The most difficult partAlthough I have not done anything in rigging, my past experiences makes it the CLEAR winner for the most difficult part of the quarter. I don't want to do it again, but I will have to. The software crashes once every 7 minutes, and the computer can't take the pressure of being rigged into oblivion. From what I have done this quarter, though, animation edges out lighting and cameras. Its easy to put in a camera or a light in the scene, but you have to go through each frame to animate something. My animationI used the dope sheet and the curve editor to make the ball bounce and spin. (I apologize in advanced for the bad quality and the invisibility of the basketball. I will update the video when I fix the issue). Overcoming the problemsThe only way to get over the problems I was having was to get to the end and see if they sorted themselves out. With animating, you finish the animation outline for your animation, and go through and fix the impurities frame-by-frame. With lighting, you have to render your scene in the renderer you want with the quality you want to see any problems, and then fix them in the scene to get rid of the problem. With cameras, you have to find the view you want, which can be a problem (an easy to fix one, though) in and of itself. With rigging, there are MANY things that could cause the problem you are experiencing. Anything from a faulty vertex to a faulty bone could crash your software. You have to use an algorithm (A.K.A. test every solution possible) to find your problem. In Summary
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What is "Lighting" in this context?Lighting refers to the use of tools in 3D Studio Max (called Lights) to add realistic lighting to a scene. It can only be seen in rendered mode. How have we used "Lighting" in class?We have gotten into lighting very fast in class. We finished the whole unit in a week, as time is tight in the 4th quarter. My experiences have been few and far between, but I did have a problem with the shadows. I couldn't get the shadows so show up. I then discovered the "Shadows" option in the Parameters (I feel like a dummy, thank you very much). We have also taken notes on the affects of things like Shaders and Materials on the lights. From my notes, I found that changing the "Specular" option has much more of an effect than changing the "Glossiness" and "Reflection" options. What have I done with them?The following scene was created using splines and simple primitives for the table and the lamp. I used an Omni Light to add light to the area, and I used a spot light to add the shadows. I used a directional light to give off the illumination of the lamp on the table. How do I feel about the way "Lighting" works?I feel pretty neutral on the subject of "Lighting." I do think that it is nice to have a way to illuminate your scene, but I don't think that it's perfect. There are weird things, like shadows not being set to "On" by default. Cleaning things like that up would make it a lot easier to do these things, but life isn't always going to go your way, is it? In Summary
What is UVW Mapping?UVW Mapping is a texturing technique used to wrap a 2D image on a 3D figure. It allows you to customize the view on the face, allowing you to move the face across the image you are using (referred to as a map) and change what you see on each face. Ups of UVW MappingSome advantages of UVW Mapping include:
Downs of UVW MappingSome cons of UVW Mapping include:
My Opinion of UVW MappingI will only use UVW Mapping if I have to. If I can get away with using the standard material editor, I will use that instead. UVW Mapping is just too tedious for me to use if I can get a similar result with the regular material editor.
What are Simulations?According to our lord and savior Robert Bourgeois, simulations are "the imitations of the a real world process or system." These can be used to represent anything, from machinery to environments to even everyday actions by us human creatures! But why do we use simulations?Simulations can and are already used in the legal system. This, usually, is to show the jury in a trial a depiction of what happened during a certain crime/incident (i.e. Murder, Car accident, Bank Heist, etc.). But, they can also be used in scientific experiments to show a hypothesis/depict the experiment. My simulation below shows a car running through cylinders and a brick wall, which is simultaneously being destroyed by a ball on a chain. ChallengesA major challenge I have run into with simulations is the computer. They take so much out of the computer that it causes lag, and sometimes even client crashes (something I have not experienced, but other classmates of mine have). Also, another problem is that the vertices can go nuts, creating a big messy blob. What do I like about simulations?When I came into the program two and a half years ago, I could not make anything realistic for the life of me. With the tools available to me for simulations, I can achieve that. With this new-found power I have, I can now use forces to create a very, very realistic simulation of trees and flags in the wind. I especially like the little mechanic that Autodesk added with the Cloth modifier where it'll cut the plane on sharp corners, because it's just so stupid (like me sometimes) but really funny (like me never) and sad (like me when I lose a game of Fortnite). In Summary
SourcesBourgeois, Robert. “Simulation Basics.” Schoology, Schoology, 2018, app.schoology.com/page/1928069756.
