3DS Max Unravelled

Advanced 3D - Ambient Occlusion

2012-01-02T03:19:00.000-08:00

One of the key methods to achieving great results in CGI is ambient occlusion (AO), it adds extra depth to a render and takes a nice image that one step further. There are a few different ways to go about adding AO to your scenes but which is the right way to do it? The quick answer is that there is no 'right' solution for every project, as with most things it is a case of finding out which one will work best in the circumstances. So with that in mind I thought I would write a bit about the methods I think are the best and when, in my opinion, you should use them.

Just before we go over these different methods though we should probably touch on what AO actually is. Essentially Ambient Occlusion is a crude global illumination solution which works out how much shading geometry should receive based on how 'occluded' (or blocked) it is by other geometry. I have often heard AO described as a 'nook and cranny' shader and it helps to think of it as such; basically wherever surfaces meet you will get some shading, if a surface doesn't have anything around it then it will be pure white.

Basic method:

3DS Max can generate an AO effect using any renderer but the one I prefer (and have by far the most experience with) is Mental Ray. The basic method of adding AO to a scene with Mental Ray is simple:

1: Create a mental ray material

2: Plug the 'Ambient/Reflective Occlusion' shader into the surface slot

3: In the settings for the 'Ambient/Reflective Occlusion' shader find the 'Max distance' option. This is critically important as it determines how far surfaces will 'look' for occlusion - the smaller the value the smaller your shadows will be, the larger the value the larger they will be. This setting will be different depending on your scene and what you think looks right but as a general rule-of-thumb I go with 5-10mm for close-up prod-viz shots, 90-100mm for arch-viz scenes and, depending on the camera distance, higher for cityscapes etc.

4: Next find the samples setting. This controls the amount of noise in your shadows, so if your AO looks a bit splotchy you put a higher value in. 16 samples are fine for test renders but for production renders you will need to up it to 64

5: Finally I always change the falloff setting to 0.75 but that's just a personal preference, you can leave it set to 1 if you like.

Once your AO shader is setup you need to apply it to your scene. The simplest way to do this is to use the 'material override' option which is under the 'processing' tab of the render setup window. Just drag your mental ray material to the material slot in the material override section and drop an instance in there; this will now automatically apply your AO material to everything in the scene, easy! You can apply the material by selecting everything in the scene and applying the mat to all, but it is usually better to do it with the material override as you get to keep all of your current material settings and can just switch the AO mat off when you're done.

One other thing to remember is that if you are applying this to a scene you have already textured and lit (which is usually the case) then you will need to switch off/delete all the lights, turn off MR exposure control, remove any environment maps, set the environment to white and turn off final gather - the ambient occlusion calculation doesn't require ANY lighting, it is using the geometry only to work out how much shading should be in your scene so having any of the above on will just screw it up.

Bells and whistles:

So we have covered how to do a 'pure' AO render with the method outlined above but there are some problems with that, yes it does give you great 'connecting shadows' but since everything is black and white there is no colour bleed from the materials, also since the previous AO option has no lighting solution (and is purely ambient) there are no indirect light bounces...how do we solve this?

Well firstly all of our scene materials need to be MR A&D mats - these can be quite daunting at first but once you get into using them and setting up your scenes with physically correct settings you will see how versatile they are. In each material you will need to scroll down the options to the 'special effects' group and in here you will find an 'ambient occlusion' setting, once this is turned on it will apply ambient occlusion to the material.

The settings are similar to the other AO option in that you have a 'samples' option to control quality and the 'max distance' setting; however, you then have a check box to 'use colour from other materials (exact AO)', this is the option that gives us shadows with bounced light so, as a general rule, I have this checked. The only other thing to check is that the 'shadow colour' is set to 'global ambient light colour' - this makes sure that the shadows generated will use the global settings from the 'Environment and Effects' tab rather than a custom setting per material.

NOTE: If you are working on a large scene with lots of materials in it is quite important to get your AO settings right in the first instance, clicking through hundreds of mats to tweak settings can make you lose the will to live! There is a very useful script available on Joe Gunn's website called 'Material Tweaker' which lets you specify material sets (which work in the same way as selection sets) and then make global changes to them. It works with Standard, MR A&D and V-Ray mats and whilst you can only make general changes to them the MR A&D set does allow you to switch AO on or off and adjust the radius (the script uses different terminology to the actual materials, basically AO radius = max distance). You can't adjust things like sampling quality unfortunately but in that case I would leave it at 16, do some renders to see where there are problems with noise and then adjust specific mats accordingly.

Once all your materials are setup in your scene you will get a very subtle ambient occlusion effect which, because it is part of a true final gather calculation, has indirect bounced light and colour bleeding in the shadows. But as technically accurate as this calculation is I tend to find that the end results look a bit washed out and weedy, yes the indirect bounces and colour bleeding look beautiful BUT they also take some of the shadow impact and edge definition out which, to my eyes, makes it look wrong...so what do we do?

Mix and match:

What I tend to do on almost every project (but not all of course - this is another thing where artistic license comes into the equation and you work out from project to project when it is relevant or not) is use both AO methods so that you have beautiful shadows with indirect bounces AND nice connecting shadows with well-defined edges.

If you know about rendering in passes then this will seem very basic, but what I do is setup my scene first with MR A&D materials (with occlusion switched on) and photometric lighting then render out the first pass. I then open another version of that scene and save it as an 'AO' version, setup my Mental Ray material with the ambient/reflective occlusion shader and plug it into the 'material override' section, delete all the lights, set the background to white, turn off FG and turn off exposure control. It may seem strange to do this in a separate file but I find it easier to keep things organised this way, I don't like having to switch everything off and on all the time in the main file, keeping them separate means I don't forget to turn things back on again or accidentally delete some lights. There are other reasons why having your AO version as a separate file is a good idea but we'll go over those in the next section. Once this is all setup and you have your renders it's time to stick them together so we switch to the compositing software. I use Photoshop for stills and After Effects for animation (although if I'm rendering Exr files I will always use After Effects as it deals with them better than Photoshop) but you can use whatever compositing software you're comfortable with, the concept is the same no matter what you use:

1: In Photoshop open up your 2 files, the first pass and the occlusion pass

2: Copy the occlusion pass and paste it onto a new layer over the first pass

3: Change the layer setting for the occlusion pass to 'multiply' and adjust the opacity to suit your taste

4: Done! If you switch off the occlusion layer's visibility you can see how much of an affect it has on the final image, it really adds definition and gives your shadows a great sense of depth.

The fiddly bits:

There are a couple of instances where the methodology used above doesn't really work, these are also when having a separate file for the AO starts to makes a lot of sense so let's briefly go over them:

1: Custom AO radii

The basic method of adding a global ambient occlusion shader to your entire scene is great for getting quick results but, as discussed earlier, depending on their size/detail objects sometimes need to have different 'max distance' values - a scene where every single object has the same setting just doesn't look quite right. So the answer is to ditch the 'material override' option and apply custom AO settings to your objects. You don't need to set them up individually of course, you can go with a few AO mats that have different distance values - one for fine detail and small objects, one for medium and one for large. Setting your AO up this way is more time consuming but it does give better results.

2: Reflective AO

In the 'ambient/reflective occlusion' shader there is a check box titled 'reflective', this can be very useful in enhancing the realism of your AO solution when it comes to highly reflective objects. Obviously a surface should not have a completely uniform amount of reflection, specularity maps help with this but the reflection occlusion shader can be used as well to get better results. Instead of sampling directly out from the surface normal as with standard AO, when you check the 'reflective' box the shader works in a different way and takes samples from the reflection direction of the surface normal. This calculation then focuses on areas that should have very little or no reflection, such as in tight corners etc, and will give you a map to use in compositing which reduces the reflection in these areas.

3: AO with masks

There are some instances where you have objects with transparency; the leaves on a tree model for example where you have a basic plane and the leaf shape is cut out with an alpha channel. Now obviously if you setup your AO pass as described above the alpha channel will be lost and your AO pass will render the full planes rather than the leaf shape, to get around this we need to, again, abandon the 'material override' method and go for a more custom setup. All you need to do is apply your basic AO to everything in the scene then, for the leaves (or whatever else it may be) do the following:

1: Create a blend material

2: Plug the AO material into slot 1

3: Create a standard material with opacity, specular level and glossiness set to 0

4: Take the alpha channel used in the original material and plug it into the mask channel of the blend material

That's it, you should now get an AO render which has your transparency masks included.

