3D Modelling: Exercises - Introductions & Techniques
MODULE MMD 60804: 3D Modelling
Tristan Vaughan Sleep - 0365120
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
3D Modelling - Exercises
MODULE INSTRUCTIONS:
“FEB - MARCH 2025: GCD 64904 / 3D MODELLING MODULE INFORMATION BOOKLET”
Exercises:
PARTICIPATED LECTURES:
WEEK I: Introductions to Maya & Module Plans
Learning Autodesk Maya: following the cohort’s introduction to the module and establishing the expectations of the module - students were asked to sign-up for their Maya software. Students would be given videos to follow as well as being encouraged to experiment with the software to become familiar with it for future classes. For the second week, the lecturer had provided us with basic videos explaining navigation, viewports/perspectives, altering custom geometry and materials + renderings of final products.
Mouse controls: Maya uses a very similar mouse control-scheme to other 3D modelling softwares such as its free alternative - Blender. The only major change seen in the inclusion of the ‘alt’ key in the control scheme: left-click controls rotation, right-click is zoom and Middle-M-Button is moved within the space.
Poly Modelling: One interesting change between the software is the ‘poly modelling’ tab which replaces Blenders ‘add shape’ drop down menu - making selecting and placing shapes easier. In addition, keyboard shortcuts such as ‘w - translation,’ ‘e - rotation,’ ‘r - scaling’ are toggles rather than needing to be held down + can be restricted to one axis of rotation with clicking rather than defining it like in Blender.
Channel Box & Inputs: A side panel which records various inputs such as the translation, scale or rendered size of the model. This is mainly used for more precise movements or designs with users able to change elements of the models to correspond with units such as measurements or distances etc. Interestingly, shapes can be broken into subdivisions through these ‘inputs’ rather than a modifier or shortcut.
Viewports & Perspectives: By pressing space while being within the working canvas, the main viewport will be broken down into four windows - one being perspective view, the other three are X, Y, Z view which provides a more precise view especially when working with a chosen reference. Furthermore, you can smoothly switch between viewports by simply hitting space in the chosen window. Normal multi windows are also available with the side control panel rather than pulling a new window from the corner. New windows can be changed by holding ‘Space + Right-Click’ and choosing from the wheel.
3D Space Basics: All 3D models consist of Edges, Vertices/vertex and faces. Vertices are often represented by small dots that define the shape of the model while edges are the lines which connect between said dots. If vertices create an enclosed shape, this is referred to as a face and will help present the volume of the model. With a shape selected, pressing right-click will open a wheel menu where you can select to edit or add more edges, vertices or faces to start developing more advanced shapes.
Viewport Rendering: In MAYA, it may be necessary to view your model in different ways to make corrections or to find where another object may be, resolve clipping issues etc. The main way to do this is through the number keys 4 - 7: 4 is the wireframe, 5 is normal view, 6 is shading view, 7 is lighting view. If you wish to see the rendered view, you will need to open the ‘Arnold’ tab and select the ‘view render’ option which will open a separate pop-up.
Lighting & Attribute: In MAYA, lighting is its own tab which can be selected where lighting objects such as skylights, spots, light screens etc can be found. Most will not work when created as they need to be influenced by the ‘Attributes inputs’ found on the same side as the channel box. With the ‘attributes’ you can edit the lights intensity, camera exposure, colour, sampling (how accurate the light is) etc. Once set, it can be viewed in the Arnold Renderer Pop-out.
WEEK II - III + VI - VII: Model Presentation - Materials & Turnaround Animations
Presenting Models: For the upcoming assignments and projects in this module, students will need to present their works in such a way where the details can be maximised and the model can be viewed fully in their entirety - showing all sides easily within a video. To achieve this, the lecturer has prepared a video demonstration for the students on how to assign/create materials for the models as well as how to assemble a turnaround animation with its respective camera. Furthermore, the videos highlight how to switch viewing mode such that the students will be able to submit a Wire-Frame, Shaded-View and a combination of the two which is required in the final submissions.
