OLD WEST CART: TEXTURE SHEETS

          It took a while to get used to the texturing and UV Maps, but in the end I believe they were successful. Although not a shining example of efficient UV Mapping, I tried my best and they got the job done. A requirement of the assignment is that the entire cart was to be textured using one UV Map. However, my tutor told me that the carriage was the only thing that needed to fit this praxis, so altogether I created three. - one for the cart, one for the canopy and one for the barrel - these are below.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

NEXT POST: SDK TEXTURING: CHOICE AND IDEAS

OLD WEST CART: FINAL CARD RENDER

          Although not necessary, I thought this would be a welcome part of the hand-in - the full stop on the development process. The sheet below shows the carts journey from a basic sketch to a fully textured 3D model in an ambient occlusion environment. From what I can see, although there are a few minor alterations as stated during the ambient occlusion stage, the cart has remained pretty much the same with its original, intended spirit intact.

    I could have produced a higher quality model if I the tri-count wasn't enforced, but then again, my tutor was being lenient as he was with a 1500 tri-limit. So that's it then, the assignment is finally done! Hopefully I will get a first. I put the work in and I know when I've done a good job, so fingers crossed! All that remains, is to show you the texture sheets that made the Cart what it is now.

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NEXT POST: OLD WEST CART - TEXTURE SHEETS

OLD WEST CART - TEXTURED MODEL TURN-AROUND

          After huge ongoing setbacks at university due to personal issues, I have spent the last month making progress at a snails pace. However, finally, with some welcome and needed alone time, I managed to texture the model (with great difficulty). This final textured turn-around is below.

    Starting with separating the model into its separate sections, I individually added a modifier that allowed me to unwrap the object into a UV template. From this, I would set the projections for each face until the UV Map was complete. Once this had been done for each face, I had to to tidy the UV Maps by rescaling and stitching the appropriate faces together. This would prove more efficient and more effective visually when it came to texturing.

    Once every object had been mapped, I attached every object which in turn, combined every UV map together as one gain comprehensive UV Map. Moving and rescaling the UV Map, I began to fit every object's map into one versatile and rich UV map. Now that this had been done for the crucial part of the cart, the carriage, I carried out the same process for the canopy and the barrels.

So there you have it, my final model textured. In all, I am absolutley elated with the final result,  however, there is blatant room for improvement - the textures are repetitive, a little too polished for an "Old" west Cart" and there are some issues with texture stretching. However, regardless of those issues resultant from my lack of experience in UV Mapping and Modelling in general, the Cart turned out better than I could ever of hoped for considering at the beginning of this assignment, I had assumed that I had shot myself in the foot with the complexity of my initial concept.

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NEXT POST: OLD WEST CART - FINAL RENDER

OLD WEST CART: AMBIENT OCCLUSION TURN-AROUND

         Happy is an understatement when describing my feelings towards the model. I have literally managed to translate every aspect of the concept over to the final model whilst ensuring (even with the canopy) that I hit the tri count set to me by my tutor. The turn-around was a deliverable of this assignment as well as an ambient-occlusion render. Therefore, below is an ambient-occlusion render turn-around sheet before I develop the final textured model.

     In contrast to the first concept, the model is almost exactly the same besides a few details that were intentionally left absent - details such as the canopy restraints, the storage sack restraints and the indoor curtains. The length, height and width of the carriage are close to perfect, with again, some alterations ensure realism. 

Now, all I need to do is complete the assignment by texturing the model, so I can show the final model rendered and have a textured turn-around.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT! I'D APPRECIATE IT!

NEXT POST: OLD WEST CART - TEXTURED MODEL TURN-AROUND

OLD WEST CART - MODEL DEVELOPMENT

          I am so glad I decided to develop this sheet - it has turned out great. The idea was to document each milestone in the model development. The image below speaks for itself. I must note, this sheet doesn't document the finished model, only the basic ambient-occlusion model.

    I am literally dumfounded that I managed to reach the standard of modeling I have, considering this is only my fourth attempt at using 3DS Max. However, the development wasn't a complete doddle. As I predicted, it was a case of trial and error.

STEP #1: I started with the main carriage, devloping each plank with four rescaled squares to develop an enclosed, basic carriage which used the ambient-occlusion lighting to achieve the level of detailing I expected from myself. The problem was that it may eventually cause my tri count to suffer (along with my processor).

STEP #2: I then used the same technique to develop the brackets that would wrap around the planks. Although this looked great and give the carriage depth and detail, the technique of using standard objects would become an inevitable problem.

STEP #3: Rather than using multiple rescaled standard objects to develop the carriage, I restarted the model from scratch using only one editable poly object. This was so that I could have each row of the carriage (and brackets) as separate objects which would make modeling and eventually texturing, more efficient. Finally, when referencing the main concept, I realised that the carriage was planned to have four separate rows of planks, and thus I added one more - rescaling each plank so that I kept the height of the carriage the same. I believe the restart, and the alterations, were successful choices. Referencing really does help!

