School Year

Quarter 1

End of Quarter 1 Reflection

Introduction

I am new to 3D animation and learning to create 3D models, so I really learned a lot this quarter! I learned multiple modeling techniques that were all new to me. Being a noob was the hardest part for me so far. I did not have any idea how to do 3D animation before this class. On the way I encountered some challenges and overcame them to create cool models. Moving forward I have two main goals for next quarter. 

New Skills, Challenges, and Goals 

I learned a huge amount about 3D animation this quarter. Some new 3D animation skills I learned were how to use Boolean, spline, and extrude. I went from using basic shapes to make a wine glass to using those to make Pikmin and the spaceship projects. All those were new for me. I had some big challenges with the techniques and model making in general like scaling certain shapes so they would look correct. Getting the point of rotation where I wanted it was challenging also. I solved those problems by using video tutorials and asking for help. Both of those were helpful strategies. One of my goals for next quarter is to learn the skill of modifying the color of certain parts of shapes. When I was making my Pikmin project, I was unsure how to add stripes to the body of the winged Pikmin. My second goal is to work on the small details of my projects like the fingers of the Pikmin. Part of a circle was sticking up unintentionally and I did not know how to make it stay down. making sure everything is satisfactory. Even though they did not turn out perfectly, my favorite pieces from this quarter are still the Pikmin and the spaceship.

Conclusion

Now that I am one quarter into 3D animation class, I have learned a lot so far. I learned how to use many different modifiers. I am better at modeling itself than I am at writing about modeling. Using strategies like video tutorials and asking for help assisted me to get the right information to be successful. I am looking forward to learning more modeling and new techniques next quarter.

Quarter 2

1/21/25 Quarter 2 Reflection

Intro

Today, I am going to be talking about my experience in the 2nd Quarter of 3D Modeling. This quarter, we used Photoshop to paint a texture. I have had no prior experience with Photoshop, so I learned a lot in this quarter. I have a couple goals for the 3rd quarter. One of those goals is to improve at taking a texture and modifying it. Another goal is to improve my skills in lighting, which I already enjoy but want to improve more.

New Skills

In this quarter, I learned how to paint a texture using Photoshop. I went from making simple models like the Applying Physical Materials project to making complex models like the Mech. This was all new to me. The bed project helped me learn how to unwrap a texture. Some of the challenges were the shapes being unwrapped in a shape that wasn't optimal. I addressed them by watching a tutorial to stitch and break shapes into a good shape. I used the tank from the previous quarter to help me with texturing it this quarter. One reason I have a goal to improve at modifying textures is that for an assignment, I had to make a texture out of another texture and apply it to a box model. It was really hard, but I got help from the teacher and a video tutorial, and I managed to learn the skill and complete the task.

Conclusion

I have learned a lot this quarter. I have learned how to use the Unwrap modifier. I discovered that I am better at painting textures rather than taking a texture and making changes to it. Using strategies like the video tutorials helped me this quarter. I am looking forward to using UVW in the 3rd quarter. It is hard to believe that I had no 3D modeling experience one semester ago.

Quarter 3

3/21/25 Quarter 3 Reflection

Intro

Today, I am going to be talking about my experience in the 3rd Quarter of 3D Modeling. This quarter, we used Lighting, Cameras, and  Animation to add depth to a scene. I haven't really had any prior experience with any of these, so I learned a lot in this quarter. I have a couple goals for the 4th quarter. One of those goals is to improve at organizing lights in a scene. Another goal is to improve my skills in camera angles, because it'll help me make more interesting scenes.

New Skills

In this quarter, I learned how to use lights in a scene. I went from making simple models like the Rendering Techniques project to making complex models like the Video Games scene. This was all mostly new to me. The lamp project helped me learn how to put a light into an object. One of the challenges was making a shape that looked like a lampshade, and making sure the light could be seen from inside the shape. I fixed it by deleting parts of a cone, and then making it transparent. I used the Mech from the previous quarter to help me with lighting this quarter. One reason I have a goal to improve at cameras is that for a future assignment, we'll apparently have to make an animation with cameras, so I'll probably need to learn which cameras are good for stuff like that.

Conclusion

I have learned a lot this quarter. I have learned how to use lights in a scene. I discovered that I am better at using the Arnold renderer with light since it's only compatible with photometric, and Arnold lights, so I don't have to worry as much about which lights I should use in a certain situation. Using strategies like the video tutorials helped me this quarter. I am looking forward to using Animation in the 4th quarter. I might use this as a job when I'm older.

Working with Renderers

my experience with lighting had ups and downs. 

The first three pictures were made using the Arnold renderer, the second three were made with scanline, and the last three were made with the Quicksilver Hardware Renderer. The settings with the biggest effect on the render quality were the intensity, and exposure, because they controlled how much light was produced. The settings with the most effect on the render speed were the resolution, and the sampling and ray depth. The resolution controlled the size of the render, and the bigger the render, the longer it would take to render. The sampling and ray depth controlled how much the light would reflect off surfaces, and the higher the sampling, the longer it would take to render.

