Project 2: Game Environment Scene
Game Environment Scene
Game Scene Presentation
Week 5
Dec. 18, 2019
I am happy to say that the difference between weeks 4 and 5 were the most intense I have ever dealt with. In short, I finished texturing and UVing the building, but there were so many changes that it ultimately led to me recreating it in general. It was an extremely time-consuming experience that I am very grateful for, spanning with a maximum of 44 hours.
It became an impossibility to conduct some features to make my UV process run smoothly (such as using the “Get” feature to scale all of my objects to the same texture sizes) because there actually were too many n-gons to count. This must have occurred when I deleted some edges I thought I didn’t need anymore... it never altered the physical view of the building, but it created double-faces, odd edges, and faces that were only one pixel in height.
Ultimately, not only did I have to re-UV my entire model, but I also had to remodel them. The stairs, for example, and the entryway had to be redone due to too many errors. Compared to last week’s work, this week includes more edge loops, making the UV process run smoothly. Of course, this meant that there are more tris in the making, but it’s alright since it did not exceed the 5,000 limit.
Texturing
After this, it was off to texturing. Being no stranger to texturing, I did it with ease, although rather time-consuming. What was pleasing about this building is that even its textures are repetative, so I did not have to use too many images. This link lists the websites that the images came from.
I am displeased with how green they became. With the reference image being more of a yellow-green, I attempted to replicate it by adjusting the features in Photoshop. However, my laptop has a tendency of changing the colors of various objects. As it appeared yellow in my Maya scene and when I exported it to Unity, it became a bright, comical green when my team members saw it.
Unity Process
After the texturing process is the Unity process. The Unity process is the point where the entire group collaborates in creating a scene by combining all of the work. I understand that, with this process being brand-new to me, it is very likely that I will have a rough start, but this point proves to be my most pitiful work ethic.
I attempted to access the shared scene from my own laptop, but there were issues with loading. My computer crashed multiple times, and when it did load, the file never showed any indication that my other team members improved it. I could not download any changes. My only contribution was adding my own building, along with its materials and textures, and then allowing my group to edit it.
Group Collaboration:
I am very, very satisfied with my group and their work ethic. All members have clearly demonstrated interest and effort, and they showed no hesitation to assist me when I get stuck in a mapping situation.
What I am most proud of is our constant communication. We held plenty of discussions of our processes during class and during our extra time during the days. As well, we are extremely active in group chats and emails.
Throughout all five weeks, the entire group showed excessive improvement in the working progress and we handled our time management with care.
I am happy to say that the difference between weeks 4 and 5 were the most intense I have ever dealt with. In short, I finished texturing and UVing the building, but there were so many changes that it ultimately led to me recreating it in general. It was an extremely time-consuming experience that I am very grateful for, spanning with a maximum of 44 hours.
- Gathering Reference: 1.5 hrs
- Blocking: 15 - 17 hrs
- Detail Modeling: 17 hrs
- UVing: 6-8 hrs
- Texturing: 4-6 hrs
- Unity Scene Contribution: 2 hrs
- Total: 39.5 - 43.5 hrs
The following are included: triangular (center), quad (right), and model pieces (left)
The UV graphs turned out to be the most severe of the changes because I had to redo them. After asking for some help from various upperclassmen, I realized that it is not enough to just scale and rearrange them all.
It became an impossibility to conduct some features to make my UV process run smoothly (such as using the “Get” feature to scale all of my objects to the same texture sizes) because there actually were too many n-gons to count. This must have occurred when I deleted some edges I thought I didn’t need anymore... it never altered the physical view of the building, but it created double-faces, odd edges, and faces that were only one pixel in height.
Ultimately, not only did I have to re-UV my entire model, but I also had to remodel them. The stairs, for example, and the entryway had to be redone due to too many errors. Compared to last week’s work, this week includes more edge loops, making the UV process run smoothly. Of course, this meant that there are more tris in the making, but it’s alright since it did not exceed the 5,000 limit.
