Day: April 23, 2018

Intended Outcome:

• Create a realistic camping lantern.

Problems I encountered and how I overcame them:

• Because this model is extremely symmetrical, I added my reference image to the background of my interface while modelling to use as a stencil. The made the proportions easier to align, and modelling in a wireframe view and allowed me to create an extremely accurate replica. When creating this model, I made sure to separate each component in order to make texturing this model as efficient as possible.

• While this model was complex, it was achievable by extruding, indenting, and moving points of the mesh to match the reference image. This was particularly evident when creating the base, bulb, and top portion of this model.

• To create the side pieces of this lantern, I added a cylinder, rotated it slightly, and used the ‘spin’ option, altering the angle and the pivot point until it matched the image behind. I then duplicated this model for the other side.

• To add the tabs which the handle hooks on to, I altered the shape of a plane to match the reference image, moving and adding vertices where needed. I then extruded this shape, and added cylindrical boolean to create the hole, before merging this shape with the side pieces to make one mesh.

• There were certain parts of this model that were made out of wire, something I was not too confident in creating the effect of, so I was rather interested to see if and how I could create the effect. To do so, I began with a circle, created a face, indented slightly, and then removed the inner face. I then extruded the remaining mesh, before moving parts of it to match the image. The wire on this lantern is rather uneven, so I made sure not to use too much proportional editing, so that when a subdivision modifier was applied, it would create a wonky and bent effect.

• While the lantern in my reference image had only 3 holes in the top part of it, I decided to make 4 in order to simplify my modelling process, but also ensure each hoe was an equal distance from the other. To create this, I removed the bottom face of the top mesh to make the model hollow, before using the boolean tool to create the holes mentioned. I then created a face below this portion, and solidified the material around tho holes to resemble a thin sheet of metal.

• I used the same process as I did when creating the base parts of the lantern to create the nozzle.

• To the side of the lantern, there is a sheet of metal with wire leading to it. To create this sheet, I originally planned to alter a plane, but soon found it difficult to curve the piece. Because of this, I ended up using my design on the flat mesh to model the same shape but onto faces taken from a cylinder. Although complex, this proved effective, and once I added a solidifier modifier, it resembled the reference image perfectly.
• To create the handle and the wire to the side of the bulb, I used the same method as I did with the side parts of the lantern.

• To complete this model, I bevelled any edges that were too harsh, and I ensured that the normals of the mesh had an auto smooth angle of 30 degrees. I also removed any unnecessary faces/vertices and grouped parts of the model that would be textured identically.

Where to go from here:

• Add more detail to the scene.

Timelapse:

Final Model:

Intended Outcome:

• Create realistic eating utensils.

Problems I encountered and how I overcame them:

• Creating the crockery all had a similar process, but I went through a few different methods before deciding on my favourite. To create these pieces, I began with a circle, and indented and extruded appropriately. Because of the number of shapes and sizes bowls and plates can come in, my creative freedom was rather large, and I enjoyed creating different types of crockery. My initial shapes were rather flat on reflection, so I remodelled these assets multiple times until I gained a desired style.
• To create the cutlery, I followed an extremely useful tutorial uploaded by youtube user ‘3D Blender Tutorials by ianscott888’, who introduced my to new methods of creating new shapes in blender by inserting vertices and essentially drawing an outline. Previous to this discovery, I had only ever modelled around a shape that already slightly resembled the desired result I hoped for, however after watching these tutorials, I was able to widen my capability within the software, and while I followed the tutorial exactly to create the fork, I took what I learned and applied it to make a knife.

Part 1:

Part 2:

• To complete this model, I bevelled any edges that were too harsh, and I ensured that the normals of the mesh had an auto smooth angle of 30 degrees. I also removed any unnecessary faces/vertices and grouped all of the cans together, as they would all be textured identically.

Where to go from here:

• Incorporate what I learnt in the tutorials to new assets where appropriate to create realism.

Timelapse:

Final Model:

Intended Outcome:

• Create a pile of tin cans.

Problems I encountered and how I overcame them:

• Creating the base of these tinned cans all required the same basic model, one I created with a cylinder and the use of loop cuts, proportional editing, bevelling, and extrude/indent/moving parts of the mesh.

• Adding detail to the tops of my tins is where the difficulties in this model lay. I used the move tool significantly, and tried to alter each section in an attempt to create the basic outline of each detail ready to be extruded. I then extruded sections so that they were steadily declining. Adding bevels and subdivision modifiers is what added to this model’s realism, and helped to best replicate my reference images.

• I spent a good portion of this modelling process attempting to boolean an indent in the top of the cans. While the effect of this was as I had hoped, the process was very complex, and afterwards I thought of simpler methods to achieve this. I eventually opted to skip this step and head straight to adding detail to other parts of the tin.

• To create the tab, I began with two circle meshes, one small than the other, and joined them together with a taper. I then added a cylinder to boolean the two holes in tab, before using the smaller cylinder as a connector.

• When creating multiple cans, I altered each slightly. Some I made shorter, some I removed the ridges down the sides of the cans, and others I removed the top details, to replicate tinned cans that are opened only with a can-opener.

