Im blue...

No not the song, but the background colour. As im working with a white scene i create a blue box behind the section that i am working on. Why you ask? Well to connect all the area of the cave system i either weld them together or i cheat by placing the vertex points in a particular way that the polygons cross each other. The blue box behind is used so i can see where there is a slight gap that needs closing.

It's unorthodox, but it works for me!

Losing your way?

Sometimes when you have alot of objects in a scene it is easy to not know what random polygon of there -> belongs to what object, especially for a cave scene. So to combat this i have changed the colours of various objects but my favorite to work with when deleting polys is (Ctrl+A) this selects all the polys on an object so you can clearly see which are not needed in a specific area.

Help Yourself

At times it was difficult to see the actual shape of the scene with the stone map that was on the walls, so to help myself out i turned the maps off to reveal a nice white/Grey colour to work with. From here i can delete and weld vertex points at will and see how this effects the shape of the walls.

Outside Poly Deletion

A way of getting rid of those unwanted polygons is to delete that ones that wont be seen when the user is in real time, (remember the smaller the amount of polygons the easier the computer processing the users movements in the scene will be as there is less information to load). So to begin this process all of the polygons on the outside are being deleted, this will dramtically reduce the amount.

STATS R US

Now when i'm working in 3DS MAX i like to know how many polygons or vertices i have in a scene, especially as this product is going to run in real time. The more polygons there are the better it will look as the textures will have an easier space to fit into and will not be stretched about, also the curves in the walls will be more rounded and not so jagged.
However sometimes you have to make a compromise between quality and it being able to work! At the moment there are 7,779 vertices and i have a small area of the scene left to build. Most likely this will notch up the count to around 10,000. This wont be too bad and of course there will be questions such as...

Does that wall have to have that detail when it's so dark?
Do i really need this polygon when it wont be seen?

So forth. So in a later blog i will be cutting down these unwanted polygons/vertices and show the difference with and without them.

NAME THY MODEL

It is un unwritten law in 3DS MAX to name each and every object that has been created.

Two reasons....
1) It is good to have everything in an orderly fashion.
2) If you are working in a team and someone else uses the scene most likely they wil not find anything as it is not named!

For those of you with a keen eye you would have spotted 'rectangle 07' and 'Rectangle 11'. Do you know what they are?... My point exactly - NAME YOUR OBJECTS! (They have been deleted since this publication as they were measuring sticks and are no longer with us).

Moving Vertices

Sometimes when using meshes in 3DS MAX the odd vertex point or polygon tends to stray away from where it should be. I don't know why - i compare it to losing a sock from your washing in a tumble dryer! Sometimes they cross each others path, or are no where near each other and thus leaving a rather large open gap where you can look through. Watch out for these! The most effective way of dealing with them is to either weld the vertex points together or simply delete them if they are not needed.

An example below shows a stray couple of polygons that have stumbled into the scene and are a distraction to the eye, this instance i simply moved them outside the area i was working in, but most likely will be deleted when i clean up my polygon count later - that will be another post.

Measuring Sticks

For me it is good practice to use a simple box as a height marker when using 3DS MAX. Especially in this cave system where the walls go in and out and where the ceiling is uneven. Using a box with a certain height or width as a template i can then build and also deforn the walls to the required specification, once used these can be thrown away and deleted.

Below you can see them in action, the purple boxes have a specific height and thus the model that i'm applying the height to can be mesured to these. If there are a few measurements in the scene then it is best to state the height when naming the measuring stick (box).

Measuring Sticks...I'm all for it!

Rounding Corners

To create those corners that the deformation can not do is simple. Many areas of the caves dont simply have a straight edged corner, nearly all of them and rounded. As my scene is created with meshes i click on the borders and extrude to the point i want them to. It's just a matter of applying this multiple times to get the rounded corner.

NOTE: The more times the mesh is extruded - the more polygons will be created. Sometimes it is best to create just a few so the corner is visible and then use the 'SMOOTH' modifier to get the effect needed.

FFD IT!

After browsing the modifier stack in 3DS MAX I came across FFD (Free Form Deformation) tool. This was perfect for distorting my walls to create an eneven look and also curving areas to follow how the caves look at the Galleries of Justice. Using the tool is simple, the nmber of points that can be used to allow deformation can be set by the user. From there the points can be shifted and this moves the mesh created to the users specification. SO MUCH SIMPLAR THAN MOVING VERTEX POINTS INDIVIDUALLY!

Justice
3D Visualisation Proposal 2008


Background
The Galleries of Justice prison area has been on the site since 1449 throughout its history it has housed convicts and is led to believe that in the cave area where the dungeon rests is where Robin Hood was thought to have been locked up. The historic nature of the site allows visitors to reach these underground area however is not suitable for disabled users to physically go into the depths of the caves.
The 3d Visualisation project will give these users the opportunity to guide themselves through a virtual tour of the prison and caves below. The virtual tour will enable themselves to interact with characters, explore the area, hear the sounds and visualise what it would have been like for the prisoners all those years ago.

