Week Six

Final Week

Over this week i have been finalising the shape of my modelled head. I attached the head and ear to the face so that the model was complete and then experimented with tools and smoothing techniques to get a smooth final outcome when rendered. I ensured all the vertex and sides were positioned correctly to create a free flowing model and made sure there were no gaps when the model was rendered.

Below are some final rendered images of my final model:


This is a rendered image of my final model from the front view port, this image shows the front of the face, the neck, ears and lips which i modelled.


This image shows the head from a different angle showing the nose more closely and the nostrils i created. it also shows the features from a different view. Below are close up images of the mouth and ear.



After ensuring the head was modelled correctly i then began to think about materials and how i would apply these to the model. I started by applying a unwrap modifier which helped me select faces of the head which a material would be applied to, leaving the ear out as this needed to be done separately.





After using the unwrap UVW modifier i then went to the material editor and added a checkerboard effect to my head just to see how the material looked. After adding this i realised that the material was not evenly wrapping itself around my head this was because of the placement of some vertex. If the vertex are to stretched or inverted then this causes the material to not wrap smoothly over the surface.









Because the material wasn't wrapping smoothly i went in to edit on the parameters tab to look at the placing of each vertex, looking at this i realised that some of the vertex especially on the top of the head and the neck were stretched too much. I used a tool which relaxed the vertex and this gave a much more smoother look to the shape of the head and the placing of the vertex.





After relaxing some vertex and adjusting a few thing i was then able to add material to the head and ear, the material laid a lot smoother over the surface of my head and i was pleased with the over all effect.




Final Thoughts


I have enjoyed this module and i am very happy with the final outcome. I did find this module quite challenging as i am not very familiar with modelling using 3D Studio max but this module has now made me much more confident with the 3D package and i feel i have gained many skills creating something i didn't know i was capable of. The modelling process become more and more challenging as i started to create other features such as the back of the head and the ear but i feel that they come out rather well in the end.

Creating this 3D model is a strength for me as a whole considering at the start of this module i was struggling to create even the simplest of things, but with time and perseverance i have created something which i am very proud of. I am happy with the smoothness and shape of the head although it doesn't look much like myself with out the correct materials added.

One of the weakest points and the most challenging was the connecting of the face, head and ear together, this proved very difficult as it was sometimes hard to connect certain vertex to each other. This meant that there were gaps which created holes when the image was rendered. Connecting everything together was very tricky but i managed to get there in the end.

This module has given me so many more skills for the future and i would definitely not hesitate to use 3D Studio max for further work. I have created this head to the best of my ability and created something i didn't even know i could do.

If i had more time i would of liked to actually start again because at the end, after learning new things i feel i could have used new skills at the beginning to make my model that tiny bit better in the end. I would of also liked to of experimented further with materials wrapping my own facial features from an image onto certain parts of the head i feel this would of been a challenge i would of liked to take on. Overall this has been a very beneficial module and i am happy with the final outcome and the skills and knowledge i have learnt.

Week Five

Tuesday & Friday

This week we all decided as a group not to work on YMCA work during university time and concentrate on the modelling of our heads. however we could each work on our own individual YMCA tasks in our own time.

Using similar techniques to the nose i created the lips. I cloned and scaled the faces surrounding the lips and then moved the vertex to where i wanted to give the correct shape of the lips. I then selected the quads making up the lips and used face extrude. This defined the shape of the lips and made them stand out slightly from the face.

This week my main focus points for the head were the back of the head the ear and the neck. I looked ta the tutorials and followed them as closely as i could to get the correct effects however not everything could be done exactly the same as the quads created by me differ to that in the tutorials in some areas.

Back of Head

The back of the head is created using a sphere in 3D Studio Max which is roughly the size of my own head and ensure all the edges are lined up and rotate it so that the poles of the sphere are on the sides of the head, these were not used because of the triangles involved. Then scale down the sides of the sphere to the width of your head.

Apply edit poly and then using the paint selection i painted away the bits i didn't want, i also deleted all of the right side as the symmetry modifier is already set up.

Using vertex mode and snap i then dragged various points so that the face lined up with the head, applying soft selection moves all of the points together to give a more rounded and smooth shape.

Ear

The ear starts in Photoshop using the brush tool to define the lines and key areas of the ear, this is then taken into 3D studio Max, change the resolution as the image is first pixelated this means the ear can be seen more clearly. Like before creating the face i used the line tool to follow around the lines created in Photoshop and then apply edit poly modifier. Using the reference planes you then drag the vertex out to get the shape and depth of the ear correct.

The ear is then attached to the head, i used snap to drag points and close the gaps around the ear.


