Final Project 3: Make a Place

So, now we're going to build on what's been going on so far. You now have a solid overview of the 3D modeling process:

1. Modeling
2. UV Mapping
3. Materials/Textures
4. Lighting
5. Rendering

As importantly, you have developed an overview of creating an effective image:

1. Establish a camera to create your shot.
2. Think foreground, mid-ground, background
3. Contrast in scale.
4. Use light and shadow to break up your scene and create points of interest.
5. Tell a story. How is the viewer meant to "move" through the space.
6. Use compositing/post-production to "cheat" and create the best image you can.
7. Interior/exterior and visual hierarchy. How can you move our eye through the scene?

Our final is Monday, December 7 at 8:00!!

What's due?
You will present a .pdf of your project. It should include

1. Reference material you used to develop your place.
2. A one paragraph written narrative of your scene. What is it? Where is it? Why is it? What's the story?
3. In-progress shots and narrative of your process - can include screen caps, test renders, etc.
4. Final shots of your place - at least 5. These should be final quality renders, that is, they should be finished off in photoshop (color-corrected, composited) and include shadows and ambient occlusion passes.

Project 2A: Interior with Texture & Lighting

I. Project Overview

Using your newfound skills, model an interior scene. This time, we'll be adding the power of textures, lighting, and compositing to create a complete render. Note: Project 1 & 2 are both due on Monday, November 9. See revised due dates for details.

Here's the basic construction order:
1. Model - get the geometry set before you UV map. Changes in geometry will affect the UVs.
2. UV Map - prepare a UV map for each object so you can apply textures.
3. Surfacing - create Materials for your objects with 2D texture maps and material attributes.
4. Lighting - use a combination of lighting types and techniques to flesh out the scene.
5. Render - set resolution and use render layers to generate a bitmap(s) of your shot.
6. Post-Production - Composite, color-correct, and cheat to create your final shot.

Here're a few texture maps to get you started - click 'em to enlarge and download the high res versions. Put 'em in your project folder in the sourceimages folder.

II. Technique: Materials, UV Mapping, Texture Maps

1. Intro to Maya Materials



2. Intro to Maya UV Mapping and Texture Making

3. UV Editing Techniques: Split, Move, Sew, UV Shells

III. Example 1: UV Mapping and Texturing a Model

1. Concept and template drawn in PhotoShoppe (note proportions are different in final model):

2. Modeling in progress:

3. Wireframe finished:

4. UV mapping and textures:

5. Grind Date:

IV Example 2: Model, Texture, and Composite

 

 Reference Shot

 

Wireframe

3D shot with alpha channel

+

2D image in PhotoShoppe

=

Final composite image

Project 1B: BlockVille Buildup

Okay, we're getting into component modeling now. Verts, edges, and faces are your new companions. Your project for Wednesday, October 14  is to build out some of your scene objects in Blockville using component modeling to create some more detailed, cool elements to give your scene 6000% more bad-assery. Demonstrate this increase with three more scene renders posted to the blog. Remember, be deliberate in your choice of what to model so you get maximum visual impact out of your efforts. Do appropriate VISUAL RESEARCH and post it. I don't know much, but I do know that  you (yes, you) do not yet have a fully detailed architecture library floating about in your head.

Responsive essay. This essay should have a bit of before and after reflection. Before you get too involved in your modeling, write a bit on what emotional impact you are trying to convey in your scene and how you might achieve that effect. After your shots are getting done, reflect a bit on your use of modeling, architectural repetition, research, shot composition, and the like and how it contributed to the success/failure of your work.

Basics:
1. Right-click, hold, and drag on an object to set the component level you want to work on. This is also where you get back to object mode.

You can also use f8, f9, f10, f11 to access the different component levels. If you do this, you'll need to set up your mac hotkeys: Apple Menu>System Preferences>Keyboard> use f1 etc as standard function keys checkbox.

2. Avoid the following like the plague (because we all very consciously try to avoid the plague).
a. Non-planar faces:

The top face of this block is f***ed (i.e. non-planar)

The top face of this block is fine--it's planar.

b. Do not pull verts through faces! Ugh. Don't make me look at it:

wtf???

c. N-gons. These are polygons that have more than 3 or 4 verts. 

This is one polygon, but it has 8 vertices.

Here's the same model, properly "quad-ed out".

d. Unnecessarily complex geometry. Hello, olde-fashioned booleans.

Clean-up on isle 5!

To avoid these unfortunate types of things, we've got to learn how to add geometry to our models carefully and deliberately. The Heads Up Display (HUD) will help you keep tabs on your "poly-count" as well as give you a constant read-out on health, ammo, and special ability cooldowns. Access the hud through the menu: Display--Heads Up Display--Poly Count

Here are some videos on the basics of component modeling:

1. Extruding Faces

2. Building an Arch: How to delete, create, and mirror faces

3. How to combine separate objects and merge vertices

4. How to import an image as an Image Plane

5. Sample image for use as an Image Plane

DemoTemplate. Click to enlarge, then download.