School Year

Quarter 4

End of Quarter 4 Reflection - 05/27/25

What resources or strategies did you find most helpful in learning 3ds Max?

The most helpful resources in learning 3Ds Max would have to be the edit poly modifier. There are other important ones that are very helpful like Proboolean with takes out or adds objects to one another adding faces in what was taken away or added. Other tools are helpful, but edit poly has the most use because it allows you to change vertices, edges, and poly's on an object. This is very important when you want to surface model a complicated model. If you didn't have this tool people couldn't edit a shape and it could only be the basic primitives provided. This would make models not a polished, and look cheaply made. 

What new skills or techniques did you learn in 3ds Max this quarter?

A new skill I used this quarter was animation. I learned to animate lights, cameras, and objects. This gave life to the objects I created, and made a scene more interesting. The camera animation allows the viewer to get a better view of the objects you created. The lighting animation can be used to make a scene more realistic because it can be used to act a sunrise and sunset. All of these things are types of animation were all skills I learned this quarter, and they have taught me how to elevate a model to make it better. I also learned to model an object to make it more lifelike by editing vertices and edges to make the sides more fluid and natural.

Which project or exercise helped you understand a specific aspect of 3D modeling better?

The project that helped me the most in understanding how to model better was the Performance Based Measure Assignment. It was very helpful because it let me use a lot of different skills, so I wasn't just practicing one. Some of these tools include the edit poly modifier, set key to animate, proboolean, etc. I used proboolean to get rid of objects inside another one to add depth and shape to a primitive. The edit poly modifier allowed me to change shapes to make them more natural and lifelike. The set key tool allowed me to make key frames in my animations, so a model or camera could move around or change directions. All of these tools and others  used in this assignment have helped me make my modeling better because they let me practice with them which is how you get better at doing something. Practice makes perfect.

Quarter 1

End of Quarter 1 Reflection

How did Q1 go and how do you want Q2 to go?

What resources or strategies did you find most helpful when using 3ds max?

I found being able to use editable poly and spline were the most helpful tools I used in this quarter. I think this is the most important tool because it was used in almost all of the assignments. Editable poly/spline allows for me to move around vertices, edges, and faces, so I can change the shape of an object. Boolean is also an important resource to know how to use; it makes it so I can get rid of certain parts of an object by overlapping those places with another object and subtracting it from the main object. Both these tools are the most important resources I used this quarter because they give me simple ways to edit a primitive.

Which project or exercise helped you understand a specific aspect of 3D modeling better?

I found that the spaceship assignment helped me understand how to surface model in many ways. The assignment got me to use many tools to do this. It showed how to move vertices to a certain place and how to edit certain faces. The assignment was just a good way to use most of the tools we had been learning recently one last time, so I could get in just a little more practice before having to create a project. I can understand surface modeling more now because this project showed me many tools and how they coincide with one another and can be used to create a good looking final product.

What goals do you have for the next quarter to further improve your 3D modeling skills?

I want to improve my 3D modeling skills in this next quarter by continuing to practice these tools from quarter one and learn new ones from quarter two. If I don't keep using the skills; which include boolean and extrude, bevel, and inset within the editable poly in-face, that I've developed this quarter then I will forget how to do them, and won't be able to do basic changes. I also want to be able to further make a model more realistic beyond just the basic editing of a sphere in quarter two. I can obtain both these goals by creating a model using tools from quarter one and then adding to it with the tools learned in the second quarter. For the next quarter my 3D modeling skills will continue to grow and get better if I continue using skills from the first quarter and also ones from the second quarter.

Quarter 2

End of Quarter 2 Reflection

How did Q2 go and how do you want Q3 to go?

What resources or strategies did you find most helpful when using 3Ds max?

The most useful resources I found when using 3Ds Max  was the UVW unwrap modifier. This allowed me to be able to basically skin my model so a can apply a texture in Photoshop and place it back on there without distortion. If I don't want to have any distortion then I need to break my objects into flatter pieces with reletave size to the model (you don't want a small dot in the untextured UVW for a huge poly in the model). This will make it so my textures will be applied without stretching over corners of edges. If you get that down then it is fairly easy and simple to use Photoshop and paint and put pictures over it and apply it back to the model.

How have you applied the knowledge gained from previous quarters to your current projects?

