Since I followed some online tutorials to help me make some of my objects for this project, I will post the links here.
Tree - http://www.3dtotal.com/ffa/tutorials/max/tree/tree1.asp
Christmas Tree - http://xyztutorials.blogspot.com/2008/10/making-of-cristmas-tree.html
Plane - http://www.livevideo.com/video/TutorialChannel/68E129963D12433E941344D711616EA6/3ds-max-tutorial-create-a-lo.aspx
Palm Tree - http://www.pawas.com/graphics/palm-tree-tutorial.htm
Note that I followed most of these tutorials in a slightly different direction, and most of the time I continued working on the objects in my own way.
Monday, 8 December 2008
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Final Images
As I'm pretty much finished with the assignment for this Semester, I may as well display my final images for the project:
OCTOBER:
As shown in this render, it isn't much different from my previous W.I.P. image aside from shorter grass and the inclusion of the crossed ice hockey sticks. Shading has not been included because it didn't work as I wanted it to.
DECEMBER:
A few more changes have been made to this one: the Christmas Pudding has now been included, as well as a particle system to create a snow effect. I have also used shadows, assuming that there is a light source in front of the objects, and the snow on the ground, originally a cylinder, has been replaced with a box, since applying the new material was much easier this way.
AUGUST:
In my previous entry I posted an image of the newly remade version of my August image. For this final version shown here, I brightened the colour of the palmtrees, and the colours of the image overall are much brighter as well, which is because I moved a light nearer. Also, I made a change to the original background, adding clouds to liven it up.
So there we have it: after a number of initial headaches and screaming into a cushion to relieve frustration on at least one occasion, it's all finished. But I don't think it's all over yet as next Semester I have to work on a 3D Animation... Argh!
OCTOBER:
As shown in this render, it isn't much different from my previous W.I.P. image aside from shorter grass and the inclusion of the crossed ice hockey sticks. Shading has not been included because it didn't work as I wanted it to.
DECEMBER:
A few more changes have been made to this one: the Christmas Pudding has now been included, as well as a particle system to create a snow effect. I have also used shadows, assuming that there is a light source in front of the objects, and the snow on the ground, originally a cylinder, has been replaced with a box, since applying the new material was much easier this way.
AUGUST:
In my previous entry I posted an image of the newly remade version of my August image. For this final version shown here, I brightened the colour of the palmtrees, and the colours of the image overall are much brighter as well, which is because I moved a light nearer. Also, I made a change to the original background, adding clouds to liven it up.
So there we have it: after a number of initial headaches and screaming into a cushion to relieve frustration on at least one occasion, it's all finished. But I don't think it's all over yet as next Semester I have to work on a 3D Animation... Argh!
Monday, 1 December 2008
Updates
The last couple of weeks have been spent adding final touches to my work, which includes adding new objects, new materials, and having to remake a whole scene again.
First of all, continuing with the start of ice hockey season theme that has been incorporated into my October image, I made a pair of crossed ice hockey sticks, which sometimes screams "hockey" more than just a puck on its own.
To begin with, I simply drew the stick blade with the line tool, added a custom material for the tape using UVW mapping, and extruded the rest of the stick. It was then cloned and flipped horizontally, rather than simply rotating the object to save me from applying the material again.
Continuing with the Christmas theme for December, I made a Christmas Pudding. It was made by creating a cone, applying mesh smooth and adding a custom material. Then, I drew some leaves with the line tool and made some spheres for the holly.
Also as mentioned before, I had to remake one of my images: August. This is because for some reason the file got corrupted and now I can't open it. Thankfully my most important objects (plane, palmtree and to a lesser extent the shark fin) remained intact in their original files, so they simply had to be brought back in. Below you will see how the image has changed:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
As you can see it's a fairly faithful recreation, however I have now added materials to the beach and islands in the distance, as well as bump mapping and reflections for the water (which was also done in the original, however it was implemented better here). I have also made better use of lighting effects, for example I have used shadows. Admittedly however I preferred the brighter colour of the palmtree in the original.
My next post, and probably the last for this semester, will include all three of my final images.
First of all, continuing with the start of ice hockey season theme that has been incorporated into my October image, I made a pair of crossed ice hockey sticks, which sometimes screams "hockey" more than just a puck on its own.