Texturing
After this, it was off to texturing. Being no stranger to texturing, I did it with ease, although rather time-consuming. What was pleasing about this building is that even its textures are repetative, so I did not have to use too many images. This link lists the websites that the images came from.
I am displeased with how green they became. With the reference image being more of a yellow-green, I attempted to replicate it by adjusting the features in Photoshop. However, my laptop has a tendency of changing the colors of various objects. As it appeared yellow in my Maya scene and when I exported it to Unity, it became a bright, comical green when my team members saw it.
Unity Process
After the texturing process is the Unity process. The Unity process is the point where the entire group collaborates in creating a scene by combining all of the work. I understand that, with this process being brand-new to me, it is very likely that I will have a rough start, but this point proves to be my most pitiful work ethic.
I attempted to access the shared scene from my own laptop, but there were issues with loading. My computer crashed multiple times, and when it did load, the file never showed any indication that my other team members improved it. I could not download any changes. My only contribution was adding my own building, along with its materials and textures, and then allowing my group to edit it.
Group Collaboration:
I am very, very satisfied with my group and their work ethic. All members have clearly demonstrated interest and effort, and they showed no hesitation to assist me when I get stuck in a mapping situation.
What I am most proud of is our constant communication. We held plenty of discussions of our processes during class and during our extra time during the days. As well, we are extremely active in group chats and emails.
Throughout all five weeks, the entire group showed excessive improvement in the working progress and we handled our time management with care.
Week 4
Dec. 11, 2019
Dec. 11, 2019
For this week, I finished modeling the pillars and rearranged all of the objects onto the building to represent what it will look like in Unity, but more importantly, I finished UV'ing all of the objects in sight.
As I felt I was ready to export the file, I first went to my professors and upperclassmen to seek approval. It turns out, I am far from ready. I misread the directions for the UVing process.
I went ahead and unfolded my objects with the Planar feature- whether my object is pointing in the X, Y, or Z direction, I will UV it accordingly. Meanwhile it is a very efficient and reliable feature, I made plenty of mistakes. Many faces were not stitched together, causing multiple smaller faces that are an eyesore to fix.
My biggest issue was that I needed a maximum of two UV graphs to properly texture and turn in... the picture shows that I easily exceed more than six graphs.
I plan to fix this next week by scaling each of the UV shells. I am not comfortable with this plan, as it is extremely time-consuming and will result in extremely unequal texture sizes. There is the alternate plan, which is re-UVing the objects all over again.
I am extremely pleased that the amount of tris present do not exceed the limit of 5,000. I have a fair amount of 3,904 (including the replicated windows and pillars). This will leave me enough space to add extrusions to detail the pillars and the walls to further replicate the original picture.
Another factor that I am extremely pleased with is that I was finally able to model arched windows. With the help of my team and various upperclassmen, I was able to do so by two 3-point curves. To stitch them together to create the shape, I used the loft tool. Unsure on how to create the window screen, I just added a new plane behind the curve and adjusted its shape.
Although it is difficult to tell through the shadows, I have further detailed the entryway by adding extrusions inside the hall and placing the door in its initial spot. At first, I feared that the entryway is unnaturally tall compared to the human figure, but according to the reference photo, it is actually supposed to be rather tall.
Still, I feel there is an element that is missing. Next week, I will check if scaling the door will fix the issue, but I fear that I may have to re-UV the door again, and I haven't got a lot of time.
Aside from fixing the UVs, I need to find textures. I plan to have all textures by next week and export the file to Unity.
Week 3
Dec. 4, 2019
The progress was a massive improvement of the previous week. Throughout my time, I deleted the old building (as it constantly glitched and was no longer useful) and modeled a new one. I decided that I didn't want to replicate the same style, so I detailed some aspects differently.
The old building had a roof with angular, slanted edges, and I realized that it did not exactly match the reference image. I remodeled it to a flat top with more defined angles.
