Ben Jones

Quick modeling an early 15th Century German Barbutte

A Barbutte is a visorless war helmet of fifteenth century Italian design, often with distinctive “T” shaped or “Y” shaped opening for the eyes and mouth. The Barbutte resembles classical Greek helmets and may have been influenced by a renewed interest in ancient artifacts.
- Wikipedia

This beginner level XSI 6 tutorial provides a “how-to” for creating a simple mesh of a German variant of the Barbutte. I will focus mainly on a couple of techniques that lend themselves to rapid modeling; namely, extrusions and polygon bridging. Quick modeling lays out the basic mesh from which modifications that are more detailed can be made later. In our case, we are looking to get the most model out of the fewest operations as reasonable. However, you can always employ other methods based on your tools and experience. For now, this works quite well enough.

Since the top of the Barbutte is an oblong dome that wraps down in the back slightly, let us start with that premise. We can use the extrusion tool to create this shape rather quickly with just two arcs. The first arc, referred to as the crown_path, is a simple 200-degree; while, the second arc, referred to as the crown_shape, is a simple 180-degree arc. The crown_shape then extrudes along the crown_path to create the crown of the helm.

Both of these arcs will be created in exactly the same manner. We will begin with creating the crown_path.

1. Select Model->Get->Primitive->Curve->Arc
2. Name the arc ‘crown_path‘
3. Set the End Angle to 200

Now close this dialog and repeat the process for the crown_shape.

1. Select Model->Get->Primitive->Curve->Arc
2. Name the arc ‘crown_shape‘
3. Set the End Angle to 180

Again, close the dialog when finished. Now, there is not to see since both arcs are in the same plane. Our plan is to extrude the crown_shape along the crown_path. This means that we will need to reorient the crown_shape to get the desired final shape.

First, make sure that the crown_shape is the currently selected arc (white color usually indicates this state). The re-orientation occurs in two phases. First, we are spinning the arc about its axis. Then, we are going to reset the axis while leaving the arc in the new position. On the Transform Panel,

1. Set the X rotation to 90
2. Set the Y rotation to -90
3. On the Select panel, click the CENTER button to active the arc’s center
4. Back on the Transform Panel, set all rotations to 0
5. Back on the Select Panel, click the OBJECT button to deactivate the arc’s center

Currently, we have our two arcs as shown to the right; where the crown_shape is the white arc and the crown_path is the long black arc. The arcs are now ready for the extrusion operation.

1. Select Model->Create->Poly.Mesh->Extrude Along Curve
2. Drag the pick session cursor across the crown_path arc, then release it
3. Right click the mouse to end pick session

This extrudes our crown_shape along the crown_path producing a smooth crown portion of the helm (see the image below).

Now we have something to work with; currently, it looks more like half a doughnut than a helm.

We need to close in the doughnut hole first. To do this, we are going to collapse the inner edges of that gap on both sides.

1. Press the E key to enter “Tagged Edges” mode
2. Select one of the front gaps’ edges (see the below left-side image)

As on the left:

1. Right click that edge to activate the contextual menu
2. Select the Select Edge Loop (no corners) option
3. Select another of the front gaps’ edges
4. Hold down the Control Key
5. Select any edge from the back gap
6. Release the Control Key
7. Right click to end the edge selection pick session

You should have edges selected according to the above right-side image.

Now, collapse all of these edges into single components as follows:

1. Right click one of the selected edges to activate the contextual menu again
2. Select the Collapse Components option

Once selected, these two points need to be moved down until they are at least level with the bottom edge on the right side of the crown.

1. Press T to enter “Tagged Point” mode
2. Drag the selection area over the two new points as shown in the above right image
3. Press the V key to enter Translate mode
4. Grab the Y axis handle (green) and pull it downward until it is about where the image to the left indicates

With the gaps filled on both sides, we now have the crown of the helm roughed out in its most basic form. The next step is to create the skirting that comes down from the bottom of the crown, which protects the head from eye level down to the shoulders. Again, we want to keep this simple and quick. The idea is to extrude the bottom edge of the crown downward to produce the skirting. We will do this for the entire crown and not worry about the details of the face area until later.

To accomplish this, we need to select an edge, and then expand that selection to include all the bottom edges.

1. Press the E key to enter “Tagged Edge” editing mode
2. Select a bottom edge of the crown (shown in red)
3. Right click the mouse to get the contextual menu
4. Select the Select Edge Loop (around corners) option
5. Now select some other bottom edge section

This should give you something like the image to the right where the entire bottom edge is red. If only the left side is red and right side is not included; not to worry, we can add the right side.

1. Hold down the Control key
2. Right click on a bottom edge to get the contextual menu
3. Select the Select Edge Loop (around corners) option
4. Now select a bottom edge section from the right side
5. Release the Control Key

With the entire bottom edge selected, the extrusion of the crown begins. We are not only going to extrude it down but add a little scaling and some translation to make the skirt more life like.

1. Right click the currently selected bottom edge to get the contextual menu
2. Select the Extrude along Axis option

On the Extrude tab,

1. Increase the length to 8
2. Uncheck the Y
3. Check the Z
4. Set the number of Subdivisions to 5

On the Transform tab,

1. Set the X scaling to 1.03
2. Set the Z scaling to 1.025
3. Set the Z translation to 0.5

The skirt should now extends down from the crown and sweeps to the left some. Here is a shaded view of where we currently stand in the process. In fact, from this step forward working in a shaded view makes life a bit easier. There are number of things left to complete before we are finished with the mesh.

