Week 2, More modelling techniques.

Alignment Exercise

Using only the align tool i was to arrange a group of four shapes in the following pattern. 

It was not as easy as it might seem. You can choose which part (ie, center, pivot point, maximum) of the target object and what part of the current object you want to align, along with what axis (x,y,z) you which to align it to. It was not always possible to align the objects in one operation. They would have to be aligned in all axis and centered, so the axis match up and then align the desired points. I can see how this might be useful for example placing parts of wing detail onto an aircraft, so they align and match properly and leave no space between objects, giving the overall model a more realistic and accurate finish.

  My alignment exercise complete

Castle exercise 

Building on the techniques discussed in week one, my next task was to model a castle complete with forbidding crenelations, towers and walls. 

Converting a box primitive to an editable poly, and making use of the modifiers the castle gate house starts to take shape.

Selecting and extruding all the crenelations at once ensures uniformity around the gate house walls. Making use of the edit >  swift loop function, allowed me to easily create and add more edges around the building allowing for much more detail and variation in the brickwork. A similar effect can be gained by selected and connecting edges, using swift loop instead of this gives me more freedom as the new edge is not dependent on any other already present edges.

Complete Gatehouse

The walls were constructed using the same methods as the gatehouse and then cloned so they can now just be placed around the castle perimeter ( An instance NOT copy was cloned so any changes to the original wall segment will effect the other segments in the scene).

                                                      

Castle tower with small spire

Using a cylinder as a 'cutter' and using the Boolean operation a circular window can be cut out of the tower surface. Without use of this operation trying to create a circular or irregular shape within another surface just using edges and vertices, proves highly problematic and time consuming.

                                 

Grouped objects as a Sept 

After modelling one tower which i then cloned, and a main Sept, once i was happy with the tower placement i grouped the objects together. This has the benefit of allowing me to maneuver  the entire 'Great Sept' (Name of the group which includes four towers and the main building) without losing the original alignment. 

Castle Entrance

Again using a Boolean operation, an entrance in one of the castle walls was cut out. This time a cylinder and a box were used and two Boolean operations were needed. I noticed as the cutter objects ( Box and cylinder ) did not completely match the depth of the wall, the interior surface of the wall was compromised. Leaving open faces and irregular polygons where the cutter objects had been.

Second entrance with baked surfaces

I used the Boolean operation again to create another entrance in the Gatehouse. This time the cutter objects depth was larger than the target objects' (Gatehouse) depth and when the operation was complete the geometry of the cutter objects was baked onto the surface of the gatehouse. This gives the model more regular polygons and permits further work if needed to the newly created surfaces. 

Views of finished Castle

Finished might not be the word as there is so much more you could do with it, however i feel this exercise has come to an end and its time to move on. I learned some valuable techniques and methods i will be using moving forward.  

Mood board and Story board

Tie-Fighter Interceptor 

Imperial Shuttle

Essentially just the collection of source images i was working form during the production process.

Draft story broad

As we have yet to start learning or working on the animation process, i'm not sure what will be possible, especially within the 30 second time slot we have. So the animation will inevitably change slightly. But the base idea will stay the same. 

The shuttle is being escorted by two tie-fighters, and the x-wings are charged with bringing down the fighters while escorting the shuttle with the 'precious cargo' elsewhere. the exacts of the dogfight and movements are far from concrete but this gives you an idea.

Week 1, Introduction to the software.

First tutorial consists of exploring the interface and the basics of creating and manipulating primitive objects. Including using the move, rotate and scale tools. After getting to grips with the basic object creation we are to create a basic ship steering wheel, paying attention to the auto grid options when creating primitives. I can see how this technique will be useful, as it allows one object to be created to attach itself and be created precisely on an face of an existing object. Allowing for much greater precision than creating it alone and then moving it into the desired position manually.

                               Cylinder created using auto grid on the face of existing cylinder. 

            Views of attempted ship steering wheel created using the techniques discussed in week 1. 

Exercise 2. Low Polygon House

Starting with one Box basic primitive and converting it to an editable poly, by connecting edges and  extruding polygons the house starts to take shape.

A key element of 3D modelling is keeping your poly count low. Using one object and manipulating its faces, edges and vertices instead of adding secondary objects to your primary object, helps keep your model as efficient as possible. While also keeping the lines and edges more uniform. 

  

When adding the windows i felt it was good practice to create them all in one instance, ie selecting and extruding all desired polygons at once, using the same desired measurements. Again this ensures a uniform and more realistic finish to this part of the model. 

Again when adding the "Georgian Bar" detail to the windows, creating and modifying all instances at once seemed best practice. 

Creating the edge pattern for the roof proved a little tricky at first. After i had got to grips with the behavior of the the connect function that proved essential manipulating the edges and vertices, i can now see how any pattern desired can be achieved with practice and of course some trial and error.   

Low poly house with roof complete

4 split view of finished house with door and chimney

Maximized "Realistic" view port of finished house 

If i was to try this exercise again i would try make the entire structure form the original basic shape. The chimney is another 3 primitives built on top of the original 'Main House' primitive, so the model is not as efficient as it could be as the extra objects in the scene contribute more polys than is really necessary. Maybe not such a big deal now as the model itself is low poly by nature, however when i move onto more complex and detailed models the poly count will become higher priority.