STEP #4: Now that the carriage was completed at it's most basic form, I added in the seat, the front panel and the side ledges that would eventfully hold the barrels (not included in the tri count as my tutor thankfully told me). The seat is part of the first plank, achieved through polygon editing and face editing. At this point however, the seat had not been connected using the bridge tool and therefore the seat hadn't been completed. The front panel was fine at this point and would eventually hold the front section. The ledges on either side of the carriage are separate mirrored objects - again, developed through standard objects and some polygon editing to create the hinges (found beneath each ledge).

STEP #5: Here, I added in two things - the front section and the wheels (the most crucial part to the carriage). The front section was a mixture of various standard objects altered using rescaling and extrusion. After all parts were completed, I stitched them together, ensuring it was the same size as the original concept. Finally, I developed one single wheel which would be copied and re-sized - two large wheels at the back and two small wheels at the front. It was made of two cylinders for the center, one tube for the wheel, and eight cylinders for the spokes. Although high in polygons, they were successful. Considering they are the main attraction of the cart, they had to be high in detail. By this point the carriage was almost done, as this is the only part of the model that would be marked and included within the set tri count allowance.

STEP #6: At this stage, two things were done - one alteration to the front panel and the completion of the seat. The front panel looked too basic in context to the rest of the cart when rendering, and so I split it into two smaller parts to allow the lighting to magic the detail for me, even if it cost me a few more polygons. Finally, I completed the seat using the bridge tool, which posed some issues, giving the model five sided faces which, as my tutor tells me, is a no go zone.

STEP #7: Adding in the latch at the end of the front section, the storage sack at the back and resizing the wheels, I had finally completed the carriage and polished it to perfection, when compared against the original concept - a feet I considered impossible one week ago. Now, the carriage was technically complete, but it didn't match my original concept - so I continued on, even though my tri count had been surpassed (by 1000 tris to be exact...).

STEP #8: The canopy was my main worry when designing the cart. I thought its requirement for polygon editing would prevent me from modelling it to the standard I aimed for. However, it turned out to be a doddle and in developing just one side and mirroring it, put the cherry on the cake. Considering the canopy is iconic to the wild west cart, it really brought the entire model together. Now I just needed to add the barrels and some extra detail - as much as I wanted considering they weren't part of the tri count allowance the tutor set me.

STEP #9: The final stage of development shows the addition of the barrels and some loose dynamite sitting around and on the cart. It gives it that extra detail, whilst also finishing the last aspect of the original concepts design. I had perfectly translated the concept to a finished model. THANK GOD!

... Now all I needed to do was chisel it down below the tri count (1500), which was by this point, 3500 (mainly down to the canopy and the barrels).

Feel free to give constructive criticism (or compliments if you really need to) in the comment section below!

NEXT POST: OLD WEST CART - AMBIENT-OCCLUSION TURN-AROUND

OLD WEST CART: MAIN CONCEPT

          Overall, I am really pleased with the final concept. I believe it implements all the quandom research and I know that without that research, this design wouldn't of been half as successful. Although not a visual masterpiece, it reflects exactly what I want to model - an Old West Cart with some character.

    However, again, although it is successful as a concept, I'm starting to think I've set to bar too high. I know I can model to the standard expected at this point in the course, my work with polygons and texturing isn't as developed as I would like it to be. I guess I'll have to play about with the software before actually developing the model. In addition, when designing the cart, I neglected the tri count limit. 1500 tris seems a little limited for the design above.
     
    My intention is to model the cart that has a perfect resemblance to this concept. I will either hit that personal target successfully, or realise I shot myself in the foot when both choosing the object to model and designing it. I predict it's going to be trial and error.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT! I'D APPRECIATE IT!

NEXT POST:  OLD WEST CART - MODEL DEVELOPMENT 

OLD WEST CART: INITIAL SKETCHES

          I spent around 2 hours developing the below concepts through sketching them, colouring them and rendering them. I tried to the best of my ability to consider each finding resultant from the previous cart research and ensuring the cart designs where varied in style and complexity - it was a visual brainstorm. Along with this, I also tried to develop the colours of the cart for when I eventually texture the final model.

 

 I personally believe there are a few great ideas along with a few failed ones. However, as expected, the best route would be to borrow individual aspect of each design to develop the perfect concept. This i not to say that this concept sheet wasn't successful - it proved to be an invaluable visual and conceptual tool. It paved the way for the rest of the development. Now I need to develop this final concept.

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NEXT POST: OLD WEST CART - MAIN CONCEPT

OLD WEST CART: CARTS RESEARCH

         To research the individual characteristics of an Old West Cart, I analysed various images of the two main parts of a cart - the carriage and the wheel. From this I can begin to visually brainstorm ideas on the possible design I will model. However, not only did I learn what I intended to learn, but I also learned many more common characteristics which I could reference if needs be. The resulting research on the Old West Cart is below.

