Technical Workshop. Tutor – Alan Postings.
1.1 Modelling Basics – Dice model
Techniques Taught:
- Bevel. Helps to hold the model’s shape when smoothing.
- Extrude tool options. For example, Offset and local translate Z will work on all of the selected faces relative to the selection not the world.
- Smooth and smooth preview. Smooth preview will be seen in render view, therefore, it is not necessary to keep smoothing until the mesh is perfectly smooth in viewport.
- Extruded faces will appear as circles after smoothed or smooth preview. This is a simpler method than circularising the geometry.
Renders:
1.2 Modelling Mesh Out of Curves
Techniques/ Methodology (notes):
- Creating an object out of curves by ‘revolving a surface’ out of the curve.
- Make sure to create the curve at the centre of the grid.
- Hold X to snap the points to the grid. This makes for a much cleaner workflow.
- Manipulate the vertices after you finish making the curve. Make the thickness the same.
- Leave the connection with the curve and mesh, by not pressing ‘delete history’. This way, you can manipulate the shape of the mesh live, even after you revolve the surface.
- Using nurbs.
- Converting Nurbs to polygons or subdiv, then polygons when appropriate.
Making the curves:
List of steps, as can be seen in the image above (from left to right):
- Nurbs by revolving a curve, before altering the vertices.
- Reshaped mesh using curve verticies. In no.1 view, low resolution mode.
- Test revolve end sweep angle at 180 degrees.
- Finished Nurbs from curve. Delete history.
- Convert Nurbs to Polygon.
- Convert Nurbs to Subdiv.
- Convert Subdiv to Polygon.
- Polygons (key 1).
- Smooth preview (key 3).
- Smoothed (divisions 1).
Different ways to Smooth Mesh:
- Press 1,2,3 on keyboard. (temporary)
- Mesh > smooth. Select number of divisions.
Renders:
Glass Material Settings:
Finding a material settings for a glass cup: Model glass or metal with the Standard Surface shader | Maya 2020 | Autodesk Knowledge Network
Settings used from link above:
- Roughness: 0.
- Transmission > weight: 0.95.
- Base > Weight to 0.05 (equal to 1 with the number above).
- Specular: 1.
- Transmission > Color to tint glass (if you want).
1.3 Toaster Model
Elements to Take Note of:
- Think about the proportions of your model. Test out the proportions before you decide to continue with the model.
- You can only change the subdivisions of a model, in the channel box, before you start adding edge loops (or other modelling toolkit tools). Decide on your subdivisions after you decide on the proportions.
- Lattice deformer – used to manipulate the model’s shape despite the model’s existing geometry. To detach the deformer: select the mesh>delete history.
- Lattice deformer- deselect ‘use local mode’ to have even curved deformer manipulations.
I learned a new technique. In order to change the toaster hole vertices to horizontally straightened lines that maintain their curved height: move settings> transform constraint>surface.
Modelling an electrical cable using extrude along curves tool. While I already knew about this method, I learned about the ‘rebuild curve’ the curve to produce equal vertices along the curve.
Renders:
Rigging for Games vs Animation Notes