Project 1- Part 1

Story

The story is about a rat racing around a track on a mousetrap car. He saw a big table tennis trophy lying beside the track and found an inspiration. The rat does not have friends and is weak in his studies. However, he has a talent in playing table tennis. Thus, when he saw the trophy, he decided to take part in the upcoming table tennis competition to boost his self-confidence.

Shape

Since I have learned about many different tools for my previous assignments, I am going to use and apply them for helping me model the trophy.

The trophy parts consist :

Base, platform, the body and the table tennis racket

Tools :

• Polygon cubes - to start making the base and platform of the trophy
• Polygon cylinder - for the body (v-shaped “steps”)
• Bevel - to make all the edges of the polygon cubes become smoother
• Extrude tool - to help in extruding the base and some parts of the body
• Texture - add texture on the surfaces of both sides of the table tennis racket
• Boolean tool - to make the hole at the bottom of the trophy
• Align tool - align all the part properly

I chose the trophy as model because I feel that it consists of different shapes and angles. This allows me to apply many techniques that I learned in IN3D. Overall, I think the difficulty of the trophy lies in the construction of the body and the texture of the table tennis racket. This is because it will be a challenge for me to make the uneven surfaces of the body that resembles a bamboo shoot (steps) as I need to align the “steps” with the inner portion.

Design

Photos of the trophy

        Front View                         Right-sided View                 Top View

         Back View                        Left-sided View                   Bottom View


Sketches of the trophy

Research
From this video, I can roughly figure out how to start modeling the table tennis racket. Thus, i find this video quite useful to me. :)

This tutorial video showed us how to do extrude and edge constraints. I can apply this for modeling the trophy's platform.

Week 5

Texture

In this exercise, we learnt how to add texture to the blocks.

Reflection :
After doing this exercise, I have learnt a new thing which is using blinn tool to add the texture to my models. In between, I was puzzled why the model looks weird and does not look like what I expected. After that, I found that I never render it. When I rendered the model, it gave the outcome that I expected. I feel that it is quite interesting for me. Different textures are used for different models. Overall, the exercise was easy and I can finish adding the texture for my models in a short time. 

Week 4 _lab 2 (E-learning)

Does multi-tasking give you a real or false sense of having accomplished something?

Although multi-tasking can allow me to get things many things done in a short timeframe, it gives me a false sense of accomplishment as I do not feel that I have completed something. This is because I am not able to concentrate on doing each task and completing it with full effort as I need to do other tasks concurrently.

Is learning 3D and design different from learning programming, or is all learning the same? Why?

Yes, it is absolutely different. For me, programming is something more complicated as we need to memorize all the codes and their functions. Sometimes there will be some errors that we need to find it out and use the knowledge we have learned to solve it. While learning 3D design, we can try to design something new and special that we like as compared with learning programming. It requires our creativity and technique to apply it.

The article states that “Learning is actually a very complex operation for an individual”. Do you agree with this? Do you feel that you approach your learning in the best way – if yes, how, and if no, how can you change your work style?

Yes learning is indeed very complex for an individual. For me, I have a poor memory and have difficulty memorizing the things that I have learned. Sometimes, I will take very long to absorb the contents and thus have to seek help from my lecturers and friends. I prefer to learn or revise with a group of friends.

What are your thoughts about the last paragraph in the extract?

I will agree with the writer about doing something really hard rather than do really easy stuffs (just like the law students). In life, if you always choose the easier way out, you will never be able to reach your maximum potential.

Should your lecturers also focus on your work attitude, or just leave you to sink or swim on your own? Why?

I think my lecturers should focus on both. No doubt we should be given the space to grow and shine, we might be lost midway without the proper guidance from our lecturers. 

Week 3: Lab 2

Track Modeling

Exercise 1

During this lab, we learn to model different sections of track, a straight section and 

a curved section.

Straight section of track

Curved section of track


Reflection : 

When I was doing this exercise, the process is rather smooth and the tutorial is quite easy to follow. Thus, I didn't face much problems. However, there were some steps that i can't understand and follow. After seeking help from my teacher, I can continue my exercise and complete it. In this section, I can learn how to do different sections of track by using the Create Polygon Tool, the Insert Edge Loop Tool and outliner. We just need to do an adjustment in the Create Bend Deformer Options dialog and set Curvature to 1, the track can be turned into a curved track easily.

Modeling an Antique Washboard

Exercise 2

In this section, we use box modeling to create the elements of an antique washboard and assemble them using the align tool then link the objects together...  

Antique Washboard

Reflection : 

Actually when I was modeling this wasboard, I can follow all the steps except for the align tool which is used to place all the parts together. It was very difficult for me to do the adjustment because I don't really know how to use the panels to align the parts. Thus, I use the move tool to shift the parts to where I wanted it to be. Overall, it is rather enjoyable and was not a very difficult exercise.  :)

Week 2: Lab 2

Gear & Cardboard Box Modeling

Learning how to extrude faces and make a gear

Gear

  

Exercise 1 :

Make a cardboard modeling

Original Box

Exercise 2 :

Create another cardboard box, but this time one of the flaps must be torn and hanging off

Torn box

Reflection : I had problem understanding the tutorial from the start thus I have to redo the boxes over and over again. After many attempts, I finally managed to construct the boxes. Though it is very time consuming, I find the process very interesting and will look forward to constructing other models.

Week 2: Lab 1

Toy Blocks Modeling

Exercise 1 :

Learning how to do some basic block shapes

Basic block shapes

Exercise 2 :
Using Boolean and Beveling objects to make a
toy train

Reflection :  This is a very fun exercise that allowed me to see how various shapes can be combined to form an object. I am amazed by how a polygon can be transformed into many different forms. Did not face major difficulty when constructing the train.

Week 1: Lab 2

 Original robot

      

                                Front View                                           Side View

Modified robot

     
             

               Front View

Side View

Mobot is created by me to solve my daily problems. Mobot has the brain of a genius to help me complete my tutorials and projects. Other than tapping on the world for information through her radar cones, she can type at 20 times the speed of an average person. Over the weekends, I would activate Mobot's domestic function to clean the ceiling and hard to reach areas at home. Her legs are designed in stainless steel spring to ensure she can propel to high places. With her constant contact with water due to the cleaning, stainless steel material is used to prevent rusting. The base of Mobot is fitted with wheels to enhance her speed in mopping of floors. Mobot will retreat to rest at night when all tasks are done. Apart from snoozing, she loves to play on the Nintendo Wii and aspire to take part in a global gaming competition held specially for intelligent robots.

Mobot's companion

Reflection : 

I enjoyed the process of constructing Mobot from scratch. Took a lot of time to turn her from side to side to ensure the parts are where they are intended to be. This exercise gave me freedom to design a robot according to my imagination. A good start for me to practice MAYA.

IN3D Week 1: Lab 1 Primitive breakdown & form

Exercise 2 : Sketch robot as a collection of primitive shapes


 







Exercise 3 : Compare the different forms of these buildings

 

Prisons are meant to be scary, powerful looking places, while Toontown is meant for fun and childlike enjoyment – how is this reflected in the lines and angles of the buildings?

Most of the prisons have straight and rigid lines with sharp edges that makes people want to stay away. Hence, the prisons look scary. In contrast, Toontown is built using different kinds of shapes and angles. It has curvy lines and rounded edges. The rounded edges look more interesting and give a safe and comfortable feeling.

How does the sense of scale reflect the different purposes of the prisons and Toontown?

The prisons have a wide and huge scale, making them scarier and more powerful. For Toontown, the place will look more interesting and cheerful as it is made up of interesting shapes in different sizes.