This work of building a 3D interior scene was an assignment in Max Dayan’s Maya class at Gnomon School. I appreciated that Max provided us a wide liberty and huge knowledge to achieve our goals. I did 100 hours of modeling and 50 hours texturing in this project which took me almost 4 weeks.
There were no secret tricks or difficult skill in the making of this assignment only using Maya and Photoshop. The most eager thing to share is the mindset to me.
This is the second point I’ve learned in Max’s class. The eyes are more important than the tools, once we know what we want to see, we just need to find a way to get it done. But I also can be a curious learner, I believe a good tool can improve our eyes and help us to make a better decision as well.
I got the original concept from Alejandro Burdisio that is one of my favorite artists who is the most inspired person. I always want to bring his design into 3D in a realistic style.
The first step was blocking. I finally found a good perspective to match the original concept by using the grid. This step took me a lot of time and it was totally worth it, once I got a good blocking, the rest of the work was just about getting enough patience to model the details.
Modeling
Before model, I made some high-res Sci-fi screws based on some free low-poly models, I cleaned them up and made the UVs, and so they can be used as needed conveniently.
When I model the details, I like to check the model with ambient occlusion material.
The reasons are as follows:
- I don’t need to light the scene first.
- It shows details in a better way, especially the thickness of the edges and corners. The biggest challenge in modeling details is distinguishing the edges of every object because it will impact the shape of the speculation.
Lighting
When I put lights in the scene, I wanted to approach the concept as much as possible with more contrast and found a better way to show the details.
Texturing
For the texturing, the nuance is very crucial, and reference is the key. My trick and mindset is very simple. When I feel something is going wrong, it must be wrong, I will change it immediately.
Related Link: The Importance of having a Back Story for Character Creation
My favorite part is that I’ve learned so many things like the composting and the lighting from Alejandro Burdisio even though I haven’t met him. I can’t be more satisfied with the result.
I need to say thanks to The Rookies, it’s my great pleasure to have this opportunity to present my work and share my experience through this site.
I have traditional training in a fine art school for 4 years in China. Then I went to France to continue the education for receiving all kinds of education and experiencing more different cultures after I graduated.
Learning CG and working in the industry has come to my mind during this time.
Finally, I have been successful in my attempt to study at Gnomon School. It’s a perfect place to me and I enjoy my work every day.