17th Week - Moving Outside

This week in Max, the last cuts were made made for the benches. All of the tables and benches have been assembled but the last two tables and some of the benches need to be plugged and stained. The project is so close to completion but at the same time still has a lot of work that still needs to be done. By this time next week all of the tables and benches will have been completely finished and will be ready to be placed on the site. Next the class will be working hard to prep the site by spreading a layer of mulch around the area in preparation for the furniture to be moved to the outdoor class room. The time that I have to work on the project is coming to an end but this will be finished in the coming weeks.

16th Week - Almost Done

This week in Max, the benches have almost been completely finished. Most of the benches have been assembled and stained. By this time next week there with be a set of 14 benches that are ready to be put into place. I have continued to cut out some A and center braces and went over the the edges with a router to round them out. When this is done the majority of the work for the outdoor classroom will be complete.

15th Week - Changing Directions

This week in Max, I switched over from making tables to making benches.I personally have been making cuts and assembling the A braces for the benches. The total number of benches that are needed is close to double that of the tables with a whopping 14 benches. They are much simpler to construct that the tables so we have been able to assemble several benches in one day only being slowed down by the amount of time it takes to make the cuts.

14th Week - MORE Tables

This week in Max, progress has slowed on table construction. There is a shortage of usable materials at this point in time so table number four is not 100% finished although it is close. Some progress has been made in the construction of the filth table table as well as some more boards being cut for the supports, so this week was not a total loss. Hopefully, next week the class will be able to complete at least one table.

13th Week - Table Frenzy

This week Max, I continued to not work in Max and instead worked on the octo-tables. Construction of yet another table has finished, bringing up the total to three complete tables. There is also a fourth table that is almost complete and will be ready to stain some time next week. So far everything is going smoothly and the table are turning out really well. The tables from this point on will be coated with a different type of stain that gives it a more naturally dark wood color as apposed to the two color stain that was used on the first two tables.

12th Week - Printing Has Begun

This week in Max, I worked on a modeling a modular key ring, similar to the image on the right. I would like to make in so that the central hub can be separated into two parts so as to allow the addition and removal of the individual rings. The image on the left is the model that I made with the intent to have the two halves separate, where the center is hollowed out and notches were added so that top piece could lock into place. I have not given up on the idea to make custom usb case, so I have also been working on make so models for that.

11th Week - Fantasy To Reality

This week in Max, I started brain storming different ideas of what I could model in 3dsMax and then print in 3d. So far, the majority my thoughts have been regarding making some sort of figurine but I have yet to settle one idea. Other possible ideas were to make some custom housings for my usb drives. I do want to possibly incorporate moving components into whatever design I choose. Over this weekend I will think about what I should start modeling and try to make a large amount of progress modeling it next week. But soon, I will be able to say that I have brought the digital world into the physical world.

Xth Week -Spring Break

SPRING BREAK

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!

10th Week - Presentations

This week in max, the class gave their presentations. Normally, I would post a video for my presentation, however, I ran into several errors while rendering and was unable to produce a video of the scene. The original plan was to incorporate my motorcycle model with my terrain model, showing the motorcycle ride through the scene. The above still images are from the animation showing the beginning area where you ride under the bridge and the camera view from the riders perspective riding over the bridge. The presentation went fairly well with the majority of the class combining some real life video with animation.

9th Week - Almost There

This week in Max, I made a bridge and road system for my terrain. I also incorporated the motorcycle from my last project. The goal for this project is to have a nice modeled and textured terrain which my motorcycle rides through with the camera following the motorcycle. For the most part it is ready to be rendered out. I will try to find some nice sounds to put into the final video, like engine rumbling and maybe some bird chirps, but if I am short on time I will just put some music in the background.

8th Week - Painting Textures

This week in Mudbox and Max, I worked on texturing the terrain using Mudbox. Using Mudbox I was able to take the terrain model that I made using Max and bring it directly into Mudbox where I could tweak the model slightly and paint the rock and grass textures directly onto the model. Then I saved the different paint layers and compiled them into a single image file which could be used in 3dsMax as a diffuse map. Next week I will start working on a road and bridge to put into the scene.

7th Week - Mudbox Training

This week in Max, I did not use max. I am planning on using Mudbox, which is another Autodesk program, in the coming weeks as a second step in the modeling process to add an extra level of detail to my 3dsMax models. I will also be using the program as a way to paint textures onto my models. My overall progress for this week was less than ideal, as I was interrupted by computer problems one day and school assemblies another. On the days that I was able to work, however, I played around in the program testing out what all the brushes did and I also looked at different tutorial videos.

6th Week - New Terrain Method

This week in Max, I started to test a new method for modeling terrain using the Displace modifier. Traditionally I would start by dragging out a plane with a high amount of pollies and then using solt selection I would push/pull vertices to shape the mesh. This week, however, I broke the process into three steps, the first of which being the blocky rough model in the top image. The second step was to texture the top facing pollies in a gradient fading from black at the lower most level to white at the top most. With the rough model textured I can render out a top view of the model to achieve the height map. After that I can simply apply the Displace modifier onto a plane with a high amount of polies, and with slight tweaks of the settings I will get the final model.

5th Week - Monster

This week in Max, I worked on modeling a new creature. The above image showcases the one eyed version of my creature but I also have a two eyed version with straighter horns. The texture will be reworked greatly but I do want to make it some sort of cellular scaly slimy texture. The plans for this model are to use this basic model and import it into Mudbox and add some extra levels of detail to the model.

4th Week - Test Prep

This week in Max, the class worked on duplicating a scene given two video clips and an image. This was in preparation for a test that is offered at the local Junior College, which if passed will give you 3 college credits. I do plan on taking the test this year and feel that I will be able to complete the  task in the 4 hours provided. Since the test is covering basic animation and modeling techniques and a basic understanding of how to operate 3DS Max I feel that I am more than prepared to take this test.

3rd Week - Lizard Boy

This week in Max, I started and nearly finished modeling a lizard like creature. This particular model was a combination of both planes and box modeling. The model is based off of the reference image shown in the image above but it does differ from the reference as I was not following it exactly. The remaining work will consist of reworking the way the legs attach and blend into the body, making a pair of arms and hands, and also polishing up his neck. With regards to his neck, all I have done so far is create some polies that connect the head to the rest of the body as I am still unsure as to whether or not I was to have a long serpent like neck or if I want to follow the reference image and model it to look like he has a patch of hair that covers his head and reaches down to his torso.

2nd Week - Body Work

This week in Max, I continued modeling a character to go with the head that I had been working on previously. This pair of legs/lower torso was crafted using planes modeling with a simple symmetry modifier applied to it. So far I am happy with both the look of the head and the legs. I will possibly change around the feet to make them a little more detailed but I may not if I decide to model some sort of boot or anything else that covers the feet. Aside from continuing to model the rest of the person, I plan on tweaking some of the proportion of what I have made so far.

1st Week - Back in the Swing of Things

 

This week in Max, I got back into my motorcycle models and started texturing the beast of a machine. I spent most of my time trying to get some realistic metal and paint texture as well as a nice leather seat. The images above were taking with different colored lighting, the left and bottom right with a yellow light and the top right with a white light. Overall I like the way it turned out I might be calling this a finalized product.