Blake Metzler is the Associate Director of 3D Animation at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University(CDIABU). As a man of many talents, Blake has worked as a teacher (New York Film Academy), writer, director, musician, actor, editor, and master of ceremonies (among other roles). His 3D art has appeared in films, video games, architecture, websites, and print.   His work on Episode 604: The Final Project won him the prestigious EVVY Award for Best Animation in 2004. He has also done commercial work for the likes of Polaroid and The Thoreau Society.  He’s an accomplished guitarist and his band PBR has been featured in AMP and Loud Fast Rules Magazine. 

Q1: How did you get your first break in the Gaming/Entertainment Industry?

Ha! That’s assuming that I got a “break” at some point. In all honesty, my first professional job was to create 5 different 30 second animations for an educational DVD. I got that gig through a fellow student and friend I made in grad school who didn’t think he could do it. To be honest, I didn’t think I could either, but that didn’t stop me from grabbing it! I really learned a lot on that project and am a firm believer in trial by fire. So the ‘how’ I got it was by being social, networking and above all having confidence in myself to take on something new. I think that these are all still the key today.

Q2: How much time do you spend, on average, on one particular model?

The answer to that question is not short and is going to depend on tons of variables that would change from project to project: Will the model deform and/or animate? How close to the model will the camera get? Is there a poly count? Etc….. Obviously, I spend much more time on character modeling because of the need for clean geometry and appropriate flow lines. But if it’s a mechanical model, I will care less about n-gons and get it done faster. Ultimately the budget and schedule determine how much time to spend. Artwork is never finished (only abandoned) and I only abandon it after putting in as much time as possible without missing a deadline. On average, I’d say one to two full days of modeling for one model.

Q3: What program do you use for modeling and what 3rd party software do you use to make your job easier?

I’m a 3D generalist through and through. Although I think XSI, 3DS, and even Lightwave have amazing attributes that are better than Maya individually, pound for pound, Maya gives the most ability in the 3D pipeline. Since I think that, I generally use Maya to model, with a heavy dose of Mudbox and/or Z-brush for detailing. Ultimately these are just tools and the tools are bound to change over time, so I don’t get too comfortable with any of them. Oh yeah and (of course) all of the Adobe stuff…

Q4: What is your day like?

I really wish I could answer that with consistency. Currently, I’m the Associate Director of 3D animation at the CDIA at Boston University. On any given day I will be teaching, freelancing, doing research, interviewing, answering e-mails, and working on curriculum from when I wake up until I hit the pillow. The day is impossible to predict and that’s why I like it.

Q5: What influenced you into becoming a 3D Artist?

I was a film major (minored in theater), so naturally after college I made films and got a real job to pay the bills (carpentry and renovation). I was in the emergency room getting stitched up from a table saw injury and thought it might be good to do something a little less hazardous to my health and a little more kind to my wallet. I went to graduate school (originally for web design) and when I took my first 3D elective, it was over.

Q6: Favorite game?  Movie?  Comic Book?

I don’t do favorites… but I’ll give you 3 good ones of each. Game wise, I think the Grand Theft Autos, the Guitar Heroes, and The Final Fantasy series are pivotal. Movie wise, I don’t get behind a flick just because it has good computer generated imagery. The Evil Dead movies, Fight Club and Star Wars (you know which ones) are the first that come to mind. I was a big comic fan when I was younger, so this one is pretty easy; X-men, Spiderman, Spawn.

Q7: What are your tips to staying focused on a large model/project?

Honestly, keep track of everything you do! Even if it means keeping a little journal documenting what you do each day. Also, make schedules, follow through on them and don’t put stuff off! I’ve gotten burnt (as all of you either have or will) by waiting until the last minute to tackle a big project. And leave nothing on the cutting room floor!!! Until super computers all render final gathering and ray-tracing in real-time, we don’t have time to do that!

I want to thank Blake for taking part of this interview.  Apart from being an excellent personage, he is a fantastic resource and a great educator. After a few minutes of working with him, you get the feeling that he puts a great positive energy into whatever he’s working on and brings you along for the ride.  You can view more of Blake Metzlers work from his website.  

ShareThis

3DVIA Challenge 3: Dragsters

This week’s Challenge is titled “Dragsters.”  Create a Top Fuel FunnyCar, Prostock, Super Street or any other type of car you can race on a Drag Strip. If you use 3DVIA Shape to create the model or keep the model under 15000 polygons you recieve bonus points during the Finalists Selection Week.

3DVIA Users: How to participate in this challenge:
1. Be a Registered User of 3DVIA
3DVIA accounts are free, sign up here

2. Upload Your “Dragster” 3D Model by Friday July 11th
Starting on June 30th and running through July 11th 2008, upload your best Dragster model to 3DVIA. Only new to 3DVIA and original work will be considered, 1 submission per user, NO team entries.

3. Tag Your 3D Model “3DVIAChallenge3″
Tag your model with the keyword 3DVIAChallenge3 - you must use this exact tag to enter.

