Intro to 3D Modeling
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Intro to 3D Modeling Polygonal modeling Creating 3D assets for a video game What we will be create in Maya.. Polygon mesh UV mapping of texture Animation : the shape of 3D model : The color of 3D model 3D (Polygonal) Modeling Especially, we will look into 3D meshes today, focusing on the shape of 3D models Polygon mesh : the shape of 3D model What is 3D modeling? 3D modeling is the process of using software to create a mathematical representation of a 3-dimensional object or shape. The created object is called a 3D model and these 3-dimensional models are used in a variety of industries. The film, television, video games, architecture, construction, product development, science and medical industries all use 3D models to visualize, simulate, and render graphic designs. Common types of geometry in 3D modeling BUT NURBS AND SUBDIVISION MODELS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH HARDWARE RENDERING, A GAME ENGINE. SO WE WON’T USE THESE METHOD AT ALL. NOW FORGET ABOUT NURBS AND SUBDIVISION MODELING! Source : Autodesk Website Again, we will ONLY use the Polygonal modeling method. (Now, forget the NURBS modeling. Just remember it is ….there.) Polygonal components We can create a polygonal model by manipulating FACES, EDGES, VERTICES. Screenshot from Maya (This image is supposed to be animate) What is polycount and why it is important? Polycount is resolution. Higher polycount simply means more faces. Computer tessellates - converting any n-gons into triangles - as triangles are the basic unit for GPU. So, polycount is simply the number of triangles in the mesh. Remember that a video game is rendered in real time. So, higher polycount might slow down the rendering speed in your game. Therefore, keeping your polycount low is important for your game design. What is topology? Maya Interface Maya is a pretty complex program with SO MANY menus that cannot fit into the menu bar. So it is categorized under submenus - modeling, rigging, animation, FX… We are focusing on modeling for a while. Let’s stay in ‘Modeling’ Menu. If you cannot find a menu I refer in this lecture, check again if you are in the right menu set. This is the Shelf, where you can access to frequently used tools. ‘Curves/Surfaces’ tab is for NURBS modeling and ‘Polygons’ tab is for polygonal modeling. So we mostly will stay in Polygons tab. More detailed information about the interface Creating a cube.. Either click this quick menu from the shelf, Or find the same menu under Create > Polygon Primitives > Cube Many frequently used menus are also located in the shelf for a faster access Navigation in Maya interface (camera control) Zoom Pan Scroll up and down the wheel Alt/option key + M Mouse button, drag To comfortably navigate the interface (of both Maya and Unity), you need a three-button wheel mouse. Rotate Four-side view and single view Alt/option key + L Mouse button, drag Space bar Controlling objects - Move(w), Rotate(e), Scale(r) Move, rotate and scale are the most frequently used function, so they are mostly accessed with keyboard shortcuts, while those menus are located in the toolbox as well. w for move e for move r for move Then grab the gizmo and move, rotate and scale it. Drag one of axis (x,y,z) to lock to one direction. Please try now! Selecting components To select a face, edge and vertex, hold down the left mouse button for 3 sec and drag your mouse to the menu you want to select (face, edge or vertex) For multi-selection, hold down shift and select more. Selecting a face Selecting a vertex Selecting an edge Controlling components for modeling Let’s combine controlling and selecting components to control components, not the whole object! (select a component and hit either w,e or r to move, rotate or scale) Moving and scaling a face Rotating a face Moving an edge Adding details / polygons to model There are A LOT of modeling tools, which I cannot really introduce all in this lecture. Here are a few important ‘edit mesh / mesh tools’ menus. Please explore others in the menu as well! Insert Edge Loop Mesh tool > Insert Edge Loop For free-cut, try multi-cut tool! Mesh tools > Multi-cut Video Click on an edge and before release the mouse, drag and find the right position to insert an edge loop Extrude Bevel Edit Mesh > Extrude Edit Mesh > Bevel Select a face first, then go to edit mesh > extrude. Grab an axis of gizmo to Select an edge and apply bevel. Then move or scale the extruded face. adjust options like fraction, segments in the popup option window. More tips z: undo g: Repeat the last menu 4: wireframe preview 5: shading preview Hold down spacebar (hotbox) : 4 for wireframe view 5 for shading view Fast access to more menus.