4: AO with round corners

One of the neat features of the MR A&D materials is the 'round corners' option, this lets you create an edge fillet effect without actually generating any extra geometry. It is useful for simple things like walls or the edges of a book...basically it can work quite well with any straight edge (although for most things I still prefer to actually model fillets into them). If you do have any of these in your scene then you will obviously need them to be in your occlusion pass as well, if you don't you will have some strange looking edges that are both rounded and straight at the same time! Again we will need to ditch the 'material override' option and apply AO to the scene selectively. Once you have applied the standard AO shader to everything that doesn't have the edge effect on do the following:

1: Create an MR A&D material with the colour set as pure white

2: Turn the reflectivity down to 0

3: In the special effects tab turn 'round corners' on and set fillet radius as desired

4: Plug the 'ambient/reflective occlusion' map into the 'additional colour map' channel

That should now give you an AO render with round corners where required.

Conclusion:

I hope this post proves to be useful to people, I started writing it thinking that I would just do a basic summary of the AO methods I personally use but, as I wrote, it got more and more detailed. Even so the methods outlined above are by no means exhaustive and the 'fiddly' options I have listed, which will undoubtedly give you better results, are ones I don't use that often - if anything I tend to find myself just doing the quick AO + MR A&D AO option as it gives good results with a minimum of fuss. The other options are good to know though for when you need to go that little bit further.

Chris Trill is an experienced 3D artist & Graphic Designer. In 2010 he started his own agency, Design Corps, offering Design, 3D Visualisation, Animation and Stereoscopic video services.

3D CAD Guide to Advanced Concepts

2011-06-28T01:17:00.000-07:00

Advanced CAD provides design options unlike any other platform. It offers historically unparalleled capabilities for precision design, combined with modeling and extremely cost effective planning methodologies. Most importantly, it also works well with design and construction market technology. Top level 3D like Tekla, for example, includes a full range of the latest up to the minute design, drafting and planning capabilities.

Advanced 3D CAD principles

3D CAD is the most accurate, versatile design methodology in history. The basic box of a simple CAD design frame is also irrefutably the most accurate and most efficient planning tool ever created. The most complex designs are now comparatively easy, simply because of better software capabilities.

To give some idea of the computing power of this software: If the CAD-designed Dubai Tower was designed on the other design software of its time, it could still have been in the planning stages, years after it was actually built. The generation of CAD that designed that building is now obsolete, which explains what's meant by "advanced" 3D software. Advanced CAD takes these principles much further.

Expanding your range of design options

Advanced CAD is a great tool for the all-important "sketching and brainstorming" process, where designs are conceived and put through their paces as active working concepts. At this critical stage of design, designers must be able to work with their concepts in detail, and get a complete picture of all design issues.

For designers, this stage can be very difficult, and they need the tools to work with their designs effectively and efficiently. This is where Advanced 3D CAD outclasses all other types of software. Only Advanced 3D covers all aspects of the design stage comprehensively.

Precision work- How advanced CAD handles the tough jobs

It's not commonly known by laypeople what "precision" engineering really means. This can be the toughest, most demanding, and ferociously number crunching of all types of design and planning. It involves meticulous work, often related as much to scientific, engineering and architectural principles as much as any design or other considerations. Before CAD, this work could take months. Whole drafting teams could be involved in single design elements.

Advanced 3D modelling has made it a lot easier. The murderous number crunching is done automatically, and most importantly, flexibly. The software can generate a very detailed, comprehensive model of any precision job, literally to any degree of accuracy.

Advanced 3D CAD and specification requirements

The use of three dimensional space is a huge advantage for drafters in all aspects of specifications. The specification figures in 3D design software and 3D modeling software literally have to add up, to create a design.

The very high levels of accuracy naturally created by 3D designs ensure reliable specifications. Every specification is correlated, meaning many basic specification errors can't even be made. It's an invaluable asset to planners, ensuring quality control from the first two lines of a design.

Pacific Computing is the exclusive distributor in Aust and NZ of Tekla Structures 3D modelling construction software for structural detailing and drafting. For more information and to view our range of products, visit Construction Software.

3D Modelling Concepts, Software and Programming APIs

2011-06-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

3D computer graphics as seen on FaceYourArt.com

A 3D rendering with raytracing and ambient occlusion using Blender and Yafray

3D computer graphics are works of graphic art created with the aid of digital computers and 3D software. The term may also refer to the process of creating such graphics, or the field of study of 3D computer graphic techniques and related technology.

3D computer graphics are different from 2D computer graphics in that a three-dimensional representation of geometric data is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. Such images may be for later display or for real-time viewing.

3D modeling is the process of preparing geometric data for 3D computer graphics, and is akin to sculpting or photography, whereas the art of 2D graphics is analogous to painting. Despite these differences, 3D computer graphics rely on many of the same algorithms as 2D computer graphics.

In computer graphics software, the distinction between 2D and 3D is occasionally blurred; 2D applications may use 3D techniques to achieve effects such as lighting, and primarily 3D may use 2D techniques.

Contents

1 Technology

2 Creation of 3D computer graphics 2.1 Modeling

3 Process 3.1 Scene layout setup

3.2 Tessellation and meshes

3.3 Rendering

3.4 Renderers 3.4.1 Projection

4 Reflection and shading models

5 3D graphics APIs

6 See also

[edit] Technology

OpenGL and Direct3D are two popular APIs for generation of real-time imagery. Real-time means that image generation occurs in 'real time', or 'on the fly', and may be highly user-interactive. Many modern graphics cards provide some degree of hardware acceleration based on these APIs, frequently enabling display of complex 3D graphics in real-time.

[edit] Creation of 3D computer graphics as seen on FaceYourArt.com

3D model of a suspension bridge spanning an unusually placid body of water

Architectural rendering compositing of modeling and lighting finalized by rendering process

The process of creating 3D computer graphics can be sequentially divided into three basic phases:

Content creation (3D modeling, texturing, animation)

Scene layout setup

Rendering

[edit] Modeling

The modeling stage could be described as shaping individual objects that are later used in the scene. There exist a number of modeling techniques, including, but not limited to the following:

constructive solid geometry

NURBS modeling

polygonal modeling

subdivision surfaces

implicit surfaces

Modeling processes may also include editing object surface or material properties (e.g., color, luminosity, diffuse and specular shading components — more commonly called roughness and shininess, reflection characteristics, transparency or opacity, or index of refraction), adding textures, bump-maps and other features.

Modeling may also include various activities related to preparing a 3D model for animation (although in a complex character model this will become a stage of its own, known as rigging). Objects may be fitted with a skeleton, a central framework of an object with the capability of affecting the shape or movements of that object. This aids in the process of animation, in that the movement of the skeleton will automatically affect the corresponding portions of the model. See also Forward kinematic animation and Inverse kinematic animation. At the rigging stage, the model can also be given specific controls to make animation easier and more intuitive, such as facial expression controls and mouth shapes (phonemes) for lipsyncing.

Modeling can be performed by means of a dedicated program (e.g., Lightwave Modeler, Rhinoceros 3D, Moray), an application component (Shaper, Lofter in 3D Studio) or some scene description language (as in POV-Ray). In some cases, there is no strict distinction between these phases; in such cases modelling is just part of the scene creation process (this is the case, for example, with Caligari trueSpace and Realsoft 3D).

Particle system are a mass of 3d coordinates which have either points, polygons, splats or sprites assign to them. They act as a volume to represent a shape.

[edit] Process

A 3D scene of 8 red glass balls

[edit] Scene layout setup

Scene setup involves arranging virtual objects, lights, cameras and other entities on a scene which will later be used to produce a still image or an animation. If used for animation, this phase usually makes use of a technique called "keyframing", which facilitates creation of complicated movement in the scene. With the aid of keyframing, instead of having to fix an object's position, rotation, or scaling for each frame in an animation, one needs only to set up some key frames between which states in every frame are interpolated.

