• Why did I take 3D Modeling and Animation?

I decided to take this 3D Modeling and Animation class because I have always been curious about how digital art is made. For instance,  I have wondered how to create a character that looks like a real, living human being with detailed skin texture and movement, like those in Disney movies. Games, movies, and even some videos posted on YouTube made me want to know what it takes to create those visuals. One of my biggest goals in this class is to develop technical skills that will enable me to present and visualize my ideas. This class seemed to be the perfect place to start exploring both creativity and technical skills. 

Another reason I picked this class is that I enjoy working on hands-on projects, where I can come up with unique ideas and products. I like to do projects because they allow me to practice skills and to challenge myself with both what I already know and what I have yet to learn. 3D modeling gives me the chance to create original things while also learning the steps and tools professionals use.  

• What I Expect to Get Out of it?

From this class, I expect to gain a better understanding of the software used in 3D modeling and animation. I want to learn how to take an idea from the brainstorming stage to a completed product. Learning how to use the basic tools correctly in this class can help me build confidence to start on harder and more complicated projects later on. I also hope to build patience by going through processes of modeling processes and fixing problems that occur along  the way, even when it feels challenging. By the end of the semester, I want to feel like I have a solid foundation in 3D design.

I also hope working on the projects in this class can help me strengthen soft skills such as time management and multi-view thinking. Working in 3D is very different from painting and writing because it requires the ability to look and visualize objects from different perspectives or even from different periods over time. Besides all the hard or soft skills, I am expecting this course to show me whether I want to continue exploring 3D modeling and Animation in the future. 

• Tools and Techniques

While working on this assignment,  I learned how to make the basic shape of a detailed object with primitives based on a reference image.  First, adding an image on the plane created in 3ds max to be the reference of the column; then, using primitives such as boxes, cones, planes and  hones and comparing the size and placement of the primitives, a low poly version of the column was created; lastly, using the array tool, rows of columns are made to form the space inside the temple. Other tools used in this project are transformation tools, move, scale and rotation; modify tool, changing the dimensions of a primitives so that it will fit the reference image; and coloring tools, used to add and change color of the scene. These projects help me to create a sense about how those tools work and practice the usage of them. 

• Applications and Why Important

The skills learned in this project are important, because those are all basic and based tools used in 3D modeling. The future projects will also need those skills. For instance, if I want to made a simple scene for a video, modeling with primitives will be necessary to create basic blocks of the scene. The array tool can be used to effectively make patterns with equal distance. The knowledge of hot keys and shortcuts can help me find the best fit for me since the same tool can be accessed in multiple ways.  In conclusion, this project builds basic knowledge and skills that will be required in future projects and classes.

• Tools and Techniques

In this module I learned how to create different types of  lights, cameras and shadows and adjust parameters of them. We talked about free, targeted, and physical cameras and the scene it can be used in. Based on that I rendered a picture of an established scene with light cameras to represent a scene in the movie. Furthermore, with different types of  light I made the 3-point lighting and lamp. Those can be used to represent light in real life scenarios when modeling. 

• Applications and Why Important

Lights and position of the camera are something that need to be considered when making a photo or a video. It helps to present the vibe and the main object in a scene by lighting it and putting it in front of everything else. After the module I can now also turn off the skylight to make it dark in the scene and add lights to it to make it look real.  Also it is important to know which kind of camera to put in scenes that make the whole process easier, and how to change the position of a camera to a specific angle. In conclusion, adding lights and cameras are two of the last steps in making a scene, they are important because they affect how the product looks and the surrounding so that it appears to be in the real world.

• Tools and Techniques

In this module I learned how to create different types of  lights, cameras and shadows and adjust parameters of them. We talked about free, targeted, and physical cameras and the scene it can be used in. Based on that I rendered a picture of an established scene with light cameras to represent a scene in the movie. Furthermore, with different types of  light I made the 3-point lighting and lamp. Those can be used to represent light in real life scenarios when modeling. 

• Applications and Why Important

Lights and position of the camera are something that need to be considered when making a photo or a video. It helps to present the vibe and the main object in a scene by lighting it and putting it in front of everything else. After the module I can now also turn off the skylight to make it dark in the scene and add lights to it to make it look real.  Also it is important to know which kind of camera to put in scenes that make the whole process easier, and how to change the position of a camera to a specific angle. In conclusion, adding lights and cameras are two of the last steps in making a scene, they are important because they affect how the product looks and the surrounding so that it appears to be in the real world.

• Tools and Techniques

In this module I learned how to create different types of  lights, cameras and shadows and adjust parameters of them. We talked about free, targeted, and physical cameras and the scene it can be used in. Based on that I rendered a picture of an established scene with light cameras to represent a scene in the movie. Furthermore, with different types of  light I made the 3-point lighting and lamp. Those can be used to represent light in real life scenarios when modeling. 

• Applications and Why Important

Lights and position of the camera are something that need to be considered when making a photo or a video. It helps to present the vibe and the main object in a scene by lighting it and putting it in front of everything else. After the module I can now also turn off the skylight to make it dark in the scene and add lights to it to make it look real.  Also it is important to know which kind of camera to put in scenes that make the whole process easier, and how to change the position of a camera to a specific angle. In conclusion, adding lights and cameras are two of the last steps in making a scene, they are important because they affect how the product looks and the surrounding so that it appears to be in the real world.

• Tools and Techniques

In this module we covered how to render. By rendering we can add material to the object. For instance, the metal texture of the ring and the glass texture of the Heart of the Ocean. Also, I learned how to use compact and slate material editors to create new material with presets and how changing the parameter affects the result. Work wise, I add material to existing models and backgrounds, trying to imitate the materials in real life.  Also for the background, I put up the maps to form several new materials that can be linked to the objects.