To begin with, I simply drew the stick blade with the line tool, added a custom material for the tape using UVW mapping, and extruded the rest of the stick. It was then cloned and flipped horizontally, rather than simply rotating the object to save me from applying the material again.
Continuing with the Christmas theme for December, I made a Christmas Pudding. It was made by creating a cone, applying mesh smooth and adding a custom material. Then, I drew some leaves with the line tool and made some spheres for the holly.
Also as mentioned before, I had to remake one of my images: August. This is because for some reason the file got corrupted and now I can't open it. Thankfully my most important objects (plane, palmtree and to a lesser extent the shark fin) remained intact in their original files, so they simply had to be brought back in. Below you will see how the image has changed:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
As you can see it's a fairly faithful recreation, however I have now added materials to the beach and islands in the distance, as well as bump mapping and reflections for the water (which was also done in the original, however it was implemented better here). I have also made better use of lighting effects, for example I have used shadows. Admittedly however I preferred the brighter colour of the palmtree in the original.
My next post, and probably the last for this semester, will include all three of my final images.
Sunday, 23 November 2008
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
I think one of my strengths throughout this project is my use of materials, although in some cases the objects I've made look fairly good without any, while other objects such as the ice hockey puck, plane and beach ball needed them. My materials are fairly minimalistic and yet work well.
My other strengh is that I have been able to create simple but effective scenes for all three of the images I have been working on.
Weaknesses
One of my weaknesses is, strangely enough, to do with materials. In some cases I have had trouble applying materials properly, however this was before discovering UVW map settings. I still have trouble with certain other materials, e.g. realistic sand because all I end up getting is one or two colours rather than the image I applied.
Another weakness is that I tend to spend too much time on one object at a time, with prime examples being the Autumn tree for October and the airplane for August.
Also, I have had difficulties working with lighting and shadows, which is a combination of the overall structure of the images and the ways I have used the lights.
Opportunities
Coming up next Semester is an animation assignment for this module which will probably still require 3D modelling. The fact that I have been able to learn the basics of creating 3D objects will prove helpful when it comes to this next assignment. Also next Semester, I have another project to work on not relating to this module that may require at least one thing in 3D.
Also in coming years I may have to do another module that involves 3D Modelling, for example Virtual Environments.
Threats
My biggest threat regarding this project is that I have been using a newer version of 3DS Max to create my models at home, and for some reason this makes the files incompatible with the older version of the program that the University uses.
Also, by the end of Week 12 of this Semester there are more assignments to be handed in, so some time has to be split between this project as well as those ones.
I think one of my strengths throughout this project is my use of materials, although in some cases the objects I've made look fairly good without any, while other objects such as the ice hockey puck, plane and beach ball needed them. My materials are fairly minimalistic and yet work well.
My other strengh is that I have been able to create simple but effective scenes for all three of the images I have been working on.
Weaknesses
One of my weaknesses is, strangely enough, to do with materials. In some cases I have had trouble applying materials properly, however this was before discovering UVW map settings. I still have trouble with certain other materials, e.g. realistic sand because all I end up getting is one or two colours rather than the image I applied.
Another weakness is that I tend to spend too much time on one object at a time, with prime examples being the Autumn tree for October and the airplane for August.
Also, I have had difficulties working with lighting and shadows, which is a combination of the overall structure of the images and the ways I have used the lights.
Opportunities
Coming up next Semester is an animation assignment for this module which will probably still require 3D modelling. The fact that I have been able to learn the basics of creating 3D objects will prove helpful when it comes to this next assignment. Also next Semester, I have another project to work on not relating to this module that may require at least one thing in 3D.
Also in coming years I may have to do another module that involves 3D Modelling, for example Virtual Environments.
Threats
My biggest threat regarding this project is that I have been using a newer version of 3DS Max to create my models at home, and for some reason this makes the files incompatible with the older version of the program that the University uses.
Also, by the end of Week 12 of this Semester there are more assignments to be handed in, so some time has to be split between this project as well as those ones.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
August - Progress so far
For August, instead of making an image that makes fun of British Summer, I am instead producing a holiday scene on a beach, including palmtrees, and a plane in the sky.
