Quarter 1

Why I chose 3D Modeling and Animation

For me, the second I saw this class it was a no-brainer. Animation has been something that has always fascinated me. Seeing characters brought to life by others, I wanted to do that too. Not only that, but this class leads into game design. So not just one, but two things I've been interested in for a very long time, at a relatively easily accessibly opportunity. It was a chance that I didn't want to pass up.

With this class, I hope to make the things I think of not just thoughts, but something that I can make and be proud of. No more thinking "wow, I wish I could do that too", I can be the one to do that and inspire others to do it to. Animation to me has always been something that I thought could be used to connect to more people, so I want to take that with me not just in the classroom for a grade but into connecting with other people.

Reflecting on the First Module

In module one, we learned how to use primitives and make basic block models. We started off with making a snowman and learned how to input exact coordinates to move items to specific locations. The snowmen were mostly spheres, but we also worked with cylinders and boxes. The second block model we made was a pencil. This is where we were introduced to using more viewports and looking at models from different angles. After the pencil was the Temple of the Primitives, which is aptly named. It involved creating pillars for a temple that were then arranged using the array tool. The entire temple was made using entirely primitives, giving a good experience working with the basic and important tools.

Knowing how to use primitives and make simple models like this will be invaluable. Primitives are simple, but can be changed to make much more complex models. They can be changed easily and a few of them together can make something much more full and visually appealing. For example, in Temple of the Primitives, the pillars aren't just one cylinder. They use multiple different types of primitives, such as a torus, boxes, and more. Overall, this unit introduced a while seemingly simple, very important part of modeling.

Reflecting on the Second Module

In module two, we learned more about organizing our projects both inside and out of 3DS Studio Max and managing our scenes. We started off with learning how to organize our project folders and how things save outside of 3DS Max. After learning how to enable autosaving and where to access those, we started working on transforming objects in our scenes by specific amounts. This was done by manually entering offset or absolute values to rotate, scale, or move an object, all three of which are different types of transformation. We also learned about pivot points and what a parent-child link between objects in a scene does. Another important aspect of what we learned was about snapping to objects. This helps users "snap" a specific object to another object based on points that the user can determine in snaps settings. For example, when creating Alfie Hitchcat as part of this module, snapping together the pieces of Alfie allowed for accurate placement of his limbs since the pieces would snap together similar to a Lego.

Project organization is very important with 3D modeling because the further you go, the more complex it gets. You may have multiple different files saved and knowing how to import those into your current project is important. You can't just import another file from 3DS, you have to merge it specifically. This is what we had to do when working with Alfie Hitchcat, the main example that we created for this module. We had to input specific values for the dimensions of the primitives that we used to create Alfie. In the event you need specific dimensions, it's a good idea to know how to input those when creating or changing a primitive. We also had to use snaps to add Alfie's front legs. Snaps are useful in multiple scenarios and help when you want precise placment of a primitive. Overall, this unit was very useful on learning organization and how to keep things in both your files and your scenes nice and neat.

Reflecting on the Third Module

In module 3, we learned about modeling. We started off using basic primitives and learning about polygons, edges, and vertices in our objects. Every single object in 3DS Max is broken up into these. These can be manipulated with the edit poly modifier, which is a key modifier when modeling. It allows you to edit an object on the sub-object level. Using this, you can transform individual sub-objects however you want to get a more specific shapes. This is what we did with the spaceship. Despite looking complex, it's all one cube with many changes on the sub-object level.

This was a very intensive unit and for good reason. Modeling is going to be key for the rest of the course because it allows for much more detailed models and defined shapes. Using just primitives isn't effective to make models that look good and  appealing to the eye. Making something detailed and nice will almost always require different modifiers and sub-object editing. An example of this would be the LEGO minifigure that we made. This figurine wouldn't look the way it did with just primitives. Extruding, beveling, and using the turbo smooth modifier was what gave it the classic LEGO minifig look. While all of the modules will be important in the end, this one in particular develops some of the most crucial skills in 3D modeling.

Reflecting on the Fourth module

Module four was all about lights and cameras and how to set them up in your scenes.  This taught us basic rendering skills and how to make realistic lights and cameras. We started with cameras and learning the different standard cameras types in 3DS Max. Different camera types are good to know because one may be more suitable depending on what you're looking for in a scene. We also learned to adjust the parameters of the camera. With lighting, we learned to create lights and how each light works.  We also learned to manipulate a lights shadows, such as in Three Point Lighting where some of the lights are not meant to light the subject.

Lights and cameras are an important part of making renders. While this isn't the specific unit about rendering, it still gives important skills that we'll need for future renders and animations. Lights and cameras make a scene feel more alive and realistic which often makes it more visually appealing. For example, with the Three Point Lighting, instead of just Alfie sitting there and taking a screenshot, he is well lit and has more depth. This is also true for the scenes from Citizen Kane. The lighting makes the scene look better and more similar to the actual scene in the  movie.