From this view, the helm is beginning to take shape. We can see the rounded crown that dips down more in the back, the neck-skirting coming down and flaring out to the back. Unfortunately, our poor knight has no way to see since there is no visor area. This is our next set of steps, developing the helm’s facial opening and nasal guard.

To begin with, let us switch to the right view port since the helm’s face appears on the right side of our current view. Again, use a shaded view for working ease. Looking at the mesh, it seems a little narrow. We will have to widen the entire helm to give it proportions that are more normal. After that, we will cut away the face opening and the put the nasal guard into place.

1. Press the Space Bar to reset the object
2. Press the X key to enter scaling mode
3. Grab the Z axis handle (blue) and drag it to the left

Size the helm until it is about as wide as the image to the right. Now we can cut away the face openings.

1. Reset the object with the Space Bar
2. Press the U key
3. Highlight the indicated polygons
4. Press the delete key to remove these from the mesh.

Now the nasal guard can be added the to crown by extruding a pair of edges from top center of the eye opening down between the cheek pieces. As in the skirt extrusion extruded the crown skirt down, we are going to add some adjustments to this extrusion, namely scaling to narrow the nasal as it descends.

1. Press the E key
2. Select the two edges on the top of the eye opening above the gap in the cheek pieces
3. Right click the selected edges and select the Extrude along Axis option

On the Extrude tab,

1. Set the length to 5
2. Set the number of Subdivisions to 4
3. Uncheck the Y
4. Check the Z

On the Transform tab,

1. Set the X scaling to 0.7

The extrusion should leave us with the nasal looking much like the one to the right. Coming down from the crown and narrowing to a more pointed form as it passes down into the gap between the two cheek pieces.

The image to the right is not exactly what you would have at this point. I have jumped ahead slightly by selecting the two adjoining nasal edges in the upper corner of the eye opening on the right side. This is in preparation for our next step.

Barbuttes typically had very rounded eye openings that angled slightly toward where the tip of the nose might be on the wearer. We need to soften these corners and an a bit of angle.

Specifically, we would like to flare the upper nasal more gracefully into the crown and round out the lower back corners of the eye openings and add some upward arching to the tops of each eye. Since I have already selected those two nasal edges, let us start with those.

1. Right click the selected edges (from the image above)
2. Select the Bridge Boundary Edges option
3. The properties on the dialog are sufficient, so no changes are needed here

This creates a polygon between those two edges, which gives the nasal a smoother broader connection to the crown. Repeat this procedure for the opposite side of the nasal as well. Additionally, use the same procedure to bridge the corner edges on the lower back corners of each eye opening. When finished, there should be four new polygons on the mesh as in the image to the left.
We will save the arching of the tops of the eye openings for little later.

Now let us add the crown’s seam edge. This slight raised edge runs upward along the bridge of the nasal over the top centerline of the helm and down the backside.

1. Select a vertical edge in the center of the nasal
2. Right that selected edge
3. Select the Select Edge Loop (no corners) option
4. Select another edge along that same line
5. In the Camera View, Hold down the Control Key
6. De-select the red edges from the base of the crown to the bottom of the skirt
7. Release the Control Key

To make the crown’s seam edge stand out clearly, we must give it some relief above the normal curvature of the crown and make it a non-deforming hard edge.

Scaling the seam edge in both the X and Y axis pushes the edge above the crown’s curvature and adds a bit of ridge line to the nasal as well.

On the Transform Panel

1. Hold down the Shift Key
2. Click on both the X and Y buttons
3. Click on the GLOBAL button
4. Inside the viewport, gently drag the mouse until the seam rises slightly
5. Press the E key to return to the “Tagged Edge” mode
6. Right click on the seam to get the contextual menu
7. Select the Mark Edge Hard option

Arching the tops of the eye openings remains the last addition to the basic mesh for this tutorial.
Nothing beats some simple point edits to accomplish this feat; however, let’s do this one with a little magnetic assistance.
Using the modify tool in magnetic mode, pushing points actually slides them across the existing surface of the mesh.
This is a great time saving since the points stay relative to the mesh and don’t drift out into space.

1. Switch to the Front Viewport
2. Press the T key to enter “Tagged Point” mode
3. Drag a selection rectangle over the point at the back of the eye opening
4. Press the M key to enter modify mode
5. Highlight only the Magnet
6. Hold the Shift Key down
7. Carefully slid the selected point toward the left

By using the Rectangular select from the “Tagged Point”, we selected the point on the opposite eye opening in addition to the one visible. The Shift key tied to the translation to both points so that the move was identical for each point. So it’s an exact two for one edit. We can now use the same technique for modifying the top of the eye opening to create a gentle arch for both eyes at once. Grab each point along the brow (top of the eye opening) and push them up until it looks something like the image to the right.

This concludes the basic mesh construction intended for the tutorial. XSI offers many methods for achieving any single task so feel free to experiment with alternative methods or approaches. Perhaps I’ll continue this later to refine the mesh with a form fitting make over, add some rolled edges, and a few additional modifications to get helm up to historical standards. So stayed tuned.