What are they?Surface Modeling is when you model directly on the shape, not using any settings to change it. Parametric Modeling is when you model using the shape's parameters to change any part of the shape, whether it be size, noise, distance extruded, etc. Design Tech describes it as "Parametric is a term used to describe a dimension's ability to change the shape of model geometry as soon as the dimension value is modified" Source: “Parametric Modelling.” Parametric Modelling, Process, Advantages and Parametric Modelling Tools., www.designtechsys.com/articles/parametric-modelling. Benefits of bothWith Surface Modeling, you usually get the look you desire, because you can directly control how the shape looks. What you might want is a Box with 4.65 height, but maybe typing it in will make it too short by a small amount, so that's when it is useful. With Parametric Modeling, you can get an exact copy of the shape each time you do it. If the shape and size of the shape are the same, you can use Parametric Modeling to get exact and easy to remember parameters (maybe to tell other modelers in a Game Design group). Which do I prefer?I prefer Surface Modeling, because it gives me the look I want to have much faster than Parametric Modeling. With Parametric Modeling, you type things into the parameters and keep changing it until you get the look you want of the shape. For this house I modeled, I used both Parametric Modeling and Surface Modeling. I changed the size of the house using the parameters, and used the bevel settings window to change the faces of the house. I also used the universal scale tool to change the size of the windows so I could fit them nicely on the house. In Summary
My portfolio of choiceAfter searching for about half an hour, the best I could find is the Autodesk Portfolio, as most portfolios I found seemed to specialize in Maya, no 3D Studio Max. The following picture is an example of a work by Shylesh S. K., and it is a 3x3 Rubik's Cube, similar to the one we made in class a couple weeks ago. S. K., Shylesh. “Rubik's Cube 3x3.” Autodesk Design Academy, Autodesk, Publication date unavailable, https://academy.autodesk.com/users/shivushylesh9gmailcom/portfolio. How it inspires meI can see that he used some sort of Skylight and lights on each face to have the colors pop out. He also has an effect or some modifier that causes a reflection as if it is on the ground glowing. That is really cool. I want to learn how to do things like that. I want to learn how to make my 3D models look realistic like this. Why I learn to model is to model real life situations for video games to make the game seem as realistic as possible. My example of workSo because my computer is the worst on the planet, I tried to download a 3D program, but it said it'd take 7 days to download.. It also has caused my computer some lag. So, I have decided to use my Rubik's Cube as a representation of the portfolio. How I will improve my skillsMy Rubik's Cube is no where near as good as Shylesh's. Not only does the background used by Shylesh fit the cube well, he also uses lights that project the colors of each side. I hope to be able to emulate him by improving my skills with light objects around the object, elements and principles of design, and light objects inside other objects (with the creation of street lamps, for example). I hope to move outside my comfort zone and discover new things in the realm of 3D Modeling. In Summary
What is Dynamic Simulation?According to Wikipedia, Dynamic Simulation is “the use of a computer program to model the time varying behavior of a system.” Basically, it is making models into realistic objects that have a ragdoll effect to them (they move when they are hit, or they move things when they hit them). Why is it important?When making games, the usual goal is to make things seem as realistic as possible. Before starting Dynamic Simulation, when we tried to make objects hit each other, the objects went through each other. This is definetly not what happens in real life, unless there is something seriously wrong. According to Time Magazine’s interview with Tommy Francois, a world-renowned game designer known for his hyper-realistic graphics, “The trick to a successful final product is to seamlessly build a world while balancing the details with the game mechanics.” Game mechanics are there to make games seem realistic, while bending the boundaries to add to the core of the game. So the main goal for most games is to make them seem as realistic as possible. Dynamic Simulation aids in that by giving objects realistic movement. My Example of Dynamic SimulationMy example of Dynamic Simulation was made in 3D Studio Max. I made 2 cars and 3 cynlinders for each car to take out. I made each car a Kinematic Rigid Body, and each cylinder a Dynamic Rigid Body. Then, after I had the cars take out the cylinders, I had the cars drive through a wall with bricks that are each Dynamic Rigid Bodies. To help take out the wall, I have a wrecking ball that is a Static Rigid Body. In Summary
ModelingUsing Adobe Fuse, I created a couple of player models for my game. Adobe Fuse is a new program in the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite that creates models for video games. One of my models I created (his name is Lieutenant Lennon because he is a combination of John Lennon and Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump) is shown below. SkinningUsing Adobe Photoshop, I opened an .obj version of the Fuse file, and directly edited the graphics (or “skin”) of the model. Using this, I put a different graphic on my character’s shirt. That is pictured below. RiggingUsing 3D Studio Max, I am in the process of rigging a different character (I named it “Danny Trejo” because it looks like him). I am using a Biped “modifier” (not sure what to call it) to fit each body part and each joint to the model for animation. I have fit the skeleton to the body, and I am in the process of animating the character. Why is this important to me?This is important when modeling 3D games. 3D games require character sprites and models that make human-like movement. Without these processes, you do not have the necessary sprites and models for your game. In Summary
My thoughtsThis week we have been working on 3-D modeling using 3DS Max. For me, it's been a lot of fun to be able to work with 3-D models instead of boring 2-D models in Photoshop. It is a bit easier for me right now too, because I actually know what I'm doing. I have easily gotten the hang of it. I'm glad that I've been paying attention during class. The easiest parts are creating the shapes and editing them. The hardest part is to stay focused and on task with it. For example, I sit near friends that I will definitely want to talk to during class, not only getting me distracted from the work, but them too. But, when I'm focused and hard at work, I can get the work done pretty easily. Now that I also know the interface, I can navigate myself around 3DS Max easily.
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AuthorI am Chance Gildart. I am a Junior in Digital Design and Animation II at DSA. Categories
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DisclaimerThe views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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