Compound Objects are a subset of tools in 3DS Max that are used to combine or create two or more objects into one. Examples of this are Boolean and Proboolean, which are used to combine two shapes in some way- Be it combining them, removing one's volume from the other, or removing the intersecting volume. That in itself is incredibly useful, but my favorite tool of the few that we've used so far has to be the terrain tool.
The terrain tool isn't as versatile as something like Boolean, but what for what it is, it is amazing. You create contour lines using 2D splines, and then use the terrain tool to create terrain shaped to those contour lines. It's perfect for something like a video game scene, or to just create a mountain if you're bored. The tool has options that affect how it's shaped, and how smooth it is. The simple fact that it uses contour lines makes it so much more efficient and easy to use than it would be otherwise. You can make the walls sheer and flat, or gradual, much like a hill. You can choose to add more polygons, cramping computer resources, but making it slightly smoother, and possibly some weird geometry. All in all, the terrain tool is one of my favorite things to use in 3DS Max. It's sheer efficiency and ease of access makes it simple to pick up on the spot, and while it's not super versatile like Boolean, Blobmesh, or Scatter, it was made to do one thing, and that thing is to make terrain, which it does indeed do. In Summary...
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6 years ago, I came across a game called Cube World. For some reason, I was unable to buy it (At that time, I believe that the shop had just been DDOS'd), but I had seen a few things about it, and instantly fell in love. It was a procedurally-generated RPG, with bare-bones towns, dungeons, and a fleshed-out combat and class system, all set in a nice-looking voxel artstyle. I look back at it now and realize it was nothing special, but back then, I was dying to get it. However, I had no money, and the shop was down- and the next time I checked, it had been taken down for good, or so people thought at that time.
Six years passed. I never really forgot about Cube World entirely. Every few months to a year, I would look at the developer's twitter and see that he had posted one or two screenshots of the game a month or two earlier. This continued for 6 years, and I eventually forgot about it entirely- that is, until a week or two ago, the developer, Wollay, had announced a full release, with a whole suite of new features- and soon. I was instantly pulled back in, and I eagerly await the full release. The game's in a closed beta right now, but we should apparently expect the release to be late September/early October... Until then, I guess I'll have to keep waiting. From start to finish, Celeste is a joy to play.
The game is a difficult, but fun, platformer, following the adventures of a little girl who is trying to climb a mountain- a thinly veiled metaphor for the game's story. Along the way, you meet a variety of characters, encounter a number of varied and creative mechanics, and quite literally confront your inner demons. The game has a cute, retro aesthetic, reminiscent of older games, but with revamped animations and particle effects- but don't let it's good looks fool you. The game itself is one of the hardest platformers I've ever played- yet one of the best. The game presents a unique mechanic per level- be it bouncy clouds, traffic light blocks that sling you forward, or even a feather that allows you to fly. From my understanding, this is a pretty common tactic in most platformers, but where Celeste shines is when it ramps up the challenge slowly, but steadily, until, at the end of the level, you're in this lightning fast gauntlet of challenges that have built up over the course of the level. Each level culminates in this spectacle of massively challenging jumps and dashes, each more challenging than the last, until you finally finish the level, heart pounding in your chest. It's an amazing feeling. A few more things to note: The game's music and sound are superb, really helping to set in the mood and immersion. The controls are tight, with a focus on mid-air movement, which really sets this apart from many other titles. Another thing I liked, though didn't use, was the game's assist mode. It makes the game infinitely easier if you find a particular level too hard. Overall, I cannot find much wrong with this game. If you enjoy difficult games, or even just fun, tight platformers, Celeste is a must-have for you. 10/10 Recently in DDA II, we've been creating resumes and revamping our portfolios in an assignment where we apply for a job in the game design field. Part of this was creating some new pieces of art, showcasing our skills relevant to the career we applied for. I came to realize how important portfolios are when applying for a job, especially on in the game design field.