The old building also had a very wide entrance way, which didn't match the reference image. For this new building, I narrowed the entrance way and added further details to the borders where the windows will be put by using the edge loops tool and the extrusion tool.
I also fixed the steps leading to the door. I made them taller and wide enough for the human model's foot to fit. Sadly, this resulted in not being able to add as many steps as the original picture, but I am very pleased with the result.
It's noticeable that there are black spaces in the corners. That is because I have decided merge the back pillar surface to the walls, but it was difficult to do since I already extruded the borders. I had to make yet another edge loop just to delete those unwanted extrusions. Those corner won't be seen- the pillars will be covering them.
Dec. 4, 2019
The progress was a massive improvement of the previous week. Throughout my time, I deleted the old building (as it constantly glitched and was no longer useful) and modeled a new one. I decided that I didn't want to replicate the same style, so I detailed some aspects differently.
The old building had a roof with angular, slanted edges, and I realized that it did not exactly match the reference image. I remodeled it to a flat top with more defined angles.
The old building also had a very wide entrance way, which didn't match the reference image. For this new building, I narrowed the entrance way and added further details to the borders where the windows will be put by using the edge loops tool and the extrusion tool.
I also fixed the steps leading to the door. I made them taller and wide enough for the human model's foot to fit. Sadly, this resulted in not being able to add as many steps as the original picture, but I am very pleased with the result.
It's noticeable that there are black spaces in the corners. That is because I have decided merge the back pillar surface to the walls, but it was difficult to do since I already extruded the borders. I had to make yet another edge loop just to delete those unwanted extrusions. Those corner won't be seen- the pillars will be covering them.
UV Map of the bottom pillar and the shade near the entrance way.
UV Map of the pillars for the 2nd and 3rd story.
UV Map of the 2nd story window.
This project is a massive improvement in progress because I went ahead and finally started UV'ing various parts of the building. I seeked assistance from my professors and upperclassmen with experience, and they all have taught me very simple and quick techniques.
My biggest concern with this project at a whole was the UV process, and I can say now that I am completely confident with my skills. I went ahead and UV'd the building as well, since I am currently adding new modifications (extrusions, mainly), I need to reedit its UV map.
By next week, I expect to be completely done with UV'ing the building, as well as placing the parts on it. I also want to start texturing most, if not all, of the parts.
Week 2
Nov. 20, 2019
As my first week was dedicated to selecting repeating features on the building and modeling the basic shape of them, this week is dedicated to detailing those details. Although I went ahead and detailed some of the objects on my first week, there is subtle improvement for this week- the pillars and windows have a more defined shape, I have created the stairs leading to the entrance, and I extruded the door to further resemble the original building. I was able to do so by adding edge loops and extruding faces to create more depth and shape.
Although I have high hopes for this project, the process is going much slower than intended. Aside from miscellaneous work, I ran into multiple issues (in which many were not solved or fixed this week).
One of my biggest issues is the building itself. I used edge loops to model it to its current shape, but somehow, I am not able to insert more edge loops to extrude the middle section of the building. However minor it may seem, it heavily hinders my work process due to the fact that all the other objects rely on the building for its dimensions and spacing.
There was also the reoccurring issue- which is proved to be a mystery, even amongst my professors- where if I move my camera in perspective view, it appears to turn black. I believe this is because of a geometric issue; for example, perhaps I have double-extruded on accident. I don't consider this to be a lighting or camera angle issue because the other objects are not affected.
It is because of these issues that I have resorted to modeling an entirely new building. Hence, that is why there are two buildings instead of one. By next week, I intend to exceed my progress and finish modeling all the details.
This factor does not necessarily count as an error, but it is problematic. It is a difficult process to model the uniform panels for the windows without the use of extra geometry, as well as creating an arched window (in which I have started on).