View the Current Models Entered in this Challenge

>> How this challenge will be judged:

1. Voting on this challenge runs from July 14th through July 21th
On July 14nd, we will post and announce the “finalists”…or the best models as chosen by our 3DVIA staff. You will then be able to vote on what you think is the best model. Anyone can vote, but only one will be picked as the best!

Make sure your friends and family come to the site to vote on your creation.

2. The Winner Will Be Announced July 21th
We will post the winner here on July 21th…and announce the next challenge.

View the Current Models Entered in this Challenge

Remember to comment on other users models and tell your friends to submit their own!

ShareThis

Saint Basil

And here is our Champion! A very recent member of the 3DVIA community, meet Arrigo_Silva.

User Name:Arrigo_Silva
3DVIA Member Since: 06.14.2008
Job: Web Designer/Artist
Description:Unknown
Skills: Unknown
Stats:
Number of Models: 1
Total Number of Polygons: 63,195
Total Number of Models Viewed: 50
Total Number of Models Downloaded: 26
Total Number of Comments on Models: 2

Are you the next Champion? 3DVIA Challenge #3 Dragsters! has just begun, head over to the Challenge page and prove you have what it takes to be a 3DVIA Champion!

ShareThis

3DVIA.com is a place where all of those creators and their 3D models can come together to show their results, explore other parts of the 3D model creation world and to learn from each other. Imagination and fun drive the users, which makes 3DVIA.com a place to enjoy yourself!

SolidWorks is an excellent tool for creating 3D models. Those models are used throughout the conceptualization, development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of many of products that we use every day. It is also a creative tool that is used for lots of fun projects. Many SolidWorks models have been uploaded to 3DVIA.com already (you can find them all at one time using this link).

One thing you may notice about some of the uploaded SolidWorks models, is that the models aren’t oriented in a natural way. They’re often lying on their side or on their back. This post is meant to help you avoid that when you upload your SolidWorks models.

The first image shows a model (by “anonymous”) as oriented in SolidWorks after I downloaded it from 3D Content Central. After I created a 3DXML file in SolidWorks (by using the drop-down list in either SolidWorks 2007 or 2008 to “Save as type:” 3DXML), I uploaded it to my free 3DVIA.com account. The second and third images show the results when I displayed it in first the 3D XML Player and then the 3DVIA Player.

What happened? It all comes down to where your axes are in your SolidWorks model. SolidWorks uses the Reference Triad to indicate this. The following is from SolidWorks Help (with my highlight of the triad).

If you don’t see a triad at all in your models, use the simple 1-2 steps shown in the image above to turn the triad back on.

The image below shows the DEFAULT SolidWorks triad on the left, and the way we want it to be oriented on the right.

Depending on your default part and assembly template files, your triad may be in a totally different orientation. Whatever spatial orientation your files are in, you can download and use the appropriate SolidWorks assembly file template below to easily get good upload results without changing your own templates.

sw_2007_3dvia_upload.ASMDOT  or  sw_2008_3dvia_upload.ASMDOT

Just be sure to put them where you can find them and use “Tools>Options>System Options>File Locations>Default Templates” to make their location easily accessible within SolidWorks.

Each template’s default opening screen has the triad placed correctly and a standard view added (just hit the space bar to see the list), so that you can easily go back to the “3DVIA Upload” view.

Whether you have a SolidWorks part or assembly, the fastest way to get it oriented correctly is to open a new assembly using the new downloaded template. If your model is already open and shows as a choice to insert into your new assembly, then select it and click the green check. This will put the model at the origin in your new assembly.

Or, you can split your viewing screen (”Window>Tile Horizontally”), so that you can see your model and the new assembly. Click on your model’s title in the Feature Manager Design Tree and drag and drop it onto the origin in the Feature Manager Design Tree of the new file. Don’t worry about orientation, just get it in there.

Save it with some appropriate name so that you won’t forget that it has been re-oriented.

Now, go into the Feature Manager Design Tree of the new file and right click on the name of the item that you brought in and then click on “Float” in the resulting list of choices.

A

All of the mates you carefully set up in the parent model will stay locked as you spin the model to the orientation that you want it to show up on 3DVIA.com using “Rotate Component” or “Move with triad”. You are only trying to get it in the ballpark, not exactly where you want it.

 I use “Rotate Component” because I can whip it around in all three axes, rather than one at a time. While you do this, your reference triad should not move. Do not use “Rotate View” or you’ll have to go back to the pre-set view to correct your triad position.

Next, you’ll need to mate the planes to match your new view. This will ensure that your model sits on the floor, rather than being at an odd angle. Depending on your naming conventions, you may have “Front, Top, and Right”; “1,2, and 3″; or goodness only knows what else. Just match up the closest plane in the model to the closest plane in the assembly. Create coincident mates one by one until your model is locked in .

