Learning a new skill

During this 3D project I am hoping to broaden my skills in 3Ds Max.

I aim to be able to use splines and the loft tool to create a shape. This will really help when creating complex shapes such as the hull of the battleship. I think this method will be very useful and will provide a quick and accurate way of creating objects.

Also I am hoping to gain another new skill using reference planes. I am hoping to use this to create the hands of the chararcters. This is a very useful skill which I know works because other members of my team have used it to create planes and jeeps.

I have already learnt how to use the connect tool. This really helps me create an attractive shape with accurate lines. I think this new skill will be most useful when modelling.

FDR suit

For the animation we will use President Franklin Roosevelt. It will be from his first person perspective. I had to find out what sort of outfit he wore so I can realistically render it when creating his arms.

I found that he wore smart attire, with mostly bland coloured suits. The suits are made of woven material that can be rendered using an appropriate image.

His suit is a deep, faded green colour with white sleeves. I will use this as a basis for modelling FDR's hands.

The suit will use a fabric texture similar to this:

The material is relevant to the time the animation is set and was a popular choice for upper class citizens.

Smoothing groups

This tutorial is about smoothing groups. I allows a shape to be smoothed without having to use a modifier such as turbo smooth. This will greatly decrease the time to render.

I explored the technique using a sphere. I  made it an editable selected the top half of the sphere. I scrolled down the tools and cleared the smoothing group. I then rendered to show what had happened. It removed all the smoothness from sphere and showed the polygons that make the shape.

I then selected the bottom half of the sphere and added a different smoothing group, number 2. I rendered it and it is obvious what part of the shape has a different smoothing group.

I then slected the polygons that were connecting the two different smoothing groups. I made these have a group of 3. This means:

• The top half has a smoothing group of 1
• The bottom half have a smoothing group of 2
• The middle connecting polygons have a smoothing group of 3 with their respective smoothing groups (either 1 or 2)

I then rendered and shows that the sphere has 1 smooth shape, but with 3 different smoothing groups.

This technique will definately help when modelling and when rendering.

House tutorial

For this tutorial we were meant to gain experience using the connect tool. It is a quick and accurate way of connecting polygons with lines.

I convert the shape to an editable poly and select an edge. I then select the ring tool to highlight all the edges looping the shape. I then used the connect tool box which allows more accuracy. I can then select how many connections I want, how far apart they are and move them up and down the shape.

I did this to make a polygon for a door. I then used the extrude box tool and the inset tool and then extrude box tool again to create a door with a frame.

I then did the same for a window.

I could then raise the roof by adding a connection across the roof and then raising it.

I then added materials and created this house.

The connect tool is a great way of creating more polygons and I will definately use it in modelling in the future.

US captain Research

For the animation I had to find out who was commanding USS Arizona when the Japanese attack happened on 7th December 1941. It was Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh.

He was in charge at the time when Pearl Habor was attacked.

        'Capt. Van Valkenburgh sped forward from his cabin and arrived on the navigation bridge where he immediately began to direct his ship's defense.'

        'A violent explosion suddenly shook the ship, throwing the three occupants of the bridge—Van Valkenburgh, an ensign, and the quartermaster, to the deck, and shattering the bridge windows.'

His attire was a full US Captain's outfit, identical to the one above. This outfit will be used to model in the animation.

Battleship Research

The battleship I will be modelling is USS Arizona. By scouring the internet I found several images of the ship before it was bombed. These images are very useful for modelling and getting an idea for what the finished outcome should look like.

Using these photographs and model replicas I can plan my model to see how I will construct it.

To help accurately model the battleship I researched blueprints for USS Arizona. I came across two images that will help me.

These two images with top and side perspectives will be used on a plane on 3Ds Max to help guide me to model the ship.

3D WW2 Bomb trial

To ease myself back into 3Ds Max for this project I decided to create a replica of a Japanese bomb, similar to the one used in the theatrical movie Pearl Harbor.

The trailer shows the bomb from release from a Japanese aircraft and follows the drop onto USS Arizona. This real-life visual link is an important basis to start the bomb from and gives a great starting point for the model.

The first step was to create a sphere and mould the it into a bomb shape. I did this by selecting the sphere and converting it to an editable poly, and by using soft selection I could stretch the sphere into the elongated bomb shape.

I wanted to add the wings to the bomb. I did this by creating a thin rectangle and moved one edge up to make a trapezium shape. I then added another, smaller trapezium to the wing and joined the two into a group. I could then multiply this shape by 4 by holding CTRL and moving the wing. I then arranged them to surround the bomb at 45 degrees.

Then I created a holed box by using the Boolean tool. By aligning Operand B directly in the center of the box I created the wing box. I then added a tube to attach the wing box to bomb.

Once the shape is correctly aligned I could add materials. I found relative metal textures online and edited them in the material editor. I added texture using the bump feature and changed the glossiness and specular level. I then added it to the model.

Finished bomb model. This can now by used for the animation later. This also helped me get used to the software again.