Maya Polygon Modelling Introduction

On Friday 11th October we had a Polygon Modelling class with Jin. Here are my notes from the class:

There are 3 types of geometry in 3D applications:
- NURBS
- Polygons
- Subdivision

Remember:
- Reference images - take off lens distortion
- Take off lens distortion from default Maya cam (persp)
- Customize the Maya Shelf (ctrl + shift + LMB click to add tool to shelf)

35 to 80 for Focal length of default Maya camera.

NukeX (only 'X' has lens distortion tool):

- open images 'R', hit '1' to open in viewer
- hit 'tab' to find lens distortion node
- Grid analysis, Grid type - thin line, Analyze Grid
- 'w' to write, jpg, quality 0.75

To create image plane in Maya:

- Camera attributes in top view - environment - create image plane

- Select image plane and move down via attributes

- Do the same for top, front and side.

Creating a 3D shoe (example):

- Use 'create polygon tool' in "Mesh" menu to outline shoe in top view

- Use 'interactive split tool' in "Edit Mesh" menu to add lines across.

- There will be triangles at the top and bottom! Use interactive split tool to fix this.

- When deleting an edge, select the edge then delete Edge/Vertex from menu.

- Move side view plane up so it is in line with the object

- Extrude face up, hit 'G' to re-use tool

- Hold 'ctrl' to deselect faces

- In "Animation" menu - Create Deformers - Non linear - Bend

 Rotate the 'bend' and adjust the 'Curvature' in the attribute editor to add the bend in the shoe sole

- Build side of shoe

- Use 'Soft Modification Tool' to sculpt the polygons

- If Normals wrong?

 Normals - Reverse

- Make holes in the mesh by using the 'interactive split tool' to create a diamond shape, then delete the middle faces

 Use 'interactive split tool' again

 Move vertices to create a circle shape

- Add wrinkles - need triangular shapes, use the 'interactive split tool' and when object is smoothed the wrinkles will show

- Smooth, adjust in attributes, if wrong go back to '0' and delete history
- Duplicate side - with instance? So other side can be manipulated at the same time?

- Combine both sides - Mesh - Combine - Edit Mesh - Merge Vertex Tool

- Display - Polygons - Display Edges (to check vertex have merged)

before merge vertex tool

after merge vertex tool

- Insert edge loop tool - thinner spaces. sharper edge when smoothed

Remember to Freeze transformations!

Research & Writing - The Contextual Review

Amongst the main studio projects and 3D training, we have a Research Skills & Methods module. Our first assignment involved writing about 1 source (or more) in a Contextual Review. My research started in the library and using keywords such as "Animation", "Acting", "lipsync" and "film" to search for some books that might help me with this assignment; and ultimately help me towards creating a question title for my research that links back to my main Exploring Practice module in the studio. Here are the library books I borrowed:

Animated Performance by Nancy Beiman and Understanding Animation by Paul Wells proved the most useful for this particular assignment.

Our next task is Writing An Abstract, due for the end of October.