Lighting is an important aspect of scene setup. As is the case in real-world scene arrangement, lighting is a significant contributing factor to the resulting aesthetic and visual quality of the finished work. As such, it can be a difficult art to master. Lighting effects can contribute greatly to the mood and emotional response effected by a scene, a fact which is well-known to photographers and theatrical lighting technicians.

[edit] Tessellation and meshes as seen on [http://www.FaceYourArt.com]

The process of transforming representations of objects, such as the middle point coordinate of a sphere and a point on its circumference into a polygon representation of a sphere, is called tessellation. This step is used in polygon-based rendering, where objects are broken down from abstract representations ("primitives") such as spheres, cones etc, to so-called meshes, which are nets of interconnected triangles.

Meshes of triangles (instead of e.g. squares) are popular as they have proven to be easy to render using scanline rendering.

Polygon representations are not used in all rendering techniques, and in these cases the tessellation step is not included in the transition from abstract representation to rendered scene.

[edit] Rendering as seen on [http://www.FaceYourArt.com]

Rendering is the final process of creating the actual 2D image or animation from the prepared scene. This can be compared to taking a photo or filming the scene after the setup is finished in real life.

Rendering for interactive media, such as games and simulations, is calculated and displayed in real time, at rates of approximately 20 to 120 frames per second. Animations for non-interactive media, such as feature films and video, are rendered much more slowly. Non-real time rendering enables the leveraging of limited processing power in order to obtain higher image quality. Rendering times for individual frames may vary from a few seconds to several days for complex scenes. Rendered frames are stored on a hard disk then can be transferred to other media such as motion picture film or optical disk. These frames are then displayed sequentially at high frame rates, typically 24, 25, or 30 frames per second, to achieve the illusion of movement.

Several different, and often specialized, rendering methods have been developed. These range from the distinctly non-realistic wireframe rendering through polygon-based rendering, to more advanced techniques such as: scanline rendering, ray tracing, or radiosity. In general, different methods are better suited for either photo-realistic rendering, or real-time rendering.

In real-time rendering, the goal is to show as much information as possible as the eye can process in a 30th of a second (or one frame, in the case of 30 frame-per-second animation). The goal here is primarily speed and not photo-realism. In fact, here exploitations are made in the way the eye 'perceives' the world, and thus the final image presented is not necessarily that of the real-world, but one which the eye can closely associate to. This is the basic method employed in games, interactive worlds, VRML. The rapid increase in computer processing power has allowed a progressively higher degree of realism even for real-time rendering, including techniques such as HDR rendering. Real-time rendering is often polygonal and aided by the computer's GPU.

An example of a ray-traced image that typically takes seconds or minutes to render. The photo-realism is apparent.

When the goal is photo-realism, techniques are employed such as ray tracing or radiosity. Rendering often takes of the order of seconds or sometimes even days (for a single image/frame). This is the basic method employed in digital media and artistic works, etc.

Rendering software may simulate such visual effects as lens flares, depth of field or motion blur. These are attempts to simulate visual phenomena resulting from the optical characteristics of cameras and of the human eye. These effects can lend an element of realism to a scene, even if the effect is merely a simulated artifact of a camera.

Techniques have been developed for the purpose of simulating other naturally-occurring effects, such as the interaction of light with various forms of matter. Examples of such techniques include particle systems (which can simulate rain, smoke, or fire), volumetric sampling (to simulate fog, dust and other spatial atmospheric effects), caustics (to simulate light focusing by uneven light-refracting surfaces, such as the light ripples seen on the bottom of a swimming pool), and subsurface scattering (to simulate light reflecting inside the volumes of solid objects such as human skin).

The rendering process is computationally expensive, given the complex variety of physical processes being simulated. Computer processing power has increased rapidly over the years, allowing for a progressively higher degree of realistic rendering. Film studios that produce computer-generated animations typically make use of a render farm to generate images in a timely manner. However, falling hardware costs mean that it is entirely possible to create small amounts of 3D animation on a home computer system.

The output of the renderer is often used as only one small part of a completed motion-picture scene. Many layers of material may be rendered separately and integrated into the final shot using compositing software.

[edit] Renderers as seen on [http://www.FaceYourArt.com]

Often renderers are included in 3D software packages, but there are some rendering systems that are used as plugins to popular 3D applications. These rendering systems include:

AccuRender for SketchUp

Brazil r/s

Bunkspeed

Final-Render

Maxwell

mental ray

POV-Ray

Realsoft 3D

Pixar RenderMan

V-Ray

YafRay

Indigo Renderer

[edit] Projection

Perspective Projection

Since the human eye sees three dimensions, the mathematical model represented inside the computer must be transformed back so that the human eye can correlate the image to a realistic one. But the fact that the display device - namely a monitor - can display only two dimensions means that this mathematical model must be transferred to a two-dimensional image. Often this is done using projection; mostly using perspective projection. The basic idea behind the perspective projection, which unsurprisingly is the way the human eye works, is that objects that are further away are smaller in relation to those that are closer to the eye. Thus, to collapse the third dimension onto a screen, a corresponding operation is carried out to remove it - in this case, a division operation.

Orthographic projection is used mainly in CAD or CAM applications where scientific modelling requires precise measurements and preservation of the third dimension.

[edit] Reflection and shading models as seen on [http://www.FaceYourArt.com]

Modern 3D computer graphics rely heavily on a simplified reflection model called Phong reflection model (not to be confused with Phong shading).

In refraction of light, an important concept is the refractive index. In most 3D programming implementations, the term for this value is "index of refraction," usually abbreviated "IOR."

Popular reflection rendering techniques in 3D computer graphics include:

Flat shading: A technique that shades each polygon of an object based on the polygon's "normal" and the position and intensity of a light source.

Gouraud shading: Invented by H. Gouraud in 1971, a fast and resource-conscious vertex shading technique used to simulate smoothly shaded surfaces.

Texture mapping: A technique for simulating a large amount of surface detail by mapping images (textures) onto polygons.

Phong shading: Invented by Bui Tuong Phong, used to simulate specular highlights and smooth shaded surfaces.

Bump mapping: Invented by Jim Blinn, a normal-perturbation technique used to simulate wrinkled surfaces.

Cel shading: A technique used to imitate the look of hand-drawn animation.

[edit] 3D graphics APIs

3D graphics have become so popular, particularly in computer games, that specialized APIs (application programming interfaces) have been created to ease the processes in all stages of computer graphics generation. These APIs have also proved vital to computer graphics hardware manufacturers, as they provide a way for programmers to access the hardware in an abstract way, while still taking advantage of the special hardware of this-or-that graphics card.

These APIs for 3D computer graphics are particularly popular:

OpenGL and the OpenGL Shading Language

OpenGL ES 3D API for embedded devices

Direct3D (a subset of DirectX)

RenderMan

RenderWare

Glide API

TruDimension LC Glasses and 3D monitor API

There are also higher-level 3D scene-graph APIs which provide additional functionality on top of the lower-level rendering API. Such libraries under active development include:

QSDK

Quesa

Java 3D

Gsi3d

JSR 184 (M3G)

Vega Prime by MultiGen-Paradigm

NVidia Scene Graph

OpenSceneGraph

OpenSG

OGRE

JMonkey Engine

Irrlicht Engine

Hoops3D

UGS DirectModel (aka JT)

5 Steps to Beginner 3D Character Modelling

2011-06-20T01:14:00.000-07:00

How to make a great 3D model

Building models in a 3D environment is not as technical as one might think. Once you get familiar with the principles of 3D modeling, things will start to make sense. In the end you really only need a few tools to complete your model! Here are the key elements to remember along your way to 3D modeling master.

The first step is to define your character

Don't make your models generic! Search any 3D forum and you'll find tons of perfectly naturalistic lookalikes. Almost naked women holding swords, standing on mountains, being surrounded by thunder and lightning while fighting an evil monster. You have the chance to create your own unique, weird, interesting or funny world full of characters nobody has ever seen. Observe your environment. I bet it is full of one-of-a-kind characters.

When you have an interesting situation or character in mind, jot it down and continue with the next step.