The Early Planning

The basements plans is a good starting point to allow for placing of rooms and corridors in the right area of the cave. Images that have been taken (below) are used to have a visual of the interior walls, doors, floor and artefacts that can then be input into the 3D computer program. The images can also then be related to later to acquire the correct textures and colour for the final product.

Below is an initial floor plan, after taking the images - from here the initial modelling can begin and the placement of walls and floors can be jotted down to the correct measurements.

The cave area has significant lighting, cabling and cameras as would be expected in the modern world today. On the final visualisation scene this will not be included. The central theme for this project will be realism, to be able to see and hear what these caves would have been like when they were operational. The users will be able to engage in this realism and have an experience that they really are in the scene!
The dark areas of the caves and the Sherriff’s dungeon are haunted by characters from the past, prisoners talking amongst themselves whilst being watched by the eyes of the prison guard. The embedded sound effects within the visualised scene will give some more depth with users being able to hear these sounds and effects as they become a part of the history.

Technology

The technology used to utilise the look of the caves are Photoshop – to manipulate images taken and to create textures that will look realistic. 3D Studio Max will be the application that will allow the images to come to life, this program will create a photorealistic scene that will be a good simulation of the real life caves. Finally Quest 3D will be used to enable this 3D Visualised scene to become an actual application that can be walked through by users in their own time.
Below is an example of a small area of the cave region rendered using 3D Studio Max, this shows initial textures that have been used. The whole cave area and dungeon will be created first with these initial textures to get the colour and feel and eventually will be replaced with the final textures, added light and shadows that will make the scene.
Artefacts from prisons including items relating to prisoner identity, escape, and execution such as chains, neck ankle and feet restraints and possible the odd rat will be included so show and remind viewers of what prison life would have been like for inmates and prison staff. Alongside with trying to keep the visualised scene as realistic as possible to life as it was in those days, the modern signs and guides will be kept to enable users to read them and know which area they are in and where to go and explore.

Timeline

24th November 2007 - Agreement Brief
28th January 2008 - Proposal
7th February 2008 - First Draft of product complete
15th February 2008 - Final Draft of product complete
18th February 2008 - First meeting with client
19th February 2008 - Product brought into Quest 3D
29th February 2008 - Modifications in Quest to be complete
6th March 2008 - Product Complete to specification
10th March - Second meeting with client
24th April 2008 - Hand in evaluation and final agreed modifications to product

I was just playing about with Photoshop and a few images i had and created a metal frog, mainly wrapped up with chrome to make it nice and shiney, not bad for a couple hours work whilst watching the football!

University Year 3 - Client Project One

Our first major project for our third year uni was a mini project, this was around 6 weeks long and was based on Bug spray, yes bug spray! As a visualization student I had to create a laboratory that would create this spray. The theme could be anything we wish and it was created in 3DS MAX.

I was going for a slightly futuristic feel so the first thing i thought of was creating a hologram.

It was placed in the main room in the center. I wanted a round room with the hologram in the middle.
Obviously the scientists need somewhere to sit so i created a 'Star Trek' Bridge feel, but i thought lets give them some retro chairs for their comfort. I do like the reflection on the chairs and also the glass on the table.Another image of the seating area. However you can se the raised walkway behind them - Again following with the Star Trek feel.
The sample room where all those lovely specimens are held. Being futuristic i have made them supersized and also in pods. You can see i have been watching the movie 'ALIEN' for this. It also feels like a game level which i intended.
A close up of one of the pods. These took ages to render when there is a whole room of them. I overdid the reflection/refraction but still happy with the result.
One of the legless bugs. I like the bubbly effect that i created in 3DS MAX for this. Again it took forever to render but it looks all slimey!!!!

For all of those who like Music, The Verve and Pictures of the Verve! These were taken from the front row of the gig and just shows even if you take a phone camera and you see something that you like -YOU CAN TAKE COOL IMAGES WITHOUT SPENDING LOADS ON A DIGITAL CAMERA!

NIGHT SCENE

Link: http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161013

HONEY ROSE

Link: http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161268

LIGHT BURST EFFECT

Link: http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photoshop-text/text-effects/light-burst/

ADVANCE GLOW TEXT

Link: http://psdtuts.com/tutorials-effects/advanced-glow-effects/

FUNKY PHONE

Link: http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161026

Over the last couple of weeks when Uni has just kicked in i have looked at a few Photoshop tutorials to keep my mouse warm and just to gain a bit more knowledge. So the next few posts are all what i have made with tutorials. I will also put the link on so anyone who likes any can easily find it!

A CUBED CHERRY

Link: http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161060