Report on 3D modelling
3D modelling has varied uses in different forms of media such as film, TV and games and uses for architecture and 3D printing. In film and TV, 3D modelling is used to create realistic other-worldly scenes in various large blockbuster films and shows. [1] In the 2019 TV show The Mandalorian, the sets used in the show where created as 3D environments and projected onto LED walls to create an immersive environment. 3D modelling in this area of media is to create mock scenes. [2] According to one website, Concept Art Empire, Game of Thrones uses 3D modelling software and animation to create mock scenes before filming. The benefits for using 3D modelling in both of these capacities is the visualisation of ideas and the speed that 3D models can be made.
[3] Visualisation of ideas is also a key reason why 3D modelling is used in architecture. Creating a 3D model of a building complete with furniture and lighting can create a more accurate representation of what the finished product will be. These 3D models can also be used for accurate planning of buildings in both retail and residential space and make the most use out of the available space.
[4] 3D models can also be used for Product design and 3D printing. These go hand in hand with each other. A 3D model can be used to design a product and that can be printed out as a test before moving on to the final design. 3D printing has industrial and personal use.
Many modern games are made of 3D models, characters, props, buildings and worlds are made and designed to create a variety of experiences. A key feature of 3D models is that they are versatile and can be used for anything that a game would need.
Different forms of media use 3D modelling in different, unique ways. Film and TV create a 3D environment as a backdrop for the story and characters, in games a 3D environment is created for the world the player goes through, creating an environment for each of these would change how it is designed and how the 3D software is utilized.
The difference of utilization is better pointed out comparing product design and architecture. For product design, creating a 3D model of a bottle would have a different effect on the software compared to a complete design of a house. The amount of different shapes and vertices between a bottle and a house would take a toll on the performance of the software. This is why there are a wide variety of different software. Each different software is specialised towards a specific type of media. Previously I have used Maya to model a small amount of 3D modelling to create my own props, Maya is an industrial sized 3D software which is used in Film and TV to create characters and animations. Rhino 3D is a software used mainly for architecture. AutoCAD is another software used for architecture.
[5] Outside of the differences of software, there are technical constraints that can limit the possibilities. Polygon count is one of these restraints. Each shape is made up of polygons, as the visual quality of the shape increases, the polygon count increases. As an example of this, a hexagon represents a circle, increasing the polygon count will increase the detail of the hexagon and make it a smoother, more detailed shape.
The next restraint is File size. File size ties in with polygon count, increasing the detail and size of a shape by increasing the polygon count is also going to increase the file size, having large 3D models like you would have if you were designing a building, the amount of space that it is taking up would be much more than a product design for a bottle.
Rendering is also an issue. Rendering is the process of creating an image of the 3D model in a lit environment. Comparing the bottle and building, the bottle would not need many light sources to show the detail compared to a building with multiple light sources. Rendering a movie can take years of dedicated computers to complete the render. This is on a much larger scale which has an hour or more of footage with reflections, lighting, animations and many other niche factors that will make a large scale render a long time to complete.
[6]The history of 3D modelling starts with Ivan Sutherlands doctoral thesis where he created Sketchpad and published it in 1963. Before Sutherland published sketchpad 3D models where used in computer engineering but rather then the form that sketchpad made 3D models, these models where made through mathematics and used for data analysis [7] Continuing on from his thesis Sutherland and his colleague David Evans opened the department of computer technologies in the university of Utah. Edwin Catmull, the previous head of Pixar animation studios, was a graduate of this course. During the late3 1960’s Sutherland and Evans went on to create the first 3D graphics company called Evans & Sutherland. At this 3D models where started to be used in TV and advertisements.
[7] Over the 1970’s 3D modelling grew making way for new computer companies such as Automated Drafting and Machining, ADAM. The 1970’s was also known as the age of rendering bringing with it the Utah Teapot, referred to as the first realistic and complex object to rendered in computer graphics. [8] During these years one iconic 3D model was made that become an inside reference with many animation studios, the Utah teapot.
The teapot was modelled by Martin Newall in 1975 and has since appeared in The Simpsons and Toy Story. In this video the teapot can be seen in the far background and in the next, on the table and held by Buzz’s un-attached arm
[9] During the 1980’s 3D modelling became one of the most sought-after software. This demand came from IMB’s first home computer. This step forward in technology led to CAD, Computer Aided Design, being used in industries such as aerospace and automotive engineering. With the uses of 3D modelling rising, other sectors of computer software were also developed in order to create software capable of preforming complicated calculations to create models.
