Week 5

Lighting

 

Week 4

There was no lessons last week due to the day trip to London which I participated in  for the Multimedia Production Module.

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This week we began to look at a variety of lighting features available in 3DS Max. These ranged from the different types of lights and their parameters, to environmental effects such as fog.

The whole concept of lighting within 3D Studio Max is a vast element that can significantly alter the appearance of a scene by adding another level of depth via the use of strategically placed lights and detailed shadow positioning.

To start off with I experimented with the array of light types offered in the "Lights" command panel.

Omni Light

Omni lights are perhaps the most commonly used lighting type due to their ability to add even lighting to an entire scene. Various parameters concerning Omni Lights can be altered including their multiplier which basically changes the colour of the light being emitted, for example a slight reddish colour could be used to portray a warm/cosy atmosphere within a room. The image below is of a chest of draws that I created in an enclosed room scene. I added an omni light with a slight pink/red multiplier colour to give the room a more warmer feel.

Click for Full Size

 

Spot Light

Spot lights are rather self explanatory, consisting of a focused directional beam of light to add detail to a portion of a scene or to light a specific object for example. Spot lights are specifically useful to recreate the effect of real "spot lights" in a darker environment where the direction and beam of light is more visible i.e. stage lights at a concert.

Below is a render of the same scene that I used for the Omni Light, however that light has now been removed and a spot light has been positioned above the drawer instead.

Click for Full Size

The difference between the two types of lights is clearly visible and I am particularly pleased by the outcome of the spot light scene above as it conveys a exceptionally more dramatic feel with the heavy use of shadows.

 

Environmental Effects

Another feature that incorporates the existing lights within a scene is the "Environment and Effects" settings found under the rendering menu. These allow a range of rendering effects to be applied to a scene which takes into account any prior lights which have been created and positioned. The image below was created using the spot light scene in addition with a combination of a "volume light" and a "volume fog" atmosphere effects. Both of these effects were given a dark grey colour to create the impression of a smoky room due to a fire or a heavy build up of cigarette smoke for example. Various parameters were configured such as the density and wind direction on each effect to produce the final smoke effect seen in the render.

Click for Full Size

 

      

 

      

Week 3

Materials

 

This week we were introduced to the use of materials in 3DS Max. Materials are a vital aspect when 3D modeling as they help to bring objects within a scene to life via the use of realistic colours/textures and lighting effects.

Shaders

Shaders are technical graphical effects that are basically responsible for calculating the colours of objects and therefore how they are rendered in a scene.

3DS Max has 8 standard shader types each which can be fully customised in order to alter the way in which and object is rendered.

Anistropic: This shader focuses on the specular level of a material and creates elongated highlighting which is suitable for simulating shiny surfaces such as metal and hair.

Blinn: Blinn is one of the most commonly used shaders and creates solid colours which are useful when creating plastic like materials.

Metal: The metal shader is very similar to the Ansiotropic shader, however it has more of a matte look, suitable for representing brushed metal for example. The reason for this matte look is due to the bump/dent that the glossiness creates in the specular highlights level.

Multi-Layer: This is by far the most complex shader as it has the ability to combine multiple materials to separate parts of an object. This is achieved by assigning selected polygons specific material ID's which can then by configured using the multi-layer shader settings. Due to the nature of this shader it is most suited to more complex models that consist of numerous parts that are typically rendered differently e.g. characters, vehicles, metallic objects etc.

Oren-Nayar Blinn: This shader is similar to the standard blinn however it applies a softer looking effect that is useful when modeling skin for example. Consequently it produces a relatively matte appearance which can be used to portray a more organic look ideal for human skin and fruit.

Plong & Strauss: These shaders can also be used to produce a plastic like appearance however they are rarely used, as the blinn shader can be used to create more complex and specific effects.

Translucent Shader: This is a particularly specialist shader used for creating opaque and ultra shiny materials such as glass and extreme lighting effects. It can also be used to manually light custom bitmaps via adding highlights to certain areas, rather than leaving them flat and lacking in shading/detail.

