Hi YHWH_777,

> That is exactly how I created the example in the original post,
> but I was wondering if there was another way to do it.
> I am still a beginner with NURBs and have a lot to learn.

Yeah there are a variety of other ways to do it as shown in this thread, but you were already on the right track there as far as the usual preferred method for NURBS modeling.

Starting with some primitive shape and rearranging all the vertices to the actual shape you want is more how polygon modeling works.

NURBS modeling is usually focused more on drawing a smaller number of profile curves and then using those profile curves to generate your shape - some profile curves are used to create surfaces or solids, and some profile curves can be used to cut away material. You use this method to build several pieces, then combine the pieces together using booleans, then you can fillet the areas where they connected together if needed.

Check out the video tutorials here:
http://moi3d.com/2.0/docs/tutorials.htm

They go step by step through this kind of a strategy for constructing a few different models.

But usually the main starting point is drawing some defining profile curves. The good thing about this strategy is that for mechanical shapes you can create large portions of your model directly from the profile curves, and it tends to be quick and convenient to manage 2D curves as compared to managing clouds of 3D vertex points.

You can also manipulate NURBS surfaces by their 3D control points as well, but by doing that you're basically avoiding the main strong area of NURBS modeling which is being able to build your model in a more construction oriented method by working with 2D curve drawing.

If you want to focus on 3D point manipulation and squishing instead of curve drawing, that may be a sign that the thing you're working on is better suited to be done in a polygon modeling program rather than in a NURBS based one.

- Michael