Today in Maya i decided to create an Arch.
To start off i downloaded the file needed to recreate the arch. After this I went into Maya and clicked on front view- import plane and selected the image. Then i scaled the image to a substantial size for me to use as a guide to create the archway.
I started off by creating a cube. I scaled it to make the base of the Arch. I then selected face mode and clicked on the top face. On the keyboard i press ‘Ctrl + E’ as this is the hot key for the extrude tool. i scaled the face up then pressed ‘R’ to bring the face out or in.
The finished base looks like this.
I selected the top face and scaled it up to create the long central pillar on the arch.. I used the extrude tool again to complete the top of the pillar. After completing the model for the one side of the pillar it looks like this.
Another hotkey which i sued was ‘Ctrl +D’. This duplicates the selected object. i went into object mode to do this as any other mode would not work. Highlight the two objects and press the ‘Combine’ tool to make the 2 objects become one.
Select the top face on each of the objects and press ‘delete’ on the keyboard to delete the faces as this allows us to create the arch connecting to the pillars.
Go into edge mode and select the edges on the top face highlight all 4 on each pillar. You can do this by clicking a edge once then hold shift and double click. This should highlight all the edges for you. Then select the ‘bridge’ tool after doing this.
After completing this, add a substantial amount of divisions to make the bridge look realistic. i added 7 divisions.
I had to change the divisions to 8 in order to extrude the central piece out.
After using the extrude tool for the last time. This is the finished arch piece.
Modular Archway
Today in Maya i created a modular archway. I started off with a cube and scaled correctly to make the base on the archway. after using the extrude tool multiple times to create the base, central pillar and top of it , the finished pillar looks like this. The extrude tool helps me create indents and shape certain points of the pillar whilst using the same object.
Once accomplishing this, i went into edge mode and highlighted 4 edges on a certain face and clicked on the bevel tool.
The fraction i used was 0.25 and the amount of segments used were 2.
I inserted some edge loops to create the indent in the pillar. i clicked onto Mesh Tools and then Insert Edge Loop- i clicked the box next to it and the options came up. I changed the maintain position to multiple edge loops and number of edge loops to 4. insert these vertically and horizontally. 
Go into edge mode and highlight the 2 central vertical edge loops. Press ‘R’ and scale them out towards the edge of the pillar sides. 
Do the exact same to the horizontal edge loops.
After this is complete i clicked on the central bottom and top edge loop. Drag them up to create the outline of the detail for the center on the pillar. Scale the vertical edge loops on the outside towards the edge. After completing this it looks like this.
Go into face mode and press ‘4’ on the keyboard to bring up Xray. Highlight these two Edge loops and make them in line with the central edge loops which you have already moved. This is the outcome.
After completing this, go into Face mode and select the faces inside the edge loops on both sides of the object.
Once accomplishing this , use the extrude tool and use the green and red boxes to scale it inwards and use the blue arrow to create the indent. git looks like this once done.
After using the extrude tool multiple times to model the detail inside of the pillar. The finished piece looks like this.
Once completing this click on modify and the freeze transformations. It will set the X,Y,Z axis to 0 again. This will make the object go to the middle of the grid.
The X translate needs to be 25. After this duplicate it by using the hot key ‘Ctrl + D’. the duplicated object set the X translate to -25 as it will make it equal distance from each other.
Create a cube and scale it so it site on top of the 2 pillars but only covers half of the pillars. Scale to the right size and add 12 subdivisions to the width. highlight the edges in edge mode and the use the bevel tool. change the fractions to 0.125 and the divisions to 3. Go into face mode and select the middle face all around the object. do it for all 12. use the extrude tool and use the boxes to scale the faces in to give some detail onto the arch connecting the 2 pillars. It will looks like this when complete.
Go into animation mode instead of modelling mode. Click onto Deform then locate ‘non linear’. Once you have located non linear click on ‘bend’.
This shows up once you click on bend. Rotate the Z axis to 90 and the curvature to -90. This is the result.
Next scale it so it is similar to the picture you are having a guide off. once completed, duplicate it and it will look like this.
Delete half of the arch by going into face mode and highlighting half of the arch. make sure where you first extruded the object does not get deleted. it should be like this.
Do this to both arches you duplicated.
It will be like this once the faces are deleted.
Go into Modelling mode again and rotate the picture you imported 90 on the Y axis.
click on Mesh tools then create Polygon. Follow the outline of the background wall on the picture and create the shape using the polygon tool.
This is what happened when i re created part of the wall.
After this select the object you made and click on modify – center pivot.
center the polygon so it fits into the crack between the arches. select the bottom vertices and scale them so the polygon fits like so.
Return to object mode and place the polygon at the end of the archway and use the extrude tool to scale it to cover the whole object.
Create a cylinder. Rotate the X axis 90. the subdivisions must be 10 and scale it so it cover the excess wall under the archway.
Duplicate another 2 and put it each side of the primary cylinder created.
click the polygon created and hold shift and click on one of the cylinders. go onto Mesh- Boolean- Difference. Once done for 1 cylinder, repeat for the other 2.
This is the final outcome.
Lewis Duggan 