[10] 1982 was the release year of AutoCAD a 2D drawing software that ran ahead of its competition at a cheaper price. This software was developed by inventor Michael Riddle. It was later bought by programmer and entrepreneur John Walker for $10 million in royalties. Walker introduced AutoCAD to the public in December of 1982. With the rise of the home computer amongst these years, AutoCAD experienced rapid success. In 1986 Walker left his position at Autodesk to pursue an interest in programming. Walker later developed a supplement for AutoCAD for the construction industry, this supplement allowed engineers to generate price quotes and construction schedules for their designs, an early example of 3D modelling software used for the architectural industry.
It is important to understand how the use of 3D software revolutionised many areas from architecture to films and television but it has had the most impact on the games industry. The use of 3D models in games starts in 1996 with Quake, developed by id software. Many would say Doom revolutionised the first person genre, Quake revolutionised the entire industry by being the first game released in full 3D. Mario 64 was not far behind, releasing a few days after Quake in Japan and then not to the rest of the world a few months later down the line, and not in Europe until almost a year later. The early settlers of 3D games sprouted the seeds that made most games in the 2000’s and upwards to be in a full true 3D world which changed how the industry is permanently. Around the 2000’s is when 3D games started to pick up with many games considered classics released around this time such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 in 1999 and 2 in 2000. This era was where 3D models started to go up in quality. As more studios where wanting 3D games, the average skills in 3D modeling grew as it became a job role in the games industry. These years had a massive leap in quality of 3D models, comparing Morrowind, released in 2002 and oblivion, released in 2006, the jump in quality of 3D models is immediately noticeable
The jump between quality was not only from more skilled 3D modelers but an increase in the power of tech. Morrowind was published on the original Xbox and PC whilst Oblivion was released on the Xbox 360, ps3 and PC. The rendering power of the new tech between 2002 and 2006 was a major factor in what allowed for such a big jump in 3D models in games. By 2010, 3D models where high quality and can still hold up in quality today.
In the current era of games, 2010 and up, there has been an increase in the quality of models due to advancements made in both games and various 3D software’s but in games, the increase has mostly been focused on the quality of the textures. New tech allows for thousands more polygons to be on the screen at the same time, increasing the overall sharpness of 3D models. Comparing AC 2 to Ac unity shows another jump in quality over a 4 year span.
AC Unity was the first AC game published by Ubisoft for the next gen consoles at the time (ps4 + Xbox one). The jump from 2002 to 2006 was an increase in 3D model quality and the jump of 2010 to 2014 was an increase everything else to do with 3D models (bump map/normal maps, textures etc.)
Games released in later on after this have reached a standstill in the quality of 3D models. Going to AC Valhalla, the games visuals have been improved but other then further small details with the 3D models, there has not been the advancements made in the two 4 year jumps I have demonstrated. Comparing a game from 2015 to 2020 results in two games that have a similar quality of model but with a difference in things outside of the 3D model.
The industry has reached a point where most large AAA games are all 3D, some are 2d and some use 3D models in 2D. The new Metroid game is one case of this. The game is 3D but the gameplay is 2D.
Ever since 3D models started being used in games, the industry has changed significantly because of it. 30 years of 3D development in games, they have dramatically changed. Starting in 1996 with Quake all the way up to the end of 2021, the quality of games produced has dramactily increased, even on platforms that some people might think are not worth it such as mobile. Alien Isolation a game first released in 2014 was released on mobile and the quality of visuals is incredibly impressive.
Even considering that the game was released in 2014, having it released on a mobile phone is an accomplishment in the advancements of games, rendering technology and 3D model optimisation.
[1] Coldewey, D., 2021. TechCrunch is now a part of Verizon Media. [online] Techcrunch.com. Available at: <“>https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/20/how-the-mandalorian-and-ilm-invisibly-reinvented-film-and-tv-production/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANrdvQxGlk2sMnptqOe8N57Wx2wSiYpi6XxENYSf5iaRfPKCj8qgF1PRluIQnmeGYXaqp05fpdIh703d8kREx4-dvqgVTEif0E7S_2aX8VyZTbxa4Eaz0zlvNHDLC2VqiH1nXPVqL-ItmMmKy_u0iis2inp1xcbILRv2FzZX_yhe> [Accessed 23 September 2021].
[2] Petty, J., 2021. What is 3D Modeling & What’s It Used For?. [online] Concept Art Empire. Available at: <https://conceptartempire.com/what-is-3d-modeling/> [Accessed 23 September 2021].
[3] Scott-Leslie, D., 2021. 3D Modeling: An Overview of History & Industry Applications | Cad Crowd. [online] Cadcrowd.com. Available at: <https://www.cadcrowd.com/blog/3d-modeling-overview-history-industry-applications/> [Accessed 23 September 2021].
[4] Academy Class. 2021. Practical Uses of 3D Modelling in Daily Life – 3D Solid Printing. [online] Available at: <https://academyclass.com/blog/practical-uses-of-3d-modelling-in-daily-life/> [Accessed 23 September 2021].
