Geometric theory in 3D Modeling

Geometric theory in 3D Modeling

In games development the process of geometric theory is a way to model objects or characters 3D modelling software. The way this is performed is through a design process using an initial mesh which gives the basic shape of an object to later be built upon with different textures. The way in which a mesh is created is through the process of combined polygons. In the creation of a polygon two vertices are connected together by a line creating a first edge. When another vertices is added and two more line edges are connected it, this creates a basic triangle polygon with a face; which is the simplest version of a polygon that can be made. Before this basic shape is created, extra vertices can be added after a third to create a shape called a quad which is composed of four edges. This can be carried on with more vertices to create more complex shapes such as hexagons and decagons. An example of a three vertices triangle polygon with a pin point to each feature is displayed below.

When using polygons to create a mesh for a game, correct shapes must be determined both for correct design and for fluid movement should the shape be used for a moving character. In order to do this, different shaped polygons can be combined to create a new shape. For example the triangle polygon is widely used in combination with others to create more squared or kited shapes and can be used for more fluid movement. As a mesh is created polygons are steadily joined together by each vertices until a shape is complete with no vertices detached from any other. This rule applies to both characters and objects within a game as not doing this would leave a split in the created item, leading it to not be whole. Once the 2D polygons have all been joined together into their desired shape with no vertices left detached, the shape that is created becomes a 3D model composed entirely of 2D polygons.

Uses of 3D modeling

Uses of 3D modeling

3d modeling is a type of software which is used in many industries to make and use assets. it is used a lot in the games industry. it is used to make assets that can go into a game engine. the assets are the basic make up of the game make by the developers. they can be almost anything from a building to a gun. 3D modeling can also be used to animate object if neccisary so if its a weapon of some kind it can be animated so that it is firing or reloading. in the 2 images below you can see a 3d modeling software designing the sci-fi spartans from halo and also a gun from the game. as you can see it can be used to make lots of different objects and even people.

3D modeling is also used in the film industry and the television industry to make graphical enhancements. for instance it can be used to make entire enviroments around actors if neccesary. also it is used to make special effects like explosions, space ship battles and other things. it is especially used in the Sci-fi genre of movies and shows. in these 2 images we can see that 3d modeling was used in the movie transmormers to make the enormous robots as they are far too big and complicated to be made in real life.

3d modeling is also used in televison in a very similar way to movies. however not nearly as much because the budget on a television show wont nearly be as high as that of a movie. i have seen animation in shows like doctor who, which has a very strong amount of sci-fi use. in these 2 images you can see ships from doctor who, generated in a 3d modeling enviroment.

primary and secondary imagery

primary and secondary imagery

primary imagery is a term used for gathering image’s of a person or inanimate object with a camera of your own. this means that it is more accustomed to your needs, so if you need images of a car from multiple angle’s then you can find your vehicle and take images of it from all the different angles required. this could be used for 3d work in maya or as design reference in photoshop. however this can be difficult if you need unique things like famous landmarks or rare vehicles. primary imagery was used by ubisoft when developing assassin’s creed 2. they flew the team out to florence, italy to make sure that when they recreated the city it was accurate in scale and detail.

secondary imagery is when a person takes images from the internet or book for their reference to something in particular. like if you are making the leaning tower of pisa they they can go get images for it easily on the internet. this is particularly easy because it is difficult to get primary imagery when you are very far away from the imagery you need. the big ben in central london was included in mass effect. the developers probably used images from the internet to get this accurately correct. this is just one of many examples that lots of people use on a daily basis.

when comparing the 2 different types they can both be very useful. if you need only one image of something then the internet would be good for it. if you need lots of images to accurately map out something then primary is going to be easier because you can get the perfect angles you need. the internet may not have the angle you need.

in the gaming industry i assume is used very often.

different types of sci-fi

 these are some of the different varieties of sci-fi that exist.

Space opera/space western – Melodramatic adventures, often involving space battles

Utopia – Description of a perfect society, at least in the author’s mind

Dystopia – Description of a society gone wrong 

Hard SF – Scientific rigor marks the story’s focus

Soft SF – Characterization and ideas about society mark the story’s focus

Feminist SF – Deals with women’s role in society 

Cyberpunk – High tech in a society that has broken down

Alternate histories – History has diverged from the one we know 

Alternate futures - A possible future never comes to pass, often because a character travels back in time and alters the past

Slipstream - Fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries between science fiction and contemporary literature 

Science fantasy – Elements of fantasy and of science fiction are melded

Dark SF – Elements of horror and science fiction are mixed

Erotic SF – Sex and sexuality are explored in a science fiction setting

New wave – A movement of 1960s, it boasted a high degree of experimentation, both in form and in content)

New space opera – A movement of 1990s, the stories tend to be more military-themed and literary than original space opera/space western 

New Weird – A movement of the early 21st century, surrealism or transgressive horror is used in a science fiction or a fantasy setting 

logbook

logbook(sorry for any spelling mistakes in this piece of work)

Project 1

For this project we have been given the task to design sci-fi assets in a few different methods. these methods are: traditional drawings, digital drawings, and with water colours or alcohol pens. There are many different types of sci-fi themes, not just good ones. there is also post apocalyptic, steam punk, and new weird. these are just a few of the many different types, each different in their own individual way.

to begin this project i began by writing out a simple mind map of all the different types of objects i could do for this, other than guns. i wrote down alot of ideas that i could do like: storage, furniture, and technology are the 3 different categories i put.