• Application and Why Important 

Rendering is important because by learning how to do rendering, models made in 3ds max can look more like real life objects. After this unit, I can change parameters such as roughness and reflection of a material to make the object realistic.  It changes the result of the model and can help to better resemble what I wanna make. In short, creating materials and texture will make the model looks like a real life object. It is useful for everything that you want to make it real.

• New Skills and Techniques

In this quarter we learned and practiced how to make a model, adding texture to it, and adjusting lights and cameras. We started from primitives and got into edit poly, lights and cameras, and texture, etc. From all of the skills we learned, I think the most widely used one is edit poly, it has a fairly wide variety of uses, to detail the shape of primitives or the block out, to connect edges,etc. Those techniques help build and steady base for modeling. After this quarter, I am able to make a model that has a similar shape and texture to real life objects. The skills learned in this quarter will always be used when modeling and we are going to build up new skills based on it. 

• Projects and Challenges

We did a lot of projects to practice new skills in each module. I think the one that helps me understand the skills the most is object modeling since we started it from picking an object in real life to model. Specifically, I chose to make a model of Toothless. When modeling it, I faced a lot of problems using the modifiers, especially edit poly. For example, I faced problems to imitate the head shape of Toothless, with edit poly combing with other skills learned in the early modules, I am able to solve that problem with keeping adjusting placement of vertices and cutting the extra part out from the model. In general, projects helped me to practice the skills I learned in every module, so that I can know what to do when facing a problem. 

• Goal for Next

My goal for the quarter will be learning how to animate. I want to be able to get the model doing stuff and moving. Specifically, adding bones to a model so it can move like how real life objects or real lives move.  Also, I want to improve my skill for modeling and adding details to it. In conclusion, I want to be able to do a more detailed model and get it moving at the end of next quarter.

• • Tools and Techniques

In this module we learned how to use UVW maps to put on texture and patterns on an object. It allows me to add design to a model. For instance, the clothes of lego figures. Also we study different types of maps. Those maps can be used to add a specific texture onto objects, and we also learned how to change the parameter of those functions to control how the maps turn out on the object.  It can be used to imitate real life object's color and mapping a photo on an object, e.g. wood texture and be formed with different maps. 

• • Application and Why Important

Being able to know how to add texture onto an object is important, because it helps the object to resemble the color and patterns of real life objects after we modeled the shape. In the lego figure project, all the clothes can't be added if we can't do mapping. We will also be able to add specific photos on our object, which in turn helps to put on colors and design to the model. Overall, adding texture helps us to make more detailed objects with colors, and better resemble real life objects.

• Tools and Techniques

In this module, we covered bone and skin modifiers which allowed us to control the movement of the character. We also used the biped bones, shown on the photo on the right, to simply control the movement of any bipeds. For the project, I used the biped bones and path constraint tools to limit movements of the characters so they can make poses with less disorientations.  Those tools can be useful when doing animations in the future to prevent huge orientation.

• Application and Why Important

This is important because we can easily control how parts of the character move and reduce orientation when making poses. With these tools we can simply make movements by controlling the position of the bones. These tools can be used for animation, creating scenes, and simply making poses. It gives us more control towards any movements and makes it easier for us to reset positions. The biped tool can be used to control human characters easily with all the preset bones.

• Path constrains

For this project we build everything on a scene we made earlier in the year- the four corners scene. The scene can be easily found since we organized our project folder or uploaded google drive. We added path constraints to the car to control the direction it's moving in, for doing that we have to make sure the car is moving in the correct direction and it aligns with the road. To adjust the time of the video we used the Re-scale Time option instead of just increasing the frame count so the speed of the car will also change when we are doing that. We also adjust fps from 29.97 to 30 which make the video a bit faster and easier to calculate when we are modeling. 

• Lights and Cameras

For this part of the project I added different types of lights to the scene, making it look brighter and more realistic. I faced problems with setting all the parameters and adjusting intensity. Two lights were linked and aligned to the car so they could move together in the same direction, representing the headlights of the car. animating the transition of the lights help to mimic day and night, which make the scene more interesting to watch. for it to look real colors and intensity were adjusted for animation purposes. Adding shadows help the scene to look more realistic and it shows what direction all the lights are coming from. cameras helped to find interesting views in the scene and effect where we look at the scene for the final render. 

• Skills and Techniques

In this quarter, we covered UV maps, rigging and constraints, and animating with key frames. After learning those skills, we can create animations easier and cleaner. The UV map allows us to create a more complicated texture and coloring of an object. The rigging tools, like bones, constraints, and biped tools allow the movement of the character to be more precise and easier to control. The animation tools, like auto keys, curve editor, etc. can be used to create smooth animation. Those tools are required for any animation after creating the assets. 

• Projects and Exercise 

We did UV mapping for Indiana Jones, and a truck; bones and controller for the monster and Indiana Jones; animation for the four corner scene and the car, and Indiana Jones chasing by the monster. Those projects help us practice the skill of Unwrapping UVW, rigging and animating. Those tools being practiced in these projects are commonly used in the PBM, like constraints and adjusting pivot.  

• Challenges 

Challenges in this quarter for me are mostly about rigging. When rigging a character, the pivot doesn't always move as I think it will. When that happens I can adjust the setting and reorganize them so they work better. Or other problems such as animation of different objects won't match when putting them together, or the direction of the animation looking weird. If they happen adding more keyframes or redoing the settings will help. However, addressing challenges helps me develop a better understanding of those tools.