billynamcheng - Tumblr blog

[billynamcheng]

👽Digital Modeling Techniques for My Project

When I started working on the model, To make the process more efficient and organized, I was planning to work from large to small and from whole to detail. I will determine the overall shape and size of the building at the beginning, then gradually add details.

Techniques for Building's Base

1️⃣Box Modelling: Start with a base cube/polygon to build the basic layout of my model as the cyberpunk buildings have a square or rectangular base shape.

✏️Plan to use it to make the building's base

Techniques for adjusting the building's appearance, adding details, and exterior decoration.

2️⃣Edge Loop and Edge Ring: a Key technique for controlling the flow of the model. I can more easily define and adjust the shape of the model.

✏️Plan to use it to adjust the building's appearance, add details and exterior decoration.

3️⃣Extrusion: when you I to create a new part from an existing surface. For example, creating windows🪟, doors🚪, or balconies🎇.

4️⃣Boolean Operations: Boolean operations can help me merge or subtract one object from another and are great for creating complex shapes. (Especially the recessed part!)

5️⃣Instance & Duplicate: For repetitive elements, such as windows or stairs, use Instance or Duplicate to save a lot of time.

6️⃣Mirror Geometry: Some parts are symmetrical, using mirror geometry I only need to model one half and then mirror the other half.

7️⃣Soft Selection: For exterior walls or details that require bending, This function allows me to select a vertex, edge, or face and then incrementally deform the surrounding vertices, edges, or faces.

8️⃣Beveling: Adding chamfers to your edges is necessary

✏️Techniques for the whole process

Layers & Grouping: This project is complex so grouping related objects together and organizing them using layers makes it easier to manage

[billynamcheng]

⛽Strategies & Steps to Finish My Projects

Try to view my building from different viewpoints to make sure it looks good from all angles, I will start with making a details sketch, orthographic sketches, and a physical LEGO model.

In Maya, I am planning to start with the basic structure of the building, such as floors, windows, and basic shapes. Use Maya's Reference Images feature to import my sketches and then use Maya's Polygon tool to create the base model.

✨For more digital modeling techniques, please refer to other techniques post

After that, I am going to use Maya's Extrude and Bevel tools to help me add details such as balconies, ventilation systems, neon lights, and other cyberpunk features.

Regarding the Color & Lighting part: my color choice is neon colors, and Maya's Hypershade tool allows me to create and distribute materials. Cyberpunk styles often have a nocturnal, colorful lighting style, therefore I will us Maya's Area Lights and Spot Lights, and consider using some light blue or purple lights.

🌈If possible I want to make some post effects like neon glow in Photoshop or After Effects.

[billynamcheng]

😊experimentation with previsualization techniques

“I'm currently working on a cyberpunk theme.

Starting with various reference images, I first sketched out my initial design. This hand-drawn sketch will serve as the foundation for my upcoming 3D model.

Following that, I used LEGO to build a physical model, bringing my concept to life.

After that, my next step was to try and transform it into an orthographic sketch.

This also makes it easier for me to proceed with clarity in the next step. Afterward, my next step will be to utilize more rectangular, larger blocks in MAYA to continue with my 3D creation."

[billynamcheng]

✨Continue Getting Inspiration

Inspiration from the AI creation of the Sydney Opera House

I was inspired by a recent example of an AI creation for the Sydney Opera House. Even though this AI redesigned the Sydney Opera House in the style of a different architect, people can still easily recognise it. This tells me that the core elements and features of a building or design are crucial; they provide an anchor point of familiarity and resonance for the viewer. In my work, I also look for this core element and then build my work around it, ensuring that my designs resonate with the audience even when they are interpreted and stylised differently!

Source: Instagram - imaginedarchitecture

2. Kowloon Walled City 🎇

Location: The Kowloon Walled City is located on the Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong and was originally a small military fortress. Historical : In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Kowloon Walled City became an "anarchic" area due to a treaty between China and Britain. It was not under British rule, nor under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government. Development: Due to its special political status, Kowloon Walled City gradually became a vibrant but dangerous place. It attracted a large number of immigrants, especially those who wished to avoid government intervention. This led to the rapid expansion and high densification of the Kowloon Walled City. Living Environment: The buildings of the Kowloon Walled City are closely interconnected, forming a vast labyrinth. The residents here live in cramped spaces, but they have also created a vibrant community. Despite its poor living conditions, the Kowloon Walled City has also nurtured a rich culture and community life.