[5] Unit66.blogspot.com. 2021. 3D modelling constraints. [online] Available at: <http://unit66.blogspot.com/2013/03/3d-modelling-constraints.html> [Accessed 23 September 2021].
[6]Pyfer, J., n.d. Sketchpad | computer program. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/technology/Sketchpad> [Accessed 21 October 2021].
[7] Prus, I., 2016. What Is 3d Modeling? Things You’ve Got To Know Nowadays. [online] ArchiCGI. Available at: <https://archicgi.com/product-cgi/3d-modeling-things-youve-got-know/> [Accessed 21 October 2021].
[8] Haysom, S. and Scott, T., 2016. Here’s why this random teapot keeps appearing in films and TV. [online] Mashable. Available at: <https://mashable.com/video/tom-scott-teapot-animation> [Accessed 21 October 2021].
[9] Ekaran, S., 2021. When did 3D modeling start? A brief history. SelfCAD. Available at: https://www.selfcad.com/blog/when-did-3d-modeling-start-a-brief-history [Accessed October 21, 2021].
[10] Anon, Autodesk, inc.. FundingUniverse. Available at: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/autodesk-inc-history/ [Accessed November 8, 2021].
Design concepts for a 3D model for a game targeted to 8-10 year olds
For this assignment I must design concepts for 3D models that would be suitable in a game for 8 – 10 year olds. To start off, it would be a good idea to understand what it is that this age range enjoys playing.
In this age range a quick bit of research shows that there is a wide variety of games that 8-10 year olds play but most follow a simple cartoonish appearance such as animal crossing, Lego games and pokemon games.
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Creating my 3D models don’t require me to reinvent the wheel, If these games follow a similar design to each other, are sold in high numbers and played by the audience I am targeting then it makes sense to follow a similar design for my 3D models. These models are smooth and don’t have many rough edges (excluding Lego as the models are based of the brick pieces) and the textures are mostly bold bright colours.
Design concepts for a 3D model
With knowing what is used as models in games for the target age I will design concepts using this information, designing a model that is representative of these other games.
For my first concept I have designed a small robot that carries a plant. I have designed this with making it suitable for children in mind. To show how that this has effected my design, the face of the robot was based off the face of the average pokemon character, large beady eyes and a wide smile. The image that this represents is one that is approachable and friendly
For my design of the 3D model, I based the game that it would be in as a cyberpunk esc world where flora and fauna are rare to see and one company has created small robots that seek out flora and fauna in order to preserve it for the future. I went with this as it is a simple concept and the idea of hope that would be prevalent would interest the audience of 8 to 10 year olds. I have an interest in wildlife and terrariums so when I had the idea I had vivid imagery of what the terrarium bots would look like. I do not haveartisitc talent but after a few mistakes I had created this concept for the bot.
The model has a body of a cylinder with a slight dome underneath, 4 legs each in 4 parts, one beam connected to the body, a gear for movement, another beam and then a foot at the bottom. The body has a line going all the way round that would emit a light and 2 oval as eyes and in-between the two eyes the light strip dips down to imitate a smile. The face of the bot is made to appeal to a younger audience and be approachable by being cute. At the top of the terrarium dome there is a small solar panel that powers a lamp that brings attention to the plant inside. When designing levels you can guide that player and bring their eyes to a specific area using various techniques, one of these is using lighting, which is why I have placed a light inside of the bot in the area I want the player to focus on.
The colours of this model would be similar to Borderlands 3 as I like the way the art style influences the visuals of the plants. The plant inside of the terrarium bot is the main focus point and to bring more attention to it the body of the bot will be a matte white material, the gears on the legs will be a copper/bronze material.
Moving on to the next design I have designed a horse as I felt it was a good choice for a wide variety of child friendly games, stable/horse riding games (barbie horse games) to adventure rpgs (breath of the wild). Designing something based off of real life rather then sci-fi was much more difficult due to my limited artistic skills so the concept does not look as good as the terrarium bot but it still conveys the design and intended finished product of the model.
The change in texture and visuals for this is simpler then the terrarium bot but would be harder to do, it is a horse and horses come in a variety of colours. The issues with varying textures for this compared to the other model is that this one would be replicating reality which is a complicated task.
Producing 3D models
When it comes to producing the 3D models, I started by making the terrarium bot. The model for the bot is quite simple and I was able to make the model in 2 hours. The model still needs detailing such as the inside of the terrarium and some more depth in the design of the legs but for now the model is fairly far along.
I started production of the model with a cylinder, sphere and 4 cubes. This was to provide a basis for the rest of the model. Rotating the legs into each section of the body was quite tedious as I duplicated each leg and rotated them for each leg from the last which made the rotation sphere that Maya uses rotate at different angles then I thought they would, for future models, if I have a simple shape like this that can be replicated easily, I will make a separate shape rather then duplicating one as it would be easier to work from a start point then an end point.