First of all, I shall go through how my plane was made:
Following an online tutorial, the first thing I did was create a cylinder and adjust some settings, then extruding the wings from the cylinder. The tutorial I followed was on how to make a low-poly airplane, however I followed it slightly differently to make a model based on a commercial airline plane.
The next thing I did was to adjust the shape of the wings as I saw fit, making it look slightly more accurate to a real airplane.
Then, going in a completely different direction to the tutorial I was following, I chose to make the main body smoother using the Meshsmooth modifier. Applying it to the whole object makes the whole thing smooth, making it look more like a shark than an airplane, so what I did next was clone the plane, deleting the wings from one copy and deleting the body from the other.
As shown in this render, I also attempted to add windows to the plane using a material I created on Photoshop. Initially I had difficulty with this, as you can see the windows are not in the correct positions, all stacked on top of each other making it look like a double or triple decker airbus with slanted windows.
Eventually however, I was able to correct the problem by using UVW map settings to place the materials on the plane correctly.
As shown in the render I have also added a logo to the tail fin using the same UVW map settings, and made the plane's engines in a similar fashion to the main body. The plane is now finished.
The next object I created for the image is a palmtree.
For this I started out by making a cone, and then using the Array tool to stack several copies of it on top, and then using the bend modifier to... well, bend it. Next a leaf was drawn using the line tool and then extruding the shape, and again the Array tool was used to create four more copies of the leaf. All four were then placed on top of the tree.
At the moment, this is what the image looks like:
The sand an sea were both made with two completely different cylinders, and the islands in the distance are simply green spheres. Two other new objects were added as well: a beach ball, created using a sphere and materials, and a shark. Rather then create a whole fullt 3D shark, I just used the line tool to create the fin. Also, the background was made in Photoshop, using gradients and a lens flare effect.
For those who are curious, this is what the scene looks like from a distance:
Yes, the plane is actually nearer to the beach than the shark is. You wouldn't have thought that, would you?
First of all, I shall go through how my plane was made:
Following an online tutorial, the first thing I did was create a cylinder and adjust some settings, then extruding the wings from the cylinder. The tutorial I followed was on how to make a low-poly airplane, however I followed it slightly differently to make a model based on a commercial airline plane.
The next thing I did was to adjust the shape of the wings as I saw fit, making it look slightly more accurate to a real airplane.
Then, going in a completely different direction to the tutorial I was following, I chose to make the main body smoother using the Meshsmooth modifier. Applying it to the whole object makes the whole thing smooth, making it look more like a shark than an airplane, so what I did next was clone the plane, deleting the wings from one copy and deleting the body from the other.
As shown in this render, I also attempted to add windows to the plane using a material I created on Photoshop. Initially I had difficulty with this, as you can see the windows are not in the correct positions, all stacked on top of each other making it look like a double or triple decker airbus with slanted windows.
Eventually however, I was able to correct the problem by using UVW map settings to place the materials on the plane correctly.
As shown in the render I have also added a logo to the tail fin using the same UVW map settings, and made the plane's engines in a similar fashion to the main body. The plane is now finished.
The next object I created for the image is a palmtree.
For this I started out by making a cone, and then using the Array tool to stack several copies of it on top, and then using the bend modifier to... well, bend it. Next a leaf was drawn using the line tool and then extruding the shape, and again the Array tool was used to create four more copies of the leaf. All four were then placed on top of the tree.
At the moment, this is what the image looks like:
The sand an sea were both made with two completely different cylinders, and the islands in the distance are simply green spheres. Two other new objects were added as well: a beach ball, created using a sphere and materials, and a shark. Rather then create a whole fullt 3D shark, I just used the line tool to create the fin. Also, the background was made in Photoshop, using gradients and a lens flare effect.
For those who are curious, this is what the scene looks like from a distance:
Yes, the plane is actually nearer to the beach than the shark is. You wouldn't have thought that, would you?
Saturday, 8 November 2008
December - Progress so far
Since I haven't had the chance to upload any renders other than my puck and tree, I will do so now instead.
Basically for December, I'm creating a simple, stereotypical Christmas scene that includes a snowman, a Christmas tree, and presents.
