Unit 66-67 - 3D Modelling and Animation - Assignment 3

Intro
In class we have been tasked with creating 3D models for our Killer Klowns games in Maya. Since I am working in a group of 3, each of us have been working on separate things. I have been primarily working on weapon models, and other assets for my level, whereas the other members of my group have been working on character models. 

Clown Rifle & Pistol
I started off by making some weapons for the clowns in our game. Most of the clowns will use ray guns which is the same as what they use in the film. I got my inspiration/ideas for these weapons from the candy floss ray guns that the clowns use in the film. I also looked at other ray gun images online to get some ideas. Below is an image of my Maya model, and a ray gun from the film. As you can see, the original gun has quite a wacky and random design. Because of this, I didn't use any images in Maya for reference, and instead created the model off the top of my head. However you will notice some similarities in my model, such as the rounded body and barrel. The colour scheme is also very similar, however the colours on mine are solid and more vibrant. The colour of the weapons might change in the future depending on whether we give it to a regular clown, or a more important enemy. I chose random colours, because any bright colours will match with the theme of the clowns. 

Untextured model

To create the model I used basic polygons such as the sphere (for the body,) square (for the handle and fins on the gun,) pipe (for the barrel and rings around the barrel,) and a cone (for the end of the barrel.) I edited the subdivisions to add more faces and edges, which allows me to edit the polygons more. For example, on the handle of the gun I created finger indentations by selecting and dragging faces inwards. I used the smooth tool on the main body of the gun and the handle. The smooth tool applies lots of faces and makes objects much smoother and less jagged.  
To colour the gun I added a lambert material to all of the polygons, then changed the shape. Objects with lambert applied to them have a matte finish. After adding a material to something you are able to change the colour to whatever you like. 

The clown rifle is extremely similar to the pistol as it uses the same polygons. It is just a lot bigger/longer. Lots of ray guns seem to have smaller bodies and extremely long barrels, and you can definitely notice this with my rifle. On the right is a good example of this. The rings around the barrel also seems to be a recurring theme with ray guns, so I used that as well. 

Baseball Bat 

The player in the game will just use basic melee weapons. The first one I created was the baseball bat. This was quite an easy model to make and only took a few polygons. I used a cylinder for the top half, increased the subdivisions and moved the faces inward at the bottom. The top half has a light wooden texture, which I found online, applied along with the lambert material. The bottom half/handle is made from a smaller cylinder, and also uses the lambert material, however has a solid grey colour applied to it. A torus (ring) is used for the bottom of the handle. The last thing I did was smooth it.

I used a proper wood texture for this model because our game has a fairly realistic style. With the clown weapons we are able to make them look stupid, because they match the enemies that will be using them. However, since the main character is Mike (a human) he needs a more realistic weapon/something that anyone can use. The player (Mike) will obtain the weapon at the start of the game, and will be able to use it to attack clowns throughout the game. 

Balloon Dog

Similar to the film, the balloon dog in our game will be an enemy along with the clowns. You could also refer to it as a weapon that the clowns use. I went with a traditional and recognisable style with the balloon dog, and used an image of a metal statue by a man named Jeff Koons for reference. 

The model is made up of 12 spheres that I have resized and stretched, and I used a small cone for the end of the nose. Since a balloon dog can be any colour, I just decided to make it blue. Along with the colour I applied the blinn material which gives the dog a shiny effect, and makes it look like the light is reflecting off it. I also changed the transparency to make it look more realistic. 

Log Cabin

Since the level I have created takes place in a snowy environment, I wanted to create some houses that would fit in with it. I am currently using houses from the Infinity Blade: Ice Lands pack, however they will eventually all be replaced with my own. 

To create the model I first created the base by using a flattened and stretched cube. After that I built the walls. This was quite simple and I was able to be quite efficient by copying and pasting cylinders in groups. Each of the cylinders had their subdivision axis upped to 13 to make them a bit more smooth, and after I had finished placing them all I merged them together. When things are merged they all become one object. The roof is quite similar to the base and is made from 2 flattened cubes, put into a triangular position and merged together. I later decided to add a chimney at the back of the house which is made from 2 cubes that have been merged. I increased their subdivisions so I was able to edit them more.

I plan on adding a wooden texture to this model, and a cobblestone texture to the chimney at the back. 

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Evaluation

Overall I am fairly happy with how my models have turned out. I haven't got much Maya experience but I managed to create what I was aiming for. Things that I want to improve on are texturing and details, and this is something that I will work on before these models go into the game. I think the ray guns look okay with solid colours, but I really need to get some wood textures on my log cabin. The baseball bat texturing is ok, but could definitely be improved. The balloon dog definitely turned out great, however the creation process was quite simple.

Feedback from Kori: "Overall good designs. Something you could improve on is texturing, and you could use realistic textures and details instead of solid colours."