Now, after a ctrl Q and a save, you’ll be ready to save it as a 3DXML file. Please note that the shadows still won’t show correctly until the file is saved, closed, and reopened.

When your 3DXML file is uploaded to your model selection at 3DVIA.com, it will display correctly in the thumbnail and in both 3D players.

There are always many ways to do anything in SolidWorks, so feel free to follow your own path, based on your own experience. This is just one reliable way to get good results.

Please be aware that 3DVIA.com has an upload file size limit of 10MB, so be sure to check the size of your file before you try to upload it. The upload process will assume that the file is within the limit, so it chugs merrily along (while you wait and wait) and then, at the end, if it’s too big it gives you an error.

If your file is too big you can zip it and (as long as the resulting zip file is now less than 10MB) you should be OK to upload.

Now you can quickly modify and upload your SolidWorks models to 3DVIA.com and know that other folks will see them the way you intended. Have fun exploring all of the other models - there’s a lot to see.

P.S. Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions or suggestions.

ShareThis

Most of us realize that 3D is an abbreviation for three-dimensional— a concept we apply to everyday life and understand. We live in a 3D world where we can walk around objects, pick them up and see them from all sides. But how does this relate to computers, movies, brochures and all the media we see everyday claiming to use 3D? Perhaps the best way to understand 3D is to start with 2D.  

Below we see a 2D image of a bowl of water with floating tea lights. In this image, the artist has given the illusion of depth through shading techniques. It looks as though the bowl is three dimensional, but it in fact is not. The bowl and its surrounding environment are flat, and for eternity will only be viewed from the perspective they were painted (unless the artist sketches from another angle).

Here we see several images of a house created using 3D software. Next to the house is the 2D image described above. As we move around the house we can see that it has depth, whereas the 2D image is flat. Unlike 2D, 3D objects can be viewed from infinite angles, as well as moved from place to place, just like objects in the real world. The images we see below are merely “photographs” (known as renders in the 3D industry) where a 3D artist has navigated around the house on the computer and taken snapshots from interesting angles.

Hopefully, the above example better defines what 3D is, but perhaps you’re now wondering why even bother. Why spend the time to build a 3D object and render it when you can take two seconds to snap a photo of its real-world counterpart and get the same result? The reason is control. It’s true, 3D can produce the same photorealistic effects a digital camera can; however, with 3D every variable can be controlled and manipulated. Imagine a photographer who could control the weather, add more branches to a tree, change the color of the sky, etc., and you would have a 3D artist. In addition to realistic objects, 3D software has the ability to create believable, non-realistic objects as we see often in movies (e.g., the fantasy characters in The Lord of the Ring movies, the cities in the latest Star Wars movies, etc.).  

When trying to understand 3D, it is best to think about it in the context of real life. While 3D objects and their 3D environments may not exist outside of computer confines, they behave in the same way real-world objects do, and for all intents and purposes, can be thought of as such.  

ShareThis

Use the form at the bottom of this post to pick your favorite model from the group. Voting for the best entry will be open through Sunday with the winner being announced on Monday of next week.

Our Finalists: (Voting Box Below Images)

 vahearmenia: Citadel of Erebouni

ShareThis

Peter is a Production Artist at Turbine Entertainment working on Lord of the Rings Online Massively Multi-player Online Game.  He’s also worked for Electronic Arts, Sony Interactive and Vivendi Universal on such titles as Bulletproof, Everquest II and James Bond: From Russia with Love.  Along with his professional duties, he also teaches at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University (CDIABU) in Massachusetts USA.  His 2D illustration work has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald and the Chicago Tribune.

Q1:  How did you get your first break in the Gaming/Entertainment Industry?
 
My first few opportunities were as a subcontractor for some rather unsuccessful titles.  I had interviewed with Ballistic Pixel (BP) Lab back in 2003 to work their then Middle Earth Online contract with Turbine Games. I unfortunately had to turn the job down due to pay requirements, but I guess I left a good impression.  When I worked at CDIA BU, BP contacted me to do some subcontract work.  I mainly did some props, but I did get one character. The important thing for me was the end client names like  Sony Interactive, Vivendi Universal and Electronic Arts.  Doing less than glamorous work was okay.

Q2:  How much time do you spend, on average, on one particular model?
 
When you’re in production, you need to be aware of deadlines. You have to learn to not only produce high quality, but also in a timely matter.  I typically spend anywhere between 5-15 days on a character depending on its complexity and importance.

Q3:  What program do you use for modeling and what 3rd party software do you use to make your job easier?
 
I mainly model in Maya, but I use Zbrush for high resolution models.  It’s a Maya to Zbrush work-flow at the moment.  I imagine in the future I may cut out Maya altogether. UV layout by Headus is by far the best 3rd party software I have come across in a while. The hardest part used to be getting your UV’s just right, now UV layout takes all the guess work out.  It’s awesome. I also have to mention Crazybump and Xnormal, both incredible software to produce high quality Normal Maps with ease.

Q4:  What is your day like?