This is the snowman. He was mostly put together using spheres, a torus for the scarf (with one bit extruded), and a geosphere (cut in half) for his hat.
Next we have a Christmas tree:
The above snapshot shows what the tree looks like before rendering. It was fairly simple to make: the trunk is just a cone shape, the baubles are made from a sphere that had a bit at the top extruded, and was cloned several times, and the star was made from a cylinder with 10 sides, with each side being moved to form a star shape.
The main part of the tree, with needles, was made by creating a helix and adjusting the settings, then creating a circle, using a loft modifier to make it follow the helix as a path, creating a solid helix for me to work with. Finally, I used the hair and fur modifier to make the needles.
Here is the tree after rendering:
And finally (so far), we have the single most important thing, as in what Christmas is all about: the presents!
This was a much easier shape to make, as all I did was make a box, add some patterns that I made in Photoshop for the wrapping, and added a torus knot to act as the ribbon.
These objects have all been placed into a scene, which at the moment looks something like this:
As with my October image, the background is a desktop wallpaper that I made in Photoshop a few months ago, and again I put it in just to see what it looked like. I may need to create one more object to fill in the empty gap on the right hand side, or move the camera around if I run out of time.
Basically for December, I'm creating a simple, stereotypical Christmas scene that includes a snowman, a Christmas tree, and presents.
This is the snowman. He was mostly put together using spheres, a torus for the scarf (with one bit extruded), and a geosphere (cut in half) for his hat.
Next we have a Christmas tree:
The above snapshot shows what the tree looks like before rendering. It was fairly simple to make: the trunk is just a cone shape, the baubles are made from a sphere that had a bit at the top extruded, and was cloned several times, and the star was made from a cylinder with 10 sides, with each side being moved to form a star shape.
The main part of the tree, with needles, was made by creating a helix and adjusting the settings, then creating a circle, using a loft modifier to make it follow the helix as a path, creating a solid helix for me to work with. Finally, I used the hair and fur modifier to make the needles.
Here is the tree after rendering:
And finally (so far), we have the single most important thing, as in what Christmas is all about: the presents!
This was a much easier shape to make, as all I did was make a box, add some patterns that I made in Photoshop for the wrapping, and added a torus knot to act as the ribbon.
These objects have all been placed into a scene, which at the moment looks something like this:
As with my October image, the background is a desktop wallpaper that I made in Photoshop a few months ago, and again I put it in just to see what it looked like. I may need to create one more object to fill in the empty gap on the right hand side, or move the camera around if I run out of time.
Thursday, 6 November 2008
October - Progress so far
In my previous entries I posted renders of two objects that I made for my October image: a tree and an ice hockey puck.
During last week's lecture, we learnt how to use lighting effects within 3DS Max such as omni lights in ways to make renders look more effective, so I implemented what I learnt into the project.
I placed two omni lights in different places to make the scene look more dynamic, as there will be a sunset in the background. Also, to create the grass I simply made a cylinder and applied a hair and fur effect. Also, I placed more leaves into the scene to make it appear as if they were falling from the tree.
Next, I added a background from a desktop wallpaper I made a few months ago (just to see what it looked like, I will probably put together an original one for this project), and I also added some pumpkins.
I will probbaly add more to this later, however I want to even out the amount of time I spend working on each image.
During last week's lecture, we learnt how to use lighting effects within 3DS Max such as omni lights in ways to make renders look more effective, so I implemented what I learnt into the project.
I placed two omni lights in different places to make the scene look more dynamic, as there will be a sunset in the background. Also, to create the grass I simply made a cylinder and applied a hair and fur effect. Also, I placed more leaves into the scene to make it appear as if they were falling from the tree.
Next, I added a background from a desktop wallpaper I made a few months ago (just to see what it looked like, I will probably put together an original one for this project), and I also added some pumpkins.
I will probbaly add more to this later, however I want to even out the amount of time I spend working on each image.
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Tree - Work In Progress
The second object to be used for my October image is nearly complete, and I've been working quite hard on this for the last couple of weeks. Since October is the start of Autumn, I have been working on an Autumn tree, which will be my main focus for said image.
To start off, I created a box from which I then started extruding, and eventually finished extruding the tree's branches. As you can see in the above render, the tree looks very blocky, so what I needed to do next was to make it look smoother by applying the meshsmooth modifier.