Design your character or scene

Your design reflects the personality of your character. Does he have hard edges or a rounded silhouette, is he big or small? What is unique about him and how does his unique personality show? Does he suffer from anything?

Draw or photograph your character from as many perspectives as you like. Front and side view are essential, as these are the reference images for your 3D Model.

3D Modeling - Start with a cube!

When modeling in 3D, always begin with building a rough version of your model. This step is called "blocking". Start with a cube and model the silhouette from the front and side view first. Try and keep it as simple as possible, then add details until your model is done.

There is another approach to modeling, where you start with a small body part, detail and finish it right away and move to the next one.

Personally I don't recommend using the latter approach! It is easy to get bogged down in details and lose the big picture of your model. Plus for beginners it is hard guesswork to interconnect the different detailed parts. To keep it as easy as possible, build the foundation first, than add the details! Once your 3D Model is done, it is still gray. Now it is time to add some color:

Add shaders and textures to your 3D Model

A shader lets you define surface attributes such as color, specularity, transparency etc.

UV mapping unwraps the surface of your model to a square, two dimensional image. Now you can paint textures in an image editing program and apply them to your model. Some 3D programs feature tools to directly draw onto your model, which is great because it is much more intuitive!

Conclusion

You have learned so far that 3D modeling is not just pressing buttons! It requires some amount of planning and even drawing, taking photographs or building a clay model. Once you start building your 3D model stay away from details at first. "Block" your characters basic shape and only when you like the silhouette, begin adding details to your model. To further refine the character, add color with a shader and unwrap the surface with UV mapping to apply texture images.

Martin Schmidt is a German animator and animation filmmaker. He has been working on independent short films and commercial productions for more than five years. His films have been awarded with international festival prizes.

Check out http://www.herrschmidt.tv to watch short films, get insights to the 3D Animation process and much more.

The Advantages of 3D Models Over Mechananal Designs

2011-06-16T01:12:00.000-07:00

In the early stages of a new design project, you need to decide whether to use traditional 2D drafting or 3D modelling to capture your design. It is a common misconception that 3D modelling is more expensive, and is therefore overlooked in many cases.

There will always be cases where a quick 2D sketch will be quicker and therefore cheaper to produce, but these instances will be offset considerably by the benefits gained from using 3D modelling for all of your engineering.

In this article, I will highlight some of the main benefits of using 3D modelling and how they can ultimately affect your bottom line.

Multiple Formats

Most of the 3D packages available today allow you to save details in both drawing and model formats. This means that if you have an existing drawing system that is based around Autodesk AutoCAD drawings for example, you can design using Autodesk Inventor, and create AutoCAD versions for the system. There are free viewers from all of the larger 3D modelling companies also, so your employees can still have access to any new designs, without having the expense of buying and maintaining software licenses that they do not need.

Quicker drawing creation and edits

Creating a 2D drawing from a 3D model is extremely easy. Once you have the part finished, you just choose a view you would like to show, and the software creates it. This is in comparison to traditional 2D drawing, where each individual view needs to be drawn separately.

Updating or modifying a design is also much quicker using a 3D package. If you need to change the profile of a beam for example, you just update the part profile, then it will automatically update all instances of this beam in the overall design. There is no need to go through and delete and replace lines one by one in all of your drawings.

Easier design checking

The further along a project goes, the more expensive making changes become. That is why so much emphasis should be put on front end loading so you can minimise the risk of needing design changes. One of the most important benefits of using a 3D design package is that any clashes can be identified quickly and resolved. This is much more difficult if only drawing in 2 dimensions. It is also possible to check clearances for installation. For example, you may need to install a chute in a building, but there are a number of passageways you need to pass through before reaching the final installation position. With a 3D model, you can actually pass through all of these areas and check clearances before anything is even built. This technique not only allows the designer to be confident that the new chute will be able to be installed as designed, but it also allows the installers to see how the parts fit together and how they need to install the different items. A large cost saving can be generated at this stage as once you find an issue such as this on site, you have a full crew of people standing around getting paid whilst a solution is being sought.

Better visualisation of designs

This one is pretty self explanatory - it is much easier to see a new design when it is a 3D model and you can rotate and view from every angle, when compared to 2D isometrics. Whilst any good engineer can get a good feel of a design from 2D drawings, it is very handy when trying to get some capital approved when you can show a non - technical manager what you are planning on doing and they can understand it straight away. This advantage in itself can sometimes be the difference of a project getting the go ahead or not!

This is just a few examples, but certainly these are some things you need to be thinking of when deciding whether or not to go for 3D modelling on your next project.

NEBO Mechanical Engineers can provide full 3D design for almost any mechanical, piping or structural project. We can also help out with model animations for concept studies or capital submissions. Contact us through our website to discuss your requirements further.

About the author:

Luke McIndoe is a senior mechanical engineer and director of NEBO Mechanical Engineers. With over 13 years experience in heavy industry engineering, he provides a solid addition to any engineering team.

NEBO Mechanical Engineering provides a full suite of engineering services. Detail design from concept through to commissioning, all detailed using the latest 2D and 3D software, to site based technical support for small and large construction projects.

Contact NEBO to discuss any engineering requirements you may have, or for more articles on best engineering practises!

Cinema 4D versus Sketchup for 3D Modelling

2011-06-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

There are many 3d visualisation and animation packages on the market, one of the most popular is 'Sketchup' a product made by Google, another is Maxon's 'Cinema4D'.

Sketchup pro retails for about £300 and is on the lower end of the market, Cinema4D retails for about £2500 and is on the higher end of the market.

Features of Sketchup:

*3D modelling

*Sketch style rendering

*Camera animation

*32bit only

Advantages:

Apart from its cheap price-tag Sketchup is a very intuitive modeling tool which allows the user to produce 3d models in a short timeframe. One of its most standout features is the push/pull tool which compares to the extrude tool in other 3D packages. The distinct advantage the push/pull tool is that it allows polygons to be extruded forwards or backwards along their axis while creating cuts in the correct places automatically, deleting stray vertices and edges automatically.

This tool really speeds up the modeling process.

Disadvantages:

The modeling tools in sketchup are very much geared towards architectural style geometry, Sketchup's tool advantages soon show their limitations when the geometry is not positioned at exactly zero degrees rotation, The intuitive cutting tools don't snap correctly and it can become a pain editing an already positioned model in a scene.

Hard surface, geometric models work well in sketchup, but the tools are very limited for more organic 3D modelling.

The options for animation are limited to camera animation only, and the method for doing this is poor, it works via a scene to scene method and leaves no control over how the camera behaves between these scenes resulting in strange motion.

The rendering options are very limited.

Features of Cinema4D:

*3D visualisation

*Animation

*Particle generator

*Global illumination

*Mograph Physics

*Hair

*Character Tools

Advantages:

Cinema 4D includes a wide range of tools and options allowing a user to produce almost any type of 3D visualisation work conceivable.

The feature that makes it stand out from most from rival software packages is the superb 'Mograph module' which allows very realistic simulations of physical bodies. Mograph is surprisingly fast to pick up and delivers excellent results.The inbuilt rendering engine allows the user to produce true photo-realistic results.

Disadvantages:

Cinema's modelling tools aren't as intuitive as sketchup's and require a lot more knowledge and understanding to create complex geometry.

There are very few other disadvantages apart from the hefty £2500 price-tag

Conclusion:

Sketchup is ideal for quickly producing low end architectural 3D visualisation. A high end program like Cinema4D is a must for producing 'high-end' 3D work.

But that does not mean that sketchup is only for low 'end-work', sketchup's fast modelling tools can be utilised and included in a high-end workflow.

Sketchup geometry can be exported out and imported into cinema4D for rendering and texturing, thus saving modelling time, but this is really limited to architecture due to the nature of sketchup modelling tools.

For more information on 3D Architectural Visualisation click here. We can help developers create cost effective 3d visualisation collateral to help them advertise, promote and sell property.

Blender 3D Modelling Tips

2011-06-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

Blender 3D is a powerful open source program for creating 3D models and objects. Although it is freely distributable, it is not in any way inferior to many high end commercial 3D modeling and animation programs. In fact, in the modelling department, it is surprisingly fast and intuitive to use compared to many commercial programs of the similar type.

