The thylacine was a carnivorous marsupial in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea that thrived for hundreds of years. That is, until it went extinct last century (probably, there's a decent chance small populations still exist, but for the sake of this metaphor, let's ignore that). 3DS Max might be the next thylacine: a unique, interesting thing wiped out by humans. However, 3DS Max won't be incidentally hunted to extinction. It will be destroyed intentionally.
Why would Autodesk want to discontinue 3DS Max? There are actually some good reasons. Autodesk is the parent company of Maya, another 3D modeling program that I've used. Unlike its sister software, though, Maya can run on operating systems other than Windows. This makes it possible for Mac and Linux users to run it without building a virtual machine or switching operating systems. 3DS Max simply can't gain a wider demographic due to its limited availability for different types of computers. Additionally, the age of the program makes it harder to update than Maya, which has a staff that knows the software better. Lastly, it doesn't make a lot of sense for one company to have two 3D modeling programs - especially when one is more available than the other. Is there any merit to the rumors of discontinuance, though? It seems so. Autodesk has already announced that they are discontinuing the 3DS Max Asset Library. Autodesk got rid of Softimage in 2014. However, 3DS Max still has an active and large community which is full of workers who won't be willing to give up on the software they have trained and made a living on. That being said, as Maya becomes the industry standard, I wouldn't be surprised to see 3DS Max going extinct in the near future. Summary
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Every game is made through a team - a cohesive unit of people working separately on unique tasks to create a game. I believe that I would be most effective as an asset artist. I've come to this decision based on my skills and the skills of my teammates, so I predict that being an asset artist is an achievable goal, but I will maintain flexibility to ensure that everyone on my team is happy with the final assignment of roles. Firstly, I think that I have the required skills to be a proficient asset artist. Although I am a capable 2D artist and passable programmer, my true skills lie in 3D modeling. I know how to do an array of processes in 3DS Max, and I flex my versatility in Maya. Within specific software programs, I can do lots of things ranging from creating complex editable poly objects to performing unique operations like splines to better make detailed assets. To overcome obstacles, I can make use of creative workarounds to diminish the problems I experience. My modeling skills are certainly on par with where I should be to be a good fit for an asset artists, and my uncanny ability to mold objects as I please should be of great assistance when creating game environments. While creating an outpost game scene recently, I showed my prowess in the aforementioned field, proving that I can be a great asset artist.
Some of my teammates outpace me in other fields - Brian is a terrific 2D designer, Collin is a competent coder, and Madison is a wonderful writer. Thus, I can fill in the gaps and cover 3D design. With my 3D modeling skills present to their fullest extent, my team can complete our goal to create an original and playable game by the end of the year. For us to reach our full potential, we need me to be an asset artist. Summary
If you've read any of my blog posts, you might know that it's not unusual for me to release a tirade of sentences about the Unity Game Engine. However, a recent project that I've done is definitely my favorite activity so far in Unity. Sometimes, coding can get really frustrating, but in this assignment, I avoided it entirely.
I recently made a game scene in Unity, molding an island and modifying three outposts to place into it. It was refreshing to be back in the game engine, especially now that I didn't have to bear the burden of lots of programming. Making use of components - i.e. modular design - was much easier than I expected, allowing me to simply construct and texture the outposts within the game scene. It's a real chore to individually create and assign textures to everything in a particular group of models. It was indeed amazing to just drag and click materials instead of going through a tedious process (after I resolved a couple technical issues, that is). I've always liked exploring and building worlds, in everything from writing to video games to real life. I found it soothing to create terrain in the Unity Game Engine and adeptly mold it to my interests. My team's game idea revolves around terrain somewhat similar to what I created - a forested area surrounded by mountains - so I hope that what I made can help inspire us and possibly provide myself practice for making our game idea come to fruition. I also really liked using pre-made free assets from other people via the Unity Game Engine, which is something I plan to take advantage of in the future. Summary
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! 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. Although 3D modeling isn't a main focus of this year's Game Art and Design class, I've been doing a fair amount of it lately. From being bored to having summer assignments, messing around in Maya has taught me some things about 3D modeling.