This quarter I used many aspects of knowledge that I used for my projects. The most important one that I consistently use  to help me this quarter when modeling was editable poly. I used this the most because it was the easiest way to alter the surface of an object to create a model. It was also a key tool in helping me understand how to work a new modifier because they had some of the same tools like vertex select, poly select and edge select. Knowing how to use that made UVW unwrapping easier to navigate because it was all familiar. I also use the extrude tool in editable poly to help me create a mech that you can see if you go to the student showreal tab.

What goals do you have for the next quarter to further improve your 3D modeling skills?

Next quarter I want to expand my expertise in modeling like I have done this quarter. I would also like to apply my knowledge of texturing especially UVW unwrapping in this quarter. I think that if I continue using these skills my projects will continue to become more realistic with better modeling in general and also with good texturing. I also want to start learning about how to light a scene I created and maybe making a model be a light source. An example of that would be a torch or lamp that would emit light or a soft glow. This will enhance realism for certain models and scenes.

Quarter 3

Renderers Reflection

Arnold Renderer

The resolution affected the quality of the render because it allowed there to be more pixels for more fluid color gradient. Another way the quality was affected was the use of camera (aa) which blended the colors making them look rounder in places.  The slow render speed was mainly due to high levels of these because it made the render bigger and more complicated.

Scanline Renderer

The scanline render's quality was also due to increased resolution, but it was also heavily affected by global supersampling which made the coloring of the render closer to when in 3ds Max. The render speed was affected by high resolution and using global supersampling making it slower.

Quicksilver Renderer

The amount of interations and high quality shadows enhanced the render making the quality better. Same as the other ones the interations made the time for rendering longer, but so did the number of interations and the high quality of shadows within the visual style and appearances. 

Experience using renders

The best visual results that I saw was in the highest quality of the Arnold Renderer, and I thinked it worked so well because of the camera (aa) making the colors more blended. The easiest renderer to use was probably quicksilver because the renders were quick and it was easy to set up. The scanline was the hardest to use because I've never used lights for the scanline renderer. I noticed that the different renderers had different buttons and numbers that could soften lights and shadows, but they all let lights be brightened with intensity or the exposer amounts. I think if I wanted a highly detailed render I would use Arnold because it produced the highest quality render, but if I wanted one for the ease of use and quickness of the render I would use quicksilver.

Real World Three Point Lighting

I arranged my lights in my picture with the brightest at the front left. This light was my alarm clock light. The light to the right of it softened the shadows and it was darker than my alarm clock. This light was a lamp.  The last light I put was another lamp and it added a rim light to make it have a glossier/glowier feel. The hard part about this assignment was trying to set up the lights in the right positions to where they weren't in the picture,  but still had the effects I needed them to have.  To fix this problem I changed the angle of my camera until you couldn't see the lights, only my object.

Real World Game Asset

For my real world game asset I chose to make a treasure chest. I made my chest out of paper, and to make it more realistic I added colors. The colors were brown, but the part that had the most affect on the realism were the wood grain lines a drew. For those lines I used a dark brown marker, so it would contrast nicely with the pencil that was used otherwise. I chose to use paper because it was easy to work with, and I had it on hand. I built my model with trial and error,  so I could find out where to fold it. If I didn't fold it correctly the paper wouldn't line up correctly, but eventually I got to a point where I had a nice box with a lid.  A challenging part for this project was having to box line up correctly on either side. I overcame this problem like I said below with trial and error, and eventually I got a box with the right parameters. If I were going to recreate this model in 3ds Max I would start with a box and boolean another box out of it to make it hollow. I would then attach a cylinder that was halved and then hollowed out to the top as the lid. Lastly I would add a wood grain texture to the model. This model would not be the exact same as my real world one because mine doesn't have a rounded top like I would add in 3ds max.

Video Game Scene Reflection

The hardest object to model in my scene was the main character (Master Kogha), and I overcame that difficulty by keeping at it and not giving up. The lights I used for my scene were Arnold quad lights, and they allowed me to set up a three point lighting set up to light the main character well.  I used the Arnold Renderer because it worked well with my lights and increased detail in the render because of its color blending abilities. One problem I had during this project was making the body symmetrical. I solved this problem by selecting poly's on both sides, so it could be moved simultaneously. If I had more time on this project I spend more time on the texturing, so it would be more fluid throughout. 

