First start out with a sculptured surface.
Click Sculptured Surface button then click your black screen.
Notice the box options that pop up? Turn on Grid. And turn on snap to grid.
Draw out the spine of your sword just like you cut it with a knife.
After you draw out all the the last line you have to close it with the
close button. SEE #1
Then click the OK sign. SEE #2
Pull up properties for your Sculpted Surface and click the edit spine box. Then edit cross section, to the RIGHT side of that property box you will see copy and paste Xseciton buttons. Almost always a sculptured surface will have one great spine and the other warped. So find the correct spine by using the up and down arrows. Find which one is closest to what you want. Then COPY xsection and click the up or down arrow then paste it over the one that looks yucky. (sorry techie term there. :) Click the ok or thumb button and you have a great looking sculptured surface. (if not ..... oops try again)
Keeping the edit spine on, you want to move the lowest spine down (generally about 15 meters dont' panic you will size it later.) Just go to the Trans tab and on Y put in -15. This makes the blade part, for the point of the blade you add another spine. To do this go back to the sweep tab, add SPINE BEFORE, go back to Trans tab and set it Y to -17. This will start our tip, go to scale tab and set scale to .01 for all settings. This is NOT a closed object and it can look strange if turned, so back to the sweep tab and UNCLICK the solid box. That will make it draw without disapearing when turned.
If you do not see a blade yet.... got me what you did wrong... lol. Ok it should be red... you should see the blade edge. (If you need more of an edge go back redraw the cross section then paste to EACH spine as before.) This blade is also huge and you should scale it down. Most long swords I have seen are apx. 6 ft. so you might want to have this under 2 meters. Remember the hilt design is up to you.
Some other ways to do blades are to edit indexed face sets... (I think I have a tutorial on that not sure.) or to strech out spheres. I have even seen cubes streched then flattened and cones stuck on the ends. Whatever way you work it depends on what looks best to you. Have fun.
Congrats you just passed Angel's
crazy sword lesson aren't you proud of yourself?