After applying meshsmooth, I then extruded some roots from where the original box was, and then applied meshsmooth again.
The next thing the tree needed was some more branches, as well as some leaves. So I made a new branch in a similar fashion to the tree. After that, a leaf was drawn using the line tool, and then extruded slightly. It was then cloned several times and placed on the branch, as shown in the above render.
The new branches, as well as the leaves, were cloned and placed in different places on the tree, and some more leaves were added to the original branches. So far I'm very pleased with how this is turning out, and all I need to do is finish adding the leaves, and then add a realistic texture to the tree.
On a side note, I have finished the ice hockey puck which I posted in my previous entry:
Compared to the one I posted earlier, this one is much less polygonal and is much smoother. All I did to make that improvement was change the number of sides from the default setting of 18 to 50. This puck is now final, and will be used for the October image.
To start off, I created a box from which I then started extruding, and eventually finished extruding the tree's branches. As you can see in the above render, the tree looks very blocky, so what I needed to do next was to make it look smoother by applying the meshsmooth modifier.
After applying meshsmooth, I then extruded some roots from where the original box was, and then applied meshsmooth again.
The next thing the tree needed was some more branches, as well as some leaves. So I made a new branch in a similar fashion to the tree. After that, a leaf was drawn using the line tool, and then extruded slightly. It was then cloned several times and placed on the branch, as shown in the above render.
The new branches, as well as the leaves, were cloned and placed in different places on the tree, and some more leaves were added to the original branches. So far I'm very pleased with how this is turning out, and all I need to do is finish adding the leaves, and then add a realistic texture to the tree.
On a side note, I have finished the ice hockey puck which I posted in my previous entry:
Compared to the one I posted earlier, this one is much less polygonal and is much smoother. All I did to make that improvement was change the number of sides from the default setting of 18 to 50. This puck is now final, and will be used for the October image.
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Ice Hockey Puck
To make up for what I feel is a slow start so far, I have already nearly finished one of the objects to be used for the October image.
The first thing I did was create a cylinder, to which the images would be added. Boths images were created in Photoshop, and the texture going around the cylinder (which may or may not be clearly visible in the above render) was added first. After adjusting some settings, I then went on to add the second image.
The second image, on top of the puck, was put together using a gradiented silver ring as well as logos of my supported team, the Anaheim Ducks. It was added by converting the cylinder into an editable poly, then selecting the top and then adding the image. The reason I've decorated the top is not only to make it look more like a real life NHL puck, but also because the first material I added also went over the top of the cylinder, so it needed to be hidden.
Here is the material used for the texture on the side of the puck:
Overall, I'm very happy with how this puck turned out, however I need to learn how to smoothen to shape to make it look less polygonal.
The first thing I did was create a cylinder, to which the images would be added. Boths images were created in Photoshop, and the texture going around the cylinder (which may or may not be clearly visible in the above render) was added first. After adjusting some settings, I then went on to add the second image.
The second image, on top of the puck, was put together using a gradiented silver ring as well as logos of my supported team, the Anaheim Ducks. It was added by converting the cylinder into an editable poly, then selecting the top and then adding the image. The reason I've decorated the top is not only to make it look more like a real life NHL puck, but also because the first material I added also went over the top of the cylinder, so it needed to be hidden.
Here is the material used for the texture on the side of the puck:
Overall, I'm very happy with how this puck turned out, however I need to learn how to smoothen to shape to make it look less polygonal.
Mood Boards
The project we've been given to work on is to produce three still 3D images based on selected months of the year, and which will include what we associate with those months. To aid me with my project, I have put together some mood boards to show some imagery of what I associate with my selected months, which are October, December and August.
October:
October is traditionally associated with the beginning of Autumn, when the weather starts to get noticeably colder, and Halloween. But personally, being an ice hockey fan, when I think of October, I think of the start of the NHL (National Hockey League) season. Players might be difficult and time consuming to create, so I may just include a puck and stick in the image.
December:
To many people, December equals Christmas time. That's all there is to say about it, really.
August:
To the kids, August means six weeks of no school (we University students get three to four months off, so hah!) and possibly going on holiday abroad with their families, who are more than likely trying to go somewhere else to get away from the rain and humidity of British summertime.
