Here is some
useful information on the five most common pitfalls for beginner Modellers or
Modellers trying something different and new techniques:
1. Too Ambitious, Too Soon
“It's
tempting to aim for the stars right out of the gate, but there's a reason you
see dozens of variations on the following quote so often on popular CG forums:
“This is an image I've had in my head for years, but I've been waiting for my
technical skills to catch up.”
CG is
hard, it's technical and complex. When you're planning your projects ask
yourself, “what are the technical hurdles I might run into, and can I
realistically solve them at this time?” If the answer is yes, go for it!
However, if a prospective project will require you to try hair, fluid, global
illumination, and render passes for the first time ever, it's probably smarter
to study each of those concepts individually before you try to combine them in
an image. Challenge yourself, but try to know when your ambition is getting the
better of you.
Uncertainty, more than anything else, is what leads to
abandoned projects, and in my opinion a bad image is still better than an
unfinished one.”
2.
Ignoring Topology
“Topology
and edge flow are incredibly important for character models that are meant for
animation. For static game-meshes, and environment models, edge flow is less
important, but that doesn't mean it should be ignored entirely.
Model in quads (four sided polygons) as often as possible, especially if
you plan on taking a model into Zbrush or Mudbox for sculpting later on. Quads
are ideal because they can be subdivided (for sculpting) or triangulated (for
game-engines) very smoothly and and easily.
Topology is a vast topic, and going into detail here would be
impossible. Just keep some of the basics in mind while you work:
·
Avoid N-gons (5-sided polygons or greater).
·
Keep triangles to a relative minimum.
·
Try to have evenly spaced subdivisions, and avoid elongated faces. Your
polygons don't have to be perfectly square, but keep them as close as you can
within reason.
·
For an animated mesh, add extra edge loops wherever there will be
deformation (elbows, knees, lips, etc.).
·
Remember to clean up a topology artefacts after using Maya's bevel tool
(which often creates triangles and occasionally n-gons.
·
If you smooth your model and notice “pinching” try to think about how
you can re-route edges so that your mesh smooths more favourably.
·
If you notice non-manifold geometry, stop what you're doing and fix
it immediately.”
If you're not sure what non-manifold geometry
is, I will be researching and posting about this shortly.
3. Too Many Subdivisions
“Subdividing
your mesh too early in the modelling process will only cause pain and regret,
and often contributes to the “lumpy” or irregular quality seen in a lot of
novice work.
As a rule of thumb, don't add resolution until you're sure you've nailed
the shape and silhouette with the polygons you already have.”
4. Always Modelling Seamless Meshes
“It's a
common misconception among beginning modellers that a finished model needs to
be a single seamless mesh. This isn't the case at all, and trying to model
things that way will only make your life more difficult.
I remember watching a 3DMotive training series awhile back and the
instructor offered a good way to think about the question of whether an element
of your model should be seamless, or separate geometry; think about the way the
model you're building would be constructed in the real world, and model it as
close to that as possible.
Designers always say that form follows function, and that statement
holds some weight here—if you run into a situation where you think it'll be
easier to model something in two pieces, do it.
Now having said that, there are two exceptions to this—3d printing, and
game art.
With game art, it's often preferable for the final asset to be a
seamless mesh; however the final game model is usually a retopologized version
of a high resolution mesh.” This is what I will be doing with my
model.
5. Not Using Image Planes
“I know
this one well, because I used to try to eyeball stuff all the time, or jump
directly into Maya without considering design and composition, thinking “oh
I'll design it as I model it.”
I've gradually developed a habit of carrying around a little 5 by 7 pad
of grid paper, and when I'm not doing anything I'll pull out a page and sketch
out orthographic ideas for buildings and environment assets. I throw away twice
as many as I save, but if I like one I'll stick it up on some cork board above
my monitor so that it's there if I ever need it. If I decide one of them fits
into a project, I'll make a scan and pull it into Maya as an image plane.
Not only does it allow me to work faster, it allows me to work more
accurately, and accuracy is one of the keys to efficiency. I now use image
planes for every major asset that I model, especially characters or complex
architectural pieces, and my work is much better for it.
And this counts double (or even triple) if you're shooting for
photorealism!”
I believe
that all of the above are extremely relevant for me as I have never taken on a
model of this scale or difficulty before. I have also never used Mudbox before
so the research here has helped me to ensure that I do not make simple mistakes
when creating my model.
A key point
I have learned here is about adding extra edge loops wherever there will be
deformation as I have never been shown how to take deformation into account
when modelling before, so this has aided me greatly. Even though my model won’t
be animated at this time, I would still have to take animation into account
while modelling, as if I was working in the industry, character modelling would
be split into different sections of the production i.e. modellers and
animators. This is a good practise to get into as when working in a group it is
essential that the team works well together and understands wheat needs doing
on each model and group to save each other time fixing un needed modelling and
animation issues.
Bibliography:
http://3d.about.com/od/Career-Resources/tp/5-Common-Pitfalls-Of-Beginning-Modelers.htm
I have focused mainly on improving from where I left off and neatened and tidied the geometry and shape of the chest.
