Day 5 – “NURBS and Curves”

Date: 8th and the weekend.

Day 5 was all about modelling with curves and NURBS in Maya. NURBS are typically used for other aspects of VFX for creating really smooth and intricate surfaces, ones that would be too complex for most games. We did learn, however, that we can use the majority of these tools to model similar surfaces in polygons too. The benefit to modelling with curves is the history. When using revolve, loft etc commands using curves, they are linked to the original CV or EP curve line drawn via the object history. This means that if you want to change the shape of the object, you can do so by just modifying the existing curve. This makes small changes much easier as you don’t have to model from scratch.

We also learned about the cleanup too, and its ability to locate and fix errors in geometry, like n-gon faces, or overlapping faces.

Finally, at home, I worked through the Art Bible project. I wanted to create one key image that would incapsulate the entire concept, including all the assets I hope to model, as well as a rough layout. I tried to create this graphic in many ways. I first tried creating a sort of photo-collage in Photoshop: 

This concept worked quite well for showing the ageing and weathering in the walls, but got too complicated when trying to add in the assets I would be modelling.

I then went on and attempted an isometric style graphic, but encountered another problem here – It was almost impossible to depict the damage and raging of the ceiling, and other walls:

Finally I decided the best use of my time would be to sketch an internal perspective of the inside of the 1970s hotel room, adding all of the details that I could not insert in the previous attempts. I then deconstructed this sketch, pulling out the aspects that I felt were the most important. This image is meant to be more of a diagram than a concept image, showing every aspect of the project.

Finally, I remembered watching an episode of That 70s Show, where the characters were in a hotel. After doing some research on Google, I figured out what episode it was and watched it, screenshotting any relevant images, particularly of the hotel corridor. The set design of the show was incredibly helpful in figuring out how to create my corridor.

 

Summary:

We studied the benefits of modelling using NURBS and curves. In summary, they are incredibly useful because they can be easily modified if changes are needed. I also learned that attempting to create a really beautiful and detailed drawing or photoshop may not be the best use of time, and that a diagram can show more in less time.