Assigning Materials: In Maya 3D, individuals are capable of developing quick materials with set-determined characteristics to provide additional detail and understanding of the model. Furthermore, this system is naturally simple to tweak/alter to the individuals’ liking and can be applied in a few clicks. To create a new material, Select an object and open the right-click menu - at the very bottom of the list will be the settings for the materials. When selecting ‘create new material,’ it was recommended that students choose the ‘Standard Surface’ Texture as this Material has the largest range of customisation and is simple to set-up. From here, students can tweak values such as the metalness/reflective values, roughness/fogged values, emissives qualities, translucence & Refractions and, colours of the material. Students are expected to experiment with the values and application of these materials to make a more accurate depiction of what they’re trying to replicate.
Playblast Renders: To present their completed projects, Students are required to use the ‘Turntable View’ feature to orbit around the file and to show all of said models easily in a viewing context. For this, students must select a part of the model and go under the ‘playblast’ context menu as select the menu option next to the turntable option. With the pop-up, students must set the playback time to 120 frames and pick a direction of rotation. It's important to note that the camera will rotate at the same angle that the camera is currently set-to: for a better isometric view, click the top-corner of the orientation cube before setting-up the turntable. Now, students should go under the ‘render’ context menu and open the render setting menu options. Set the Resolution to the required 1920 x 1080 and now students are capable of rendering the animation. An important feature to note is that once the ‘turntable camera’ has been created, you will be unable to orientate yourself around the scene. To regain control of the camera, go to the top of the outline tab and middle-mouse-button click + Drag the ‘perspective camera’ into the workspace. To return to the turntable camera, go to the bottom of the outline tab and find the turntable camera and repeat the process.
Rendered view: With the camera completed, students are able to change the appearance of the model which will update in the videos created. To do this, select one of the views using the 4 - 7 number key options and return to the ‘playblast’ menu. Once there, select the location where you wish to have the video + Name the file accordingly. Then simply confirm the playblast and it will render the viewports perspective which can also show if anything is highlighted or not so be mindful. If you want to create a completed render of the scene using lights & materials, go to the ‘Render’ context menu and choose the ‘render settings options.’ Select your resolution again and set the output to be in Jpeg. This will allow you to change the naming convention of the files - be sure to pick name#.exr.jpeg as your option. With this completed, go to the ‘render sequence’ option in the menu and select the file output folder. Be mindful to also double check the amount of frames rendered as well as checking that the ‘turntable camera’ is the only one in the camera section. Once completed, you can render the final turntable.
WEEK IV - V: Model Connections - Bend, Bevel, Combine
Complex Modelling: As may be required for the upcoming Assignments/projects, students may find themselves attempting to add complex or repetitive shapes which will prove complex to create using the base techniques explained previously. To simplify the process of creating some complex shapes, the lecturer has provided video-demonstrations on how + when new features can be used to reduce the effort needed for said designs.
Bend & Bevel Tools: For more geometric alterations, students may want to add a more gradual turn/curve to their models which normally consumes more time due the need to create new vertices/faces at the correct angle. To make this process simpler, students can use either the Bend/Bridge tool as well as the Bevel tool to make difficult transitions/angles easier. The Bevel tool is an edge-based tool which can create a curve on the highlighted edge, giving a more smooth transition for the final design. To use the bevel, highlight an edge/edges and look in the ‘Mesh edits’ context menu and use Bevel. Conversely, students can use the shortcut Control (alt on Windows) + b to create a bevel as well. With this menu, students can then alter the amount of divisions made (more smooth) as well as the amount of space occupied by the curve (larger curve radius.) Furthermore, these curves can be made more flat or concave instead if required.
For the bridge tool, select two open edges (closed shape with no face) and go through the ‘Mesh Edits’ context menu. From there, select the ‘Bridge’ option and determine the amount of sub-divisions needed for the connection (more smoother.) If you want to change the appearance of the bridge curve, select the line option found under the root object in the Outline tab. You can alter it using the vertex mode and it will change the shape of the curve. Once you are satisfied with the curve, Duplicate the object and then delete both the curve line & the original object. This can be important as the vertices will bug out if moved without the curve line.
