3D Modeling & Animation Reflections

School Year

Quarter 1

End of Quarter 1 Reflection

This reflection is gonna talk about how much i think i progressed in 3d modeling this quarter and what i learned. This quarter i learned how to make basic models with basic primitives, some examples may include a cube or a sphere. I also learned how to modify basic primitives to make more complex shapes. I learned how editing a poly works, allowing me to make more complex shapes from a single primitive. And I learned how splines work and how to use them, allowing for creation of less complex but still complex shapes. Challenges i encounter, i just used trial and error, unless i couldn't find a solution. my understanding of 3d modeling has increased by a good amount. overall, i think i am atleast ready for next quarter.

Quarter 2

End of Quarter 2 Reflection

This Reflection Is Going To Talk About How much i think i progressed in 3d modeling this quarter and what i learned. This quarter i learned how to Apply Physical Materials And Multi Subobject Materials. I also learned how to use photoshop to create textures. In addition, I learned how to UVW Map. Finally, I learned how to Use A UVW map to create custom textures. challenges i encounter, i needed help when it came to uvw mapping. my understanding of 3d modeling has increased by a good amount. overall i think i am more than ready for next quarter unless it includes uvw mapping.

Quarter 3

Rendering Techniques Reflection

Part 1 - Arnold

This Renderer Seemed To Be The Most Realistic, I Believe Camera (AA) Changed the render quality the most. This Renderer Produced the best visual results, i believe it preforms better because of how long the Renders usually take. Overall i feel as if this one was the easiest to use. I would prefer to use this when i need a highly reaslistic image for a realistic game.

Part 2 - Scanline

This Renderer seemed to be less realistic in exchange for speed. This renderer this was affected slightly by the type of shadows that were used, only slightly. This renderer was the most difficult to use, i say this because i had to individually change each light's shadows. I would prefer to use this in a not so realistic environment, like a video game.

Part 3 - Quicksilver

This renderer was very fast, but had not much details. I Have no idea if it's speed ever changed when rendering. this renderer had barely visible shadows. I would prefer to use this in a non-realistic scene where it isn't supposed to look realistic

Snowy Day Assignment Reflection

Reflection

In this assignment, i tried my best to make it as accurate as possible, but it wasn't too successful in doing so. The challenges i faced were trying to get it at the perfect angle and taking the pictures

Snowy Day Game Asset Assignment Reflection

I used a light, a box, and tape to make this. I chose them because they were simple. I built it by taping the light to the box

I had trouble making sure the model is well lit, and i solved it by just repositioning my lights

If i were to make this in 3ds max, which i won't, but if i were to, i would use a square for the box, a cone with the smooth modifier for the light, and a cylinder for the top of the light

I would create a box then resize it to look like a rectangle, i would get a cone then resize it to about the light's size then apply a smooth modifier, and for the top of the light i would use a cylinder

Video Game Scene Reflection

In This Video Game Scene, I used The Arnold Renderer, and I used the Arnold renderer for my final image because it is typically the most realistic renderer out of the others. A problem I had with this project was that a material wasn't working right, and I had fixed it by UVW mapping it. I only really needed a light that could light the whole area up, so I used a point light to do so. All three of the towers I made for the scene were the hardest part of making the scene, I had it make them with multiple different shapes in different sizes. If I had more time, I would probably make more towers to increase variety.

Exploring Cameras Reflection

Exploring Camera lenses, they affect how far or close the object appears to be in the render. Clipping masks show how much of the lens' view will be visible, making some parts of a render hard to see. The main difference between a Target Camera And A Free camera is how a target camera focuses at a certain point. Changing settings of a physical camera can affect how bright the scene is. I prefer target cameras personally, I would use target for getting a good render of a scene, free for a non realistic environment, and physical for a realistic environment.

Basic Animation Reflection

When it comes to this simple animation i made, the only real challenge i had was making it the way i wanted it made. Adjusting the time configuration affected my animation's length, and the framerate of 15 fps seemed to make it very smooth. I Primarily Used auto key as in my experience it's easier to use while still giving you a smooth animation. This exercise could relate to animation techniques used in game design because commonly the animations of a game are made in some sort of modeling software.

Editing Curves Reflection

Adjusting tangents changed how long it took for them to reach a certain point and the variety of speeds they go at to reach it. Auto seemed to be the best for realistic speed changes. The main problem i faced when modifying tangents was making sure they arrive at the end at different times. This could be used in game design to make a vehicle go on a set path. The only things i would want to improve is the animation to be more unique.

3/25-26/25 Animated 4 Corners Reflection

If i hadn't put a copy of the basic primitives and transforms project on my google drive, I would have to redo the project entirely. A path constraint makes it so the car follows the path it was constrained to, to make sure it followed the path correctly, I enabled the follow setting. after setting the animation length to 24 seconds, the car moved slowly, it was important to use rescale time because it i didn't, it would only run for 100 frames, leaving the other frames basically untouched. I'm not too sure how setting it from 29.97 to 30 affected the animation, but i do know that framerate affects how smooth an animation is.

3/27/25 Final 4 Corners Scene Reflection

Adding different types of lights made the animation have a day and night cycle. Linking the headlights to the car body made it look like the headlights were coming from the car. the transition from day to night made it look very cool, the cameras made it look like there was someone watching the car, and linking and positioning was important as to make sure the camera followed the car. it was important to include shadows as to make sure that everything was very realistic.

3/21/25 Quarter 3 Reflection

In this reflection i will explain what i learned this quarter, how i improved in this quarter and challenges i faced and solved.

Skills and techniques i learned

This Quarter i learned Basic Animation, How to use the curve editor, How to make scenic renders using lighting and how to use cameras.

Challenges I faced

Basic Animation wasn't too hard to do, neither was the curve editor or cameras hard to use. I had trouble with lighting, to solve the problems i had with lighting, i tweaked the lights until it was the way i wanted it to be.

How I Improved

The video game scene project helped me learn more about modeling and applying materials more. I Improved in modeling, applying materials, and designing better models.

Summary

In summary, I learned how to make a basic animation, how to use the curve editor, how to solve problems relating to lighting, and i improved in modeling, in design, and in applying materials.

5/27/25 Quarter 4 Reflection

In this reflection i will explain how i improved in 3ds max, strategies i found helpful, and challenges i encountered during this quarter.

Challenges I Had

The main challenges i had when making the PBM was during the animation part of the project, as i used auto-key, which made objects follow the path even when they shouldn't.

Strategies i used

strategies i found help in animations was using set-key, as it made it so an object goes to a set spot before moving on to the next.

How i Improved

I improved in my use in 3ds max by how i used the animation, as previously i would only use auto-key. I also improved by how i would use editable polys.

Summary

In summary, i improved in the way i animate because of the PBM, and started to use editable polys better.

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