You've heard of Thanos and Superman and countless other characters from superhero films that have power almost beyond imagination. However, a couple weeks ago, I discovered something with an inconceivable amount of power, enough to rival the toughest fictional characters - and it was right in front of me. Modular design.
Modular design is, essentially, duplicating 3D models to create something larger. For example, one could duplicate 4 walls to create a room instead of spending four times the time and effort to create a room from scratch. It's really useful and a common sight in the game industry. It has countless benefits. There's less lag when loading models, less memory is taken up by the computer running the program, and it's just easier to make. I'll admit it. The first three sentences of this blog post are misleading, to say the least. But modular design is indeed powerful. Last week, I made use of modular design to plan out a simple outpost and build it. First, I sketched out different components of the build. Then, I moved to 3DS Max, where I built windows, walls, and more replicable things. It made the design process infinitely easier. I retained creative freedom and made an interesting final product, even when duplicating multiple parts of a certain model. Making the outpost only reinforced my belief in modular design being a sensational part of 3D modeling. I can't wait to make use of this newfound power in the Unity Game Engine, hopefully making the process of creative a game a little more accessible to me. For now, though, I'm off to fight Thanos with 3DS Max. Wish me luck!
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Last week, I used 3DS Max for the first time in a year and a half. I almost instantly got comfortable with the move, rotate, and scale tools. I was also able to regain my proficiency quickly regarding editable polys. However, getting used to moving around in a scene and switching viewports took me a couple days. I also took a while to get back into finding things quickly, often having to search the right click menu for the right tool or investigate the main toolbar.
I experienced several problems relating to not selecting all the correct components or selecting too many things. I overcame these challenges by moving the selection and then using ctrl+z to undo the move if there was something missing or added on. While I didn't finish creating a fire hydrant in 3DS Max, going through some of the process of making it certainly helped me refresh myself. Not only did it bring me back into the mindset of 3D modeling, but it also helped in a technical sense. Extruding and insetting came back to me. I remembered how to use the symmetry modifier. I regained my use of the connect tool to form new edges. I'd like to continue doing 3D modeling a little more. I'd especially like to revisit texturing, as it's vital to game design and not too tricky. UVW texturing is another issue entirely, but it might be good to go back to as well. It's certainly been an adventure to be back in 3DS Max and I can't wait to continue the year. |
AuthorHI! I'm a 12th grader and on this page, I will blog about me and what I'm going through, both in Game Design class and in life. There are a mix of required blog posts and personal reflections, which you can sort, among other things, below the disclaimer and archives. DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools. Archives
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