There are two main ways of creating 3D models in Blender 3D.

The first method is by modifying from existing objects and primitives. These included tools in the Add function such as NURBS surfaces and meshes. From these objects we apply various operations. Two very useful functions are Extrude and Knife Cut. Extrude is performed by pressing the E Key on the keyboard. Knife Cut is performed by using the K Key.

The second method of building 3D models is from using curves, paths, edges and vertices. This method may employ techniques such as extruding vertices, creating faces, revolving using Spin, extrude along path or curve. A quick way to create face is by pressing the F key once the respective edit points has been selected.

For precision modelling, we can use the Snap to Grid mode. This is done by holding the Ctrl Key while snapping points. One can also use direct numerical inputs as well.

When doing 3D modelling in Blender, it is important to understand the properties of Object & Edit Mode. We will need to toggle between this two modes very often.

These fundamentals in 3D modeling are not only applicable to Blender 3D. In fact, it is valid for most other 3D applications as well. The processes are similar, only the specific keys and commands are different.

The author uses Blender and other open source software to create a free artbook.

3D Modelling Holograms

2011-06-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

A talented 3D animator, armed with 3D modelling software such as Autodesk's Maya or 3ds Max has the power to create some truly stunning visual effects. Although these 3D images can look incredible on a TV screen or wall projection, the technology now exists to bring such 3D graphics to the next level - holographic projection.

Using the basic principle of Pepper's Ghost technology, 3D images can be projected as holographic visual illusions. Pepper's Ghost technology involves a specifically aligned piece of transparent film or glass. A reflection of a person or item is displayed onto the transparent surface using special lighting effects. The physical person or item is hidden from audience view, only the reflection onto the transparent surface is visible. As part of the reflection is captured by the transparent surface and part of the reflection passes through it, the appearance is of a ghost-like transparent floating object.

Using the latest technologies and equipment, including HD projectors, media players, 3D modelling software and specially chemically treated transparent film, it is possible to create 3D holographic images. Unlike the original Pepper's Ghost system, this new-age display creates depth illusion. Depth illusion is created by not only projecting an image onto a transparent film, but also onto a flat surface behind the film. The 3D images can appear to float between the space, creating a stunning visual display.

3D modelling software and hologram projection displays go hand in hand. 3D artists can showcase their work in a rarely before seen visual display which complements and enhances such media in a truly stunning fashion.

Companies often approach holographic projection specialists looking to display and advertise their product as a 3D hologram. With 3D modelling acting as the content, a storyboard for such a display is only limited by imagination (and budget!). Products can be recreated in 3D, performing an endless range of animations and mind blowing special effects, with 3D modelling software at the heart of the display.

As hologram projection technology is on the rise (recently featured on UK channel 4's Big Brother) there are upcoming job opportunities available for 3D animators looking to work in this field. This industry is creating a whole new field for 3D animators to expand into.

3D hologram media is obliviously difficult to grasp from a 2D computer monitor or television. A live display of 3D hologram projection using 3D graphics can be seen at The Movieum of London Museum, located in Westminster.

About the author: Ryan James is the marketing manager for activ8-3D Hologram Displays. activ8-3D provide a range of 3D holographic projection display systems and services.

Visit http://www.activ8-3d.co.uk for more information including the original 3D Hologram Projection article.

Basic Concepts in 3D Modelling

2011-05-31T01:34:00.000-07:00

Introduction

3D Modelling is a term used to describe the creation of 3 dimensional objects which exist solely in a digital form. However once a picture (rendering) of a 3D modelled object has been captured, be it as a singular picture or a series of pictures strung together to form an animation; the 3D model can then be transferred into countless forms of media, be it printouts in your local newspaper, adverts on the television or even be an element in an entire animated film. In this article I am anticipating to explain to you in detail what these 3D models are, how they are created and, to an extent, help you realise how often these models are used in the world of today.

How are 3D Models created?

3D Models are made on computers through the utilisation of CAD software. CAD software standing for Computer Aided Design is software programmed to run on any form of personal computer and its purpose is to provide the 3D Modeller a comprehensive user interface that allows them to design, develop and amend their developing 3D Models.

3D Models can be made in two distinctive ways, the first is by creating a primitive object and the second is by creating a polygon mesh. Primitive object modelling is a more user friendly method, allowing the modeller to place down common basic shapes such as boxes, tubes, cylinders, spheres. All of these objects can have their dimensions set just by typing in the corresponding numbers into the dimension boxes. The model is then developed by combining a number of these primitive objects together to form one more complex object, or by selecting corners or sides of these primitive objects to manipulate them into a desired shape. For example a square box can be turned into a pyramid or a triangular slope just by moving the corners.

The second method of modelling; creating a polygon mesh; is a lot more difficult as the convenience of entering dimensions is no longer apparent. To make a model accurate when using this method, a set of scale blueprints must be put into the CAD software for the modeller to work from. The term of polygon mesh means to work with lines, computers make objects by connecting many shapes which tessellate well, for example most polygons are typically made from 3 to 4 lines- when these polygons are all linked up and tessellate that is what gives the model its final shape, the shape that we see to be solid. When people create models by creating polygon mesh, they have to draw and connect each of these polygon lines. It takes much longer than the first method, but the results are a lot more accurate.

Where do we see these 3D Models?

The best example is in computer games. This is because the entire game is rendered through your computer and thus the objects, despite how real they appear, are all just 3D Models which have been created by people. 3D Models are also seen a lot in TV commercials as it is cheaper to animate a 3D scene than try to reenact it in real life, sometimes it would be nearly impossible to reenact in real life what 3D Models can be animated to do. A final example of where you see 3D Models is in pictures, many new car photos are actually CGI which are so detailed it is impossible to distinguish between the virtual world and reality.

Conclusion

So here we are, I have explained in general terms how 3D Models are made, what they are, and how we can spot them. They really are everywhere and they are getting more lifelike every day. Some renderings are so good now it is almost impossible to distinguish them from reality.

Blender, TrueSpace and other Free 3D Software

2011-05-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

3D Graphics creations are often perceived as requiring costly software. Well, this is not always the case because the internet is really a place loaded with free goodies waiting to be utilized. With the relevant skill, a designer or artist can produce works (using these free tools) that are comparable to what professional tools can do.

I will show you how to start a professional 3D graphic design studio using only free software. To produce credible 3D graphics, the tools must be able to perform the various functions namely:

1. Modelling

2. Rendering

3. Animation

4. Image editing

5. Texture creation

Well, we need to substitute commercial tools with their free and or open source equivalents.

The following is a reference to the various free 3D and graphics related resources that can be downloaded from the net.

For 3D modelling, rendering and animation there are at least 2 excellent free alternatives. They are Blender 3D and Truespace 3.2. You can get Blender 3D from http://www.blender3d.com. Truespace 3.2 can be downloaded from http://www.caligari.com which is the homepage of Truespace’s maker.

For purely dedicated 3D modeling, Wing3D is an easy to use yet very powerful tool. You can get this 3D modeling software from http://www.wings3d.com. What you need to do, is to model your stuffs on this software and then export then to either Blender3D or Truespace. File formats such as 3D Studio (3DS) , Wavefront (OBJ) and VRML (WRL) are all supported by Wings3D and can be used for exporting 3D models (created in Wings3D) to other 3D programs such as Blender3D and Truespace.

For image editing and texture creation, Gimp is a most excellent tool. This is a very powerful image editing tool. It supports layers like most professional image editors. Its many filters are excellent for creating textures and image maps for 3D models. Gimp can be downloaded from http://www.gimp.org.

Less well-known than Gimp but very delightful to use is Pixia. This is a Japanese software. Fortunately there is an English version. This tool is excellent for painting and is thus useful for creating image maps for 3D models. Pixia can be downloaded from [http://park18.wakwak.com/~pixia/].

Well, these are the free equivalents that can perform the work of commercial tools. Commercial software may be more convenient and easier to use, nevertheless these free tools can get the job done too. So, if you are on a tight budget, this may be the route to go.

