CAGD 230 Midterm ePortfolio posts: Primitives, Marker, Table & Couch, Dinner Prep, and Grocery Shelf

Assignment #1: Primitives

For our first assignment in 230 we had to do a primitive scene where we only used primitive shapes. This assignment is meant to help us get used to Maya and learn the controls on how it works so that we can be ready for future projects for this semester.

In terms of composition, I think the focal point is clear, as it is brightly colored and right in the center of the scene. I was able to replicate the bright pink stage of the Love Live School Idol Festival, and visualize the 2D scene as 3D. The big yellow colored screen is mostly dark colors with the exception of the screen itself, and acts as a background to the focal point of the scene, since it doesn't distract from the main point.

For this project, I ran into plenty of issues due to my lack of knowledge of how to use Maya, and took full advantage of Google and my classmates. I also used my previous experience with Autodesk Fusion 360 and Blender to help guide me through using the program. I also ran into the issue of projecting Maya onto a larger screen to help me model this scene, so I learned how to setup autosave in order to compensate for the fact that Maya kept crashing. I learned that the Autodesk forums help out a lot and often times have 90% of the answers you are looking for.

Assignment #2: Marker

Our next assignment was the marker assignment and in this assignment we had to make our own marker with our name attached to it. The purpose of this assignment was to learn how the Insert Edge Loop tool Along with this we also had to create the UV map for this marker and apply a bump map. We learned how to create a texture in photoshop using UV snapshots, and how to apply them to the model.
We also learned how to edit materials to create the idea of different textures (i.e. rough vs smooth), and how to use lighting.

I ran into plenty of issues while modeling the marker. I had to redo my model several times, and took hours trying to follow the tutorial videos step by step to the best of my ability. Often times I would run into a problem that I could not trace back in my session history so I would just start over and start the videos back over. Eventually I had a classmate and Google help me through many of these problems. Even after all of that though, I still ran into many issues and ultimately figured out how to fix it through trial and error.

I actually really enjoyed this assignment despite the fact that I had many, many issues with it at the beginning, but I ultimately learned a lot about Maya and texturing through it.

Assignment #3: Table & Couch

The next assignment we had to create was to use primitives and create a table and couch out of it. While doing this project we learned how to use the measuring tool to make precise and large scale objects while applying a new type of material which are AIStandardSurface materials. We also learned how to apply physics to objects, and in this case used it to create couch cushions. This was also the project that we learned how to use the bevel tool and how to utilize it to create piping on the cushions.

 One of the issues I ran into while modeling this project was remembering to optimize the UVs before bevelling and/or modifying the model. I eventually made it a habit to always check the UVs before continuing to modify the original primitive object. The other issue I had was figuring out how to optimize the UVs, but I had help from classmates once again and it is now a regular part of modeling to me. The final issue I ran into in this project was the textures. Due to the fact that my renders turned out very dark for some reason, it isn't very obvious, but I had issues with the leather texture that I chose for my couch. Due to the fact that the images of the leather texture are uneven in terms of lighting, I had to go over all of it with a 10% opacity black soft brush to even out the tone so the entire texture was seamless.

Assignment #4: Dinner Prep

For this assignment we had to create three different items which were the wine bottle, pasta box, and pasta sauce. For each item it had its own process of how the object was supposed to be made. The wine bottle required to use the CV curve tool and to select certain faces and modify the material to appear like glass so it can look like an actual wine bottle. The pasta box we had to make it out of a planar and form a box out of it. Along with the pasta box we had to find our own textures and place them on the planar and form the box out of the texture. For the Pasta sauce bottle we had to use the CV curve tool and make a pasta jar and lid out of it. We also had to create the pasta sauce base and put in our own texture which we edited in photoshop and imported it into Maya, and replicate what we did for the wine bottle and create a glass texture for the jar.

 I ran into a couple issues while using the curve tool, and it would often times mess up the UVs for the pasta sauce jar and wine bottle. It took a bit of trial and error, but I eventually got it to work properly and create the jar and bottle. I ran into a bit of an issue with the label of the jar, but with a handful of adjustments in photoshop, eventually got to work.

Assignment #5: Grocery Shelf

For this assignment we hat to create a grocery shelf and include several different items which were 5 cardboard items, 3 glass items, and 1 plastic item. For this assignment I had a lot of difficulties in trying to start this project. Which is the main reason why I don't have any renders to show my work. Due to Maya beginning to fail me, and issues popping up left and right, I was not able to complete this assignment.

My plan was to reuse my pasta sauce jar and create a marmalade jar, to go along with the pasta sauce as one of my glass items. I used the wine bottle as a base to create a coke bottle, beginning with adjusting the color of the glass and some attempts at creating the logo. My cardboard items would be my pasta box, a mac and cheese box, and a few cereal boxes. My last plastic item was still being determined.