• To complete this model, I bevelled any edges that were too harsh, and I ensured that the normals of the mesh had an auto smooth angle of 30 degrees. I also removed any unnecessary faces/vertices and grouped all of the cans together, as they would all be textured identically.

Where to go from here:

• Add more smaller details.

Timelapse:

Final Model:

Intended Outcome:

• Work with fabric to create a realistic camping bed.

Problems I encountered and how I overcame them:

•  To begin this model, I focused on creating the base of the bed to establish proportions. I used index and extrude to add details, and added loop cuts to create a rounded edge to make the two end portions of this frame. I then made 4 identical cylinders to form the side parts, again adding detail to them with extrusions and indents.

• I created the legs to this model the same way I did in my Camping Table model, but this time I split the diagonal legs in half and off set them in order to create the bridge in the centre of the legs.

• To create the brackets the hold the legs together, I duplicated the leg that has been split in half, added loop cuts that were an appropriate length, and shaped it to match my reference image.

• I used the Boolean modifier heavily in this model, both to fit the longer leg through the centre, and to insert some screws. Once this bracket was complete, I hollowed it out, removed any unnecessary faces, and added a solidifier modifier. I then duplicated this mesh so that all four brackets were identical. To create scores, I used the same method as I did in my camping table model.

• Adding fabric to this model was rather simple, especially after working to create the camping chair perviously. The main fabric section was one large rectangle, subdivided to add definition when the cloth simulation is added. I then created cylinders slightly larger than the side frame pieces, and with proportional editing I pulled one edge outwards, making a tear drop shape. The tip of the teardrop would then appear to be attached to the main portion of fabric, and the tautness of this piece of furniture would not make lack of movement from these pieces seem unnatural. I duplicated this one piece for both sides of the frame, and repeated the same process for the end pieces.

• During this mode, I also contemplated creating a pillow, but decided against it due to my lack of experience with collision in the physics Blender has to offer.

• To complete this model, I bevelled any edges that were too harsh, and I ensured that the normals of the mesh had an auto smooth angle of 30 degrees. I also removed any unnecessary faces/vertices and grouped any meshes that would be textured the same to help save time when UV unwrapping my models for texturing and added a solidify modifier to my fabric pieces.

Where to go from here:

•  Dedicate some time to smaller details of the scene.

Timelapse:

Final Model:

Intended Outcome:

• Work with fabric to create a realistic camping chair.

Problems I encountered and how I overcame them:

• While the majority of this build was simple, it was also time-consuming. Because the image I was using to reference had many different pieces, and I wanted to stick as true to this image as I possibly could, I ensured I focussed the majority of my time on ensuring I created each part of this build as accurate as possible.

• I started at the base of the seat, making sure the shapes were symmetrical and resembled the shape of the initial image. I relied heavily on the boolean tool and beveling certain pieces more than others to establish the difference between pieces. Because I only had an image to reference, I had to alter this first piece a few times to make sure the proportions were appropriate for the rest of the build, so I ended up going back and forth resizing each piece until I was happy with the result. I used the same methods as I used in the base to create the back and legs of the chair, as well as the braces.

• When creating the arms of the chair, I used the ‘hide’ option heavily to prevent my model from warping where I didn’t want to. I also used the bevel tool quite a lot, but as I was new to using this tool in such an obvious situation, it proved difficult to get the final result I wanted. Despite this, I managed to resemble the chair’s arm in the reference image I was following quite accurately.

• One thing I had to focus on heavily was the influence of dowelled wood in this piece of furniture. Dowels are used to stabilise the legs of the chair, as well as to alter the rate at which the chair can be reclined, so I had to ensure the dowel at the back of the chair was accurately placed. I also had to create notches above the dowel where the alteration would be locked in place in the real world.

• While I had experience in working with fabric in Blender, I was only confident in creating simulations, not using fabric in an actual project, so this project helped me to develop these skills. This chair had a rather simple fabric set up, but I decided to change the top and bottom design in order to ensure my final output was realistic. In the inspiration image, the fabric wraps around the top and bottom frames, but I chose to embed the fabric within these pieces instead, which looked just as plausible. I had experimented with wrapping fabric around poles to see how I could recreate this, but opted for a simple resolution to this problem.

• Because of previous problems I had experienced with wrapping fabric around objects, I also decided to make the back piece of fabric static instead of adding a cloth simulation to it. This would not affect my final model as I would be angling the chair so that the main focus is the front of the chair. I took inspiration for this design from other examples of camping chairs and furniture as it was not visible in my initial image.

• To complete this model, I bevelled any edges that were too harsh, and I ensured that the normals of the mesh had an auto smooth angle of 30 degrees. I also removed any unnecessary faces/vertices and grouped any meshes that would be textured the same to help save time when UV unwrapping my models for texturing and added a solidify modifier to my fabric pieces.

Where to go from here:

•  Use some of the skills I have learnt in this modelling process to create a camping bed.

Timelapse:

Final Model: