3D Modeling Gs.H: 2015

sample backround: group project

For the midterm, I am submitting a living room setting. I worked on blockville and got it textured, but I started experimenting with some new techniques and building new objects which led to the scene above. There was more I wanted to do with it, such as add some plants, get better textures etc.. but the time I had available in my free time was not enough to achieve my desired results.
Being my second project in a 3D environment, I am happy with how it turned out. In creating the scene, I learned alot of new techniques. Some of the techniques that I learned were creating an object/polygon via the curve tool and revolving that line to from an complete object (wine glass). I also learned to use aspects of the lighting within maya; functions of some of the mental ray materials and lighting set ups such as what inputs create what kind of light. I also started experimenting with functions within maya such as the boolean tool; although it is horrible with complex designs and generates nasty n-gons, I at least got swimming in those waters and can start learning how to resolve those problems.
I learned alot, but there is still much to learn and improvements I can make. I still need to work on UV mapping quite alot. I understand the basics, but still have trouble getting the right layout and transferring between photoshop and maya. I also need more experience with bump-maps. I used to alpha channels, but the way my lighting was set up, you would see the outline of the plane in the shadows, even though it was not visible on the actual object. Still some kinks to work out, but I am happy with my overall progress.

Reference Image

First Interior Scene (In Progress)

First Model and Texture

Visual Study

Reflection Blockville 2

In my scenes I want to try and create a bit more realistic environment. I went to edit my original blockville project, but because of how I created some elements before, it was easier to make new scenes from scratch. I wanted to make new scenes using some of the basic component modeling we learned in class to add features to our ‘blocks’ and give them a more realistic appearance. The visuals I used for my other two scenes were based on a block within a city, focusing on smaller building with larger skyscrapers seen in the background.

I feel that in my two newly created scenes, I started to see development in my modeling ability. The scene, my second photo seen below, is the first attempt at component modeling and I think it went fairly well. The details, although pretty simple, add a greater affect than just blocks were able to in project 1. I was able to increase the detail and realism further in my final scene (the first image in the sequence below). I spent more time in evenly spacing the elements along with trying to get everything proportioned correctly. For my shot compositions, I wanted to focus on a single block, with the surrounding city in the background and foreground. I feel that having the scene in that composition, added to the realism and actually being on a street corner in the middle of the city.

Blockville Components

Blockville Reflection

The Blockville Project was very interesting to me as it was my first time ever working within a 3D modeling program. With no previous experience, I had quite a bit to learn just to gain familiarity using functions within Maya. Through experimentation, and help from fellow classmates, I was able to gain a basic understanding to Maya and some interface options, such as being able to select only an edge or side and modify the object from there instead of it in its entirety. Some challenges I faced were getting the right perspective and getting my scene in Maya to match the scene from the selected concept art. In my scenes, I was able to achieve a fairly close resemblance to the selected art, but I was unable to fit everything into the frame, and some perspectives were too challenging to figure out in the time I had.

My favourite scene from the Blockville project would be my first image. It was the first city I tried to create, and compared to the others I like the composition of it and was able to achieve a better resemblance to the conceptual art piece. I was also able to put slightly more detail into this scene because it was my first one, and was not sure how long things would take or what my future schedule would allow me to work on this project. If I was able to spend more time on the other scenes, my choice may be different, but given the circumstances, I prefer this scene compared to the rest.

I feel that for my first ever experience in a 3D setting, my work turned out alright. There are things I can do better for upcoming projects, and there is much learning still to be had. Overall, I really enjoyed working with Maya and learning to create objects in 3D. As I start to develop and learn new techniques and functions, I feel that I will enjoy this kind of work even more so and become a lot more competent in the field and being able to create well developed scenes.