Environmental

What is 3D modelling

3D modelling is the process of creating a 3D representation model of any surface or object by manipulating polygons, edges, and vertices in simulated 3D space. 3D modelling can be achieved manually with specialized 3D production software ( Maya is the one I'm using) that lets an artist create and deform polygonal surfaces, or by scanning real-world objects into a set of data points that can be used to represent the object digitally.

How is 3D modelling used?

3D modelling is used for a wide range of things including entertainment design, film, visual effects, game development, engineering. The most common example is in games or films. The difference between Modelling in games then there is in films is in games you are modelling the whole world you have to model the house, the barrel even the small cracks you see in floor boards but in films it's like an asset it goes with the film for example in a film the background might be modelled if it's not re life or if the real character casts a spell the spell maybe modelled in.

The difference between hard surface and organic modelling

A difference is that a hard surface is anything that is machined or man-made.For example, the computer monitor or phone you’re reading this article on would be considered hard surface. Even the office chair you’re sitting in is a hard surface object.Organic modelling is, well, anything organic. The trees outside, your dog and you. Organic models obviously have smoother flowing shapes and very few hard edges. However, something like a sofa is man-made. Most sofa's are anything but hard and are constructed with flowing topology and no hard edges. It’s objects like that where the line starts getting blurred.Even though it’s man-made, it isn’t a hard surface object because of the way it’s constructed. And that flows into another difference between organic and hard surface models, many artists define it as the way the mesh is constructed, not whether it’s man-made or organic.
- research from http://blog.digitaltutors.com/whats-the-difference-between-hard-surface-and-organic-models/
Environmental modelling
Environmental modelling is basically everything but the character in a game. So people who build the environments in games make things like, houses, barrels, trees and the list goes on. More over Environmental modelling is more challenging because there is so much in it and so much skill you have to know to become a Environmental artist in 3D modelling. I will add my other projects in too show I've made other environmental props not just my house to show my skills being applied somewhere else.

    

Different modelling software

Modeling terminology
Polygon geometry Polygons are the most commonly used geometry type in 3D. While polygons are commonly used for all types of objects, in order to create very smooth surfaces with polygons means that you’d need to add a lot more geometry than you would with either NURBS or subdivision surfaces.


NURBS surfaces NURBS stands for non-uniform rational b-spline (NURBS). NURBS are commonly used for very smooth objects because they don’t require as many points to create the same look as polygon geometry would. A NURBS surface always has four sides that are defined by control points.


Subdivision surfaces Subdivision surfaces, which are sometimes referred to as NURMS (non-uniform rational mesh smooth), are closely related to polygonal geometry. Subdivision surfaces use an algorithm to take polygon geometry and smooth it automatically. For example, in the image above you can see the polygon cage (the cube shape) around the smoothed subdivision surface (the spherical shape inside the cube). You can think of a subdivision surface as a mix of polygonal and NURBS geometry.


Faces A face is the most basic part of a 3D polygon. When three or more edges are connected together, the face is what fills in the empty space between the edges and makes up what is visible on a polygon mesh. Faces are the areas on your model that gets shading material applied to them.

Vertex A vertex is the smallest component of a polygon model. It is simply a point in 3D space. By connecting multiple vertices (the plural of a single vertex) together you can create a polygon model. These points can be manipulated to create the desired shape.

Edges An edge is another component of a polygon. Edges help define the shape of the models, but they can also be used to transform them. An edge is defined by two vertices at their end points. Together, vertices, edges and faces are the components that all help to define the shape of a polygonal object.

Topology Whatever type of geometry you use it will either be created by NURBS, or points, edges, and faces. The way these components are connected together and the flow around the 3D object is the topology. You can think of topology as the type of polygon faces, the type of vertices and the flow of the edges.

Quad A quad is a polygon made up of four sides or edges that are connected by four vertices, making a four sided face. Quads are the polygon type that you’ll want to strive for when creating 3D models. Quads will ensure your mesh has clean topology, and that your model will deform properly when animated.