Since the model for the terrarium bot is complete I have moved onto the horse and after 1 hour I have made some reasonable progress for someone of my skill level with 3D modelling. After this hour I can certainly say that it is considerably harder then the terrarium bot. I struggled with every step of the production of what I have so far.
The model at this point is recognizable as a horse, I still need to make the body and front half of the horses face. After that the model will still need some touch ups to make it look professional. I should have chose something simpler that fits into a kids game as this is above my skill level.
After working on the horse for another hour, the model is done and in the same position as the terrarium bot. Similar to the terrarium bots glass dome, I have put a test material on the horse model to get a better understanding of what the textured horse will look like.
The horse model did not turn out as well as I had hoped but it was a good learning experience and furthered my skills in Maya. The horse would be used in a variety of game genres, as I mentioned earlier on the page. The only things left for me to do with these models is to send some images out for feedback, experiment with shaders, textures and lighting, send out images made through that experimentation and then bring the final two models into a 3D game engine.
After making some intial test textures, I wanted to experiment with maya to further my skills by creating the inside of the terrarium bot. I wanted to see what I could do with the planes object as it is something that I haven’t used before. The test went well, especially given my lack of experience in 3D software and a first try at plants in 3D software.
The last thing on the list of what to is experimenting with different textures and the exporting into Unity for a showcase. The different way I can experiment with the model is using different material types, Blinn, lambert, surface shader etc but also with bump, normal maps and so on. Sticking with the target audience of children, using bold colours rather then realistic textures is the way to go, according to popular kids games that I have seen such as pokemon and animal crossing. Using bold colours rather hen realistic textures does not no detail, looking at animal crossing you can see and identify that different textures on the same body part to create more detail.
For my first run of texture experimentation I chose a variety of materials I tought might have represented what I envision for my audiences experience.
The terrarium dome looks good, so does the ring light around the bot but the eyes and body look wrong, I used the same material as the ring light for the eyes expecting to get a similar effect and I did but it looks out of place as they look like a grey void. The body and legs do have a steel grey material applied, which you can tell by the light reflection along its face but it looks to similar to the standard shader so I am going to see what else fits the model.
For the body, I tried a construction look. I chose this look for my next experiment as it is quite unique, stands out and is designed for bold colours so I felt it was automatically fitting for the design of a kids game.
The look of the construction stripes is fitting and is something that I do like, to make it more fitting for kids, rather then having it be construction, making the colours brighter and more bold would make the design be bee like, which would be more kid friendly then construction and would fit the terrarium behind the basis of the model.
Before trying this with a bee design, I want to talk about experimentation with the eyes. Whilst looking for a material for the eyes I came across an ‘ocean shader’ that makes any object reflective blue which whilst not fitting for the eyes, which I found out after trying the shader on the eyes, I felt it would be fitting for the ring light around the bot.
The ocean shader on the ring light looks better compared to the blue ring light as it is reflective and refractive which adds a feeling of depth to it as the blue ring was quite void-ish.
Depending on how the bee design looks I might stick with the construction themed design the body currently has I would say the bold, blocked colours with a simple design are fitting for children. I am the designer behind this so my opinion is biased which is why I will create the bee design and then look for feedback on which design is preferred.
Before I do the bee design I would like the eyes to reach a point where it is visually acceptable. I haven’t tried using bump maps for the eyes yet so i” try use those and see what that look like.
To relate to the bee design I will be trying later, I have tried a lattice design to emulate the look of a insect eye. I made a lambert and applied a bump map I found online to see what it would look like and if it would relate to what I have envisioned for it and it does. It looses the visual effect of a compound eye when the camera is further zoomed in but that is the same with other bump maps as it does not add depth but visualises depth.
The way the bump map worked out would work well with the bee design I am going to be working on.
To alter the visual of the design I have changed some setting that I haven’t used earlier such as the incandescence and ambient colour of the materials to create a more bright and vibrant visual experience. I have also changed some aspects of the model to make it more standalone then a re-colour of the construction design. Rotating vertices to make the stripes straight, like that of a bees and lining up the eyes with the yellow stripes to make them stand further out. The end design of the bee does look bug-like with both eyes having bump maps.
Before creating the bee design I thought that I would prefer the construction design over it but the vibrancy and compound eye bump map is more visually appealing and is much more fitting to a children’s game.
I have moved my model with the bee design over to Unity but have had an unexpected issue with the ocean shader I had used to replace the blue ring light from earlier. It cannot be exported over to Unity so I am going to use the blue ring light as it did not look bad and still works inside the engine
I had issues that I wasn’t notified off present too, the normal map / bump maps hadn’t transferred over from Maya to unity and I did not get an error message about that, luckily I still had copies of the maps that I imported into Unity and I was able to fix the issue, restoring the textures glass dome and compound eyes to complete the bee look.
Jacob's game journal 