Combine Tool: If the student has a complex shape they wish to join together or, have a repeating pattern they wish to quickly expand; students can use the ‘Combine Tool’ found under the ‘Mesh Edit’ context menu. It is recommended to set the position of all your parts first before combining together - for repeating patterns, you can use Command + G (control on windows) paired with the duplicate tool which will repeat the last action taken. With everything arranged and selected, combine them together and you should find that all shapes have become grouped together while creating a new object in the Outline tab. If you’re happy with the final product, duplicate the new object in the outline tab and delete the rest of the old objects - this saves space and processing when working.
WEEK IX - XI: Model Preparations - UV Meshes & Unwrapping
UV Mesh Workspace: This final technique utilised in this module is more required when students begin working with texture and mapping which is an important skillset to have in the industry. The first requirement in this process is setting up the UV space through a process referred to as Unwrapping. To start working on the UVs, students must change the elements of their workspace by going to the top-right, selecting general/general* dropdown-menu and selecting the UV Editor Menu. A good bit of advice before starting the unwrapping is to select all objects in the workspace and then going to the ‘UV’ context menu and choosing to delete all UVs. This is recommended as the model can be messed up when originally placed by the program. From here, students should go one shape at a time by selecting one object and pressing command + 1 (control on windows.) This will give you an isolated view of the object.
UV Unwarpping: With an object isolated and UVs deleted, going into the ‘create UVs’ menu can make a new one based on ‘normals.’ Make sure that all faces are selected when creating a UV. With a UV created, start selecting edges to start making cuts. In cutting, there are two separate approaches which have their own pros and cons. The First philosophy is one-shape cutting where all faces are connected together in one shape - to do this, it's recommended to think of flattening your shape out like a piece of paper (I work with the idea of the paper cube idea for reference.) The second (and more easier method,) is breaking shapes into three parts, the top,bottom and middle/in-between. Simply select the edges to define a top & bottom and then divide the middle in half with a line. If you make a mistake when cutting, you can correct it by highlighting it and pressing the ‘sew’ option.
With the cut lines set, go back to face mode and select all the faces. From there, go to the ‘unfold’ section and select the base ‘unfold option.’ if the lines are a bit too bent, you can use ‘optimise’ which attempts to straighten the shapes out a bit. To separate and clean up the UV space, go to the arrangement section and pick the ‘unstack option’ and then the ‘layout option.’ This tool should also be used at the end when all shapes have been UV-ed as this will arrange them into a simple texture sheet.
Assignment I - Furniture And Ornaments:
Maya 3D Practise Exercises:
Basic forms & Rendering: Following the introduction of this module, Students of the cohort were given the task of experimenting with arranging basic form shapes and playing with the lighting system found within Maya 3D. For this task, I simply wanted to arrange each of the three shapes in a fashion to look like a sculpture installation or a decoration. For this, all basic shapes were arranged in a vertical format and would be decorated by lighting. For the lighting arrangement, I’d look online on platforms such as Pinterest and had found a method of lighting meant for highlighting objects in a display which turned out to support the image nicely
Creating Chairs & Table: For the following tasks, students of the cohort would need to experiment with making more complex, but still simple shapes using the new Extrude Tool and Edge-Looping tool. In this exercise, students will learn how to more accurately space edge-loops and arrange them to form closed shapes while also demonstrating the limitations and design of the Extruding tool. The end product is to be both a basic chair and a more creatively designed table. Students are also free to play the scaling and rotation of edge-loops should they want to make a more interesting design. For this task, the chair and table proved to be simple to make, just requiring the placement of a few loops to allow for accurate extruding but also to better shape the furniture when using the shade smooth option (number 3 key.)
Creating Chairs & Table: Upon completing the Chair and Table, students would be asked to further experiment by creating two additional objects, being the Chess Piece and Coffee-mug. This task would introduce more complex shapes which would need further consideration when starting. In addition, students would be expected to learn how to effectively use the multi-cut tool, Beveling tool and bridging tool to make the accurate associated with these objects. For the chess piece, I chose to make the rook as it has a simple shape which can be made with the pre-mentioned tools but it also has a unique design at the top which makes it a great experiment. For the mug, the main goal of this assignment was to introduce the bridge tool as well as the multi-cut tool. In this instance, the multi-cut tool was used to build the correct base shape. This makes a strong shape on the bottom which doesn’t distort with the mentioned shade smooth tool.
“Exercise 1 - Submission Document & Completed Work”
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