Extrude Extruding is one of the primary ways of creating additional geometry on a mesh. The extrude command allows you to pull out extra geometry from a face (“polygon” in 3ds Max), edge or vertex. For instance, you can use the extrude command on the face of a simple cube to pull out the geometry needed to create fingers. These additional extrusions can be edited and manipulated just like any other area of the mesh.

Edge Loop An Edge Loop is a series of edges connected across a surface, with the last edge meeting up with the first edge, creating a ring or loop. Edge loops are especially important for maintaining hard edges in a mesh, and also for more organic models. For example, in order for an arm to deform properly there will need to be edge loops on each side of the elbow joint so there is enough resolution.

Pivot point The pivot point is the point on a 3D object where any rotation, scale, or moves that you do will occur from. This pivot point can be moved to any position on the model. For example, placing the pivot point on the hinges of a door will tell the computer where it should rotate from

Normals Surface normal are used by your 3D application to determine the direction that light will bounce off of geometry. This is very helpful to get control over how the light reacts to certain materials on your 3D objects.

- My research has come from: http://blog.digitaltutors.com/basic-3d-modeling-terminology/

Modular/ unique modelling

Modular design is a technique where everything is built using a block grid pattern. Each of the elements of the design fit into the modules in rectangular patterns. It became more famous at random stages by newspaper designers as they made/created modules for the components of each story in that day’s edition of the paper. Modules are a first choice for other design styles, because the use of a distinct grid is a good way to organise content. The modular grid is very useful for projects where there is an large amount of content or lots of bits of content that might be unrelated on the face but appear in a design together.In the website design landscape, modular design is a popular option because of the flexible nature of the modular grid. Modular concepts can be easy and good to work with when designing for responsive frameworks and the grid-style format works especially well with some other trends such as cards and minimalism. Modular design takes some thought on the front end of projects but really is just a grid-based design system that works like any other grid. It works for any type of project or style. 

Unique design is where the shapes are more extreme and not so in block form. For example this type of design contains more circular shapes and unusual shapes most unique designs are not real or not man made they are usually found in fantasy and sci-fi type of things because they are so different and out there. Unique design is found to be quite different and out there with it's style there is no limits to it as it can be so random. This also involves the patterns and colour too that they will be not so jagged and block like modular designs.

https://designshack.net/articles/layouts/modular-design-the-complete-primer-for-beginners/

This is where I did my research.

Added skills to my project 

Research for Environment project

I have chosen the style of a Japanese house as it has much detail and will make me pay attention to detail making it more higher skilled. Also the Japanese style interests me as it's very cultured and stands out in style. It will also allow me at add a certain atmosphere to the building as it's cultured and the patterns on the building stand out and are very beautiful. The pictures I have found have given me a whole good idea at what I can inspire to make for my project.

I broke up the building so it will be easier for me to create in Maya. I cropped out the main parts of he building for me to analyses for when I start to construct it.

UV mapping

UV mapping, this is a process projects a texture map onto a 3D object. The U and the V stand for the axes of the 2D texture because X, Y and Z are already used to denote the axes of the 3D object in the model area. UV texturing permits polygons that make up 3D object to be painted with any colour to you wish and other surface attributes from an image. The image is called a UV texture map, but it's just a normal image. The UV mapping process involves assigning pixels in the image to the surface mappings on the polygon, which by usual is done by programmatically coping a triangle shaped piece of the image onto the triangle shaped object. UV is an alternative to projection mapping; it only maps into the texture space rather than into the geometric space of the object. But the rendering computation uses the UV texture coordinates to determine how to paint the three dimensional surface.

 How to UV with Maya

In Maya UV texture coordinates can be created for polygon surface meshes. Each UV mapping technique produces UV texture coordinates for mesh by projection them onto the surface mesh based on it's inherit projection method. The UV texture coordinates have an initial 2D spatial correlation to the vertex information in the 3D world space coordinate system. It is this correlation between the texture map and the surface mesh via the UV's that positions the texture on the surface.

