work > IMEDIA WORKSHOP PROJECTS:

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3d max - modelling and animation

THE THEME OF THE ANIMATION CREATED FOR THIS PROJECT IS BASED AROUND A MAINSTAY OF JAPANESE ANIME AND MANGA, THE MECHA. MECHA ARE BASICALLY ROBOTIC EXOSKELETONS WITH THE ABILITY TO CONVERT INTO DIFFERENT FORMS (FOR EXAMPLE, FROM A JETFIGHTER TO A ROBOT) AND ARE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW HUMAN / MACHINE SYMBIOSIS IS EXPLORED IN JAPANESE SCIENCE FICTION.

THE METHOD:

I BUILT THE MODELS AND SCENERY WITH A REASONABLY LOW POLYGON COUNT (UNDER 9800) IN MIND SINCE I WANT TO EXPLORE 3D GRAPHICS TECHNIQUES IN GAME PRODUCTION AS AN ASPECT OF MY SUMMER PROJECT.


THE MAIN CHARACTER WAS BUILT MAINLY WITH SPHERES, THESE WERE SIMPLIFIED DOWN TO 12 VERTICES AND MANIPULATED USING THE 4X4X4 MODIFIER. TUBES (ALSO SIMPLIFIED DOWN) WERE USED TO CREATE THE EYES AND GUN. THE 'MESH EDIT' MODIFIER WAS USED TO EXTRUDE POLYGON FACES, MOST NOTABLY TO MAKE THE 'EARS' AND MODIFY THE GUN BARREL. BOXES WERE USED TO MAKE THE FINGERS, THESE WERE SMOOTHED USING THE 'MESHSMOOTH' MODIFIER. TEXTURE WISE THE LEGS, ARMS AND WINGS OF THE CHARACTER WERE MAPPED WITH SIMPLE 1 COLOUR LINE DECALS MADE IN PHOTOSHOP.


THE FLOATING SPHERICAL TANK CHARACTER WAS MADE IN A SIMILAR METHOD, USING SPHERES AND CYLINDERS, THESE TOO WERE SIMPLIFIED DOWN TO A MINIMUM NUMBER OF VERTICES WITHOUT LOOKING TOO ANGULAR AND MODELED USING THE 4X4X4 MODIFIER. THE TEXTURE 'METAL WALL' FROM THE 3D MAX LIBRARY WAS APPLIED TO THE MODEL.


IT WAS TRIAL AND ERROR FINDING WHAT WERE THE BEST MAPPING PARAMETERS FOR THIS AND THE OTHER MODELS BUT IN THE END I FOUND THAT THE SETTINGS 'TEXTURE' AND 'EXPLICIT MAP CHANNEL' WORKED BEST (MEANING TEXTURES SEEMED TO WRAP AROUND THE OBJECT THE MOST NATURALLY) FOR ALL TEXTURING THE MODELS I HAD MADE.


A PATCH GRID WAS USED TO CREATE THE ROCKY TOPOGRAPHY; THIS GRID WAS MODIFIED WITH MESH EDIT TO CREATE HILLS AND THEN TEXTURED WITH A JPEG OF DESERT ROCK (COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH). ORIGINALLY I HAD ATTEMPTED TO USE A REGULAR CUBE WITH MULTIPLE VERTICES TO CREATE THE TERRAIN BUT THIS SENT THE POLYGON COUNT THROUGH THE ROOF AND ALSO RESULTED IN THE APPLICATION SLOWING DOWN TO A SNAILS PACE, SO THE PATCH GRID OPTION WAS CERTAINLY A BETTER OPTION FOR THIS PARTICULAR TASK. THE TEXTURE MAP 'BRICE MOUNTAINS' (FROM THE 3D MAX LIBRARY) WAS SELECTED IN THE ENVIRONMENT SETTINGS TO CREATE THE SKY AND FAR OFF MOUNTAIN IMAGES.


FOR THE LIGHTING TWO LIGHTS WERE USED, 1 OVERHEAD AND ONE 'SLIGHTLY TO THE SIDE' TO HELP ENHANCE THE FEELING OF DEPTH AND PERSPECTIVE BETWEEN THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT.


WHEN THE MODELING AND ANIMATION WAS COMPLETED, THE FINAL 5 ANIMATIONS WERE EXPORTED FROM MAX, RENDERED AS .MOV FILES AT 640X480 RESOLUTION (30 FPS). THESE ANIMATIONS WERE THEN IMPORTED INTO PREMIERE WHERE THEY WERE ARRANGED IN SEQUENCE. THE NEXT TASK WAS TO ADD SOUND EFFECTS. AUDIO CLIPS OF JET FIGHTERS IN FLIGHT (FOR THE TWO FLYBYS), A JET LANDING (FOR THE TRANSFORMATION) AND A GARBAGE COMPACTOR (FOR THE TANK) WERE LINED UP WITH THE ANIMATION. ALSO, AN EXCERPT FROM MEGADETH'S 'SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION' (REMIXED BY NIN AND PANTERA) WAS EMPLOYED AS THE BACKING SOUNDTRACK. THE FINISHED COMPOSITION COMPLETE WITH SOUND WAS RENDERED OUT AS AN .AVI AT 640X480 RESOLUTION.

LINKS:

'GUNDAM' HTTP://WWW.STEELFALCON.COM/MACROSS/VF1S.SHTML

'APPLESEED' HTTP://WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/TOKYO/TOWERS/1073/APPLE.HTM

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