  
    Now I understand the conceptual idea of a cart and it's individual characteristics, I should have enough knowledge to develop a plethora of ideas to potentially develop. At the very least, I should be able to take various successful aspects off each individual design in order to develop an accomplished concept. One that I can polish, model and texture.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT! I'D APPRECIATE IT!

NEXT POST: INITIAL SKETCHES

OLD WEST CART - MOOD BOARD

     The first task was to develop an idea on what an "Old West Cart" is. To do this, I developed a mood board that would develop my knowledge on the shape, characteristics and the colours of an Old West Cart so that I could take this knowledge and begin to brainstorm influenced ideas and concepts. Below is the final mood board.

    From this mood board, I have accomplished what I set out to accomplish. I now understand the Old West Cart on a conceptual level. Key characteristics I know I must include are;

• Large Wheels
• Wooden Carriage
• Protruding Axel
• Possible Canopy

   From this, I now have to delve deeper into Old West Cart and work out the original details that make up the whole product. How big are the wheels? What are they made up of? What do the canopies look like close up? These are the questions I need to ask through referencing and research. Only then, can I begin to concept the idea itself.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT! I'D APPRECIATE IT!

NEXT POST: OLD WEST CART - CART RESEARCH

ASSIGNMENT 1 IDEAS

          After learning all the basics and slightly exploring some advanced techniques when using 3Ds Max, I had utilized them - developing various scenes and objects. Now that those techniques had been perfected, we then learned how to edit using polygons, modifiers and finally, learning how to texture a UV map. From this I could develop any object I wanted, as detailed as I wanted it and be able to perfect the realism through textures, lighting and rendering. 

    The task has been set to choose an object out of a list of 6 options, research it and develop it using everything we had learned so far - it is Assignment 1 of the year in 3D Modelling. My hope is to develop a linear, but comprehensive portfolio - a journey towards the final 3D product. 

    Out of all the objects available such as a grandfather clock, a sword and shield, a chest and a throne, I have decided to research and develop an Old West Cart. Why? I like themes, it's complicated and although one of the hardest, it will eventually showcase my abilities - more so than any other object. Finally, through the hard work, it will eventually look the best.

My plan is to complete the following;

• A Mood Board
• Design Research Sheets (2)
• Initial Concepts
• Final Concept Sheet
• Development Sheet
• Ambient-Occlusion Turn-Around
• Textured Model Turn-Around
• Final Render   

The aim is to do the majority of this using Photoshop within the 3 week deadline. Hopefully this is possible. 

NEXT POST: OLD WEST CART - MOOD BOARD

3DS MAX: SCENE MODELLING ATTEMPT

          Over the first few weeks of learning how to use 3Ds Max I was taught the basics - moving, scaling, rotating and the basics in editing.  Using standard and primitive objects to make basic scenes, I soon managed to model crates, hammers, tables and chairs. With this knowledge in place, we were then taught how to light objects, render objects and on a vague level, texture objects with the use of the compact materials editor. It was then with this knowledge, that our tutor tasked us to develop any scene we wanted in order to practice our newly developed skills.

    Below was this attempt - a mixture of everything I had learned with a little added hard work to progress my understanding to a higher level.

I decided to take my experience in developing a room to the next level and create an entire scene made up of multiple objects. Each object would test my ability in different situation. The objects I created were;

• Table - inspired by a rusty table found off Google.com
• Lamp - inspired by my own personal lamp and designs I also liked.
• Newtons Cradle - an object that used all skills I had learned.
• Futuristic Grenade - required complete imagination, but was partially inspired by a 1920's grenade.
• Book - intricate object that required attention to detail.
• Pencil - practiced the ability to create a recognizable object with as little detail as possible.
• Kettle - standard object to add decoration.
• Pipe - first object created to push my limits the extreme.

     Overall, the hard work paid off. Standing alone, the scene looked amazing. My tutor told me "symmetry can be crippling in game design and modelling, because nothing is truly symmetrical". Thus, I ensured nothing was symmetrical and in result, I had developed a scene that was pleasing to the eye, but also interesting to look at it. All that was needed now was the render.

     Experimenting with sky lights, spot lights and ambient-occlusion rendering. I was told to render a scene with ambient-occlusion, one spot light and one sky light. Both renders above conform to this praxis, but only the top attempt was successful in the utilization. The second image was a result of too many "bounces" and "tracers" in the render setup, giving the impression the scene was dusty and dreamlike. For some strange reason, I prefer this, however I decided to change the settings and ended with the first image.