Quarter 1 Reflection

Quarter 1 comprised of modules 1-4. These four modules were very important to learning the basics of 3D modeling and start to shape those skills into making renders. When it came to what I learned this quarter, I basically learned everything. I had little to no idea on how to work in digital 3D spaces. I started to build my knowledge in these concepts entirely within this quarter and these modules. It's been going pretty well, as I've been able to apply what I learn in the lessons in Brainbuffet to my own projects, such as the chair I made for object modeling. I ran into a few challenges when it came to modifiers and learning how to use them. I hadn't realized that the order you created them had a hierarchy, which caused the first few times I used a modifier on an editable poly and then changed said editable poly for the second modifier to also be affected. After double checking the material I was given, I looked over it and was able to start making the distinction. 

One of the most influential projects that I did the quarter was Temple of the Primitives. Seemingly very simple, it taught me key things that are the basis of 3D modeling. The Temple of the Primitives started off very simple, learning how to make primitives and move them. We made pillars and then used the array tool to make multiple of these pillar to make it in rows like you would see in a temple. Later, in a future project, we used array tools to make equal flower petals that lined up equally around a flower bud.  Overall, everything in this module came together nicely and taught me a lot about how to model. I'm ready to see how this applies in the next quarter for even bigger projects.

Quarter 2

Reflecting on the fifth module

Module five was all about rendering, with a little bit of working on materials. Rendering is creating a 2D image from a 3D scene and making it appear with realistic visuals using lights and cameras. This directly ties into the fourth module, since lights and cameras are essential to making good, high quality renders.  Lights are especially important because knowing how they interact with your materials and objects will end up affecting them. 3DS Max has multiple different renders that you can use, each having their own benefits and drawbacks. For example, Quicksilver is a fast moving render that can create images quickly, but tends to have a lower quality.  Different renders are more suitable for different things. There was also a short rundown of materials and how they appear in renders.

Rendering gives more life into 3D renders and models that would otherwise be missing something to make them pop. For example, in the Still Life project, the bowling ball and the Heart of the Sea wouldn't have been the same without their materials. The bowling ball wouldn't have made for a point of interest, but would have been a very boring, basic color. However, adding a material to this allowed it to pop with the other items in the scene. These materials wouldn't have shown so nicely if they weren't in a rendered image.  Rendering is also used in animations, which is going to be important because it's one of the large end goals here.

Reflecting on the sixth module

Module six covered UVW mapping and a bit more on materials. UVW mapping is applying a 2D texture to a 3D object using a UVW coordinate system. When a 3D object is unwrapped, it can be thought of as taking a box and unfolding it. The texture on the 2D has coordinates and the coordinates on this flattened 2D representation translate to corresponding points on the 3D object. The UVW editor also allows you to directly edit how these are represented. For example, I had to use the UVW editor to make the belt on the pelvis section of the LEGO costume line up correctly by moving to a different section of coordinates.

UVWs gave me a whole world of trouble, and I struggled a lot when it came to understanding them. However, it's good to know at least a basic idea of how they work. Knowing about it allows for the creation of custom textures that you may make in a separate software to be used on an object in 3DS Max. Texturing can add a lot more to a character, such as with the LEGO costume from this unit. Without mapping, the texture would not have lined up or just not have worked at all. UVWs and mapping can help add more detail and character to a model you may make, and can also be an important factor in making a clean, finished project.

Reflecting on the seventh module

Module seven covered rigging to be able to create more poseable characters. When it comes to rigging, often you use bones to give a character a sort of skeleton. Then, by applying a skin modifier to the character and assigning it with the bones, you are then able to move the character and the model will move with the bones. Bones are editable so you can create them however you need to best fit your model. There are also different ways to make bones work, including inverse kinematics. Applying this to your bone will make it follow the laws of physics.

When it comes to working with more complex characters, rigging becomes invaluable. It allows you to not only move your models in a more realistic way, it also will help when it comes to animating your characters. Something else you can do with a rigged charactr is make poses. This is what we did for module seven with Dr. Frankenstone and his monster. The monster is rigged and uses a skeleton to be posed. Rigging has many uses and while initially can be difficult to get used to, is very good to know.

Reflecting on the eighth module

Module eight was the final module in the course and covered animation. This module is kind of what we built up to, learning skills that would slowly work their way into animation. In this module, we learned how to move cameras and use rendering to render multiple frames instead of just one image. The biggest thing we learned, however, was how to animate by using keyframes. Keyframing is kind of like making poses and your character moves in between those key poses, hence being called "key"frames. We used the rigged model of Frankenstone's monster to be able to animate him chasing around Dr. Frankenstone himself. 

This was the final module that we had and it ended up working out pretty well. With knowledge of lights and cameras, making a scene that looked alive with characters wasn't very hard. The hardest part was learning keyframing to animate, but once working with it for a few days it became much more friendly to deal with. It allowed me to make the doctor and the monster look like they were actually in a chase scene. Overall, the final module turned out very nice.