 

Maps

Maps are essentially pre made materials that consist of various elements rather than just a solid/plain colour of standard materials. 3DS Max contains a library of pre made bitmaps such as wood, stone, marble however these are rather limited and the main feature available is the ability to import custom bitmap textures.

Once a map has been applied to an object its position can manipulated in a variety of ways ranging from offsetting, rotation, tiling etc. Maps can be altered further via applying a UVW Map modifier which simply grants the ability to change numerous parameters concerning how the map is applied to an object.

Maps can add an extra level of depth to a scene by making objects look more realistic and 3D. A great example in my opinion would be the bump map which gives the appearance of a dented surface via complexly placed combination of shadows and highlights. Speckle is another example of a convenient map which creates a spotted/mottled surface ideal for the texture of an orange skin.

 

Practice Examples

The teapot below was created using the pre made teapot tool under standard primitives in the create panel. I then applied a metal shader to the body, spout and lid of the teapot using a light grey colour. I specifically increased the specular level to create a highly shiny metal look, seen in the material preview.

Metal Shader Properties:

Metal Material Preview:         Textured Plastic MaterialPreview:

          

I also created a black textured plastic material for use on the teapot's handles, this was achieved by selecting the speckle map and giving it a black diffuse colour. The scale of the speckle effect was also adjusted to produce the material seen above.

 

The Final Rendered Teapot:

Click for full size

 

In addition to customising the existing materials in 3DS Max for the teapot I also imported custom textures that I acquired from http://www.3dplace.net to render a set of stairs.

The two textures below were saved as jpeg's from internet and were then imported as bitmaps using the material/map browser.

           Wood Texture                         Concrete Texture

     

Both of these textures were adjusted in scale, rotation and tiling settings to produce the materials below:

 Wood Material Preview:              Concrete Material Preview:  

            

I created a set of stairs using the pre made model: "Straight Stair" under "Stairs" on the create panel. The materials were then applied to the required parts of the object by converting the stairs into an editable poly, consequently allowing the required sections to be selected using the polygon selection tool in sub-object level. The same technique was used for the teapot by applying materials the selected elements and polygons.

     The Final Rendered Stairs:

Click for full size

 

Close-Up in The Perspective Viewport:

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Note: In the image above the detail of the materials can be seen in greater definition (especially the concrete) than the rendered view which tends to smooth off the materials.

My Chosen Months

Research Boards

 

March

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The idea behind my March research board was the introduction of new life, as plants and insects begin to grow and emerge. Based on the images above I plan to model a garden/nature scene incorporating these things to give the impression of a fresh organic environment.

 

August

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August is perhaps the warmest month throughout summer, keeping this in mind I intend to model a beach side scene such as the outdoor area surrounding an apartment. In my opinion objects such as a beach ball and a barbeque effectively represent this month as they are typically only used during this time of the year.

 

December

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The main event occurring throughout December is Christmas, consequently I have decided to produce an indoor scene featuring cozy lighting and various decorations to express this annual celebration. I also hope to model specific food/drink such as candy canes, christmas pudding and a glass of wine as these objects are traditionally consumed around the duration of December.

 

Mood Boards

 

March

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Whenever I think of March, I immediately visualize the spring time including fresh green vegetation, new life and rainy weather which the UK normally experiences during this month. I am particularly pleased with the mood board above as I believe it clearly displays a range of textures that closely relate to the month of March.

 

August

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As August is usually a warm month I purposely chose bright and vibrant colours for this mood board orange for example seems to generate a feeling of heat. Recreation throughout this month is frequently spent on a beach therefore the texture of sand gives an impression this type of environment. Many people, especially children enjoy a good water fight during the hot weather that occurs during August as well as the taste of ice cream that helps to cool them down.

 

December

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December to me, is possibly the coolest month of the year when it inevitably snows if the temperature drops to sub-zero levels. People wrap up warm, turn up their central heating and put logs on their fires in order to escape the cold weather. Snow and Ice are the primary textures that spring in my mind when considering December and how they can transform landscapes underneath a white blanket.