For the past few weeks, we have been using 3ds Max. 3ds Max is fairly easy to use the program, but it takes longer to open on our machines. We were using UVW maps to complete a few assignments. The first assignment had two parts, a tutorial, and a mastery demonstration. In the first part, we were supposed to make a low poly column using UVW, by following a tutorial. For the second part, we had to make an Aztec temple and texture it. I didn’t finish the low poly column but didn’t have to because we got rid of that assignment. We then moved onto an assignment that didn’t have anything to do with low poly modeling. In that assignment, we had to make two boxes. We used UVW and the Slate Material Editor for both. For the first box, we followed a tutorial. For the second, we had to sketch and take pictures of a box. We then modeled a box in 3ds and put the pictures on it. We had a third assignment that I didn’t get to, but I have a picture of the logo for the mastery demonstration that I would have used.
The biggest struggle I experienced was trying to use UVW maps. UVW is complicated because there are a lot of things that you can do with it. In the 3ds, there are two different UVW modifiers: UVW Map and Unwrap UVW. I tried using both on my last assignment and didn’t do what I wanted it to do. I didn’t really see a difference in my render when I used UVW and when I didn’t. I liked that 3ds Max has a lot of options that you can choose from to model with. I liked the box assignment better than the column. 3DS Max:
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A few weeks ago, I started working on a 3d modeling assignment. The assignment was to build a low poly column and make an Aztec temple. While working on the tutorial, I realized that I didn’t fully understand the reasoning behind wanting the lowest poly count. To learn more about low poly modeling, I researched how to create better low poly models. I found an article called The secrets to successful geometric low-poly art on 99designs. Even though this article isn’t specific to low poly modeling, I found it very interesting that you could make low poly art and I believe that it can still relate to low poly modeling. The article had six factors that you have to consider when making low poly art. The first factor was to figure out the source material that the design would be based on. The second factor is to figure out what shape you are going to use in your piece. Each shape will make your design different. I think that the third fator, symmetry, is the coolest. Symmetry can make your design really cool. The last three are very important. Figuring there or not your doing 2D or 3D is just as important as deciding on the context of your design and the details of it. I found an article specifically about low poly modeling on Professional Papervision3D Book called 12 Tips on Creating Low Polygon Models. The article had twelve tips to create low poly models. There were a few that I thought were the most informational. The first one was tip one, which was to simplify geometry to reduce the face count. Using images instead of trying to model the exact image will keep the poly count low. Another tip was to use signals faces. One thing that I learned to color small structures instead of using a texture. I found a really important tip which was about being careful about amount of details. The article said that you should be aware of where the viewer would be looking. If you know where the viewer is gonna look, you will know whether or not you actually have to detail it. They also pointed out to be aware of your poly count, which you can do in 3ds. So basically the easiest way to make low poly models is to keep it simple and not to go overboard. Things to remember
“12 Tips on Creating Low Polygon Models.” Professional Papervision3D Book, 1 Apr. 2009, professionalpapervision.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/12-tips-on-creating-low-polygon-models/.
Ellison, Kaitlyn. “The Secrets to Successful Geometric Low-Poly Art.” 99designs, 99designs, 5 Jan. 2016, 99designs.com/blog/tips/the-secrets-to-successful-geometric-low-poly-art/. For the past few weeks, we have been doing a little 3D modeling with textures. I didn’t really have time to add textures to my models, because I didn’t get to those assignments. However, I did design a logo for an assignment where we had to make a soda can. Since I am not good at drawing by hand, I looked up how to make textures using photoshop. I think that I am proficient enough in Photoshop to make a texture. I found an article on Creative Bloq called 10 tips for better Photoshop textures. As it states in the title, the article had ten tips. I’m not going to go through all of them, but will mention the ones that I found most interesting. The first that I thought was really interesting is that there is a High Pass filter. I have never even heard of that filter, but it apparently is used to create a base for bump maps. I thought that was really cool. I already know about using opacity and layer masks in general, but didn’t know that they could come in handy when making textures. Apparently, adjustment layers can be used to change colors and tones without actually applying the adjustment to the layer permanently. I learned that you can remove lighting by using masked adjustment layers. I haven’t really experimented with blends, so I didn’t know that there was an advanced blending feature. One of the tips the article said was to customize your brushes. I don’t really mess with the brushes besides size, so I didn’t know how much they can change the effect of the design. They also recommend using the Clone Stamp tool, but I have never figured out how to use it. I found another article with other ways to make textures called Five Ways to Create Textures Completely in Photoshop. The article had some really cool techniques and tools that you can use with written tutorials so you could see how to do replicate it. Some of the tools had really cool end results, like the liquify tool. I know that you can make textures using the brush tool, but I didn’t know about some of the settings you could use. I knew that there were different brushes, but I didn’t know that you could change the texture of the brush itself. I usually stick to the same brush, but seeing what else the brush can make has me thinking that I really need to start experimenting more and expanding my digital art skills. I’ve used patterns before but didn’t know you could make them. The liquify tool looks really cool. I’m not sure if I’ve used the wave filter before, but I've used something similar to make my ghost text. Photoshop has a lot of features that you can use to make textures. I really need to use some of the features instead of doing the same basic thing over and over. Texturing:
Works Cited Dani Jones, danidraws.com/blog/2007/12/17/five-ways-to-create-textures-completely-in-photoshop/. Staff, Creative Bloq. “10 Tips for Better Photoshop Textures.” Creative Bloq, Creative Bloq ART AND DESIGN INSPIRATION, 28 Mar. 2013, www.creativebloq.com/10-tips-better-photoshop-textures-3133109. On Friday, we got to playtest two games. One was a beta of a video game and the other that was a prototype for a game. The video game was called Shady Sam and was about loans. Shady Sam was very fun and addicting. In the game, you are a loan shark trying to get the most money you can from your clients. At the end of the game, you would get a rank like Slimy or Callous, which made you want to play again to get different ranks. I think that in Shady Sam, the clients need to come with a variety of difficulty. You would get one client many times, where you just had to charge her, so that was a little too easy to get the money. The prototype was for a game about credit scores, which at first was very confusing with all the rules, but very fun to watch. But as we kept playing, it became clearer. In that game, you are trying to either get to a credit of around 830 or get your opponent to around 320. I feel that the credit game will be easier if it is online because then you can have the rules right in front of you and you don’t have to keep track of your own points and number of rounds. I feel that both of these playtesting experiences provided me with a sense of how much work actually goes into making successful games. When we made games and playtested them, we didn’t really utilize the info that we got to revise our games. I think that when you playtest both prototypes and betas, you get more helpful info that will help you determine what platform will be better and how the player will feel playing your game.
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AuthorI'm a student at Durham School of the Arts, and currently in the Game Art Design pathway. I like playing the Sims 4, playing with dogs, and riding horses. This blog will reflect my learning and discoveries. Archives
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