The relationship to Cyberpunk

The Kowloon Walled City is a real-life setting that many cyberpunk enthusiasts and designers refer to.

Inside the Kowloon Walled City, residence and shops are stacked very densely, similar to the crowdedness of a cyberpunk city. In the Kowloon Walled City, we can see shops, houses, workshops and temples all in the same building. This mixed-use feeling is also often seen in cyberpunk stories. The Kowloon Walled City has exposed electrical wiring, plumbing and other amenities, creating a chaotic mesh of sorts. Such disorganised lines and pipes are also common in cyberpunk. Despite the difficult environment of Kowloon Walled City, people form close community relationships with each other, which is very different from the world of cyberpunk.

Kowloon Walled City: The Real-world Cyberpunk ✨✨✨

Kowloon Walled City stands as a testament to the hidden architectural layers existing in reality. Its densely packed structures resonate with the cyberpunk theme, making it a perfect muse for my project!!!

[billynamcheng]

💕Major Project Idea

Draft ideas for the upcoming assignment, some of the 3D images generated by MidJounery

When conceptualizing my work, I planned to create a cyberpunk building using the low poly technique. I hope that through this work, I can show the strong contrast between the kind of cyberpunk theme depicted by the intoxication and the desperate survival. This contrast is not only superficial but also a deep reflection on society and human nature. Through the details and colors in the work, I expect to express this theme of contradiction and conflict.

Although these initial ideas provide the direction for my creation, I will further explore and finalize the final design concept in the next two weeks.

[billynamcheng]

✌️Artists References

Junliang Zhang is from Shanghai, China. he is currently working at 3BLACKDOT in Los Angeles as a 3D environment artist, and he is also pursuing a Master's degree in Entertainment Arts and Engineering at the University of Utah.

From his work, you can see that it has reached the professional level of 3A games, and its choice of colors and backgrounds is very worthy of my study and reference.

🤔His pipeline

In the creative process, I observed that this artist employed a variety of different software tools to craft his artwork, showcasing a multifaceted approach to digital creation. The diverse range of software he utilized indicates a comprehensive and intricate workflow.

Here is the detailed pipeline he followed:

Unreal Engine 4: Initially, blockouts were conducted with simple white boxes to lay down the basic structure of the project.

Maya: Following this, low-poly meshes were created as the foundational elements of the design.

Maya: Subsequently, high-poly meshes were developed to add detail and depth to the composition.

Substance 3D Painter: Baking and texturing were then undertaken to bring realism and nuanced visual effects to the elements.

Substance 3D Designer/Quixel Mixer: Tiling procedural textures were crafted to enhance the visual continuity and cohesiveness of the scene.

SpeedTree: Organic foliage and trees were generated to infuse a sense of naturalism and life into the environment.

UE4: Finally, scenes were set up and unique shaders were created as needed to finalize the visual aesthetics and functionalities.

Once the workflow was clearly established, he commenced by blocking out some simple white boxes and developing basic shaders and rain effects, setting the stage for the pre-production phase.

✌️Refection

The best way to master new 3D modeling techniques and software is to experiment with them. I am planning to do this by trying different features, tools, and settings to create various different effects and outputs. For example, I could use MAYA to create organic and detailed models and then use UE4 to set up the environment. Then, I can import and merge these MAYA models to UE4 to make the perfect scene.

📖Reference

Zhang, J. (2019). Texturing Breakdown: Creating a Cyberpunk Environment. Adobe Substance 3D Magazine. Available at: https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d/magazine/texturing-breakdown-creating-a-cyberpunk-environment-with-junliang-zhang.html

[billynamcheng]

✨Style & Color idea

The low-ploy model may seem simple enough to be done casually, but it doesn't need to be done in great detail. But it takes a lot of calculations to create a good-looking Low-poly 3D model that is more natural and better looking.

The research points out the input mesh and the different calculation methods used in it to optimize the mesh to better handle UVs. (Chen et al. 2023)

😘What is Low-Poly?

