Liz Feldstein: Project 1: Hard-Surface Model

February 05, 2013

Final Model and Render

Project 1: Hard-Surface Model is now completed! The second part of this project will be to texture and light the model to create a final render image, or "advertisement", of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2007. Through countless hours of modeling, mistake-making, mistake-fixing, back and wrist pain, and a few minor successes, I can reflect back on this experience as a good one. I learned more than I thought possible about modeling in a sum of five weeks.

I began to notice an incredible amount of errors and difficulties that resulted from modeling a vehicle out of one, single object as opposed to multiple objects; extruding and beveling parts of the vehicle such as the bumpers, doors, hood, and even lights caused many problems with the geometry that either needed repairing so that I could move forward with other tasks, or prevented me from using certain tools at all. My problem-solving skills have also improved (hopefully)! After spending at least 4-5 hours every day since the first week of the quarter, it just became more feasible for me to struggle with one object and make the best of it rather than starting over again halfway through. I used the "Insert Edge Loop" and "Interactive Split" tools the most, while learning the best way to model shapes from reference images. I also learned which geometrical problems made these tools impossible to use or even malfunction.

The road was incredibly long to get to the point of having a completed model. I spent a lot of time looking between my model in Maya and reference images of the actual Jeep Wrangler, trying to figure out how to accomplish something, or just using careful use of observational skills. There are some parts of my vehicle that don't look true to life (such as the bumpers and the hood of the car), partially because of my observational skills and my ability to relay information from references, and partially because the defected geometry prevented me from adjusting something (again, the bumpers).

Looking forward to completing the model and learning how to texture with displacement and bump maps! As the images below show, I have already begun to learn this process, which is evident in the hard-top and the wheels.

Final Render Image for part I (model only) - temporary environment
and lighting, final camera angle, 50mm lens

close-up of the geometry of the door handle

close-up of the finished bumper

from the inside of the vehicle: shows the messy and problematic
geometry that resulted from extrusions on the door creases

close-up of the hood of the car, and the "interior", with a
temporary Blinn shader for the transparent window glass

close-up of the tire hubcap; was remodeled at least twice, but resulted
in a pretty good-looking final piece!

the displacement maps (applied to the roof and tires), as rendered using
Maya Software instead of Mental Ray - experimental render only!

January 27, 2013

Progress and Looking Ahead

I have been working on the model for what feels like hundreds of hours at this point, only to show little progress. However, I am without a doubt learning a lot! I am modeling my Jeep out of one singular object, as opposed to modeling separate objects for the car doors, windshield, bumpers, etc., and I have learned a lot through this process about the errors that can occur; there seem to be more problems with my geometry than I initially realized, and I am missing the freedom and flexibility that multiple objects would allow me. Once I have completed this assignment, I look forward to correcting my modeling mistakes in the next vehicle assignment I will have. I will definitely model with multiple objects and use layers to more accurately sculpt each component of a vehicle (versus extruding every component and attempting to manipulate each part as it is attached to the main body of the car).

At this point, it will be more beneficial for me to continue to model in the way that I began (one object), and to selectively model the angle that will actually be shown in the final shot. I am aiming to finish the featured angle as soon as possible so that I can correct some major problems with the geometry that may affect the texturing. I also intend to create a convincing environment for my vehicle, along with textures. Below are some images of Jeep advertisements that have influenced my selected angle, along with the side of the car I have chosen to show in my final "advertisement".

January 21, 2013

Beginning Stages - General Modeling

I have been working on the Jeep model for about a week, and have already ran into some frustrating modeling problems! I have restarted my model countless times in these early stages of the project, as I am quickly learning about how certain modeling methods or processes may be problematic down the road. I am trying to be more strategic in the way that I model as a result of the difficulties that can result from modeling something as complex as a vehicle from a singular object.

polygonal mesh

four view modeling layout - necessary for modeling each perspective

preliminary render (Maya software)

mental ray with basic "mia_car_paint_phen_x" shader applied;
imperfections show me where the mesh needs correcting

January 13, 2013

Introduction and Research

I will be creating a hard-surface model of a vehicle in Maya. I chose to model a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2007, and have researched blueprints, photographs, specs and other descriptions of the vehicle which I will use to create an accurate and detailed model. Some of the images I will be using are shown below.