Adding materials to objects to texture them is a lot easier to do in Maya than in 3DS Max. Also, Maya has an immediate option of what type of shading method you want to use, while 3DS Max is not as intuitive and simple to add a shader. These options include Lambert and Blinn as well as many others, but for today I'm only going to focus on the two I specifically listed. Lambert. Lambert, Lambert, Lambert. It's fun to say and makes you hooray! I really like the versatility of this shader, as it isn't too reflective, is pretty customizable, and can be applied successfully to lots of different objects. I use Lambert a whole lot and I take advantage of the straightforwardness of the interface that Maya provides to make my textures the best it can be. Now let's talk about Blinn. It's kinda fun to say, but it's really just okay. Blinn is a pretty reflective shading choice and is useful for creating things like polished metal, but is nowhere near as versatile as its cousin Lambert. Blinn is extremely customizable, but it just isn't as good as Lambert. So there you have it. Lambert is a great choice for most objects, but Blinn isn't completely irrelevant. Hopefully, I'll get to learn and love Blinn a little more as I get more experience, but for right now, it's not my favorite shader. Summary
You may know 3DS Max as a 3-D modeling program widely used by game designers. I have several months of experience by now, and I’ve realized many things about the program.
Usually, I love working in 3DS Max. I thrive in the blank canvas of the creative 3D program. There are truly countless possibilities that I can make, and that’s one thing I love about 3DS Max. Also, the tools available in the program are very useful for making things like trees, Rubik’s cubes, and houses. After years of playing the popular sandbox game Minecraft, I’ve developed a deep love for 3D creativity. Working with 3D Studio Max in Digital Design has been the best part of my day very often. However, even the best program is bound to have problems. The immense lag I’ve experienced this past week compiling an intricate Old West scene has been infuriating. It takes almost thirty seconds to render my scene because of the vast number of things in it. Sometimes 3DS Max leaves me angry because of other circumstances. For example, it takes a few minutes for the program to boot up, which is always an annoyance. 3DS Max can also unexpectedly crash and delete all your progress, which happened to one of my classmates today in Digital Design. Although 3DS Max is far from perfect, it is probably my favorite computer program I’ve worked with. It offers creativity along with helpful ways to foster creativity. The problems aren’t very abundant, and don’t pose a huge challenge for me. I think I might just really like 3DS Max... Summary
During the past few weeks working in 3-D Studio Max, I began to use compound objects for the first time. Compound objects offer unique ways to group, spread out, and edit shapes in the program. I initially worked with boolean and proboolean, two similar ways to group objects together. There are five main different options which let you easily modify your shapes. The union operand parameter allows two or more objects to be combined without the intersecting sections of the individual shapes. Merge, although similar to union, keeps the overlapping volume. Attach is also closely related to union also; it can combine two shapes. Choosing the intersect mode will only keep the intersecting portions and remove the remainder of the shapes. The subtract option deletes volume of one shape as well as its overlapping parts.
After working with boolean, I moved on to blobmeshes, which can give objects a slushy or blob-like appearance. Next I learned about lofting, a way to make custom shapes with a single line based off a few different 2-D objects. Textplus and procutter were the next compound objects I used. They gave me an easy way to implement text and make indentions in shapes. Then, I used sweep and array to complete my understanding of compound objects. Sweep can create a unique pattern often used for architectural moulding, and array can space out and duplicate objects in a custom way. I fell in love with boolean in particular because of its simplicity and usefulness. It's not complicated to learn how to use, and I easily mastered it. There are so many ways to use boolean, as I listed above. Each of the operand parameters available offer a new idea that's just begging to be made, such as the ice cream cone below. Summary
In August, I have continued to work almost exclusively in Blender. One day I was making 3-D modeled vegetables and decided it would be cool to try out working with textures. I was wrong: It was a nightmare. Placing textures on customized shapes proved to be futile, and the textures wouldn't even show up when I rendered the final product. Eventually, after watching a couple tutorials on YouTube and searching the internet diligently for solutions, I gave up. I chose instead to make my own corn kernels if Blender wouldn't let me do it the other way. I prayed my computer wouldn't crash while I made over a thousand kernels, slowing down Blender dramatically. After half an hour of copy and paste, adjusting materials, and adding effects, my prayers were answered. As you can see below, each kernel is unique, as well as each pea in the pod. Many of the kernels were unique, but I did some copy pasting to speed up the process. The peas, unlike the corn, were easily manipulated because there were only six. Also, I used icospheres, which are the same shape as the peas are in the image above, to create the ear of the corn and the pea pod. I really wanted to try my hand at changing basic shapes and creating new forms of them. After countless hours of practice, I'm starting to get accustomed to Blender, but I still prefer 3DS Max, which is missing a lot of the tedious and confusing aspects of Blender. This school year ought to be very exciting. I want to learn more about 3DS Max and make better artwork. Overall, I can't wait to get back to working with 3DS Max and get back on a more enjoyable road of 3D Modeling.
