3D Modelling Thread

[Ashley]

lets do it!

 

and the task thing!

 

so what are we going to do...?

 

something to do with new year/start/2010?

[Wesley]

*ponders*

 

I'm going to need a long time to do this because I have some seeeerious uni work to do.

[Ashley]

screw you!

[Wesley]

*sad face*

[nightwolf]

It'll be fine, it can be a continous project.

 

It needs to be something we are all remotely capable of, I know Ashley hasn't quite done humans as such yet so I'd rather scrap that. So an object or maybe a room..?

 

A room would be interesting, as you could say kitchen or whatnot.

[Wesley]

How about we do an emotion?

 

Like... depression?

[nightwolf]

Hmm I guess you could do anything with that, I have an idea for depression infact..

[Wesley]

Depression then?

 

Because it then really opens it up with an emotion?

 

You could still do a room, with the right atmosphere it could convey depression quite easily.

 

Or we could have to similar emotions if anyone had a problem with one?

 

Like depression/boredom.

 

Then if Ashley starts to think about drowning himself while working on the depression piece he could change it to boredom and be happy again (but bored).

[Ashley]

You're worried about me? I'm not the one whose significant other is buggering off for four months

[Wesley]

*stares at screen*

 

...five months...

 

*takes knife*

 

Fiiiirst traaaam update:

 

 

I'm calling her "Trampy Tram Tram" or "The Feltham Slut".

 

Oh, link to Google Images of the tram if you want to comparrre.

 

http://images.google.co.uk/images?rlz=1C1GGLS_en-GBGB351GB352&sourceid=chrome&q=feltham%20tram&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

 

I still have the 'wheely bits', seats and stairs, front light and the main 'top bit' to do.

 

Then I can take it into zBrush to do... stuff.

[Ashley]

Looking good. Hows it going now?

 

In case anyone didn't see I made a bad award trophy;

 

 

Tried to learn box modelling from some video. It was all going fine and what not then it got to a point of editing vertices and on the video it all worked fine but it didn't for me. It was one half mirrored onto the other and bits were poking through each other and everything. Annoying thing about a video, you can't ask it what the fuck is happening.

 

Then tried to learn strip modelling and was following a tutorial. Modelled a strip all down a face then went to next page and it went back to the 1st. So tried just changing the URL but the other pages don't exist.

 

FRUSTRATING!

 

Tutorials that exist in their entirety and will help (with either method) pleeeeeeease?

 

Oh and also (this can serve as a note to self really but if someone wants to answer); Mac Maya keyboard shortcuts. Sick of videos saying "press this to do this" and it doesn't. Although I think its the F buttons but still...LIES!

 

AND AND!

 

Trying to draw the basic shape using the create polygon tool. Then split it into smaller areas using the split polygon tool. Then try and extrude and I get this:

 

 

While fun...not very cat like.

 

I think this post has had more edits than a Britney Spears record!

 

Some progress, huzzah. Here's the cat as is;

 

 

And smoothed:

 

 

Leaving it jaggedy at present because its easier to change (yes? oh except the smooth as ice tail) but just thought I'd smooth it out and see what it looks like. The head can wait til tomorrow.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Ashley

[Ashley]

Talking to myself!

 

 

It looks kinda scary..and underfed. But how it stands tonight. Again, smoothed and textured just to see what it looks like. And its face does have another side. At that angle it looks like it has a flat face. And the leg is a bit detached. And the background is weird because Maya's render thing insists on having a black background (really stupid idea, can't see anything!) And bits need tweaking. But I'm moderately happy with the texture (stolen from our actual cat). Will add fur at a later point so it looks less flat.

 

How do you make a texture for a model like...how to explain? Remember the Sims? How you could edit the texture files to make your own clothes and it was like a character model flattened and cut apart so you could fold it all back together again. How do you do that? Can you do that? Is there some way of saying 'Maya, flatten this model?' then whip it over to Photoshop?