Exploring Cameras Reflection

1. How does changing the lens size affect the rendered image?

Changing the lens size will either increase or decrease how zoomed in the camera will appear. If you have a bigger lens size the picture will be zoomed in more than if it was a smaller lens. When I rendered Marvin in a lens of 200mm it was zoomed in more than when I rendered it in the 85mm or 15mm lens.

2. What does a clipping mask do and what is its effect on the render?

The clipping mask makes it so that only certain layers can be seen, so it can focus on one. This can make the render more focused on one certain point, but might not work so well when the model has a lot of depth. The background will appear dark gray or black because it is clipped out of the render.

3. What are the main differences between target and free cameras?

The main difference between the target and the free camera is in the name; the target has a target. With the target you can make a more precise movements to where the camera is aiming. The free camera doesn't have a target and is just the camera. If you want to make a fast setup the free camera is the faster one to use because you only need to set up the camera and not a target.

4. How do changing the settings of physical cameras affect a rendered image?

It makes it so the rendered image appears sharper or lit better; creating a more realistic or appealing render. It also makes it so the render looks like it would if you took the picture in real life in different settings. The physical camera can mimic the lighting in different situations in the real world like a cloudy or sunny day. 

5. Do you prefer physical, target, or free cameras? When might you use each?

       I prefer to use the target light because it is the easiest one to aim where the camera is facing. I like the accuracy the target camera has because I can make precise modifies to where the camera is facing or where it is in the scene.  I would use the target camera camera most of the time because it is  convenient. I might use the physical camera when rendering a real life object because it mimics what a camera would do in real life. I would rarely use the free camera unless I want an easy camera that I could set up  quickly.

Exploring Animation Reflection

How did adjusting the time configuration affect your animation?

Adjusting the time configuration mad my animation shorter then it was originally. If you were to put the fps (frames per second) very high then it would require more frames to get to 5 seconds then if it was a lower frame per second. You can also adjust how long the animation will last by multiplying the time wanted in seconds by the frames per second. If I wanted the animation to be 10 seconds and my fps was 20 then I would need 200 frames to get there. 

What challenges did you face when keyframing the different transformations?

The biggest challenge I faced was making it look natural over a long time especially when rotating. This could be solved by making more key frames, so the computer doesn't have to create its own frames in between. 

How did the frame rate (15 fps) impact the smoothness of your animation?

The frame rate made the animation pretty smooth because it isn't like a slide show. If I would want it to be even more fluid I could add more frames with even minor changes. This would make the transitions even more fluid and the eye wouldn't be able to tell that each is a different picture because it is too fast. If it was lower the smoothness would appear worse because your eye could discern between the different picture easier.

Which animation mode did you use and why did you select it?

I chose to use the set key animation mode. I selected because I thought it would be easier to manual put in certain key frames. I could select where the animation would move to and change in size. It also allowed me to more easily change to parameter or more before a key frame was set. These parameters would be things like size, rotation, and placement.

How does this exercise relate to animation techniques used in game design? 

This relates to the animation techniques in game design because just like in this activity the models in the game are being set in different positions and shown so fast the human eye thinks it is one constant movement. The animation might be more complicated because it is a complex model, but is essentially the same. Take pictures in various positions and portray them so fast it looks like one fluid movement.

Curve Editor Reflection

How did adjusting tangents change the way the cars moved?

Adjusting the tangents of the different cars made them speed up or slow down. If the tangent makes the slope flat then the car will be slow and won't get that far. If the tangent goes back up past an original point it will go backwards. If the tangent is really steep then the car will speed up. The reason for these things is because left to right is time and up and down is distance; if the line goes steep it will go very far in little time. This applies for all slopes.

Which tangent type was most effective for a realistic speed change?

The most effective tangent type because it applies a smooth curve that smoothly makes the car go up and the down. The line kind of rolls into it and slowly accelerates, instead of all at once. If the line goes up abruptly or vice versa going down abruptly the acceleration would be not realistic. It also can't be accelerating forever because that would be unrealistic, as no car could go that fast in real life.

What challenges did you face when modifying the tangents?

When modifying the tangents I found it hard to move them to make it start and slow then speed up again in a realistic way. This was hard because you can only edit two tangents the beginning and end, and not the middle. If I could change a point in the middle stopping the movement completely would be easier. It was also hard to not make the car go fast, without making it appear as if it was teleporting. 

How could this technique be used in game design for vehicle movement?

