Welcome to Assads Designs new tutorials section. Today i am going to teach you how to setup blueprints the best way (i think its the best way). Well lets get started! Im going to be using the Honda Civic prints from my site (of course) for this tutorial. Ok first of all we have to chop the blueprints up in photoshop, so open photoshop. Now you need to open the blueprints file so, File>open, then select your blueprints (mine are of the Civic), now grab the "Rectangular Marquee Tool" and select around the rear picture of the blueprint as close as possible to the edge of the car.

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Now Edit>Copy, to copy the selection of the print, then File>New, make sure you keep the default settings, then press ok. Edit>Paste, and you should have your first print done now all we have to do is save it, so go File>Save For Web, set the quality to "low" and name it "civic rear".

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Then select the front image the same way as you did the rear.

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copy it, File>New, leave the settings default, paste it in the new file, File>Save For Web, set quality to "low" and save as "civic front". Now do exactly the same to the side image.

The top image is different, it needs to be rotated. if its is not rotated it will come up in lightwave like this:

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it has to be verticle in order to model according to the prints. So in do the same as the previous prints but before saving go, Image>Rotate Canvas>90. and it should look like this:

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Now we have our blueprints all cut up and they should roughly match each other. Now its time to open modeler, when its open press "d" for the shortcut to the "Display Options" then click on "Backdrop", then click on the dropdown menu for "image" like the picture below:

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Now find your top blueprint and open it and click on 512 for image resolution. if you have done everything right you should have something like the pic below:

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Now its time for the next two viewports. Select "BL" witch stands for bottom left viewport like below:

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Select "Open" from the image dropdown menu and load in your front blueprint, select 512 for the image resolution. Do the same for the BR viewport, and dont forget to select 512 for image resolution. Now if you have followed correctly you should have the same as this:

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now zoom in on the top left viewport so just the windscreen is showing:

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select the box tool and make a box over the windscreen. Manouver the points around so there is one point in each corner of the windscreen, make sure the points match up in as many view ports as possible as shown:


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Now you see how it doesnt match up in all viewports. It matches up with the side and front pretty well, but as for the top its pathetic. So what we need to do is make the top print larger. So press "d" for display options and then go to backdrop make sure it is set to TL viewport and increase the size of it. Some times you may have to fiddle with the other settings but usually not.

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As you see the 4 point are in the corners of all 3 blueprints, when youve done all that delete the polygon press "d" for display options go to the backdrop tab and click the dropdown menu for presets now click on "Save All Backdrops" save it as civic prints and keep it close to your model.
And thats it! easy huh. Now start modeling!!!

Written by Luke Assad
03/01/06
Assadsdesigns.co.nr]