The initial mapping produced via the above UV mapping techniques does not usually produce the final UV arrangement that is required for a texture. As a result, you will often need to perform further editing operations on the UVs using the UV Editor. The polygon and subdivision surface primitive types in Maya have default UV texture coordinates that can be used for texture mapping. However, if you modify the default primitives in any way you will need to map a new set of UV texture coordinates onto the changed object to suit your texture mapping requirements. The best workflow is to map UVs onto a model only when the it is complete. - research from AUTODESK Maya

Step by step guide on how to UV

This is a guide if I was using the planar mapping because this is what I'll be using for my house. I will explain what planar is, Planar mapping projects UV's onto a mesh through a plane. This projection is best for objects they are relatively flat, or at least visible from one camera angle. Planar mapping typically gives you overlapping UV shells this is where they turn a pink colour on the grid. The UV shells may be perfectly superimposed and look like a single UV shell. I should use UV> Layout after mapping to separate overlapping UV's.

The fitted plane texturing tool will give you the best outcome for your model.

To map based on the best fit plane of selection.

1. Pick the faces you want to map UV's onto.

2. Select UV then best plane tool.

3. You click faces to add them to the selection.

4. Select one or more faces on which you want to map the texture. you cannot marquee-select the faces- you must select the faces one by one, or select the faces before using the operation. the press enter.

5. select one or mover vertices. press enter again.

6. Use the UV Editor to view and edit the resulting UV's

To map based on a planar projection

1. Pick the faces you want to project UV's onto.

2. Select UV the planar

3. Set the following options as required:

• Click the best plane to position the manipulator based on the faces you selected.
• Click bounding box to position the manipulator based on the bounding box of the mesh.

4. Select project. Use the projection manipulation to control how the plane distributes UV's

5. Used the UV Editor to view and edit the resulting UVs.

Even more you can also rotate the manipulator by clicking the red crossed lines, which reveals the show manipulator tool. Click the blue circle around the show manipulator handle to active the rotate handles.

- My guide was researched from AUTODESK Maya (Planar mapping)

Start of my modelling 

I started working on the piping of the roof the piping on the roof was pretty easy because it's repetitive once I made one pipe I could make the rest the base was easy to make because it was just a normal cube but I changed it too the shape I wanted. Also I know when it comes too UV and texturing this will be in favour because once I've UV one I've done them all. After this I will start developing the main section of my building.  

I've stared making the main part of my building I stared with a cube and the main tool I used was extrude this allowed me to made the different shapes coming from the main shape. On this you can see I've used the cut tool a lot this is to show how I cut the shapes and them extruded them to make the building I have so far.

This is my model so far I have duplicated the roof  to make the others which saves  me a lot of time. I've also cut out windows and added more extruded parts to my building. Moreover I've worked on the small piping on the side of the building.

This is a overall of my building so far. My building so far has the main basis but it still needs work on the detail to make it more interesting. So far I've found it easy to create this specially after my research my research has helped make this and so far I'm proud of my building.

I finished all modelling on my building and as you can see I added smaller detail like signs, lanterns and the random panels on the top of the building that just gives it more of the Japanese building effect. I then put it into a render viewer to see it at a higher quality and It looks like a quality model of a building you would find in a game now I have to move onto the UV and texturing.  

I've started my UV and at starts I deleted all the hyper shade I don't need because it was slowing my model down. Also I had many problems with my building because i never deleted the history so I lost time on working with my building working at such a slow pace also my Maya crashed many times meaning I had to start my UV over again many times. So this is the 3rd time of me UV my model. I also asked my tutor to help me with UV as well because I didn't Understand it at starts so he sat down with me and walked me through it and then I understood what too do.

I started UV'ing one of the pipes because once I've UV'ed one ive made all the roof tops. So I started cleaning up my pipe I deleted the sides you don't see on my model and also this makes it easy to UV and open up into a map. 

At this point I was just experimenting with the checker pattern and this also allowed me to level up my model and make sure it's fully okay to start UV'ing and adding my own texture too it.

My tutor showed me how to do this process then I did it myself, so at this point my tutor showed me how to put the net of the pipe into UV editor and open them so they are completely flat and ready for me to transfer the the net's into Photoshop and paint on them to create my texture.

