EXPERIMENTING/LEARNING NEW 3D SKILLS
cat cactus
Starting my 3d process in Maya by following my lecturers tutorial I was able to get a ground understanding of how Maya works differently compared to 3d software’s I have experience in using such as 3ds max and blender. after getting a refresher of 3d theory in class i was able to transfer my 3d skills to an acceptable level on Maya. here with the exercise i decided to take a different approach to making a cactus an made a cat cactus instead I hope to be able to finish it at some point. making these shapes I learnt the UI of Maya and mainly got used to using the extrude button.
REFERENCES:
https://skfb.ly/o8UAp
https://skfb.ly/6UqPQ
Following along with classes over the weeks I decided to make basic simple shapes rather than modelling complex items and applied the different tools to them alongside what we were being taught in class. I learnt how the opacity works for creating models such as glass and cups with liquid in them and how to use the multi cut tool which was very helpful going foreword with my model.
I attempted to do one of the exercises from class although 3D is not my preferred choice I didn’t have much motivation to create anything 3D from the options however I decided to give it a try. In this attempt I made the base of a skate boot for pair of inline skates based of ones I own myself instead of using online references for my cat cactus with this model I used a physical object in front of me to use as a reference.
During this experiment I learnt how to use the smooth and harden tools in different ways and learnt greatly the differences in hard surface modelling and soft surface modelling.
SWORD PRACTICES
From this point onwards I was slightly enjoying 3D more however I didn’t like the idea of doing a lot of the class exercises and thought it would be more beneficial to practice making the model I was going to make for my final projects. I decided to choose the sword and shield as my model and began experimenting with different designs of swords. This was a very crucial point in my development and greatly kept me motivated to improve as well as enjoying being creative with the simple shapes I was using, learning alot of new skills and tools in the software.
First attempt
Second attempt
After getting feedback on my wireframe looking correct I felt more confident to start making my models more complex
REFRENCE RESEARCH
I started collecting reference images and looking at the different ways swords can be made for sketchfab.
https://skfb.ly/oozUW
https://skfb.ly/6TStM
https://skfb.ly/6FXOt
https://skfb.ly/6RZBB
MAIN REFERENCES:
CONCEPT ART
IDEA AND THEMES
- flower themed- rose
- sword in the stone
- fantasy
- chunky
- colourful- pastel
- dangerous and ominous/mysterious
- Thorne
- low polygon simple shapes
- vines
Third attempt
FEEDBACK
After having my model checked in class I was given feedback from the lecturer that my model wasn’t detailed enough specifically the handle and i felt that way as well. i decided the handle wasn’t improved enough and after adding more to the cylinder shape didn’t i thought it didn’t fit well with the rest of the sword and decided to change it again and started to create the scene around my model.
From watching some videos I learnt about the height map stylisation of creating patterns and carvings onto models in substance painter and knew going foreword I wanted to use this. during class i asked about how to do it correctly and used this technique.
DVELOPMENT
I gathered from my sword experimentations that i wanted to have a chunky large fantasy sword that had a magical outer blade however I know I needed a theme and from my concept art I decided to stick with the rose theme developing it more with vines and a rock. I developed all my previous concepts and work into one final design. using my previous feedback I re designed the handle and made it more complex fitting with the scene a lot better.
FIXING/PROBLEMS
After finalising my model it was checked in class to make sure it was correct before I started UV mapping however problems with the model started happening and I was givin two tutorials by the lecturers on how to fix these problems and start UV mapping my model. understanding how i did my model wrong by over using the extrusion tool and then using ctrl z to undo that i accidentally started creating extra extrusions on the model causing faces to collide this was a major problem preventing me from UV mapping.
Using the two video tutorials as a reference I decided it would be easier to re make my sword instead of fixing the faces individually as I believed it would take to long to do. I started by breaking it down into parts when re building it. My other models however were done correctly so i decided to leave there details till last. I proceeded to re make my sword correctly then finished everything of by adding details. This drove me to go over my set time but I think taking the time to learn and correct my mistakes allowed me to improve greatly.
Finishing my model and continuing all the details I started UV wrapping which took a lot longer than I had thought the roses and rocks were easy to understand however in order to UV wrap the rest of the model such as the sword I had to follow specifically the tutorial videos that I had front he lecturers as it was really confusing however after a lot of hard work and help I was able to get the UV mapping done properly. I finished everything in Maya my separating my model into pieces to make texturing it in substance painter a lot easier.
Overall I really enjoyed substance painter where I learnt the UI by testing different materials, filters and grunges. I learnt how to use the layers and how to mask specific parts of my models to initiate effects such as emiss which allowed me to create glowing effects with the lighting on the sword. using techniques such as height maps after putting materials on my model and changing the colours allowed me to create glowing engravings on the sword which made my model look aesthetically pleasing.
After finishing everything in substance painter I uploaded it all to sketchfab which was really difficult but I eventually got it done
FINAL MODEL https://skfb.ly/ot7Lp
200 WORD REFLECTION:
Throughout the process of my work I found it simple enough to transfer 3D skills I already poses into the software Maya. I mainly struggled greatly with the UV mapping and keeping attentive to the task. I tried to stay less stressed and more motivated to create 3D models that I would like to have in my portfolio rather than creating models I just don’t enjoy. This is because I’m not a fan of 3D animation or modelling although I have previous experience I found it difficult to get back into doing 3D and struggled with this project in areas, however after sticking with it I started to enjoy the process more and eventually began working harder and learning new techniques focusing on details.
This was definitely an experience of its own which gave me not only a new view point but a new understanding of 3D software. I now fell more confident and have a goal towards 3D respecting that there are different approaches to using it to create what I want. Looking back on this project I believe I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am proud of the model I made . I hope to use these skills in the future.