Blender : Modelling with cross sections
By Olivier Saraja
S  t  e  p   6 :
Last touches
 
We are almost finished, but we can now add a lake, which will have beautiful reflects if you are the happy owner of a C-KEY.
Tips : place the sphere on the second layer, because it can block our vision when we are in shaded view (Z-KEY). To do that, use the M-KEY and select the second little square from the left.

In top view (NUM7-KEY), add a plane at the centre of the scene (SPACE>ADD>MESH>Plane). Give it the name Lake (Ob:Lake). Leave the Edit mode (TAB-KEY). Multiply its size by four (S-KEY with CTRL-KEY being held until you have SizeX : 4.000, SizeY : 4.000 and SizeZ : 4.000).

Move the plane somewhere in front of the camera (G-KEY) and then, in front view (NUM1-KEY), adjust its height to have it cutting through the landscape a pleasant way.

 
Go back in top view (NUM7-KEY) and activate the shaded view (Z-KEY). Figure out if the result please you, without caring about areas which are not in the view sight of the camera. To figure out this, go in camera view (NUM0-KEY) and adjust accordingly the position of the plane in the top view (NUM-7 and G-KEYS).

In either case, move the plane on the third layer (M-KEY, select the third little square from the left and valid).

 
We are now about to deal with the critical point for the magic of Envmaps to work !

Leave the shaded view (Z-KEY again), then select the camera (right click with the mouse) and place the cursor on it (SHIFT+S-KEY, Curs->Sel). Add an Empty here (SPACE>ADD>Empty).
Reselect the camera and invoke its coordinates with the N-KEY, and especially note down LocZ and RotZ.

Select the plane and invoke its coordinates with the N-KEY. The same way as before, note especially LocZ.

At last, select the Empty and invoke its coordinates (N-KEY). Add to its RotZ the RotZ of the camera. The replace its LocZ by : LocZ(plane)-[LocZ(camera)-LocZ(plane)].