Skip to main content

Workflow Catch-up

Part
of my aim in this project is to push through my fears when it comes to the many stages of 3D modelling.

The problem I often face is when I don't know the best method to finalise something. I have always struggled to piece together the 'correct' procedure towards making a model game-engine ready. Beyond the creation of a model, in the software Maya, I have always felt unsure on the best approach to UV unwrapping and the last steps of completing a texture for a model.

In addition, the use of different software in my workflow (of which some I am more experienced at using then others), would lead to my biggest weakness...procrastination. I frequently find myself working way to long on a particular model or design and realise I'm prolonging finishing the model as I don't know how to fully complete it. Again, and again. Unfortunately, this is fuelled with the fact I regularly choose new and challenging subjects with little or no reference to go by for aid!

So, to overcome this formidable hurdle, I first looked at tutorials. Numerous tutorials. It was actually from this, I realised that in order to overcome this grey area of texturing, I needed to learn to fail more. Every success begins with a failure. If I acknowledged this within my practises, before the next step or the next software, that I might fail, I will at least gain something from it. Either, succeed in my action or learn some useful information for the next time round. Additionally, I find this approach to working highly motivates me to come back and try, try and try again!




As a workflow test for the next stages of my project, I decided to texture one of my models using the software Maya, xNormal, Photoshop and Quixel. Above I have 'unwrapped' the UV's of a door in Maya, that will be on-board the boat in-game. This is a good example to illustrate my fear of failure. After this stage, I was always uncertain of the best practise for grouping and exporting. Should I leave the door handles separate for a later animation? I would ask questions like this, worry, ask questions, procrastinate by doing other work and not get anywhere. All I had to do was take a chance and try it out. The more you play around, the more you learn. It's that simple!




Here I am creating a mask layer, with a brush in Quixel (plug-in with Photoshop), to generate a rust effect. The white highlights I've painted onto the model of the door handle, are where it would get worn down the most and where rust would set in. I quite enjoyed experimenting with the material sets again to find the best steel textures. 


                                                                                                                                         Jason Bartlett ©

I've had to catch up with the steps involved in the texturing process. However, as I brushed up and explored the features/tools I once used at Uni, it all began to come back to me. Here is the finished textured model front, back and sides within the Quixel 3DO viewer.


                                                                                                                                         Jason Bartlett ©

I used the software xNormal to make the high to low poly sections that would be seen by the player, such as the main frame. Above is a side by side I compiled, of all the textures and applied materials to make the final texture to the right.


                                                                                                                                         Jason Bartlett ©

Here is a front and back render of the door in a day scene. I wanted to get a slight weathered look as though the door had been used regularly.


                                                                                                                                         Jason Bartlett ©

In this image, I have placed the scene light above the door for an eerie night look. It is important for future models that I get the surface textures to work right for different scenes and the changing inputs of both natural and artificial lighting.
Thanks for reading :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Timeless Terror: Jaws @ IMAX (50th Anniversary Re-Issue) Review/Analysis

T he 50 th Anniversary Re-Issue IMAX screening of Steven Spielberg's  Jaws  (1975) was not just a revisit to a classic, but a thoughtful re-education and celebration of cinematic history. From the moment the MCA Universal logo and the iconic JAWS title card graced the colossal IMAX screen, the experience justified every penny. The stunning clarity plunged the audience into Amity Island’s perilous summer like never before. The enhanced resolution revealed details previously lost to small screens and the compression/conversions to old VHS and DVDs. A prime example of this is immediately apparent in the opening sequence. The day-for-night shots where Tom is running after Chrissie on the beach, is remarkably clearer. This allows for a much richer appreciation throughout. As someone with deep admiration for analogue artifacts, particularly works shot on ARRIFLEX or Panavision cameras with anamorphic lenses, this IMAX presentation elevate...
Post a Comment
Read more

Arnold Render Tests

A fter months and months of modelling, UV unwrapping and exporting assets, it has been very refreshing to now open up Maya 2026 and experiment with all the new features. The first thing I just had to do was to try out the latest version of the  built-in ray tracing renderer, Arnold 7.4. Excitedly, I opened up the wheelhouse interior scene, dropped in a HDRI map on a skydome light, and experimented with all the settings. I increased the brightness of the lights in the attribute editor (as it is an interior space it will be inherently darker), and played around with the number of samples to improve the overall image quality (more iterations for rays to bounce and do their thing). I'm incredibly pleased with how these greyscale renders of the wheelhouse below turned out. They not only bring the space to life visually, but also motivate me to get back into the creative flow. Jason Bartlett © Jason Bartlett © Jason Bartlett © Jason Bartlett © Next time, I'll show some development of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Crab Pot

For the next step of the modelling process of the crab pot, I was challenged with another huge hurdle ( to say the least). This stage was where all the painstaking problems crawled in again.  The rope. I thought making some bendy cords would be simple enough, but believe me, it was anything but. There aren't many tutorials, covering the whole modelling process to the end 'game ready' product, for rope. So, like previous obstacles I faced in the modelling stage, I used multiple methods and trial and error to find the best path.  Actually, creating a tube following a manually placed path, was the easiest part for me. I had picked this step up while at University. However, I had to manually place and move each Bezier path to form the guide lines, for yards of rope, in a natural and realistic way. Hundreds of them. I spent more hours than I would have liked, setting up the paths to guide the rope along. I kept asking myself that there must be an easier way to tie...
Post a Comment
Read more