Nov. 20, 2019
As my first week was dedicated to selecting repeating features on the building and modeling the basic shape of them, this week is dedicated to detailing those details. Although I went ahead and detailed some of the objects on my first week, there is subtle improvement for this week- the pillars and windows have a more defined shape, I have created the stairs leading to the entrance, and I extruded the door to further resemble the original building. I was able to do so by adding edge loops and extruding faces to create more depth and shape.
Although I have high hopes for this project, the process is going much slower than intended. Aside from miscellaneous work, I ran into multiple issues (in which many were not solved or fixed this week).
One of my biggest issues is the building itself. I used edge loops to model it to its current shape, but somehow, I am not able to insert more edge loops to extrude the middle section of the building. However minor it may seem, it heavily hinders my work process due to the fact that all the other objects rely on the building for its dimensions and spacing.
There was also the reoccurring issue- which is proved to be a mystery, even amongst my professors- where if I move my camera in perspective view, it appears to turn black. I believe this is because of a geometric issue; for example, perhaps I have double-extruded on accident. I don't consider this to be a lighting or camera angle issue because the other objects are not affected.
It is because of these issues that I have resorted to modeling an entirely new building. Hence, that is why there are two buildings instead of one. By next week, I intend to exceed my progress and finish modeling all the details.
This factor does not necessarily count as an error, but it is problematic. It is a difficult process to model the uniform panels for the windows without the use of extra geometry, as well as creating an arched window (in which I have started on).
Week 1
Nov. 13, 2019
This project is considered an expansion of the previous project, or at least, in my sense. Instead of modeling a specific room, I was required to model an entire building from a video game using the resources and techniques I have previously learned.
However, this project is going to be vastly different. Meanwhile most of the modeling process is going to be in Maya, the concluding process is going to occur in a different program- Unity. I will use an up-to-date version of Unity (2019 in this case) to combine my building structure with the rest of my group to create a scene where an avatar can freely roam around our world.
But the first initial step- model the building.
My, along with my group’s, building designs are heavily inspired by the video game Bioshock. We were amazed by the game’s graphics, retro early 20th century designs, and its bright usage of colors. The buildings were modeled so uniquely and yet so uniform that it was a no-brainer for us to decide which game to reference off of.
For the entirety of this week, my group and I have been modeling the repetitive parts of our assigned buildings. By only modeling the repeated objects, our buildings will look more organized and uniform. This is more efficient and easier than modeling the entire building because we won't run into the risk of having asymmetrical patterns.
In order to model the parts more accurately, I boxed over them in an art program on my tablet.
Nov. 13, 2019
This project is considered an expansion of the previous project, or at least, in my sense. Instead of modeling a specific room, I was required to model an entire building from a video game using the resources and techniques I have previously learned.
However, this project is going to be vastly different. Meanwhile most of the modeling process is going to be in Maya, the concluding process is going to occur in a different program- Unity. I will use an up-to-date version of Unity (2019 in this case) to combine my building structure with the rest of my group to create a scene where an avatar can freely roam around our world.
But the first initial step- model the building.
My, along with my group’s, building designs are heavily inspired by the video game Bioshock. We were amazed by the game’s graphics, retro early 20th century designs, and its bright usage of colors. The buildings were modeled so uniquely and yet so uniform that it was a no-brainer for us to decide which game to reference off of.
For the entirety of this week, my group and I have been modeling the repetitive parts of our assigned buildings. By only modeling the repeated objects, our buildings will look more organized and uniform. This is more efficient and easier than modeling the entire building because we won't run into the risk of having asymmetrical patterns.
In order to model the parts more accurately, I boxed over them in an art program on my tablet.
I admit that relying on an angled view of my building for reference is a bit of a challenge, since I was unable to accurately box over the patterns. However, I still understand the vital objects with the most apparent repetition. To simplify this, this means that I will model the following:
- The window and center pillar from the 2nd story
- The arched window and pillar from the top story
- The pillars from the bottom floor
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