Some things that I changed is that I added an archived works page, to hold all my old pieces of art. It'll help show how I've advanced and grown throughout my high school career, and I think that it's a neat addition. In my research for this post, I came along some great tips for making a professional portfolio- things like only only including professional-level art that you want people to see, cutting away distractions, and making navigation clear and easy are what comes to mind first. I believe that my portfolio looks good, and works well as it is, but it's helpful to keep these tips in mind for the future. I've recently been getting into making art pieces more often, and of a higher quality. I've upped my standards, and while I still don't think I'm a great artist, I've definitely improved. I think that sketching and conceptualization of characters is my biggest strength so far, and I think that'll be a useful skill for this portfolio. All in all, a good portfolio has high-quality, relevant artwork, is easy to use and navigate, and should be simplistic, cutting away useless excess from the overall design. Summary - I have been creating a resume and cover letter for a class assignment - I have been working on revamping my portfolio with new art Sources “Is Your Online Art Portfolio Lacking? Get Advice, Inspiration from 7 Professionals.” Game Industry Career Guide, www.gameindustrycareerguide.com/building-artist-portfolio-site/. “Your Game Portfolio Is Your Greatest Asset.” GamesIndustry.biz, www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-04-30-your-game-portfolio-is-your-greatest-asset. New York Film Academy. “How To Create A Game Design Portfolio That Stands Out.” Student Resources, 30 May 2018, www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-to-create-a-game-design-portfolio-that-stands-out/. This year I'm heading into 10th grade, and I am taking DDA II. In DDA II, we'll be focusing solely on 3D work, as opposed to last year, where we did largely 2D work, with some 3D at the end of the year. I'm very excited for this- I love 3D animation, and I feel that, while it's harder to visualize concepts in 3D, it's a lot easier to make 3D pieces look better than 2D. What I mean by that is that 3D work is much easier to edit and tweak to make it look better overall. However, it can sometimes take a bit more work to make some simple 3D model than it does to just draw it out. That's why I did exclusively 2D pieces for my summer assignment- it's easier for me to visualize things in 2D than it is in 3D. This summer, I experimented with drawing in a sketchy sort of style. Overall, I think that there is a lot of room for improvement, but I like my pieces nonetheless. I like how a lot of the lines, while messy, kind of work well with accenting the folds of a cloth. One thing I need to work on is making individual details stand out, and making those accent lines work better on non-cloth areas- armor, etc. This style helps me focus on posing, something I've struggled with in the past, but I think I've improved on. I did use references for the posing, and I think it turned out well. Overall, the thing I'm excited for most is 3D animation. I think it'll be a lot easier, if a bit more complicated than 2D animation. I know a little bit about rigging and how 3D animation works, and I'm excited to learn more, as (As far as I know) it takes less time and work than most other forms of animation. But, overall, I have high hopes for this year. In Summary; - I am taking DDA II this year, where we'll be focusing solely on 3D work. - While it's easier for me to make overall better looking compositions in 3D, it's easier for me to conceptualize pieces in 2D. - In 2D artwork, I like how a more sketched-out style looks when compared to my simpler style that I have used in the past, and I hope to improve upon it as time goes by. - I am most excited for 3D animation this year.
Above, you can see the sketch/pose for one of my pieces. It's rough and simple, but as I'm just starting out, I think that's okay. My process of drawing goes like this: I think of a character design, involving something unique or special, setting that design apart from other pieces similar to it. In this case, the final piece will be fairly generic; but I usually try to think of something to set it apart from other's work. Next, I think of a pose that the character will be in. In this case, the character is at the ready- In the final piece, his arms and legs will be obscured by a cloak, giving him a mysterious and foreboding appearance, contrasting to his vaguely cartoonish face. Next, I draw in the final lines on a separate layer, to act as a guide for the rest of the piece. This is part where I also draw in the rough face- In this case, the character will have a large nose, and a massive, dwarvish beard, including an even bigger handlebar mustache.
Next, I color it in, and add some shading. This part is the easiest- I just put on some music, and stay in between the lines, which is a little bit harder than normal, since I'm using a mouse and keyboard. Shading is the part I like most. My preferred style is to draw in monochrome- I don't usually use much color. I'm not a very talented artist, and so I think that avoiding color (for now) makes my pieces look better. In summary: - I enjoy drawing characters and making up designs for them. - My process is pretty standard; I don't deviate too much from the normal drawing process. - My format is a little bit different from some, as I draw in different shades of one color. I am a big fan of video games. I like the immediate response to my actions, I like the lore and stories of them, I like the test of my skills and thinking abilities. Games test my reflexes and puzzle-solving skills. But there's still one thing that may never be possible for games to do- adapt.
You see, many games are considered open-ended, and make many playstyles possible. But with nearly every game that I've played, millions of other people have experienced the same story and experience that I have. My playthrough is not unique. In an MMO, you're the hero- among the hundreds of other people right next to you. Games are not unique from person to person- until you consider something like D&D. D&D is a lot of fun. Minecraft is now the best selling game of all time, beating even Tetris.
That's a really cool achievement- a game selling over 176 million copies over 10 years. It's one of the most well-known games there is- if you yell out "MINECRAFT!" in the middle of a crowded street, everybody will immediately know what you're talking about. (You could say that about a lot of things, but my point still stands.) Minecraft is arguably the most prolific game in the history of the industry. If you judge the effect a game has on world culture by the amount of rip-offs it has, Minecraft is the gold standard. If you judge it off of it's effect on its respective genre, Minecraft is still up there. Minecraft is a great game, with a halfway decent community. I really hope to buy the Java edition soon, and relive some childhood memories. Minecraft is now 10 years old, much like many of its fans. I really hope to revisit it again sometime over the coming summer. 3D Modeling is a lot of fun. I have really been enjoying it and its versatility. 3DS Max is also a great tool, helping me to complete my projects, and I've run into few problems using it. The program is well made, and while I wouldn't say that it's easy to use, its only from the amount of things you can do with it. The sheer amount of menus, functions, engines, and tools is overwhelming- in a good way. There's so much that you can do that it's a wonder that the systems are so well organized.
Below you can see one of my rendered models. It's a table with a lamp, vase, flowers, and a wine glass. Everything but the flowers was made with splines, 2D bezier curves and shapes that you can turn into 3D models. It just goes to show the versatility of the program, being able to make something like this in that way- even if my work is far from good. All in all, 3D Modeling is a lot of fun. I really, really like it, which is a good thing. Next year, all we do is 3D Modeling. All year. Nevertheless, I really enjoy this unit, and I particularly look forward to when we do 3D Animation. I want to see how different it is from 2D Animation, which I did not like too much. I think it'll be easier, if not simpler- most things in 3D are more complicated than those in 2D. In Summary - 3DS Max is very versatile - There are many ways of accomplishing a single task - I very much enjoy it, and I cannot wait to begin 3D Animation |
AuthorHi! I'm Thomas MacDougall, a sophomore at DSA. Here you can check out my thoughts and recent activities. Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools. Archives
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