Work, work and more work, but that’s how I like it :)
 
I usually get in around 9:30 and get right to work. I take lunch at 11:30 for an hour or so. The afternoon is where I spend my time really getting into what I’m working on, surfing the web for textures, etc.  I make sure to keep EVERY image I find for reference or overlays. I typically listen to my favorite TV shows or movies while I work.
 
Sometimes I skip lunch and practice Zbrush, but I’ve always got a good cup of cereal to get me through.

 
Q5:  What influenced you into becoming a 3D Artist?
 
Well, I started off my career in traditional illustration. I was pretty successful, but was always concerned about full time employment.  I am not the sort of illustrator to get into concept; guess I’m not all that imaginative, but I love to create.  Being a Production Artist just seemed the perfect fit. Maybe someday I’ll paint again, who knows.
 
Q6:  Favorite game? Movie? Comic Book?
 
My favorite game… that’s tough.  I’m kind of old school, but you have to remember the roots.  Let me give you my top 5 in no particular order: Bionic Commando (NES), Metroid (NES, N64, GC,  Wii), Dragon’s Lair (Arcade), Zelda (NES, N64, GC,  Wii), Pac Man (arcade). 
 
My favorite Movie? Here’s a few: The 40 Year Old Virgin, Van Wilder, Billy Madison, Clerks, Naked Gun, Airplane, The Natural, Unbreakable, Raiders of the Lost Ark, August Rush, Austin Powers, Major Payne, Office Space, Strange Brew, The Rundown, Better off Dead, and One Crazy Summer. I could go on and on but I’ll stop with just one more:  Spaceship… horribly awesome!

Q7:  What are your tips to staying focused on a large model/project?

That’s easy, I just think of all the crappy jobs I had before this and remember how much fun it is to do anything on LOTRO!

Peter was one of my teachers at CDIA, and I was always impressed by his energy and endless instant knowledge of Maya and how things work.  He’s tirelessly tinkering and improving on his work making all of his art look fantastic.  Peter’s website is currently going through renovations but as soon as it’s available I’ll edit the post and add a comment so you can all see his jaw dropping images.   And we may be adding some images soon of his work with Lord of The Rings Online.   Thank you Pete for doing the interview!

ShareThis

Next, we need to be sure that we really know what we’re seeing. If you are drawing an object on a piece of paper, you always know where your lines are - on the paper. You’ll never be surprised that one of the lines you just drew is actually on the back side of the paper, or on its edge, or has just plain disappeared. In 3D space there are all kinds of such surprises.

That’s why being able to confidently move around in 3D space is so important. If I draw a simple rectangle, a line from corner to corner, and then a vertical line without changing my viewpoint - I can end up not knowing where it went. The first image below demonstrates this confusing state of affairs. I can change my model color, as I’ve done in the second image, but that takes time. If I simply change my viewpoint, as in the third image, it’s easy to see where the line is and that it went where I wanted it to go.

If I have a more complicated model, it is even more important to be able to zoom around and in and out to check up on what I’m really creating. In the first image, I think that I’m drawing a line across the gray face of the model. Once I move my viewpoint, I see that my line is heading somewhere else entirely. If I had continued to model without checking, I would have been really surprised later.

The value of knowing where you are is even more apparent when you see the whole crazy asteroid that this is part of:

“What?”; you say, “Of course it’s hard to see - where did all the lines go?” That brings up the importance of knowing about the “Environment” button (or just use F4 and be done with it) to be able to see all of the edges to help guide your modeling.

“Enough already! You’ve convinced me. Now, how do I do all of this amazing rotating and zooming and everything?” I’m glad you asked.  Depending on which part of your brain you like to use, we have multiple tools to help you.

For those who love video presentations with avatars; there are video tutorials created using TVnima.com. (The “Navigation” tutorial is, oddly, at the end of the list, rather than at the beginning.)

If you prefer more traditional tutorials, we’ve got a bunch of those too. (The “Viewing in 3D” section is the first item under the “Using 3DVIA Shape Tools” heading.)

And we have a quick synopsis right here from an excellent and more complete blog post on the subject done by Rodd back in November.

By now, I hope you are ready to find your way around your model in 3D space and avoid some of the more likely surprises. Then again, there is always my favorite button on the screen:

Undo!

P.S. If you have specific questions about this blog post or previous ones, you can ask me directly, now that we have Messaging!

Go to Episode 2!

Go to Episode 1!

ShareThis

In order to help reach this goal, we are creating a “What’s New on 3DVIA” column to establish a direct line of communication between our users and R&D.  That’s right — I’m a developer!  By now, you might have seen me around the site.

In this update, I’d like two highlight two new features that I am especially happy to see on 3DVIA: pervasive activity feeds and direct messaging.

