Week 3 - Assessment 1

I have finished the 1st assessment now and have attached it here below.

I have really enjoyed this part of the assessment and hope to achieve everything in the learning outcomes as well as the deliverable's. Im under lots of stress in regards to finishing this assessment but im sure with careful planning and time management i should be able to finish everything well.

Assessment 1

Introduction

For this assessment I will be modeling a photo realistic High Poly car based on blueprints or reference images obtained from www.smcars.net. The car I have chosen is the Lamborghini Murcielago, and I will be rendering the final model with new technology created by Bunkspeed. Throughout this assessment, I will be learning car anatomy as well as the workflow for modeling a high poly car. I am aiming for a highly accurate model of the car. I will be also learning how new rendering technology works as well as its benefits over Mental Ray in terms of industrial design rendering. The renderer is known as Hypershot 1.8, of which I have purchased an educational license. I will be making an A3 size poster advertisement for a car company using the final renders. This will be composited in Adobe Photoshop CS4. Below is a picture of the Lamborghini Murcielago.

Learning Outcomes
Throughout the course of this subject the following learning outcomes will be achieved:

•Learning how to model a High Poly car using reference images/blue prints as well as learning numerous polygon modeling techniques specified for High Poly Modeling (Industrial Modeling). These techniques are as follows. Modeling parts of the car using Nurbs curves and snapping Polygons to the curves. Polygon Extrusion modeling which will be used for the Alloy Wheels of the car. Reference modeling used for the general shape of the car. Smooth Modeling, which will be applied to increase the polygon density of the model and mirroring geometry, only half of the car model will be built with the other half being mirrored across. I will be using the following Digital Tutors Tutorial for understanding the workflow as well as the techniques of High Poly Car Modeling.


http://www.digitaltutors.com/store/product.php?productid=2959&cat=39&page=1

This tutorial goes through the process of modeling a sports car with emphasis on realism, hence this is the perfect tutorial for me to undertake to be able to succeed at modeling my Lamborghini.

Tutorial Summary:

The Digital Tutors tutorial goes through the following
Establishing Automotive Line Flow, Creating NURBS Curve Framework, Modeling Contoured Panels, Adding Sub-D Resolution, Avoiding Creases and Dents with Edge Spacing, Adding Scoops to Curves Surfaces, Extracting Useful Geometry, Mirroring Detail, Troubleshooting Common Edge Loop Issues, Creative Uses of Extrusions, Converting Between Geometry, Moving Points Along Normals, Adding Tire Tread with Bump Maps, Modeling using Deformers, HDR Lighting Setup, mental ray Shading Techniques and Automotive Terminology and Concepts

Learning Outcomes Continued

•Learning car anatomy and how a car is put together. Understanding the fundamental design process behind how a car is built and why it is built in that way. Understanding designs that are visually attractive based on the curves of the main body as well as understanding what cars look displeasing. This will all be collected and organized in an Art Bible and submitted at the end of the assessment along with the other deliverables.

•Learning the workflow between Maya & Hypershot. Since Hypershot uses a new generation of Ray Tracing Rendering, the fundamental principals learnt from the previous course module will be of use to light and render the scene. The breakdown process is listed below.

1.Model the high poly model in Maya. Below is a picture showing Polygon Topology in relation to car modeling.

2.Combine body of the car to form one base geometry. Windows, lights, alloy wheels and tires should all be separate to allow for customization of the individual objects inside Hypershot.

3.Export the model as a .OBJ

4.Import the model into Hypershot. (If materials are present, they too will be imported).

5.Snap the model to the ground plane of the ‘scene’ and prepare/apply the set of materials that are suitable for your model.

6.Apply lights to the scene and tweak the settings of the Global Illumination.

7.Configure the settings for the renderer and hit render. This is a general step by step process for Hypershot, the actual configuration is much more complicated. Below shows a render accomplished in Hypershot on the lowest settings. Time taken to render: 3 Mins.



•Learning a new program, Hypershot. The reason I want to learn this program is so that in the future I will hopefully be seeking employment in an industrial 3D industry. Learning Hypershot is crucial for my success in this field.

•Learning to light car models in Hypershot to achieve realistic renders. Also learning how to import textures as well as normal and displacement maps into Hypershot. Version 1.8 of Hypershot is much more in-depth than previous versions of the software and has many, many options for customizing models as well as UV mapping textures and rendering options.


•Learning to composite the final images to form a bold advertising poster for Lamborghini.

Methodology

The following methodology will be used for the entire assessment. Specific time frames have also been indicated to allow for a more streamlined and organized workflow.
•Model a 3D car based on a Lamborghini Murcielago Using Maya 2009, using Nurbs curves and snapping Polygons to the curves (one of many Polygon modeling techniques which will be used). Export the model as a .OBJ format into Hypershot. Estimate time frame: 4-6weeks

•Texture the car using Mental Ray Shaders such as the Mia Car Paint Shader. If the appropriate shaders cannot be exported into the Rendering Application, then materials from Hypershot (Rendering Application) will be used. Estimate time frame: 1 week

•Light the car to try and achieve a photo realistic appearance using knowledge obtained from the previous ANI 204 Assessment and using Bunkspeed Hypershot 1.8. Estimate time frame: 1 week

•Place the Model behind a HDRI back plate and render using Hypershot. Estimate time frame: 1 week

•Composite finished Render/s in Photoshop to form the Car Poster. Estimate time frame: 1 week

•Overall Project Length = 12 weeks, 10 Weeks of workflow to cover with 2 weeks taken into account for delays/unexpected surprises/contingency.

Goals

The following goals are to be understood and accomplished over the period of this assessment.
•Understanding & Learning the fundamental techniques of automotive modeling (High Poly) within Maya.

•Learning Car Anatomy, i.e. Basic shapes of a car, breaking these parts up into groups, understanding how a car is modeled and formed, to critically analyze and problem solve any difficulties within High Poly Car Modeling. Basically understanding how, why a car is designed and formed. Aesthetics of a car etc.

•Successfully incorporate my knowledge of 3D with Hypershot and producing photo realistic renders that look better than Vray. (Maya is the future, Max is Gay and vRay is gayer).

•Composite a A3 size poster for a car company showing off the render.
Deliverables
The following deliverables will be handed over at the end of the assessment. These are:
•Art Bible talking about car anatomy and listing examples of car concept images and blueprints of a Lamborghini, and relevant explanations as to why the designers modelled the car in this way, what is visually attractive of the car etc.
•All documentation will be written up online using BlogSpot. This will be done weekly and after week 12 the final link will be handed over to Russ to read/mark. No physical documentation will exist outside of BlogSpot.
•Advertisement Poster (A3) Also Includes 3 smaller renders. Final Photoshop composition Files.
•Maya Files
•Blueprints of the car modeled.
•Photos (reference images, photographic images)

I enclose also a preview render which i have already done in Hypershot using a model which comes with Hypershot.

Render