Modeling the cushions of the chair

Let's model the cushions:

1. Go to the Top view.
2. Choose the Cursor tool from the Toolbar.
3. Click on the center of the cushion in the reference image.
4. Choose the Select Box tool from the Toolbar to go back to the tool we were using before.
5. Press the Shift + A hotkey to bring up the Add menu.
6. Choose Mesh | Cube.
7. Set the Size to 0.9 m.
8. Set the Location X to 0 m.
9. Rename the cube object Chair_Cushion.
10. Scale down the cube along the y-axis to match the size of the cushion in the reference image (refer to the following screenshot):

Excellent! Now that the cushion aligns nicely to the x and y axes, we just need to adjust the z-axis scale:

1. Go to the right-side view.
2. Scale the cube down along the z-axis to match the height of the cushion in the reference image (approximately Scale: [.15|] = 0.15 along global Z):

Now, the cube is the correct size, but we have a slight problem: the object now has a non-uniform scale. All 3D software expects meshes to be a scale of 1 on the x-axis, 1 on the y-axis, and 1 on the z-axis. This is how the software understands what an object's default size is. If these values have been changed, we will get awkward results when we go to use our other modeling tools, so let's fix it!

Go to the Object Properties tab in the Properties panel. Here, we can see the Transform values for our selected object:

As you can see, the Scale values aren't set to 1, 1, and 1. Instead, they are: 1.000, 0.755, and 0.150. We cannot fix this by typing 1, 1, 1 in the scale values—all that would do is put the object back to its old size and it won't line up to our reference image anymore. Instead, we need to "apply" this scale information so that Blender understands that this is the new default size for the object:

1. Go to the Object menu at the top of the 3D Viewport.
2. Choose Apply | Scale.

Applying the scale means that the object's dimensions didn't change, but the scale has been reset to 1, 1, 1—perfect! All finished models should have a scale of 1, 1, 1. Now that the scale has been applied to the cushion, we can do one more bit of clean up. Only the top face and the four side faces of the cushion will be visible in the model. The bottom face is a wasted polygon, and it's going to cause some issues with the next step in modeling the cushion, so let's delete it:

1. Tab into Edit Mode.
2. Switch to Face Select mode.
3. Select and delete the bottom face of the cube that's inside the seat.
4. Tab back into Object Mode.

All of the edits we've done so far have been destructive edits—they are permanent. If we ever wanted to change something in that process, our only option would be to undo all of the changes, and then start over with new parameters. That's not really a problem in this case, but at this point, we can finish the cushion using a non-destructive method.

Now that that's taken care of, let's round out the corners of the cushion. To do this, we are going to use our first modifier, the Bevel modifier:

1. Go to the Properties panel and click on the Modifiers tab (it's the one that looks like a little blue wrench).
2. Click Add Modifier.
3. Choose Bevel from the Generate column.
4. Set the Width to 0.15 m.

5. Set the Segments to 4:

The Bevel modifier has added a bevel to all of the edges, which gives the cube nice rounded corners, as you can see in the following screenshot:

That looks nice and comfy! Lastly, we need a few more cushions for the back of the chair:

1. Go to the right view.
2. Make sure the cushion is still selected.
3. Go to the Object menu at the top of the 3D Viewport.
4. Choose Duplicate Objects.
5. Drag your mouse to move the cushion up and over to the back of the chair.
6. Left-click to confirm the translation.
7. Press the R hotkey to rotate the cushion.
8. Rotate the cushion so that it aligns with the back of the chair.
9. Left-click to confirm the rotation:

Repeat these steps for the other two cushions on the chair. Once you have all three back cushions in place, we need to resize them to better align with the reference image:

1. Go to the Front View.
2. Select the lowest of the three back cushions.
3. Scale the cushion's width and height as needed. Don't forget to lock the scale to the appropriate axes.

Repeat these steps for the middle and top cushions. If you need to adjust the positions and rotations, feel free to do so. Make sure that the Location X of each cushion is still set to 0 m, otherwise, they will be off-center.

Cool! Now we've got some padding on the chair, but our chair looks a little out of place without some rounded corners of its own. Now that we know how to add a Bevel modifier, let's add one to the chair with a few specific settings to make it look good:

1. Select the Chair_Main object.
2. Go to the Modifiers tab and add a Bevel modifier.
3. Set the Limit Method: to Angle.
4. Set the Angle to 18.

Without a limit method, all edges would be beveled, which would add way more polygons than we need. In this case, setting the angle to 18 means only the edges above an 18-degree angle will be beveled, which gives us a little more control over the bevel's results.

And there we have it; a seat with some rounded corners and comfy padding:

Aren't modifiers cool? Up next, we will model the Sci-Fi rings that levitate underneath the chair.