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For the second part of my Digital Design and Animation II summer assignment, I started out messing around with Photopea, the free browser equivalent of Adobe Photoshop. However, during a few hours of working, there were many bugs. Being unable to deselect a picture, the quick select tool selecting the wrong thing, things moving in the wrong directions, and other instances raised my anger. I decided to give it a break and come back to it the next day. I was hopeful, but it brought no avail: The same problems happened. Therefore, I decided to just focus on Blender, which is a Mac-friendly 3DS Max-like program. I decided to try my hand at editing faces, vertices, and edges to make art. I don't like Blender very much, because it's tedious to do things and often leads to me searching Google for things like "How to select in Blender" and "How to redo in Blender." But, after several hours of work, I got into the rhythm of pressing tab, pressing a, pressing b, selecting vertices, etc. I pushed through the long, monotonous art creation in Blender to create four art pieces (one of which is shown below). I tried to make edit polys and edit modifiers to mold my 3D creations like I would in 3DS Max, but I couldn't figure out how, so I just stuck with Blender's version of edit poly's, which was hard. Eventually I learned how to manipulate edges, vertices, and faces, as well as learning new ways to edit simple shapes. I was more or less satisfied with my work when I finished, although I couldn't figure out animations or modifiers.
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The school year is over and it's summertime. I have used two free applications on a computer to work on my summer assignment for next year's digital design course so far. Interspersed between other assignments and activities, I've worked on Photopea and Blender. Photopea, a browser option that doesn't require downloading, is an Adobe Photoshop-esque website. It offers masks, overlays, brush tools, and other things Photoshop also has. However, it isn't as easy to navigate and doesn't have all of the tools Photoshop offers. The reason I used it was to have a free version of Photoshop I can use at home. I learned how to mask and duplicate items in Photopea and that although it is quick to load and fairly straightforward, Photoshop is better. Let's move on to Blender, a free downloadable application available on Mac and Window operating systems. I downloaded it to have a program comparable to 3DS Max without having to get Windows 10 on my family's Apple computer. It's definitely more tedious and harder to find things than 3DS Max. I messed around with Blender for a few hours before really starting to make art, which turned out to be very difficult. I consulted an online manual, which helped me to some extent, but there were still problems. I couldn't find certain tabs and options in the program, and the manual wasn't written for people unfamiliar with it. In Blender, I explored and learned about grouping objects, camera and lamp positioning, and mapping techniques. I learned a lot about Blender's interface and that I prefer 3DS Max to Blender because it's so much easier to navigate and make complex artwork. To sum it all up, the alternative programs I've used so far this summer aren't as good as the applications they imitate.
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In mid-April, I did a blog post about 3D Studio Max. In that post, I explained why I liked the programmed how excited I was to be continuing working in it. My feelings really haven't changed drastically since. As I've learned new things, I've only become more entranced in the magic of working in 3DS Max. At first, I could only move around simple primitive shapes like spheres and boxes, but then I learned how to manipulate individual vertexes and sides of shapes to make things like tanks and spaceships. I've worked with modifiers to create futuristic worlds and a meadow with flowers, mushrooms, and rocks. More recently I've discovered how to work with splines, 2-D shapes that can be turned into complex 3-D ones to make things like a table with a lamp, vase, and a cup that you can see below. Then I learned about mapping techniques and texturing models. I used that knowledge to make things like broken eggs, rusty barrels, and a fairly realistic space scene. I can make practically everything now, and I'm hungry to consume more knowledge next year when I continue Digital Design and Animation. As I said in a previous blog post, there are some issues in 3DS Max. Most of them, though, have disappeared and/or gotten less noticeable. I've gained more control over bugs and mistakes, and the program takes less time to start up than a month ago, when I started working in it. In conclusion, I am still enjoying working in 3DS Max.
Summary
3-D Studio Max is definitely one of my favorite programs I have worked with all year in class. The workspace consists of four viewports in the center of the screen surrounded by toolbars and a simple shape creation menu containing things like boxes and spheres. You can make virtually anything in the program by manipulating basic shapes. One thing I really like is the freedom I have available to use: I can do anything I want in 3DS Max, from making a simple snowman to a complex spaceship (see above image). Also, it's not too hard to get used to. After a week or so of practice, you're already well prepared and comfortable for what's to come. I'm already rolling along in class. However, 3DS Max isn't all sunshine. It takes a nauseatingly long time to start up and, when it does, often doesn't respond for a few minutes. I've experienced exotic mishaps in the application, forcing me to comply into redoing a project. At times, 3DS Max can be confusing and aggravating, especially when you're knee deep in something absolutely grand and you have to start over completely. Usually working in it is tedious and sometimes time consuming. Although I wish 3DS Max was better, it's also not a bad program. It's genuinely fun to mess around making cool stuff. Perhaps this program really is something special. In conclusion, I'm starting to get excited about the rest of the year and can't wait to work more in 3-D Studio Max. Summary
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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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