This technique could be used in game design for vehicle movement by moving a car foward and backward in a set direction or directions. You could move the car and rotate it, so it could turn. You could also include a bezier tangent to make a car realistically stop and slow down at a light. This technique would be an easy way to animate a lot of cars without having to hand create each individual key frame.

If you were to refine this animation further, what would you improve?

If I was going to refine this animation even more I would make it stop, as to let a pedestrian cross. I could move that object/pedestrian in another direction across the street to learn more about the different sections of the curve editor. I would then make the car speed up and the stop again at the end of the plane.

Animated 4 Corners Project Reflection 

How did organizing your project folders and keeping backups in Google Drive help you access your work for this assignment? If you had difficulty finding your file, what could you do differently in the future to stay organized?

Having organized files each with their unique names was very helpful for this assignment. I was able to quickly find the project and import the road and car into it. This will continue to work as long as I name them specific things for each of the different assignment. If I don't create a unique name then it will be hard to find later.

How did adding a Path Constraint change the car’s movement? What adjustments did you make to ensure it followed the path correctly?

Path constraints allowed the car to realistically goes along the designated path. The things we changed in the menu, so it would do this were the bank and follow parameters. The follow wasn't as much a parameter as a button, but having it selected turns the car so the front is always forward. The Bank does what you would think which is bank the car (turn one side down) on the turns it takes. The lower the bank the more subtle the bank will be, but if it is high it will be very dramatic.

After extending the animation to 24 seconds, how did the car’s movement change? Why was it necessary to use the Re-scale Time option instead of just increasing the frame count?

Making the car last 24 seconds made the movement of the car a lot slower. It was necessary to use the rescale time options because it made the car move for that set time and frames. If I just added frames to the main face it would add the frames, but the animation would not be spread throughout them. With the rescale time option it stretched the animation to all the frames in 24 seconds.

How did setting the frame rate to 30 fps instead of 29.97 fps (NTSC) impact your animation? What did you learn about how frame rate choices affect animation timing?

Setting the frame rate to 30 fps instead of 29.97 fps made the animation more exact. SInce the number of frames is the fps times the time you want having an even number made it easier to use. If I used 29.97 then the measurements would be off and the frames would not line up correctly. The frames are able to line up evenly with 30 fps, and not 29.97.

How did Q3 go and how do you want Q4 to go?

What resources or strategies did you find most helpful when using 3Ds max?

This quarter I found that knowing how to light up a scene made the renders more appealing.  It allowed the model I made to be a focus point as most of the light is on it, and then the other objects as secondary objects. I also am glad I learned how to use the different renderers, and how they can make a certain model better. Arnold allows for a fluid blend from color to color, making it more realistic. The Scanline renderer renders from top down and is pretty quick. If I want the quickest render though I would use quicksilver, but it is not as high quality. Knowing this helps me chose what how i'm going to render is depending on the assignment. I have found cameras helpful. Cameras will allow me to be able to focus on certain objects in a scene by putting it in the camera's field of view. This will render my scene without having the black where I haven't modeled.

What aspects of 3ds Max do you feel more confident in using now compared to the beginning of the quarter?

I am more confident in many things this quarter including, rendering, lighting, animation, and cameras. Some of these we just learned this quarter, but have developed throughout the quarter. My lighting abilities make the model lit up in an appealing manner, so when I render it it looks better. Rendering has also improved because I now understand what the individual renderers do, and can apply them to the situation when they are needed. I have increased knowledge since the beginning of the quarter in cameras, and now I can see how they can be beneficial. Cameras allow for a more specific focus on a certain object and scene, making it easier to render without changing the angle in the viewport. My animation skills improved also, and now I am able to confidently move, scale, or rotate objects throughout the scene, and render them.

What goals do you have for the next quarter to further improve your 3D modeling skills?

Next quarter I would like to make a project that I'm proud of.  The video game scene we did was a lot of fun, but it didn't turn out how I would have liked it too. So, next quarter I want to make something that turns out how I want it. I also want to be able to have projects that I can freely express my creativity. This is sometimes hard, but once I find an object or scene that I want to model the process is always fun. I also want to continue to develop on my rendering skills. This will include being able to light up the scene in a professional way, using cameras to focus on specific parts of the scene, and using the right renderers for the project. All of these will increase the quality and professionalism of my models. Lastly I want to improve my animation skills by animating a model; like something walking and moving across the scene.