3DVIA Messaging

Since I started working here at 3DVIA, by far the most common user request has been a way to communicate directly and privately with other users.  Until now, users were forced to leave comments on models as the their only means of communication.  The communication system was broken and we knew it.  Today we are introducing 3DVIA Messaging as the first part of our solution to this problem.  Let’s take a look…

One of the first things you’ll notice when you log into the revamped “My 3DVIA” area is a new section in the right sidebar called “Toolbox.”  The Toolbox is, as it sounds, your arsenal of tools interacting with 3DVIA.

The latest addition to this arsenal is your Inbox which is your hub for communicating directly with other 3DVIA users. Here’s a shot of my new messages screen:

Our inbox functions in a similar fashion to other communication systems you are used to such as Facebook and e-mail. It also guarantees your privacy, because your real e-mail address is never given out during the messaging process.

Users can send you a message through our new revamped profile pages. These pages are linked from just about anywhere your username is mentioned, and can also be found by searching users. Take a look at my profile, for instance. On the right sidebar, you’ll see a new area called “Connect with username.”

Aside from adding the user as a contact, which you’ll understand the usefulness of shortly, you can now send the user a direct message. The user will be notified by e-mail so they have no excuse for ignoring you!

Activity Feeds

A couple of months ago, we introduced an activity feed on the home page that helps users to keep up with what’s going on on the site.  Recently, we also added an atom feed so you can subscribe for updates via a feed reader. Though we started small, we’ve always had big plans for activity feeds.  Today, I think we can say that 3DVIA activity feeds have grown up.

With this release, activity feeds are now much more pervasive throughout the site.  The first of two new feeds we are delivering is on the user profile page.  It shows activity from a single user only, so if you want to keep tabs on a particular user, this is the best way to do it.

Another way to to follow a user, is to add that user as a contact from the link in the screenshot above.  Doing so will cause the user’s activity to display in our second new feed, which shows on your “My 3DVIA” page.  Since this feed is an aggregation of all of your 3DVIA contacts, its now the easiest way to stay in touch with all of your friends on the site.  Here is a screenshot of what your feed will look like if you have several contacts:

We think this is a great addition that will help people stay in touch and we hope it will help you create a bigger audience for your 3D art.  There is more in store for the 3DVIA activity feeds, so stay tuned!

I hope you have enjoyed our first installment of “What’s New on 3DVIA.”  What you’ve read are just a couple highlights from our most recent release so I encourage you to poke around the site to find out what else is new.

For more pictures from this release, visit our Flickr set.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment or send me a direct message!

ShareThis

3DVIA Challenge 2: Monuments of the World

This weeks Challenge is titled “Monuments of the World”. Create the building, statue, memorial or ruin that is the pride of your country.   If you use 3DVIA Shape to create the model or keep the model under 5000 polygons you receive bonus points during the Finalists Selection Week.

UPDATE! Microsoft Virtual Earth - 3DVIA Users Scroll Down for your way to enter.

3DVIA Users: How to participate in this challenge:
1. Be a Registered User of 3DVIA
3DVIA accounts are free, sign up here

2. Upload Your “Monument” 3D Model by Friday June 20th
Starting on June 9th and running through June 20th 2008, upload your best World Monument model to 3DVIA. Only new to 3DVIA and original work will be considered, 1 submission per user, NO team entries.

3. Tag Your 3D Model “3DVIAChallenge2″
Tag your model with the keyword 3DVIAChallenge2 - you must use this exact tag to enter.

View the Current Models Entered in this Challenge

>> How this challenge will be judged:

1. Voting on this challenge runs from June 23nd through June 30th
On June 23nd, we will post and announce the “finalists”…or the best models as chosen by our 3DVIA staff. You will then be able to vote on what you think is the best model. Anyone can vote, but only one will be picked as the best!

Make sure your friends and family come to the site to vote on your creation.

2. The Winner Will Be Announced June 30th
We will post the winner here on June 30th…and announce the next challenge.

View the Current Models Entered in this Challenge

Remember to comment on other users models and tell your friends to submit their own!

Microsoft Virtual Earth - 3DVIA Users

Users of our 3D modeling application for Microsoft Virtual Earth can submit their models for the challenge as well. Simply post a link to the shared collection that contains your entry as a comment below. The collection should contain that model only!

If your Virtual Earth submitted model is selected as a finalist, we will post a thumbnail of your model on the voting post with a link to the collection that contains it.

ShareThis

The Tank

And here is our Champion! A very active member of the 3DVIA community, MVComputers is also a member of a prominent Unreal Tournament clan! 

User Name:MVComputers
3DVIA Member Since:   09.22.2007
Job: Computer Engineer
Description:   I’m a computer junkie and a hard core Unreal Tournament gamer. I became interested in designing my own maps for UT and discovered 3DS Max was the best way to create meshes for the game. It’s just a hobby at best but I have only been using 3DS Max for about a year and a half now. I am self taught so it will take some time before I get really good at it. LOL

Skills:   3DS MAX, PS CS3, Unreal ED, Computer systems development.