After i did this i made another mind map listing all the different examples of sci-fi i knew of. for this i put down alot of movies, games and TV shows. these all show off a diverse range of types of sci-fi which i could have used for my project.

Now that i had a range of ideas i could use i thought of whet i could actually make so i just began drawing out different designs that i thought i might use for my project. among these ideas there were alot of different types of simple assets like: chairs, tables, some guns/weapons, types of lighting and some security systems. one of my favourite of these idea's is a wardrobe where you step inside and it automatically dresses the occupant. this idea was helped by something i saw in dead space which is a very good example of a sci-fi genre. also another of my favourite ideas was a security camera that looks like a light hanging from the ceiling. it blends into the environment and scans the entire surroundings so no crimes can be permitted. this could also be used for many different scenarios but this was one i focused on when designing it.

 also during this designing process i designed a multitude of guns that i thought might be good to design. i designed quite alot in my sketchbook and in Photoshop. some of which don't even make much scents, but i figured that since its sci-fi it doesn't have to all make scene. one of the other things i designed was a shuttle type vehicle used for transporting troops and other military things like vehicles, weapons, etc. i spend quite a bit of time on this and it took quite alot of design work to get the shape i liked best and also to get the right features that i liked. i was going to make this in Maya as i was most proud of it but i was having trouble using Maya so i had to stick to the gun idea which i had designed prior.

this weapon i had designed was a not so distant future design of a shoulder mounted mini gun. i had chosen this mainly because i really like mini guns and i also thought this was the best idea i had for the gun portion of the assignment. the weapon fires around 20 bullets per second and has roughly a thousand bullets in the clip. the weapon is designed for suppression and has 2 stands so it can be placed down by the soldier so it can be more accurate than if it was just on the shoulder. there is a hand print scanned as a safety feature on the side so only the operator can fire it. if someone else trys to then the firing mechanism will lock, stopping it from firing. there is also a screen on the side to tell the user how much ammo is remaining. the screen is almost like an iphone but slightly bigger and also tracks movement like a radar on the battlefield.

after these drawing had been drawn out i began making my gun in Maya. however at the time i didnt know that we could design our other designs in maya. as i made my gun i made different saves so that i could take different screen shots at different points of the design process.

Maya work
in this image you can see that i have bagan to design my gun in maya. u can clearly see the shape of the 3 barrels. they are supported so that they will have more accuracy than without. also i put a block so that i could roughly estimate the size of the barrels. you cant see it in this image but there are design images in maya so i can follow the designs accuratly

in this image i have changed the shape of the block from the first image into a more smooth and detailed version. also i changed the shape of the barrels so they would fit the designs better aswell.

here i have made the sholder rest and as you can see it curves inwards so that it can fit on the average soldiers soldier. i tried to make it as comfortable as possible.

in this image i have put in the hand print analyser and also the first section of the firing mechanism. the mechanism will have 2 handles on both side of the weapon which the user pulls towards themself. the handleds slide easily when not locked.

here ive added the screen which is angled towards the user so he can easily see the screen.

here ive added the handles which makes it easier to see that they slide towards the user.

in this image i have added the ammo cache which contains alot of ammo as you can tell by its size. possibly the most important section as without it whats the point of the weapon.

finally i have added the stands on. the stands expand length ways and get fixed into the ground. this gives the support needed.

this is the final design of the gun. as u can see the final touches have been pipes on the side which applies liquid to every bullet which is deadly to all species. 

This is the final image of my work. i added some textures to my work. also the scene has been rendered and does have lighting. however when i was trying to add a shadow to my piece of work, no matter what i tryed it wouldn't generate so i was forced to leave it.

what would i do next time to improve my work?

In the future if i ever came across doing this project ever again, maybe on a job or even just coming back to this i would begin by getting a better understanding of all the different types of sci-fi. even some that I've never seen before. this would give me alot more design choices and would help me to do everything easier. also i would plan ahead and choose between my designs after much thought on which would get me the best grade rather than the one i like best. furthermore i would analyse every detail of the brief so i wouldn't miss any important things which could easily help improve my asset. in terms of my Maya i followed my designs accurately to size and scale but the textures i have added to the weapon aren't quite to the standards i was hoping when i made it. next time i would make my own textures which fit the weapon perfectly