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Video game scene
Video game scene
One of the most challenging objects to model in my scene was the lava moat, as I wanted it to have a realistic, flowing appearance while maintaining a strong visual impact. To achieve this, I used a combination of displacement maps and animated noise modifiers to give the lava depth and movement. Additionally, applying an emissive material with self-illumination helped enhance the glowing effect. For lighting, I used a combination of ambient lighting to set the overall dark and eerie tone, while object-specific lights were placed near torches and lava pools to create dynamic highlights and shadows. I chose to render the final image using the Arnold renderer because of its superior handling of lighting, reflections, and materials, which helped bring out the castle's sinister yet grand atmosphere. One major challenge I encountered was adjusting the shadows cast by the lava glow without making the scene too dark or washed out. I resolved this by fine-tuning light intensity and using volumetric fog to create a more immersive depth effect. If I had more time, I would refine the texturing on the stone walls to add more cracks and weathering, making them appear older and more rugged, and I would also add animated fire particles for extra realism.
Snow day February 19
Snow day February 19
For this project, I chose a toy Optimus Prime car as my subject and used a white poster board for the background. I arranged three light sources: a desk lamp as the key light, a smaller lamp as the fill light, and a flashlight as the back light. The key light was positioned at a 45-degree angle to the front left of the car, while the fill light was placed at a 45-degree angle on the right side. I set the flashlight behind the car, slightly above, to help it stand out from the background.
One challenge I encountered was adjusting the light levels. Initially, the key light was too bright, causing some of the car's details to appear washed out.
Snow day February 20
Snow day February 20
For my game asset project, I made a cardboard knife. I picked cardboard because it’s super light, easy to cut, and perfect for making sharp, cool shapes like a blade. I started by sketching a rough design of the knife, breaking it down into the blade and handle. Then, I cut out several layers of cardboard for each part and taped them together to add some thickness and make it look more real. I also used a pencil to add texture to the handle and shaded the blade with a marker to give it a metallic vibe.
One of the biggest challenges was getting the blade to look smooth and even since cardboard can be really rough when cut. I had to trim the edges carefully with scissors and even used a nail file to sand them down a bit. Another issue was making sure the blade stayed attached to the handle. To fix that, I made a small slit in the handle and slid the blade in before taping everything together tightly.
If I were to recreate this knife in 3ds Max, I’d start by modeling the blade and handle separately with basic box modeling. I’d use the extrude tool to add thickness, the bevel tool to smooth out the edges, and the edge loop tool to fine-tune the shape. For textures, I’d apply a metallic finish to the blade and a matte finish to the handle, using bump maps to mimic the details I carved into the cardboard. Finally, I’d use UV unwrapping to make sure the textures fit perfectly on the model.
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