Stats:
Number of Models: 15
Total Number of Polygons: 9,274,542
Total Number of Models Viewed: 1086
Total Number of Models Downloaded: 2281
Total Number of Comments on Models: 37
Affiliation: Aardvark Warrior Klan

Are you the next Champion? 3DVIA Challenge #2 has just begun, head over to the Challenge page and prove you have what it takes to be a 3DVIA Champion!

ShareThis

As in any endeavor, he had to start at the beginning and learn how to exploit the strengths and work around the foibles of Shape. The available online video tutorials are a start and also a good place to return when you’re frustrated/confused or if you just want to know more about a particular tool. The online documentation is another good place to look.

One very valuable source of help for the Shape modeler is that the program itself is eager to help you as you work. Shape is constantly providing you with onscreen choices to help you quickly get your ideas down. Most things that we want to make as humans have square corners and flat or vertical surfaces. We want our walls to stand up straight and our rooms to have flat floors and doors that work. Shape knows this and tries to help.

The most basic thing we can create in Shape is a line. Seems simple enough, right? Well, sort of…because one simple thing can take away the help that Shape is so eager to give.

In the earliest version of Shape, a line was drawn by selecting the line tool and then left-clicking where you wanted the line to start and then holding the button down while you dragged the line to where you wanted it to end. Then you released the button and you had your line. Shape helped you make sure that your line was flat and square to other parts of your model by providing feedback. The line would change color and show angles as you moved the mouse.

Unfortunately, usability studies showed that that is not the way that most people intuitively used their mouse to draw a line. So, it was changed.

The black line was drawn using the old method and looks parallel with the grid and good to build off, but when you draw your next line, you’ll find that you’re off by 1 degree, which will cause no end of problems throughout the rest of your model.

Now, the method is to select the line tool, then left-click at the start of the line AND THEN RELEASE THE MOUSE BUTTON before you drag your line to where you want it to end - then left-click again to finish the line.

As you move your mouse, you will see the clues that Shape provides. The line turns yellow when it is parallel or perpendicular to surfaces and other parts of your model as well as giving angular measurements and showing you which plane you’re drawing on. If you hold the left button down while dragging, you’ll lose all of those helpful clues.

If you use the new method, Shape will help you by showing the line in yellow when it really is parallel with the grid. So, when you put your next line in it will be a true 90 degree angle and you can continue modelling with confidence that everything will be square.

So, remember to click and release to start and end a line and you’ll be square (in a good way, I mean).

Go to Episode 1!

Go to Episode 3!

ShareThis

 

Welcome everyone to 3DVIA’s first Featured Artist interview!  In these posts we aim to ask industry veteran 3D Artists a few questions and showcase their work for our community members.  Today’s Featured Artist is Bryan Silva.  Bryan  worked for Rockstar New England (formerly MadDoc Software) creating a wide variety of game models and is currently working for Image Movers Digital, the company behind Polar Express and Beowulf.  The bad boy in the image above is none other than Danny Trejo, and is one of the models created by Bryan in 3D. 

  How did you get your first break in the Gaming/Entertainment Industry?

 I spent a lot of time at online forums like Polycount and CGTalk posting my work and getting critiques. I sought out tutorials that would help me learn the software I was using. Then I started getting emails from people working at game companies that had seen my work on the forums. None of those materialized into a job offer for me, though. I had a few art tests sent to me that also never materialized.  I sent myself to GDC two times before ever landing a job in the game industry. The experience of attending was great. They have tutorials that you can attend where industry professionals share their knowledge with conference attendees. I learned a lot from those tutorials. Plus GDC is a great environment to network with industry professionals. I remember I had gone to Kinkos and printed business cards with my name, number, my online portfolio url  and what I was good at doing in 3d. I started to apply to game  studios and it took a little over a year to get an onsite interview. The developer that ended up hiring me had my resume on file from a year earlier when I had applied. It was so out of the blue I was very surprised and happy.

  How much time do you spend, on average, on one particular model?

While in the game industry two weeks to a month to do a character. When it’s a personal project I tend to spend more time on it than I could on the job. Im now in the film industry working on blend shapes. I usually spend one to 3 days on a shape depending on its complexity.

  What program do you use for modeling, and what 3rd party software do you use to make your job easier?

3dsmax with Polyboost, Polygon Cruncher, Crazybump, Maya with NEX, proprietary scripts at my job, Mudbox, Zbrush.

  What is your day like?

I work on blendshapes for a film that is completely CG. There are actors that I create shapes for as well as shapes for the characters based on those actors. There are rounds daily where your work is reviewed by your superiors. Weekly meetings. Dailies, where artists submit their work to be reviewed by other departments and studio heads. It’s a really great environment. Its really exciting to see progress. In games, you get to do a whole character which is great, but you don’t have as much time or technology to devote to the character. In film you work on one part of the characters’ creation, and everyone who works on it, nails the part he or she is working on. Its really nice to see it come together.

  What influenced you into becomming a 3D Artist?