I put the net's into Photoshop and started painting my texture my texture was inspired by a wooden them because this part of my building is the wooden piping on top of my Japanese styled building.  I used these colours on the roofing because it shows each pipe being different for example if i did all the pipes in one colour it would be boring but with this design it makes it look like each pipe has a separate texture.

I started UV'ing the sign too this was more difficult because I had to do things slightly different compared to the pipes to UV this but I successfully did it in the end.

As you can see in the first screenshot I UV the first row of piped and the effect of it is really nice because they all don't look the same. Where as the second screenshot shows all my roof's Textured this is because I copied and pasted the one roof that UV'ed and then used it for the other roof's this saved a lot of time but also became very effective when you look at it. Also it taught me on how to make use of everything you create that you may be able to use it for something else.

This is the texture I made for my sign, this will go onto the main one in the middle.

Here is the template of the design I made for my sign as you can see i have the net of the shape on show
as you can see the lines are on my open net to show where the painted places will go on the the model.

The sign is now completed and now i can add this to my full model as another textured asset too it.



My Finished model 

Evaluation 

The requirements for this project is to make your own environmental model in Maya and have 2 things atleast UV and textured we have been given 11 weeks to complete this. I met this requirement by doing research and asking my tutor for help so I got one and one help so I made sure I understood what I was doing. I have met the deadline for my project.
I came up with idea from the fact I really like Japanese styled houses. When I knew we were making environmental models that where inspired by houses I knew straight away that I would do a Japanese styled house. To give myself a more of a open mind with all this was I started researching different types of Japanese buildings like old ones then modern ones, how they are built and how the design of them had changed over the years. To make my model I used the Maya software I used this software because it has all the things and equipment also tools I need. For example the main tool I used was the extrude tool and I was able to use that tool in Maya easily and effectively too my model. The techniques I used for this project where new ones and ones I already knew. The techniques I used was extruding I used this to make the main structure of my building to how I wanted it, this technique gave me a lot of freedom in how I wanted my model too look I also used the multi cut tool, this allowed me too cut my shapes for my building and also cut the parts of my model that aren’t needed to be on show which helps when I came to UV’ing. Other techniques I used was UV’ing  and texturing these were new to me and I had too do research into what it is and how to do it in Maya.

For modelling i found the whole process of my building pretty easy and found that i completed my whole model quite quickly, this let me work more on the detail of the whole building and add smaller things like the lanterns and the small boxes out side the main part of the building. More over I could work on cleaning up my building with extra time too getting rid of cuts that i didn't need and shapes that are just extra and not needed for the building. My favourite part to model was the top roof because there was so much variation in what tools i needed to use which meant i learnt more and could do much more to the other parts of my building confidently knowing i have that skill now. The bit I found the hardest to model was the right side of the building because the poles of the building were hard to make and also the small market stool on the side was difficult to shape to my building I'm referring too also on the left side of the of the building I couldn't see so i made it up and made my own design. The things i wish i could change with my building, if i had more time and didn't have too balance my time out with UV and texturing i would change the front view of the building i would add more things like a door way and a sign outside of the building also I put more detail into the lanterns at the front of my building. overall with the modelling I am happy with it and happy with the amount I have done. Also my process from my last projects which i have in my blog has come a lot further in skill since then. 

For my UV's and texturing I found this very difficult to start with and also i didn't get to finish all of it in the time that i had. This was the first time I have ever UV'ed something so everything was new so I learnt many new techniques I had to do research into this to learn what too do and I asked my tutor once I got help I found it easier. I learnt about UV mapping and how it works and the full software behind it. For my texture i found that easy because the building is very basic colours browns ranging to greens if i did a bamboo Japanese house. Also because the piping was all on one UV when i painted the texture i made it all random so when i applied it onto that part of my building it didn't look like it was repeating and i did a separate texture plane for each pipe. If i did it again I would try UV'ing and texturing a harder part of my building and also do the texture to a better standard so it looked more realistic. 

Overall I found the project interesting and fun being able to make my own building and texture it to how i wanted too. If i had too change one thing i would have given myself more time or planned my time out better so I could complete or have completed much more of the model.