Digital Design and Animation PBM
My Work Showcase for Digital Design and Animation II
Table of Contents
- Introductory Paragraph
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- Section I
-Critiques Reflection
-Professional Documents
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- Section II
- modeling reflection
-Artifact Models
-Simulation, Particles, and Forces Reflection
-Simulation, Particles, and Forces Artifact
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- Section III
-Aesthetics Reflection
-Artifact Models
-Renderer Reflection
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- Section IV
-Lighting and Shadows Reflection
-Artifact Models
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- Section V
-Cameras Reflection
-Artifact Models
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- Video Presentation
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- Conclusion
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Introductory Paragraph
Digital Design and Animation II is a course at Durham School of the Arts that centers around learning the basics of 3D modeling in programs like 3D Studio Max. We cover all the essential skills that a 3D modeler might need in their career. While our projects aren't all that advanced, they push us to cover a lot of information in just one year. We have learned how to model, texture, light, and film beginner objects in 3D Studio Max and Clara.io. This class challenges its students to push their creativity and time management to the maximum and offers real-world applications in an ever-expanding industry.
Section I: Professionalism in Digital Art
Artifact 1: Critiques Reflection
Critical feedback on one's work is crucial to the learning process and improves your future projects. It is the most effective response to seeing other people's work because it's not likely that the mistakes pointed out to you will be repeated. Either by subconscious thought or on purpose, your brain will associate those design choices with errors and start to correct them. For example, through critical feedback, I have learned that I need to be more assertive in my decisions and judgments when it comes to design layouts. Making critical feedback about other people's work is beneficial too. It leads to a more efficient group effort and output.
Artifact 2: Professional Documents
This assignment was extremely helpful in giving us experience in the actual design industry. It allowed me to think about my achievements objectively in a way that would benefit me in trying to land a job after graduation. I had never been forced to think this way, and after I was, I started looking into things I could do to make my resume more appealing. Experiences like this are really valuable for kids in high school because it sets us up for what the real world will expect from us instead of setting us up to just meet the school's requirements.
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If you click on the cropped image to the left, you can download the full version of the document.
Section II: Creating Models with Advanced Modeling Techniques
Artifact 1: Modeling Reflection
The modeling process can be pretty complex, depending on which technique you use most. While for some projects using just one technique is required, I've found that for most other projects, using a combination of them all is the most efficient method. For example, in the Parametric Car model below, I primarily used parametric methods, but I also used surface modeling for the basic components and proboolean compound object methods to combine everything into one model.
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The most challenging method for me was parametric modeling because I tend to focus more on the visual impact of each modification I make to the model instead of its simplicity or numerical value. Surface modeling is the most applicable method in my experience because it's the quickest way to change the shape of a model. Compound objects are used less frequently than surface modeling techniques, but I use proboolean methods to combine different aspects of my scene into one model quite regularly.
Artifact 3: Simulation, Particles, and Forces Reflection
Simulations, particles, and forces are used in game development to emulate real-world processes like gravity, light, and weather that would otherwise be nearly impossible to recreate. For example, the cloth system imitates how cloth materials would act in motion. The organic shapes and intricate folds of cloth would take an incredibly long time to recreate digitally, but with the cloth system, it only takes a few minutes. Another good example would be the PBomb space warp force. This force recreates the way objects in your scene would move near an explosion. If you were to try to animate an explosion of small objects by hand, it would take a very long time and a lot of skill to make it look realistic, but with force systems, you can just set some parameters, and it's all animated for you. This also comes in handy if you're scene has to start partially destroyed. Instead of modeling each part of a pile of rubble, you can just set it up and have the PBomb knock it all down realistically for you.
Artifact 4: Simulation, Particles, and Forces Example
In this assignment, I used the cloth modifier to create realistic curtains. I learned the importance of setting specific parameters in systems so they do exactly what you want them to.
Section III: Applying Materials, Shaders and Rendering Techniques
Artifact 1: Aesthetics Reflection
Applying materials to your model or scene can bring it from bland to hyper-realistic and impressive in a matter of moments. The way shadows, colors, and reflection interact on the surface of things changes how we perceive things. Therefore, applying a UV map, material, or shader to your render can make your audience perceive it in a completely different way. For example, when modeling the mech shown below, it was blank, but after giving it a UV-mapped texture, it looks worn, old, and escaped. It suddenly has a whole backstory and character behind it. In conclusion, while the process behind creating a UV map may be tedious, it's well worth it for the final result.
Artifact 3: Renderer Reflection
The renderer you choose for your model can determine everything from the quality of the image to the way reflections act in your scene. For example, if you were to pick the QuickSilver Hardware renderer, it would be quicker but of lower quality, whereas the Arnold renderer will give you more accurate light paths but take longer to finish. So if you were trying to get the most realistic product that would be fit for CG animation in media, you would pick the Arnold option. For the majority of projects, you can get away with just using the standard Scanline renderer.
Section IV: Working with Lighting
Artifact 1: Lighting & Shadows Reflection
Shadows and lighting in scenes can drastically change the mood. Changing the color of the light is the clearest example of shifting the emotions portrayed. For example, if you were to fill a scene with warm soft light, it would feel welcoming and pleasant. If that light was suddenly cooler and darker, the audience picks up on a sadder, more dramatic feeling. Shadows can also have an impact on the scene's mood. For example, in a horror movie, if there's a looming shadow down the hallway, the audience gets a feeling of dread or suspense.
Section V: Using Cameras to Animate a Scene
Artifact 1: Cameras Reflection
There are many similarities between the exposure settings in physical cameras in 3D Studio Max and real DSLR cameras. Their ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and zoom all act in the same ways. The only difference in that sense is that on a normal camera, you would just have to turn a few things physically or move a few dials, but in 3D Studio Max you have to enter numerical values. The main difference is the way cameras in 3D Studio Max interact with other objects in the scene. Physical cameras are confined to the laws of gravity, and they have to be held up with something. Cameras in digital scenes can have pre-planned paths, float in space, and can clip through the objects around them.
Artifact 2: Personal Showreel Animation
This project allowed me to brush up on my video editing skills in Adobe Rush and Practice lighting and animation in 3D Studio Max.
Video Presentation
In Conclusion
This year has been challenging for all of us, and school has been tough, but Digital Design and Animation II has made it a lot more enjoyable. I won't say it was easy because it wasn't, but I always enjoyed logging on to class, opening up my software, and being able to take an hour of my day to create something I wanted to create. At the beginning of this school year, I was dreading spending a whole year on 3D modeling but, as the class progressed, I found myself genuinely enjoying the modeling process. I learned so much about creating 3D art that I don't think I would have chosen to learn about had I not been forced to, but I'm really grateful I was. I never would have considered pursuing a career in 3D modeling butl, now that I've learned so much it's an option and I'm very excited to see how my skills develop.