My love of comic book art from McFarlane, Greg Capullo, Dale Keown, Steven Platt, led me indirectly to 3d. I remember recreating a panel for a comic book. Falling in love with all the details those artists put into their work. I wanted to be a part of animation and the lack of details in traditional animation led me to 3d animation.

  Favorite game? Favorite Movie? Favorite Comic Book?

I think my favorite game was Resident Evil. I remember being so captivated and actually jumping from the suspence. Movie, man, I can’t call it. Too many favorites. Spawn was my favorite comic of all time.

  What are your tips to staying focused on a large model/project?

I think 3d is a pleasure to do. I am so happy that I don’t wake up dreading going into work. I even work on personal projects outside of work. Staying focused shouldn’t be a problem in this line of work in my opinion.

We want to thank Bryan for taking part in this interview.  I personally learned a lot from his answers and by just looking at the work on his site.  Make sure you guys check out his website, and post all your comments here!

ShareThis

This competition was inspired by the success of the Khufu experience, a VR show which simulated the creation of the pyramids in Egypt. The Khufu experience was first debuted as a one-day exhibit at La Geode in March 2007, and was such a hit that it is now a daily exhibit. Learn more about the Khufu VR Experience here.

The competition consists of 2 Phases, after which, your team could be the winner of a 75,000 3D Projector from BARCO!

Phase 1

Due Date: September 12th, 2008
Create your team, and build your project write-up, storyboard and technical specifications.  Submit them by the deadline with your application pack.

10 Projects will be selected from the submissions to continue on to Phase 2, receiving 1,500 euros and Virtools licenses for each team.

Phase 2

Runs from October 1st, 2008 to March 1st, 2009
Create the pilot using 3DVIA Virtools for online broadcast and in a virtual reality environment.

The pilots will be judged by jury at the March Laval Virtual 2009.  Top 3 winners will win 75,000 euros worth of software and equiptment including a  3D Projector from BARCO!

It seems to me that our 3DVIA Community is the perfect place to start something like this; we’ve just hit 20,000 users, you guys have work constantly moving through the warehouse, and we’ve already started making the connections. Shape power-users, I’m looking at you — let’s get something going!

Find out more, download the rules and register your team at www.3ds.com/vrexperience
Download the registration pack here.

Employees and representatives of Dassault Systemes, La Geode and Barco NV are not permitted to participate in the VR Experience Competition.

ShareThis

Use the form at the bottom of this post to pick your favorite model from the group. Voting for the best entry will be open through Sunday with the winner being announced on Monday of next week.

Our Finalists: (Voting Box Below Images)

ShareThis

 Often once you build a vehicle, you want it to do everything well, to handle any obstacle and take on entire countries by itself!  What started out as a troop transport, is now an amphibious Monster Truck with 8 gun turrets, 18 missiles, 40 rocket launchers and 2 miles per gallon that has the seating capacity of a small stadium!  We get carried away in our excitement and lose focus on what the vehicle’s role is.  In this blog we’ll look at some of the things we usually forget when creating a new vehicle, and talk about the design.

Whats Missing?

 Each vehicle is designed and created to play a particular role or fulfill a tactical need: Recon/Scout, Anti Personnel, Anti Armor, Troop Transport, Main Tank, Long range support, Infantry Support, Bombers, Assault.  Keep in mind that your vehicle is not all of these at the same time, but it can be a hybrid of two.  For example a Fighter-Bomber or an Assault-Tank.

Another thing we usually forget are the things that our vehicle needs:  Engines, weapon power sources, ammo drums or compartments, crew space, emergency escapes, armor panels.  Sometimes we stack so many things in a vehicle and then realize we only left space for a AA battery or 2 sleeping quarters in a space ship with a crew of 30.

You may think I’m crazy but all of these details matter.   These are things you may not notice, but you feel something is missing on the model.   Models that are functional, are more exciting than models that make you guess at how many chickens are powering the 2 square foot engine.

Design

Who’s driving the vehicle?  What environment is the vehicle most likely to be in? Whats the daily routine of the vehicle?   The more you know and figure out about your vehicle the more detailed and alive it becomes.  For example, a large cammoflauged tractor with a mini gun might do great against that alien bovine invasion but do nothing for the wheat field the farmer is supposed to be using it in.  Change it to a bright red tractor with an air conditioned cab, a cooler in the back, a shotgun in a golf bag and a large radio antennae on the top and its the farmers dream vehicle.   

Combat vehicles follow the same line of thinking.  You figure out its combat role and give it 2-3 weapon systems that will help it fulfill its role.  Don’t add things “just in case” you run into an aircraft carrier!  If its a troop transport, its main role is to carry infantry safely to  where they can be best used.  Its main armament is actually armor, second would be a machine gun to provide cover fire,  and third maybe smoke launchers to protect itself and its passengers as they disembark.   Another great addition would be to allow the infantry to shoot through gun ports adding to the fire power of the transport.   Its definitely vulnerable to heavy weapons but it has the tools to fulfill its role.