 

Decided I'll do a hamster next. Easier. They're just kidney bean shaped with ears :p

[Wesley]

This tutorial is the best thing ever.

 

http://www.3dtotal.com/ffa/tutorials/max/joanofarc/joanmenu.php

 

It's 3DS Max'a'fied on this website, but you can buy the Maya specific versions here:

 

https://shop.3dtotal.com/product_info.php?cPath=28_29&products_id=62&osCsid=c8oec049n9pfgfkeeouvchg551

 

But you might be able to find that on Torrent websites.

 

That tutorial does cover strip modelling, box modelling and proper texturing.

 

As for the texturing you're talking about it's when you UV Unwrap a model.

 

Basically, UV (or sometimes referred to UVW) Unwrapping is like making a net for a cube; but in reserve.

 

Here are some tutorials on 3DTotal I found that are Maya specific, but they're all for a certain thing... where as the Joan of Arc "bases" part of it explains what it is, why it's done certain ways, etc.

 

http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials_3/uvmapping_techniques/uvmapping_techniques_01.php

http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials_3/uvsets_maya/uvsets_01.php

http://www.3dtotal.com/team/Tutorials/human_anatomy/human_01.php

http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/tutorials/texturing/c/uv-101-1

 

As for the Feltham slut; after leaving it to rust for a while I finished off the modelling and unwrapping yesterday:

 

 

The base model stands at 2282 tris.

 

I've also made a higher poly version that I'm going to use for a normal map - just for rounded edges, etc.

 

 

I think that model is 22000 something tris.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Wesley
Automerged Doublepost

[Ashley]

Looking good

 

Thanks for the tutorial. Working through it now and it was all going dandy under the pelvis. It lets you work on the legs and all that first which obviously means everyone's legs will be slightly different. Then it says "delete these edges" but I don't have any edges there. Then it says to grab the face and using the scale tool flatten it...which doesn't seem to work. And when I try and extrude them together (the next step) it overlaps and causes chaos. Urgh. One of those times I wish PDF files could speak. I'll persevere though, but time for a break methinks.

[nightwolf]

I never follow tutorials to the letter, it makes life confusing.

 

But its looking good!

[Ashley]

Cheers

 

Started on the cat again from scratch. Using some ideas I picked up from that tutorial.

 

 

Looks a bit better (in my opinion) and the whole thing is less jaggedy. The face is a bit better...but still needs work. The nose is a bit awkward. In real life it starts beside the edge of the eyes and goes to the tip but the vertices aren't quite working with me. But I think the overall shape (except maybe the eyes, filler at present) are alright in a cartoonish kind of way yes?

 

Been working in the lounge and the one night one of the cat's isn't here

 

Giving texturing a try but running into problems. I extracted the UV map and all that and played around in Photoshop. Its okay in some places. For example:

 

(ignore the green, I know what that is about)

 

But then in others not so much:

 

 

The underside is really stretched out, when it shouldn't be according to the map. And on the side...I don't think thats a texture. I presumed it would be part of the body UV but if you look in the workspace it looks like this;

 

 

Confusing.

Edited January 19, 2010 by Ashley

[nightwolf]

UV maps boggle my mind, I had so many issues with them when I was modelling for my level.

[Wesley]

Okay so I started working on that character a little bit earlier and will be spending a good chunk of tomorrow and Saturday modelling him.

 

Just thought I'd post an update and get some feedback.

 

 

You can see it's a bit messy right now, but on the left you can see the main body and on the right is what I'm actually working on.

 

The shoes on the right are just placement but what I'm aiming for, those kind of big boot shoe things.

 

Er... the weird thing near the neck is going to be the collar for the shirt.

 

And the weird thing coming down the leg is actually going to be the lab coat, and the shirt you see on the right is actually a copy of the part of the body and will be changes to be all... coaty.

 

And yes, he is going to have flares.

 

Cord flares once I sculpt it.