The author runs Idea Cosmo, a website which provides creative ideas and solutions to many types of subject.

Cheap or Free 3D Rending Software

2011-05-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

If you are a designer who does a good amount of 3D stuffs, you will need a good rendering software programs.

Fortunately, there are more and more affordable packages. In fact, there are even free alternatives for 3D rendering. These 3D rendering systems are quite useful and handy for design works such as product design, interior visualisation, exhibition as well as jewellery design.

Below listed are some of the free 3D rendering software that can be downloaded off the World Wide Web.

1. Indigo. Indigo is a free, physically-based unbiased rendering engine that employs advanced features such as Metropolis Light Transport, Spectral light calculus, a virtual camera model, physical sky and more. It is capable of producing renderings that are extremely realistic. The negative aspect is that rendering can be quite slow for good results.

2. Yafray. YafRay is a powerful LGPL licensed raytracing renderer. Its feature includes Full Global Ilumination, Skydome Ilumination, Caustics, Depth of Field (DOF) and HDRI Ilumination

hdri. However, its development has stopped but is being recoded as a newer program known as Yafaray.

3. Kerkythea. It is one of the free renders that sports a user friendly GUI.

4. POVray. It is the short form for The Persistence of Vision Raytracer. This is an old raytracing program that is still fully capable of producing very stunning images.

5. Truespace. As of this writing, Truespace has been released as a free program. This is incredible news as Truespace is an extremely capable and powerful 3D application. It can do much more than just rendering. It can model and animate as well.

Well, these are the available free 3D renderers. Hope that this article is of good use.

The author runs Joblense and Studio Rola. The latter is a blog site with much Industrial Design resources.

Character Design and Drawing with Poser and Photoshop

2011-05-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Poser is a 3D figure creation tool. As its name suggests, it allows you to pose, create, and render human figures. Actually, Poser will allow you do much more than that. You can animate figures, add clothing, and even create impressively realistic hair. However, for this particular style of artwork, we really only need to make use of its most rudimentary features. But I'm certain that you'll agree, it does an excellent job of allowing us to quickly create nude figures and body parts, which have provided the raw materials for the artwork you see before you.

Many illustrators and digital artists will argue against using Poser. Often they will site the fact that although there are a plethora of options for creating your figures, a Poser ""signature appearance"" rears its head time and time again, so that the result looks like a Poser work of art rather than being your own work of art. Granted, when you use predefined settings and prefab features within any software package, the results will clearly reveal what you've been doing.

It is important to remember that Poser is not responsible for a certain look within your art; it's how you use Poser that is the determining factor. By avoiding the use of immediately recognizable Poser components such as clothing, hair, and (in many cases) faces themselves, I have created a series of Poser renderings that are more generic in appearance. The result is that the Poser output is a raw material that is built on using Photoshop rather than being the center of attention.

In addition to rendered figures from Poser, other raw materials used here include a couple of simple photographs and a highly textured desktop scan. Basically, each ingredient used to create this illustration is not that impressive on its own.

However, it is the method of illustrating and combining these elements in Photoshop that transforms the results from a thrown-together collage into a stunning work of ancient-looking art.

To learn much more about the different types of Potty Training Girls, visit our website where you'll find this and much more, including Potty Training Girls.

Blender, 3D Canvas and Illusion Mage for Budget 3D Graphics

2011-05-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

If you want the easy and affordable way to create 3D animations, movies and graphics then there are now a shed load of free and very cheap 3D Animation Software titles available to you. There's now no usability or financial barrier to the 'Jo Bloggs' of this world. You CAN ACTUALLY create professional looking 3D Graphics and images for your projects with just a few clicks of a mouse and the minimum of training.... read on to find out more.

3D Animation and Graphics Just Got Easier and Affordable! Now that the modern computer / laptop can handle number crunching so much faster plus the massive take up of mega speed broadband, it's no surprise that some computer technologies previously only available to the trained IT professional are now available and affordable to the 'home user', keen enthusiast or design student.

The other key mover of cheaper and easier software is 'open-source' which is a global movement by 1000's of computer programmers who developer free and cheap software as an international co-operative. And you benefit from these great people's work as they basically give stuff away!!

And 3D Animation Programming is no exception!

So if you Google or Yahoo search for '3D Animation Software' you're gonna see that amongst the usual big names like Maya, Poser, 3Ds Max, Cinema 4D and Lightwave, that you still have plenty of budget choices in 3D computer graphics that actually still cut the 3D mustard in terms of features and price.

Here are a few free / value 3D Software options we know of... Blender:

Probably the most popular and established. Many reviewers and it's 10,000's of users would argue it is the best free 3D application available. Blender is a full featured 3D production package featuring the kinds of tools you'd expect to see in a mid to highend application. It's free to download and use and has an avid support network and online help system. So if you want to dip your toe without the financial investment then Blender is a good starting point.

Blender has a wide variety of tools, defining a complete work flow (from modeling to sequence editing). it's all controlled by a very flexible and consistent user interface.

3D Canvas:

This is freeware tool from amabilis.com is a less feature-packed version of the company's standard (paid version) of 3D packages. Canvas is a real-time 3D modeling and animation tool that incorporates an intuitive drag-and-drop approach. However, this lighter version is probably more suited to beginners anyway, and you can always upgrade to advanced or Pro when you become more ambitious and have climbed the 3D learning curve.

Illusion Mage Package:

A new 3D kid on the block! It has been developed over many years by 3D evangelist Seth Avery who now markets the product. It's not free but exceptional value for money if you get the launch price. Not only does it pack high-end 3D tools and modelling it was designed with the 'Jo Bloggs' user in mind for both ease-of-use and price.

As ""3D Animation Software"" goes , this baby can produce pro' broadcast quality graphics, movies and animation in record time, straight out-of-the-box!. It's also has a very flexible user interface and add-ons. And proof it's no 3D fly-by-night, it comes with an extensive manual and 100's of hours of video training to ease the pain of learning, essential to the beginner who will 100% find it fun to use and a great investment in their future job prospects or 'home' projects. It look's a winner and worth a try.

Poser 8:

Poser isn't free but it's good value for money and comes with loads of models, support and possible upgrades as you need them.

Poser 8 can illustrate and animate (with Poser's 3D universe). it claims to be for those that have just begun their journey into graphics and seasoned pro's, Poser is infinitely creative and allows you to design your own 3D worlds, fully textured animals and humans, plus make them 3D and animated in minutes. Poser comes a well stocked library of model content. Check this out as it is well reguarded in the graphics industry.

Take the 3D Animation Plunge - it's a worthwhile and fun journey.

Harry Spirali is a web design consultant for a established UK Web Design Company - he helps advise on web development, web design and search engine optimisation (SEO) in the UK having promoted literally 100's of SME businesses online he is no stranger to the constant change in Internet techologies and online marketing techniques.

Professional Design to Increase Profits

2011-05-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

If you are designing for business or pleasure it is important to create a lasting impact to help make sure you or your business is remembered by the viewer. However, the fickle memory of a customer is not that easy to capture. In fact, with all the other business that you are directly or indirectly competing with, it is one of the hardest things to do.

You need to make a design that people will remember. This is especially true whether this is for a poster you will use for advertisement, a website to sell your goods and services or even a business card that will introduce you to your clients. It will be the first thing your potential customers will see. Hence, they will base their decisions on whether they will buy or not buy from you.

The first thing you can do to make sure you get the impact you need is to make the Title or in this case your name or business name clearly visible. The right choice of font and size is important in achieving that. A background that has a color opposite to the title is also helpful to make it pop out.

This is particularly important because this is what you want people to remember. In a poster, this is where you want their eyes to gravitate to because this is the purpose of the poster itself.

Another tip that you can try is to use picture or graphics. Although words can more effectively carry a message to the viewer, it is not what the viewer wants to see. No matter how much you want a viewer to read your information, they would not do it because people generally do not want to read.

The picture should capture the viewer's attention but it must not overpower the message. You can use a logo on the left side of a business card to capture the attention of a prospect but ultimately they will look at the business name just right next to it.

The effective use of space is also an important aspect of design, although this is often ignored in a design. Some people would pack a design with so many elements that a viewer gets tired just looking at it. The result would often end up with a viewer that just scans through a design without really absorbing anything properly.