I think my favorite renderer was Scanline, since it was pretty simple, and was compatible with all sorts of lights. I think the one I liked the least was the Arnold renderer, since it wasn't compatible with most of the lights I used at first, and it took the longest to render. I noticed that Scanline had an option for blurring shadow, and QHR had an option for the intensity of the shadow. I think the renderer I would use would be scanline, because it didn't take long to render, was simple, and didn't have any compatibility issues with certain lights. I'd probably use it in situations that involved lights.

Arnold Renderer

Info about arnold renderer.........

Snow Day lighting

My experience with real lighting was good. One of the challenges was finding a good position for the Back Light. I solved it by moving where the photos would be taken, and asking mom to help me hold the light. I used a spotlight for the Key light, a ring light for the Fill light, and a flashlight for the Back light. I think the Back light could have been stronger.

Game Asset Reflection

My experience with making a 3D model of a treasure box in real life was good. I used a small cardboard box and a paper bag for the frame. I also used tape to tape the paper bag to the cardboard box, and a pencil to draw where I would cut the box, as well as draw a lock on the front. I also used scissors to cut the paper bag, and a box cutter to cut the cardboard. I also used a neon orange marker to draw stripes, and a gold sharpie to color in the lock. One of the challenges was trying to find a good color to use for the stripes on the box, since it was brown. I solved that problem by using a color I thought would stand out well, which was neon orange. Another challenge was trying to find a way to cover up the green text on the box so that it would be completely brown. I solved the problem by using a paper bag and some tape to cover it up. To make this into a 3D model, I would probably use a cube for the base, Photoshop and a physical material for the texture. I would also use the editable poly modifier to cut the model.

Video Game Reflection

Today, I am going to talk about my experience with the Video Game project. In the scene, the most challenging object to model was the Torus, since it was hard to get the two radii right, and one radius did not do what I expected. I used Arnold Lights and a free light for my light choices because they were comparatively easy to use and I already had some experience with them. I utilized the Arnold Render, as only it and the QHR Render are compatible with Arnold lights, and the Arnold Render made it look more realistic. One issue I had in the scene was the Torus radii since I was not sure how to configure each radius to achieve the desired appearance. I fixed it by using the Scale modifier to make it larger without changing the radii. If I had more time, I would probably adjust the shadows from the three lights.

Camera Reflection

Settings

Changing the size of the lens can affect the size of the image captured. A smaller lens means a larger photo, with the objects far away, like in Target-15mm. A larger lens means a smaller photo with the object closer, like in Target-200mm. The clipping mask can create a background for your objects, which can make objects behind the background disappear, like in Target-Clip160. Changing the settings of a physical camera can affect how much light is let in, and the size of the image captured. I prefer the target camera since you can control where it is aimed easily.

Cameras

The main difference between target and free cameras is that the target camera can be moved to a correct position by moving the target in the model, and free cameras are moved to the correct position by rotating them. I might use the target camera for rendering a specific scene, the free camera for an animation, and the physical camera for making a realistic scene.

Animation Reflection

Animating

My experience with animating was mostly good. Adjusting the time configuration controlled how long the animation was. Some of the challenges were making sure everything had the same key frames. I fixed this by selecting everything and putting the key frames in at the same time. This project relates to video game design since they both use animation in certain scenes.

Frame rate and other settings

The frame rate controlled how many frames there would be per second. If there were less frames, the animation looked more like a slideshow. If there were more frames, it looked more fluid. I used the Arnold renderer since it was designed for realistic images.

Car Reflection

Animating

My experience with animating cars was mostly good. Adjusting the tangents controlled where the car would be at that point in the animation. Some of the challenges were figuring out how to set the car in a good position. I fixed it by setting a key at a point where I wanted it.

Frame rate and other settings

The Bezier curve was most effective for a realistic speed change. This could probably be used in games for if you were doing a car chase cutscene. I would probably improve the ways they sped up and slowed down.

Car Animation Reflection

Car Lights Reflection

My  experience with the car light animation was good. Adding multiple lights helped add realism to the scene. One of the challenges was finding where the settings were. Linking the headlights helped make the car seem more realistic. Using the Align tool helped make sure the lights stayed on the car instead of in the same place. Animating the lights helped simulate night and day. One of the main adjustments was using the animate tool to make the lights transition in hues. Using shadows helped simulate the night sky, and putting shadows on mountains. The cameras helped make the animation look like it had a camera following it. The target camera basically gave a 360 degree view of the render, and the free camera made it look like we were watching from the top of the car.

Quarter 4

5/20/25 Quarter 4 Reflection

Intro

Today, I am going to be talking about my experience in the 4th Quarter of 3D Modeling. This quarter, we were tasked with creating a scene that used skills from all the past quarters. I have not really done a project on a scale this big, so I was able to really explore my limits. I was also able to do this while handling a bunch of other work from different classes.

New Skills

In this quarter, I learned how to use all the previous skills to make a scene that I could be proud of. I went from making one simple model like PBM 1 to making complex models like PBM 5. This was all very difficult. The PBM 4 helped me learn how to effectively make a model make a scene more realistic. I used the flower field as the foundation for PBM 1. I found that asking for help was helpful when I ran into a problem. 

Conclusion

I have learned a lot this quarter. I have learned how to use lights and cameras in a scene. I discovered that I am currently better at making textures than I am at lighting. I also learned that I need a bit more experience with using lights and cameras. Now that I am fully done with this class, I might consider it as a job when I am older.