 Look back over some of the vehicle’s you’ve created so far, and see if there is anything you can add to make it more life like and functional.  Use them as a stepping stone and make the next vehicles you make that much better.   In my next blog, we’ll talk about creating units for a game, faction influence and game balancing.

-Juan

ShareThis

We are also currently up over 2,400 free 3D models in the public warehouse and thousands more stored in private collections. 

Have you read Juan’s 3D Tutorials yet or seen our latest series by Don covering user m2morgan64 efforts to create a game starting with our own free 3D modeling application 3DVIA Shape?

ShareThis

Without trying, he has exemplified what 3DVIA is all about - trying to help 3D become an enjoyable part of people’s lives - in the way that they want it to be.

He has employed his substantial creativity and imagination to use Shape in ways that few users have. In particular, his use of curves as a central part of his models is very sophisticated.

BBD Class Star Fighter                                         TD Class Star Fighter

 And it’s not just a couple of starships…it’s a whole slew of them!

Now we get to the humble pie part. I tried to recreate just one of his models in order to encourage more curvy modeling in a post - and I couldn’t figure it out. Wah! So, rather than crying in the corner, I flat-out asked him how he did it and he most generously provided over 100 pages of how-to tutorials (with lots of pictures for slow learners like me).

This whole series of blog posts will be based on that mega-doc from m2morgan64, with his permission and consultation as needed. I’ll also be adding in some other basic tips that I find from experience, learn from other users (feel free to send additions, corrections, and improvements) and from re-visiting the available online tutorials. We’ll also follow his game development process as it evolves.

m2morgan64 realizes that his game is quite an endeavor for one person, so he’s hoping others will check out his blog about his plans and contribute models if you want to. There’s a group discussion thread where he outlines what he’s looking for.

So, fasten your zero-gravity belts and stay tuned as we head for piracy in the heavens!

Go to Episode 2!

Go to Episode 3!

ShareThis

I recently posted a 3D Model on 3DVIA that asked you to spot the fake crate from the “real” crate.  I am going to go through the process of how I made it in this blog.

Modeling the full detail Crate

This was fun to make! A nice simple crate that everyone can make at home.  I started with a cube in Maya.  Made a few cuts around the sides and pushed the faces in.  I then did a similar step to the top and bottom by selecting the face, extruding, shrinking it a little and pushing it in.

Next I made a long cube . Make it just the same length as the pushed in sides.  I then used the bevel tool to smooth the corners of the this cube along with the corners of the crate. I then duplicated the long cube and scaled it so that it became thinner, and used it as the wood paneling on the sides, top and bottom.  Crate Complete.

 Texturing
This is where all the work happens.  In order to make the simple box look like the real box, I used an occlusion and a normal map.  I’ve spoken about occlusion before.  Its a process by which you create realistic shading based on distance to other object, giving everything a real weight. 
A Normal map, is a process that records the surface normals of an object as a texture, so when light passes over a bumpy object, it changes accordingly. Now because this object is the same on each of its sides we can either render the occlusion and normal maps to a texture (this process is called “baking”) or we can do an occlusion and normal render of one side of the crate and repeat the texture on each side by stacking the uv shells.  I chose to stack my uv shells for this demo.

Layer the occlusion with the wood texture in Photoshop and then apply to both the simple crate and the real crate.  They should look pretty much the same now except for one thing.  You can still tell the box is flat compared to the real crate.  This is where the normal map makes its magic. After I apply it to the box, the light will react to the flat surface as if it had all the groves and bumps of the real crate, making them really difficult to distinguish.

These techniques are the foundations of great game modeling, able to keep the quality of a high polygon model with the speed of the low polygon version.  Go ahead, try to Spot the Fake!

http://www.3dvia.com/jdelrio/media/9159758799ABBD8F

ShareThis

Every other week (or so), we’ll announce a new 3DVIA challenge asking you to submit your best work based upon a set list of guidelines. Each challenge will be different and will have you testing your 3D modeling skills against thousands of other modelers. For our first challenge, we start with a very popular content type on the site…military vehicles under the theme of ” The Military Might”.

3DVIA Challenge 1: The Military Might!

With Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day coming up, we thought we would celebrate our first contest by asking you to submit your best 3D military vehicle. That means no sci-fi models for this contest (we’ll save that for another challenge) just current or previous era military related vehicles. Planes, tanks, ships…you choose, just upload it today.

How to participate in this challenge:

1. Be a Registered User of 3DVIA
3DVIA accounts are free, sign up here.

2. Upload Your “Military Themed” 3D Model by Friday May 30th
Starting on May 19th and running through May 30th 2008, upload your best military vehicle model to 3DVIA. Only new to 3DVIA and original work will be considered, 1 submission per user, NO team entries.

3. Tag Your 3D Model “3DVIAChallenge1″
Tag your model with the keyword 3DVIAChallenge1 - you must use this exact tag to en