Week 03 – Materials, Lighting and Modeling
Lesson Plan
- Assigning Materials to our models (Surface properties – colour, reflection)
- Adding lights and rendering our models
- Adding detail to our models with additional modeling techniques
- Joining models together while maintaining good edgeflow / topology
- In Class Exercise: Join multiple models together, create a radial duplication
- Homework: Using the techniques from class, refine your robot model, and add lights and materials.
In-Class Exercise
Join multiple objects together with good edge flow. Create a radial duplication model. Combine them into one scene.
Follow the notes and videos to create the two different models. The goal is to learn the different types of models that you can create using advanced modeling techniques. These techniques will form the basis of your Robot model.
Hand in a project folder called FirstName_LastName_Mutiple_Objects
In the Scenes folder should be one scene with the .ma file in it labelled FirstName_LastName_Mutiple_Objects.ma
In the Images folder should be one .png file showing the models with wireframe over shaded turned on (It’s the cube with wireframe icon on the top of your viewport). Or go to Shading, Wireframe over Shaded. Use the snipping tool/screen capture to capture a wireframe over shaded version of your work.
Homework
- Find additional reference to support the creation of your model. Find examples of joints, arms, legs, hands, materials – everything that will help you visualize the final model as you create it. In essence you want to research first, model second. Use the research don’t just gather it for my sake.
- Refine the Robot blocking and add materials and lighting. Look at the silhouette – is it reading well? Adjust the design, add details and continue making it better. Great artwork is all about iteration of design. Each time you do this it should get better. Make sure you save the progress as separate files. If you aren’t using Incremental Save, now is the time to start. Make sure the robot has pivot points that will allow it to be animated. Start parenting the model and making sure the pivot points work properly. Ie. Can the shoulders move in a 360degree rotation. Are the elbows/knee hinge joints. You should be able to select each part of the model and have it move/rotate as a real robot. This means placing the pivot points correctly.
- Make sure that the robot is bipedal – ie. Two arms, two legs. Something that we would normally want to animate as a main characters in a film/game. If you keep it relatively human in proportions, it will be easier to create and animate.
- Does the design of the robot hinder it’s movement too much for animation?
Hand in a project folder called FirstName_LastName_Robot_Refine
In the Scenes folder should be one scene with the .ma file in it labelled FirstName_LastName_Robot_Refine_and_Parenting.ma
In the Images folder should be a minimum of three .png files showing the Robot from three different angles that showcase the model. Show both render and wireframe. Your job is to provide enough information in images to your supervisor so they can quickly look at your work and give you feedback. Presentation is important and key to communicating what you have created.
The homework is due at 9am, May 26. It’s always due at the beginning of the next class!
Class Expectations
Be present and accountable for the work that you have created
Ask questions and be engaged in learning – don’t be a passive learner
Hand in projects on time, in the location specified. Being a professional means being ready.
Upload all work as a project to Teams in the appropriate folder. All projects are due handed into the appropriate location before 9am on Thursday’s class.
If you don’t hand in a project as specified in the correct location, the grade you will get it 0. I can’t grade what isn’t handed in. Having issues, ask for help before the deadline.
Always hand in your files as a project with the Maya files in the scenes folder and images of your work in the Images folder.