October:
October is traditionally associated with the beginning of Autumn, when the weather starts to get noticeably colder, and Halloween. But personally, being an ice hockey fan, when I think of October, I think of the start of the NHL (National Hockey League) season. Players might be difficult and time consuming to create, so I may just include a puck and stick in the image.
December:
To many people, December equals Christmas time. That's all there is to say about it, really.
August:
To the kids, August means six weeks of no school (we University students get three to four months off, so hah!) and possibly going on holiday abroad with their families, who are more than likely trying to go somewhere else to get away from the rain and humidity of British summertime.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Tutorial 3
In today's lecture we learnt how to add materials to 3D objects, which is a technique used to add some realism to an object without spending too much time recreating things such as wooden textures.
Firstly, I created a sphere that I was going to work with. Then I opened up Photoshop and painted a white 'S' on a red background, which was the pattern I worked with.
Next, I added the pattern to the sphere by opening the material editor and importing the image from there. After playing around with some of the settings, this was my final result:
Firstly, I created a sphere that I was going to work with. Then I opened up Photoshop and painted a white 'S' on a red background, which was the pattern I worked with.
Next, I added the pattern to the sphere by opening the material editor and importing the image from there. After playing around with some of the settings, this was my final result:
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Lecture 2
Shown here is a shape I made during the second tutorial (last Monday). I wasn’t going for anything in particular, as I’m still inexperienced with 3D modelling, so I used the line tool to create a very random shape that looks very similar to a bird, an angel or a splash of paint.
After drawing the shape, it was converted to an editable poly, and was then extruded to make it almost fully 3D rather than a flat object. After extrusion, the cap tool was used to fill the shape.
During this lecture, we also played around with text, and when trying to create a bowl shape I ended up making something that looked more like a garden ornament. Unfortunately, I do not have that object anymore.
I’m hoping to get started on some less basic stuff soon, so that I can get my project underway.
My Favourite Cartoon Character
I was originally hoping to get this entry up first, but because I arrived late for the first tutorial, I didn’t have enough time to get it done. So now, here it is. And as I don’t really have a favourite cartoon character, I’m going to talk about my favourite videogame character instead.
This is Mario, Nintendo’s mascot, better known to many as Super Mario. He first appeared in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong where he was originally known as Jumpman, but after the discovery that he bore a comical resemblance to Mario Segali, Nintendo of America’s landlord, they named the character Mario instead.
Since then, Mario, and his lesser known brother Luigi, have been depicted as Italian plumbers who live in a world known as the Mushroom Kingdom, going on many adventures to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil King Bowser, a turtle-like dragon monster. The Mario series has been highly successful over the years, and has since spawned many spin offs, cartoon series (so I guess he does sort of count), as well as a very poor live action film where he was portrayed by, of all people, Bob Hoskins.
This is Mario, Nintendo’s mascot, better known to many as Super Mario. He first appeared in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong where he was originally known as Jumpman, but after the discovery that he bore a comical resemblance to Mario Segali, Nintendo of America’s landlord, they named the character Mario instead.
Since then, Mario, and his lesser known brother Luigi, have been depicted as Italian plumbers who live in a world known as the Mushroom Kingdom, going on many adventures to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil King Bowser, a turtle-like dragon monster. The Mario series has been highly successful over the years, and has since spawned many spin offs, cartoon series (so I guess he does sort of count), as well as a very poor live action film where he was portrayed by, of all people, Bob Hoskins.
Monday, 22 September 2008
Limes
This is a pair of limes that I made in 3DS Max, my very first 3D object. It was originally supposed to be an apple, but I had a bit of difficulty with that and it ended up turning into a lime instead.
I made this by inserting a sphere shape and pulling the sides outwards to make it look like a lime. This was done by converting the sphere into a soft editable shape, and then moving a marker to a certain point, and then dragging it out with the mouse. This was done again for the other side. After cloning the shape, a light green background was added for the render.
The shape was fairly simple to make, although I think it would look more like a lime if it were a lighter colour. Also, it looks a bit 'square-like' in places, and I was unsure how to make it look smoother, so that would be another thing to adjust if I started making it again.
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