Week 3 Lab 2 - Wash Board

Step 1 - Create a rectangular polygon using the create polygon cube tool, and select alternate faces of the polygon.

Step 2 - Use the extrude tool to extrude the alternate faces selected.

Step 3 - Use the bevel tool to bevel the protruding faces that have just been extruded.

Step 4 - Create a rectangular polygon and extrude to form the shape high-lighted above.

Step 5 - Extrude the bottom of the wash board to form the base.

Step 6 - Create two rectangular polygon and attach to both sides of the washboard.

Step 7 - Bevel the necessary areas of the wash board manually using the insert edge loop tool to make it as realistic as possible and group all the different parts together.

Reflection

In this exercise, I have learnt how to bevel both manually and automatically using the bevel tool. Just like the card board box and toy train exercise, beveling has helped make the model even more realistic and more appealing. Through this exercise I have learnt to make full use of the extrude tool to construct my model, almost every part of the wash board was achieved by using the extrude tool. I also learnt how to align my polygons using the align tool.

Research


Here are some of the videos that I saw on youtube, which gave me a clearer understanding and helped me along with this exercise.

Aligning polygons - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VVlYKGalgA
                            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duq-yT-nwjQ

Extruding polygons - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGHWh9ON4HA

Week 3 Lab 2 - Race Track

Step 1 - Use the create polygon tool to create the shape of the track

Step 2 - Use the extrude tool to extrude to the desired length.

Step 3 - Use the insert edge loop tool to insert edges at the bottom of both sides and then using the extrude tool, extrude downwards. Extrude outwards once more to get the protruding shape shown above.

Step 4 - Extrude one last time, but this time scale it to get the nice joint to join with other track pieces.

Step 5 - Change the menu to the 'Animation' menu in the main menu bar and then use the non-linear bend tool to bend the race track to form the shape shown above.

Step 6 - To get this S-shape race track, I added another non-linear bend in the other direction, therefore resulting in two bends in different directions.

Reflection

In this exercise, I experienced using the create polygon tool for the first time. I found this particular tool very handy and convenient as the tool allows my to draw the outline of any shape of a polygon that I want and all I need was to extrude to get the polygon. The non-linear bend tool was also new to me and I found it quite difficult to use. The S-shape race track that I was trying to achieve was not a perfect S-shape due to some difficulties in handling the non-linear bend tool. Overall, this exercise has taught me more methods and techniques to aid me in my modeling journey.

Research

Here are some of the videos that I saw on youtube, which gave me a clearer understanding and helped me along with this exercise.

Create polygon tool - http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2011help/index.html?url=./files/Mesh__Create_Polygon_Tool.htm,topicNumber=d0e231664

Non-linear bend tool - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aLefxxKQDY

Week 3 Lab 1 - Bucket

Step 1 - Create the outline of the bucket for revolving. The outline is created with the EP curve tool. 

 Step 2 - Revolve the curve to get the shape of the bucket

Step 3 - Select two of the opposite faces and move them downwards to form the curve shape where the handle will be connected to.

Step 4 - Create the handle with the 3-point arc tool and then extrude to form the handle. Added a little ring polygon to attach the handle to the bucket.

Reflection

In this exercise, I have learnt to use the revolve tool, which is a very convenient tool for making intricate models quickly. I also got to experience playing around with the EP curve tool and the 3-point arc tool to help me form different polygons. At first I experienced some difficulty in using the curve tool and forming models from the curves itself. After trail and error and lots of practice, I finally managed to form polygon shapes out from the curves drawn on the grid. Hence, I guess with practice comes perfection in modeling, and I hope to learn more techniques and methods to aid me in my modeling journey.

Research

Here are some of the videos that I saw on youtube, which gave me a clearer understanding and helped me along with this exercise.

EP curve tool and revolving - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vqrcHB_efU

3 point arc tool - http://download.autodesk.com/us/maya/2010help/index.html?url=Create__Arc_Tools__Three_Point_Circular_Arc_Two_Point_Circular_Arc.htm,topicNumber=d0e97817

E-learning Week 2 Lab 2

Step 1 - Create a polygon cube with 9 divisions on each side.

Step 2 - Insert edge loops and select the faces on top.

Step 3 - Delete the selected faces on top.

Step 4 - Use the extrude tool to extrude the remaining faces on top to form the flaps of the box.

Step 5 - Use the move tool to make the flaps point outwards.

Step 6 - Insert edge loops in the necessary locations and then smooth the entire box to make the edges curved / beveled and give a more realistic look.

Step 7 - Select random vertices and rotate them to give the box an aging / used effect.

Reflection

This exercise has thought me how to make my models look more realistic by beveling the edges and rotating certain parts of the model by a bit to give it an aging / used effect. During this exercise, I encountered a major problem, which affected the look of my model. The problem is with the flaps of the box. When do not understand how to set the pivot where the flap bends, hence resulting in the face on top of the flap to slant at an unrealistic manner. Hence, affecting the overall look of the box.

Research

Here are some of the videos that I saw on youtube, which gave me a clearer understanding and helped me along with this exercise.

Insert edge loop and smoothing - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfjuKY1jN6Y

E-Learning Week 2 Gears

Step 1 - I selected alternate faces of the ring polygon provided, leaving a single segment spacing between each of the selected faces.

Step 2 - I used the extrude tool to extrude the selected faces, to form the teeth of the gear.

Step 3 - Still using the extrude tool, I scaled the teeth of each gear to have a pointier end as an additional detail

Step 4 - Changed to object mode and my gear is complete! 

Reflection

I found this exercise quite simple but still helpful at the same time. I taught me how to come up with a variety of designs just by scaling. Take the second and the last model for example, both of the models look like gears but because of the scale tool I was able to model both gears to have different shaped teeth, hence giving me a wider variety of designs. 

Research

Here are some of the videos that I saw on youtube, which gave me a clearer understanding and helped me along with this exercise.

Move, scale and rotate tool - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxGnx1jLxbY

Practice - T-Rex model

Front view of my not-so-perfect T-Rex model

Side view of my not-so-perfect T-Rex model

Reflection

Finally finished my model of a T-Rex after spending a day on it, experimenting with different tools in Maya. I find the skin of the body very wrinkled though, I guess I added too many subdivisions which caused them to fold in on themselves when I manipulated one of the vertices. This is my second try to model organic creatures, as I find modeling organic models very interesting and I hope to learn more on modeling organic models in the future IN3D classes.

E-learning Week 2 lab 1

End product of Toy models exercise

Process


For this exercise it was pretty straightforward and simple. The basic steps were mainly to create polygons and then bevel them. However, for the bridge, there was an additional step, which was to boolean > difference. To do this boolean > difference, firstly you need to have two polygons, place them in the correct arrangement as shown below

use the boolean > difference tool and... Tada! the bridge polygon is formed!

End product of Toy train exercise

Process

The process for making the toy train, was pretty much the same as the toy models exercise. The only difference was the shaping of the train parts for example: the engine compartment at the front of the train where the edges of the semi-cylinder polygon had to be selected and using the move tool, I pulled the edges back to give the bending inwards effect.

Reflection 

After following the instructions to construct the toy block models, I learnt how to bevel and boolean > difference. This allowed me to complete the toy train model without any problems. The instructions to this exercise were easy to follow and I did not encounter any difficulties with completing my work.

Research

Here are some of the videos that I saw on youtube, which gave me a clearer understanding and helped me along with this exercise.

Bevel tool - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a7ghowDn0o

Boolean > difference tool - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMS1a8J8DeI