 

But I'm going to bed now and just thought I'd get some quick feedbaaaack.

 

 

Also, tomorrow at uni. I won't have bad internet and can actually see the cat pictures!

[Ashley]

Looks good. Boots could do with that little triangle bit near the heel missing. Know what I mean? (e.g.) Just an idea, and one you may have thought of anyway and yeah shoes without it exist but to me they always look...odd.

 

And didn't you want this person to appear lanky? Could you try making it so the labcoat is a bit too short? It will either work, or just look like you haven't modelled correctly, but an idea I had while looking

 

Cord flares; is this the 70s?

 

Weird how your internet doesn't like tinypic...

[Wesley]

The shoes are literally just a couple of primatives shoved together to give it the right form I'll be going after.

 

And this one is meant to be a little bit fat and stumpy looking.

 

I thought that maybe having a long lab coat would help with that, but maybe his legs need to be a little shorter...

 

I'm going to try and complete the modelling, in the none stylised form, tonight.

 

And then on Saturday or Sunday I'm going to try and actually... make him have charater... maybe shorten the legs, widen the flares.

 

And yes! I want him to look like a 70s scientist.

 

In the lab it's going to be very 70s style idea of science.

 

Lots of lava lamp looking stuff.

[nightwolf]

I like the way your model is going, might give the legs alittle less length, but otherwise (Y).

 

I've not even gotten round to starting anything on max, I might go back to my model of a human, given I forgot everything about them.

[Ashley]

The way you describe your scientists remind me of Phil & Lem from Better Off Ted. I was going to supply a clip but CBS are xenophiles and won't let me watch! BASTARDS!

 

Aaaaanyway moving on.

 

UV maps continue to baffle me. Why stretch parts? WHHHHHHYY?? And why add a blue lightening bolt? What crack are you on Maya? So what I was thinking was if I UV map as normal, then do seperate textures for the stretched faces...could work? Maybe. Will try tomorrow.

 

But while I remember, anyone know how to strip a texture/material from something in Maya. Never seem to have been able to find out how.

 

Actually opened up hypershaper and can delete nodes in that which I suppose is a work around. But surely there should be some way of selecting your polygon and stripping it?

Edited January 21, 2010 by Ashley

[Wesley]

I read.

 

Blinked a few times.

 

Didn't understand a word you said.

 

Maybe I'm more drunk than I thought.

 

I need to go to bed...

 

I will come back here to do battle tomorrow.

[nightwolf]

The way you describe your scientists remind me of Phil & Lem from Better Off Ted. I was going to supply a clip but CBS are xenophiles and won't let me watch! BASTARDS!

 

Aaaaanyway moving on.

 

UV maps continue to baffle me. Why stretch parts? WHHHHHHYY?? And why add a blue lightening bolt? What crack are you on Maya? So what I was thinking was if I UV map as normal, then do seperate textures for the stretched faces...could work? Maybe. Will try tomorrow.

 

But while I remember, anyone know how to strip a texture/material from something in Maya. Never seem to have been able to find out how.

 

Actually opened up hypershaper and can delete nodes in that which I suppose is a work around. But surely there should be some way of selecting your polygon and stripping it?

 

I understand what you mean up until the last paragraph. I think in max its a green line rather than blue, but it usually means you've put the texture wrong somewhere, (duh) just keep fiddling with it all. I usually do a set of dice to check these things.

[Ashley]

The last paragraph was mostly me talking to myself. What I can do is just delete the node/texture that is applied. So if I texture something then change my mind I can do it that way. But to me there should still be some way of saying "remove this texture from this object".

 

Anyway I thought I was onto something with my idea but apparently not.

 

This is what the leg looks like using a UV map:

 

 

So I tried applying a seperate texture to several faces. That still didn't work. So then I tried just one face (thinking the previously selected faces may be too big) but still nothing. This is what happened:

 

 

Still stretched.

 

What gives Maya? Guessing its something to do with the model itself now, rather than texturing.