A web site design with tons of information is a classic example of this. When you are creating website for marketing make sure that there are only vital information immediately available to the visitor. You can instead place some of the information inside the website through links that they can click. That way, you won't overpower the viewer but you still get the important parts of your message across.

These are just some of the helpful tips that you can try when you are looking to create an award winning design, whether it is in print or on the web. Try then today and see how much difference it makes.

John F Black writes about a wide range of topics. Click on the links to learn more about large format printing Perth and digital printing services.

The Art of 3D Architectural Design

2011-05-11T01:02:00.000-07:00

Some would argue art and some would argue science but I would argue it is actually a bit of both. Think about it like this. We need to master the science behind a software application to give us the ability to create the art. But we also need to be good artists to understand the results we want our software applications to output. So, in essence it is a scientific art form.

Wikipedia describes art as the process of deliberately arranging items (often with symbolic significance) in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics, and even disciplines such as history and psychology analyze its relationship with humans and generations.

Traditionally, the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery. This conception changed during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".[1] Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.

Understanding parameters such as light wattage values, luminance values, bounced light, ambient occlusion is all very scientific and calculated but understanding when the results we get from these settings are incorrect or unnatural or simply unwanted fall into a more artistic category. It takes a trained eye to indentify when the tones are too muted or saturated and when the dark areas are too dark or the light areas too light.

Over the years I've seen many people who have a great technical ability and many people who have a great artistic ability but to be a truly great 3d architectural visualiser you need to have both qualities in abundance. A great 3D visualisation artist must understand their tools, how they function and what they do, they must be truly observant of the world around them and devote much of their time to simply examining light and shade in the real world.

So, is Architecture itself a science or an art? Architects designs are controlled so much these days by building codes and planning regulations that quite often they struggle against the system to try and create something unique. All too often their great designs are compromised by poor planning decisions. I often find it hard to understand why an architects design is deemed worth or unworthy by a Town Planner who has zero architectural design training.

In any case I see art as something that has no boundaries, limitless and requires no logic. It is subjective! It differs greatly from design as design requires reason, design has guidelines and rules that should be adhered to. People create art for themselves, people design for the benefit of others, but this perhaps getting a bit off topic. Design is neither art nor science and should perhaps be covered in a different article.

Perhaps it is enough to say that 3d architectural visualisation is a scientific form of art and design. Art with a distinct set of rules which must be followed.

[1] Wikipedia

For more information on 3D Architectural Visualisation click here. We can help developers create cost effective property marketing collateral to help them advertise, promote and sell property.

3D Character Modelling Tip and Tricks

2011-05-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been so frustrated that you where on the edge of crying. Modelling sometimes feels that way but it can be easy. In this article I talk about 8 tips to improve your character modelling skills and reach a professional level in an easy way.

1. Have a concept. I know that modelling is fun, but starting without a concept is like setting sail's without a map. You need to know what you are modelling in order to actually model something useful. Make a fun project out of it and draw a character. It does not have to be perfect it is just to get an idea of what your goal is.

2. Do your research. The human brain is fantastic but it cannot remember all the details of for example a head. So having reference pictures is crucial. Also if you are modelling a cartoony character.

3. K.I.S.S. "Keep it simple, stupid!" It is very easy when you are working to keep on adding edgeloops. This is a trap and it will ruin your model. So keep it simple, have as few edgeloops as possible. I see a lot of beginners loosing track of their model because they just keep on adding edgeloops.

4. Make a nice flow. A nice flow relates to doing your research. You want to have a nice edge flow in your character, especially the head. The edgeloops should be placed where the muscles in the face are placed. A great way to secure that is by drawing the visible lines in the face before modelling.

5. Looking forward. When you are modelling try to look forward. For example; the arms will in most cases bend, this means around the elbow you want at least 3 edgeloops to make a nice deformation. The same thing goes for the mouth. You want edgeloops around the mouth so it can deform correctly.

6. Check your concept. Check your reference regular while modelling, to see if your 3D model fits the reference. You will be working on same models for a long time. In the mix your 3D model can unfortunately change shape so it does not look like the concept anymore.

7. Naming your stuff. We have all been there. We look in a scene and everything is called final final something. This is not a good solution. A good solution is to call your models what they are. For example I would call the left hand of my character: hand_L_01_GEO. It is pretty simple. GEO is added because it is geometry. If it is a joint I would add JNT.

8. Keeping it in squares. Your model should only consist of square polygons. This means no triangles or faces with more than 4 sides. This is hard to learn because you will be fiddling around with triangles. It feels like an unsolvable puzzle. But you will get better and faster. It is one of the most important parts in 3D modelling. If your model has triangles if will deform badly.

Now that you know this, I will suggest that you look at my homepage where you will find video tutorials, articles and much more.

Link: http://www.poly-face.com

/Dennis Jensen

Why Use 3D Modelling in Mechanics?

2011-04-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

3D Modeling is the creation, manipulation, and storage of geometric objects to represent objects that are all around us or virtual objects.

Mechanical Animation Industry is an industry full of innovation, creativity and challenges. A lot of 3D animation techniques are emerging at a rapid pace. mechanical animation models and 3D mechanical animation are most widely used amongst these techniques. 3D mechanical animation models and mechanical animation modeling makes them more preferable option than others.

We delivers 3d models, 3d modelling software, mechanical animation process, mechanical modelling our world wide clients. Solidworks and 3d Max both are used to making mechanical animations. 3D animation modeling is use to develop 3D animation models. Here moving images are created using 3D computer graphics. Use of 3D animation models using such 3D computer graphics makes work of builders, architects and designers a lot easier and faster.

3D modelling services produces advantages for product development in the areas of speed, cost, and availability. Mechanical Engineers and design technicians can use 3d model design services during the conceptual stages of product design to produce prototypes of new products. 3D modelling services are able to produce rapid prototypes and provide designers with working models of the product in development. Having working prototypes during various stages of the design process helps engineers to bring products to the stage more efficiently. Before a few time ago Traditional prototyping methods were time consuming, costly and created many delays in the product development process. But now with the out sourcing of 3d model design services available companies can save the overhead expense and bring products to the next stage of development.

Why 3D Modeling Services for Mechanical Design?

o Speedy validation/verification of designs against specifications & design rules

o Effective 3D visualization for full fledged manufacturing drawings

o Accurate wire-frame geometry creation

o Simplified design of assemblies, which are set of parts and/or other assemblies

o It allows for 3D sectional views

o Strong quality maintained

o It reduce capital costs of infrastructure

o Latest standard and technology

o Highly experienced 3d designers experts team

o Quick turn around time with high accuracy

o Saving human resources

Our mechanical design experts can create a new 3D model from just an idea or a concept or convert existing 2D mechanical designs to 3D model. We help our clients during the conceptualization, mechanical design or modelling stage of projects with presentation material in the form of images and detailed animation in either.mpeg or.avi files.

To recognize more about mechanical design and 3d modelling services please visit our corporate sites at http://www.mechanical3dmodelling.com

Steve P Jack
Email: info@mechanical3dmodelling.com
Website: http://www.mechanical3dmodelling.com/

3D Architectural Design

2011-04-15T03:10:00.000-07:00

Architecture of buildings and their parts is the first stage and one of the most crucial stages for the success of a construction project. During the process of laying out the designs, it is also very important to be able to visualize the outcome of any proposed designs. If you are able to visualize how the design looks from a variety of angles, it will definitely help to foresee any shortcomings and enhance the designs. Architectural 3D modeling is one such technique that allows the architects and designers to view the 3D images of the designs that closely resemble the real objects.

The 3D models of the buildings, furniture, interiors etc have striking similarity with their real world counterparts; the only major difference is that they you can view these 3D models on your computer screens. The 3D models as produced as a result can be viewed and rotated at any angle and also can be re-sized or zoomed to view them from varying distances. Not only this, architectural 3D modeling allows you to view a 3D model with various textures and surfaces. This becomes particularly helpful while deciding the kind of paints, tiles, wallpapers, and flooring etc. you are going to choose for various parts of your building.

