View > Image Plane > Import Image, find your reference image and hit ok

PS: Make sure you did this in top view port.

Step 2

Now our image is set as a reference image, like in the image below.

Step 3

In the top viewport create a cube with the same subdivisions as shown below

Step 4

Select the 2 middle faces use your extrude operation without any extrusion. Then use your scale tool to match the blade in the reference image. Once you are done with it, use your move tool to bring those faces a little bit forward as shown below

Step 5

With the same face still selected use extrude and keep moving along the edge of the blade

Step 6

Keep Going

Step 7

Use your scale tool to match along the blade with reference image.

Step 8

We are almost done.

Step 9

Extrude and use your scale tool to match along the tip of the reference images.

Step 10

We are done with the blade for now.

Select the border vertices (leave the middles vertices), but only select the whole vertices in the tip of the blade.

Step 11

Go to your front viewport and use your scale tool to move the selected vertices

Step 12

By now you should have something like this.

Step 13

ok now it's time to create the fuller (indent in the middle of the blade) as we can see in the real world swords.

Step 14

With the Offset Edge Loop Tool selected click and drag over the middle edge. This will create extra lines for us, which will help us to create the fuller.

Once you have created the lines, select the middle edges of the blade (on both sides of the blade) and then use your scale tool to move them down, see in the image.

Step 15

It's time to move on to handle.

Select the outer vertices of the handle and move them outside to have a round shape, use your scale tool to move them symmetrically.

Step 16

Go to the face mode and select both sides faces, this should be single faces from both sides to create the guard. Then, use your extrude tool to extrude.

Step 17

Keep extruding and create the round shape at the end of the guard. Use your scale tool to make it round.

Step 18

We will use this tool to create edge loop around the middle of the handle.

Step 19

Now if you click on the middle edges it will appear as a red dot with red lines- its indicating that the edges are being created, so keep creating until you finish from where you started.

Step 20

Select the vertices of newly created edge and move them up using scale tool.

Step 21

With that done, its time to finish the handle, select the entire faces, as in the image below.

Step 22

Hit delete, select the outer edges- we will fill it with polygon face.

Step 23

With edges selected go to Mesh > Fill Hole

Step 24

and now its filled with a polygon face.

Step 25

Select the face extrude it and then use scale and move tools to create a shape.

Step 26

In the top viewport extrude the handle and follow along the reference image.

Step 27

Keep extruding and use your scale and move tools to create the shape.

Step 28

You sword should now looks similar to this

Step 29

Here's the smoothed version.

Texturing

Here we are done with modeling.

Now go ahead and start the texturing for your model. Here is my pretty basic rundown of texturing- I used Automatic Mapping and then used, cut and sew tools inside the UV texture editor to attach the parts together. Texturing is a lot more time consuming so take your time and have fun.

My work is pretty basic, but it should be enough for this tutorial- I painted the textures in Photoshop, and they turned out not so clean. It could be a lot better, but to be honest I am too lazy to refine the textures.

Final Result

These are my final images.

With specular map.

Without specular map

Congratulations guys we are in the end of this tutorial I hope you learnt something from the tutorial, if you have any kind of comments/feedbacks or suggestions please feel free to write me I would be glad to hear from you.