     In terms of lighting, the scene was also a success. The way the light filters through the lamp shade and  shrouds around the newtons cradle and book, highlighting the ambient-occlusion effect on the little details such as the book and pencil was a success. The spot light coming through the window ensures nothing it to one dimensional and the skylight ensures the ambient-occlusion comes through and blends everything together in one seamless blue, night sky atmosphere was also a success.

          The next stage was to learn how to edit polygons and texture objects so that this piece can really achieve the detail I would usually strive for.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT! I'D APPRECIATE IT!

NEXT POST:  ASSIGNMENT 1 IDEAS
 

BLENDER ZOMBIE SKELETAL HEAD

        Before this course I had little experience with 3d modeling and thus, modelling was the main reason I chose this course. The little experience I had with 3d modelling was with software that facilitated beginners such as Curious Poser and Blender. When it came to polygons and sculpting, Blender gave me the most relevant experience for this course, and therefore I developed my first piece of 'real' modelling - a 3d skeletal zombie head. The model is clearly relevant to this blog, so not only will I show you the finished model, but the process I took to refine it.

    This basic sculpt of the head started with nothing more than a sphere that I had extruded and scaled whilst adding sub-division layers. From this basic shape I used the sculpting tool to add in the shapes of the nose, eyes and ears. It was from this basic stage that I would begin to add more detail.

    Through adding another sub-division layer, I had more polygons to sculpt that aloud more definition in the face. Thus, I added in the foundation for the lips, refined the ears, shaped and smoothed the nose and added some depth to the neck.

   On the same sub-division layer I added in some detail to the back of the head whilst also adjusting the ears further.

    Now the basic details of the head were sculpted  I could begin to add in the details that gave the model the character I needed to create the worn, decomposing, cryptic zombie I intended to develop. One of the key features I noticed from any zombie in film, game or art is that main facial structure is exaggerated  The cheekbones, jaw, nose and eyes extrude from the face where as the cheeks, eye sockets and lips are very shallow. However, the key aspect of a zombie is the rigid and defined neck and jaw, which are emphasised by making the throat very frail and shallow. As you can see I have applied these aspects to the model as much as I could with the polygons available to me. To add more definition to the face and neck, I needed a new sub-division layer.

   Through some criticism, it turned out the head shape wasn't quiet right for the zombie I was aiming for. To gain a finer eye for detail, I turned on the wire frame so that I could focus on the lines. Through this I decreased the width of the head to give a thinner, more 'starved' neck. I also increased the size of the shoulders so that I could add in some further detail later on in the modelling process.

    Once again, further criticism brought to my attention that the chin wasn't pronounced enough. As a result, I brought the chin down and and define the bottom lip to emphasise the chin a little more. Now, not only was the overall head more realistic, but the head was now recognisable as a Zombies head. This is a direct result of emphasised features.

    On the final sub-division Layer I finally added in the lips, the nostrils, the collar bones and the neck tendons - all of which are thin, emphasised and defined to add the character the model needed. Unfortunately, from this point on-wards I never actually came around to finishing this model due to my lack of knowledge in modelling packages.  I would of needed a further sub-division level to add the detail I would like (scars, cuts, teeth etc.). Any more layers and my computer would have crashed. However with the use of lighting to highlight the definition I added to the face on the final layer, I believe I was successful as I could of been by that point. Not only did it give me the experience and confidence in modelling that I needed, but it gave me a great insight into the proportion of the head and face.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT! I'D APPRECIATE IT!

NEXT POST: 3DS MAX: SCENE MODELLING ATTEMPT

INTRODUCTION TO BLOG

      With slight dribs and drabs of experimentation in various 3D Modelling packages such as Blender, 3ds Max, Curious Poser and Google SketchUp, I have developed an interest in how an idea can become a 3D realisation – a sculpture of a vision that can be worked into a medium experienced by many others. As such a path is a passive passion of mine, 3D Modelling is of great curiosity to me. I have learnt and utilised the basic tools of such an art previously, but never successfully mastered any. This course gives me the opportunity to do so, and develop such skills to the level my own potential and motivation allows me to.

   Throughout this module blog you will see regular posts on model development, portfolio development and independent referencing and research. You may also see a couple of miscellaneous posts that I believe relate to this module as reference for myself. You will see this through mostly images accompanied by texts, but possibly other mediums also.

   I can hold my hands up and admit 3D Modelling is an area I am comfortable exploring, but currently inexperienced in. Thus at the end of this module, designing, modelling and refining a 3D Model of my own should be as natural and enjoyable and sitting down and discussing a game idea. I should be able to take an idea I’ve had for minutes or years and bring it to life with the help of modelling, texturing, lighting and rendering. My personal goal is to look back on my initial attempts at 3D modelling, laugh at them and rework them to a standard I know I can and should achieve.

Therefore the following post within this module shall be work created previous to this course.

NEXT POST: BLENDER ZOMBIE SKELETAL HEAD