Architectural 3D modeling allows you to have an early view of design and thus, you can get benefited by having a number of 3D modeled design options to choose from. Whether you are looking forward to having built a new building, a new room, or just some renovation in your office or home, architectural 3D modeling can help you by presenting the close matches of the designs you would like to have for your home, office, garden furniture etc. This is definitely one of the excellent techniques to reduce the possibility of deficiencies in the final outcome and give shape to your design ideas.

Get your own Architectural 3d modeling or Architectural 3D rendering designed by a professional team! Cad Resolution is specialized in high quality architectural rendering & animation. Get help for a better life or work environment with 3D architecture.

3D Grapic Design for Commerce

2011-04-15T03:07:00.000-07:00

The use of 3D modeling in graphic design is becoming more commonplace and is used in a wide variety of different fields. The process of 3D modeling is to represent a three dimensional surface object, whether it be inanimate or living, with specialized software. Also referred to as 3D computer graphics, a business can benefit in many ways from using this technology within their graphic designs. The use of 3D models in graphic design is now widespread, and many computer games actually used 3D modeling before computers could render them in real time.

Nearly all 3D models can be divided into two different categories, those that are solid and those that are shell/boundary. Solid models define the volume of the object and are more realistic, although much more difficult to build. They are used mostly for non visual simulations, including those developed in the engineering and medical industries. A shell/boundary model doesn't represent the volume but the surface area. They are easier to work with and these are the types used in film and video games.

3D models are used in many different industries. For example the movie industry has come to rely on 3D modeling as today's story lines and the need for special effects remains constant. Actors often find themselves acting opposite a blue screen and having to imagine their co-star, who is actually added in later via 3D modeling. This is true for both animated and real-life motion pictures. The medical industry is able to make significant advances through the use of 3D graphics as they can use detailed images of organs and other parts of the body. Today video and computer games look almost real with the incredible detail that has been achieved through 3D technology. Models are used in science and research to great effect, and within engineering time, money and effort can be saved by generating 3D models of designs, vehicles and structures, not to mention that structures can be tested to some degree with a higher element of safety. Buildings and landscapes can also be constructed by using this technology within the architecture industry. More recently earth science professionals are using 3D geological models, all developed through the use of 3D modeling.

A graphic design company can help your business use 3D modeling effectively and to great benefit. With so many businesses having a website as part of their advertising platform 3D modeling can help you present ideas, products or services from a completely unique perspective. Your businesses marketing potential can be enhanced as clients can take virtual tours of your facility, a 3D character can guide them through your website and clients could even experience 3D versions of your product. Not just for the Internet your business could also use models within instructional CD-ROM or DVD's, and you may find it easier when taking photographs for print advertisements to use a 3D model instead of the real product, particularly in cases where the product may be dirty, it is dangerous working industrial equipment or it is hard for the photographer to access.

By the way, do you want to learn more about Computers and Technology? If so, I suggest you check Construction Software and 3D Modelling.

The 3D Modelling Pipeline

2010-03-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

What is 3D Modelling? It is the process of preparing 3D data for computer graphics. Indeed, modelling in 3D can be likened to sculpting an object in the real world.

Many different techniques are used to create the objects in a scene, but these techniques can be limited depending on the particular 3D software being used. There are many 3D software programs. Of course here, we are focussing on 3DS Max, which is very powerful.

In a professional environment, for example in the creation of a 3D movie or computer game, there are several steps that are taken. These steps form the 3D modelling pipeline. These steps are:

* Pre-production

* Character design

* Storyboarding

* 3D modelling itself

* model optimisation

* texturing

Beyond these essential steps lie the more advanced stages, which are:

* Rigging

* Animation

* Post-production (for a movie)

* Production (for a movie)

* Environment set-up (for a game)

* 3D model setup (for a game)

* Character dynamics setup (for a game)

* Behaviour scripting (for a game)

* Physics mapping (for a game)

Models and scenes are built as wireframes, i.e., they have no texturing, as well as only minimal details and effects. Wireframe modelling requires less computing power than any form of rendering, and it has the advantage of speeding up the development process. Indeed, it form part of the overall modelling pipeline.

Introducing 3D to Animation

2010-03-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

3D animation is considered to be a ground breaking technology in the field of computer animation. It is one of the highly developed mediums of expression, making anything possible in the world of animation. Creating the illusion of movement, depth and highly realistic images are easily achieved using this magnificent tool. The technology behind 3D animation is utilized by professionals and students alike. This creative medium is popularly used in applications like video games, computer animated movies and cartoons. In lieu of this, 3D animation training is important for professionals so that they would know about the ins and outs of 3D technology. This can also be used as a fundamental tool in creating business and corporate presentations, product designs and website promotions. What others are not aware of is that this creative medium can also be maximized by performing medical visualizations, legal reenactment and defense recreation.

With all the creative work demand in the market, artistic labor pool is extremely in demand these days. There are several 3D animation schools that will teach students the necessary skills which the industry needs. Other training schools offer beginners courses for people who want to have a basic knowledge of techniques and design procedures. A beginners workshop is focused and based on 3D projects. They concentrate on modeling techniques, rendering objects and positioning of lighting effects. This course also helps beginners the essential skills and animation basics.

Intermediate programs are for animator wannabes who already have on hand training and experience with 3D animation. This training will improve their current skill on latest software such as Maya or 3DS Max. These 3D software are highly recommended and used by professional animators. Intermediate programs usually give more attention to movie applications, video game and television or the cartoon industry. Trainings such as these can develop the proficiency of artists in handling new and advanced 3D software. They are also trained by familiarizing themselves with the job on the production studio.

Advanced trainings include adding textures and lighting effects. Courses in advanced training consist of doing imaginative scripts and character rigging. It touches more on creating the heart of the character. Special effects which all of us are fond of seeing, especially on animated movies are incorporated in these trainings. There are separate trainings for corporate industry for they require different creative processes. For example, architectural designs and post production of houses need hands-on architectural trainings to customize the specific need of the industry. Web designing also demands other computing-related skills to be able to effectively execute the clients requirements. With the help of newest software which is ever changing and advancing, trainings should be prioritized and should not be taken for granted. Workshops and trainings will enhance the skills that can lead to successful career in animation. 3D animation is indeed a remarkable technology which gives us the freedom to explore an endless array of creative possibilities.

James is a freelance author who writes for a couple of different websites. Visit Ceiling Fans for more information on rustic ceiling fans, please visit the previous link.

The Standard Primitives

2010-01-30T02:02:00.000-08:00

The standard primitives in 3DS Max (or any 3D modelling software) are the basic objects, such as cubes and spheres. Click into the create panel and you should automatically land inside the default standard primitives panel. To ever return to standard primitives, click the small icon with a circle in it and go to "Standard Primitives" in the combo box.

The basic 3D shapes available in 3DS Max are:
* Box (which is a cube or cuboid)
* Sphere
* Cylinder
* Torus (or doughnut)
* Teapot
* Cone
* Geosphere (similar to the sphere, but with more efficient geometry at the poles)
* Tube (hollowed out cylinder)
* Pyramid
* Plane (not a 3D object as such, but classed as one)

Each of these simple objects are explored in further articles.

Create and Modify Panels

2010-01-26T03:10:00.000-08:00

At the top right of 3DS Max, below the main toolbars at the top, you'll see a list of small icons. The leftmost two icons, which look like a star and a square, are the most important as far as basic modelling is concerned.

If you hover your mouse over the first icon, it says "Create". Click it, and you'll see the create panel, which contains tools for you to create basic primitive shapes, such as boxes and spheres. After creating a 3D shape, you'll automatically be taken to the modify panel, which is the next icon along.

But if you create a shape and then go off and do something else, you'll have to click into the modify panel again to access the shape's attributes. At the top of the modify panel is the modifier list, which allows you to add modifiers to a shape, such as deforming it in various ways (as well as other, very advanced tools). Below that panel will be the selected object's properties. If no object is selected, this will be blank.

Welcome to 3DS Max Unravelled

2010-01-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

If you are a 3DS Max developer and into 3D modelling, you will find easy-to-follow tutorials, tips and instructions on how to use 3DS Max.

Watch this space...