Neck

This first starts in Photoshop with the original side image again, and like before when drawing the lines on the front of the face i drew lines across the neck and up to the back of the head. Then i took the image back in 3D Studio Max and applied it to the plane again. Using the same technique to achieve the face shape i dragged the vertex out to create the shape of the neck.


Over the following week i hope to add the final touches to the modelling of my head getting it to look as good as it possibly can using the best of my ability. i will ensure the shape is looking correct and similar to that of my own head and apply materials.

Week Four

Tuesday

For the YMCA lesson today we each worked on our individual areas, me and keeley started the room, we created two of the walls, the floor and the ceiling using the box shape tool however when it came to creating the walls with the door and window we used the line tool and then extruded the shape because Boolean out the holes for the door and window would of made it difficult when applying materials and also would of made the file much lager.

Paul started experimenting with the lighting and different effects on objects to determine which would be the best lighting effects to use in the final scenes.

Matt was absent from this lesson however he was working on shaping and forming the characters.

We were also working on our individual props which will take place in the final scene.

Friday

I added the modifier symmetry to the face so that whatever was done on one side was automatically done on the other side creating both sides of the face.

Today i began creating the nose, this was quite difficult at first as i hadn't created enough quads so that my nose was free flowing however i created a nose using the quads i had. I first started with the nostrils i created a smaller while for the nostrils by cloning and extending the surrounding quads using the scale tool, the quads all met in the centre forming a small hole for the nostril, this was then duplicated on the other side due to the symmetry modifier. I then extruded the inside of the nostril up so that it created the inside of the nostril and didn't just look like a hole. I then played around with the quads surrounding the nostril to create the shape of the nose and nostrils.

I looked at smoothing techniques also such as applying the NURMS subdivision, and also applying modifiers such as Smooth and Turbo smooth. These all helped to give the overall face a more smooth and round effect.

During the Lecture this week we looked at different lighting and shadow effects in 3D Studio Max. there are three main sources of light which can be used, they are Omni, target spot and target direct. these all light up a scene in different ways giving different effects.

Week Three

Tuesday


This week we decided to share the responsibilities for the whole project in order to get the desired final outcome:

Rooms/scenery: Amy and Keeley

This will be created using various shapes and tools in 3d max, the room will be a basic shape with a window and door.

Texturing/Lighting: Paul

The lighting will give desired effects depending on what genre of music and which type of character is in the room for the event.

Modelling Characters: Matt

The characters will be basic with different characteristics depending on the genre of music.

Props: Amy and Keeley

Props will consist of tables, chairs, cups, musical instruments, stage, door, window etc everything will give the desired environment.

Animation: Matt and Paul

Modelling/texture/sound ideas: ALL


Friday

After setting up my work space in 3d studio max i was then ready to create the basic shape of the face, this was achieved by selecting different vertex on the front veiw image and then dragging them out to where they should be using the side view for guidance. After dragging all of the vertex out this created the basic shape of the face however at first it did seem rather sharp and rigid and not smooth like a face should appear.

Week Two

Monday

Today we had a whole group visit to the YMCA in Chelmsford and were given a talk by Craig Gough about the services they provide and the events they organise for the youths in the community. we were give a leaflet listing all of the main events and had time to ask him any questions we may have. This meeting was really useful and gave a full insight into what the YMCA has to offer and the areas in which we could focus our project. After the talk we had a look around the YMCA looking at photos and posters for events taking place.

Once the visit to the YMCA was over we returned back to university and did some more research in our groups looking in more detail at the specific events the YMCA holds. From this research we then decided that we wanted to focus ours on the different events which revolved around music and the different genres of music the youths enjoy.

We then brainstormed ideas and come up with concept which we will create using 3D studio Max, the concept is to create an animation with a series of rooms and in each room a different music event using a different genre of music. This will represent the different music events held by the YMCA.

I am working in a group with Keeley, Paul and Matt. i chose to be in a group with these people as i have worked with them before and we all work very well together. we are also from two different pathways and therefore bring a whole range of skills to the group.



we storyboarded our final idea and set some tasks to have completed by next lesson so we were ready to start work knowing exactly what we wanted to achieve.



Next weeks goals:


All the group create in 3D Max props:


cups
chairs
tables
stages etc....



Friday

After finishing the lines on the face in Photoshop it was time to move from photoshop to 3D Studio Max. In 3D Max i set up two planes which i placed the image of my face on using the material tool. i placed the front view of my face on one plane and the side view on the other. I then set them up in position.

After creating the planes i then went on to use the line tool to follow all of the lines i created in Photoshop to create a flat wire mesh effect over the face. this was then converted to an editable mesh poly.