From what I've read and observed on other sites I've found that many and small faces, high precision rendering, soft light, and simplicity are beauty. The low-faceted modeling design is somewhat like real-life crafts with a vintage fee

This is a brief summary:

low poly is actually a multi-color element, divided by triangles, the color of each small triangle, is taken from the corresponding position of the original multi-color elements.

low poly is a solid color fill, relying on the color shades to identify the shape and the library, so the adjacent triangles can not be a color, you need to be spaced out on the color. (Sandu, 2018)

👌So What should I do next for my project?

It's still a matter of looking at videos and work done by different people to see their choice of colours and to get an idea of what they were thinking when they built the model. But the most important thing is to try different colours /textures on different backgrounds/models to see the effect, because there is no one colour or material that is the best, only the one that best expresses my ideas.

Here are some more videos that I found interesting.

📖Reference:

Chen, Z, Pan, Z, Wu, K, Vouga, E & Gao, X 2023, ‘Robust Low-Poly Meshing for General 3D Models’, ACM transactions on graphics, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 1–20.

Sandu, B. (2018) Low Poly Art and What You Need to Know About It (Plus Cool Examples). Available at: https://www.designyourway.net/blog/low-poly-art/ (Accessed: 20 September 2023).

[billynamcheng]

🤹‍♂️Techniques to Speed up My Modeling

Since the cyberpunk scene was very complex, the most important consideration was how to increase the speed of my modeling.

In Maya, there are numerous ways to complete each task, making it nearly hard for a beginner to become proficient with every tool at once. I particularly agree with this this sentence in this paragraph

It's easy to fall into a routine, thinking you're doing something efficiently, and then seeing someone else do the same task way better. ( Slick, J. 2019)

In this article, the author introduces 5 different Techniques

Lattice Modeling in Maya

Soft Selection For Modeling in Maya

The Duplicate Special Command in Maya

The Relax Brush in Maya

Selection Sets in Maya

In the article, the author talks about the relative benefits and disadvantages and how it works. These are the relevant learning videos I compiled:

1. Lattice Modeling in Maya

2. Soft Selection For Modeling in Maya

3. The Duplicate Special Command in Maya

4. The Relax Brush in Maya

5. Selection Sets in Maya

❤️Have you found any of the above five to be the most useful for you? Feel free to comment in my comments section!

😺Reflection & Action

Techniques are very important for making 3D models, but if I don't have inspiration when making 3D models, even if I know there is a speedy technique, I am still not able to get good results, and this technique is not a knowledge, only by practicing often can I turn it into my skills.

I find that seeking feedback and inspiration from other 3D artists is another effective method. I can join Behance/Dribbble where I have the opportunity to share my work and get constructive criticism and advice. Also, I can browse through the work of other 3D artists and learn and draw from their unique styles.

I need to invest time and effort to refine my skills and learn and grow from each mistake. Challenging myself to try and create different types of models such as characters, environments, vehicles, props, etc. will help me to improve my modeling skills in a more holistic way. At the same time, I will also try to recreate those existing models or designs that I admire or like, learn from them the strengths of others, and incorporate them into my work. In addition, I will regularly review my work to identify my strengths and weaknesses, which will help me to be more focused on improvement. Finally, I will set realistic and achievable goals and keep track of my progress and improvements!

📖Reference

Slick, J. (2019) '5 Techniques to Speed up Your Modeling in Maya', Lifewire. Available at: https://www.lifewire.com/speed-up-your-modeling-in-maya-2115 (Accessed: 21 September 2023).

[billynamcheng]

✨Started from Precise Drawing and Model Making

During my first semester as an undergraduate, I had to take Precise Drawing and Model Making as a compulsory course. During that time, I found everything very tedious and boring, drawing all kinds of shapes and building all kinds of models. I didn't understand why I had to draw front, side, and top views because I wasn't studying architecture and I didn't think they would help me in the future. However, it wasn't until I made my first model that it dawned on me how easy it was to model in all three dimensions simply by drawing Precise Drawings accurately. By making sure that every detail and scale is accurate, and by investing plenty of time, I have the ability to build more complex models.

😊My reflection during the process

When I was working on my first project the tutor had us go to different parts of the campus to explore freely so I needed to think about the purpose, function, and appearance of the model before I started designing it. If changes are made during the process it will waste a lot of time and make the whole thing very complicated would rather take a little more time to think before acting.

During the design process, I have been working on some of the details of the computer screen but I find it a headache to think about the details before I have finished the main part of the model, so try to keep the model as simple and neat as possible, avoiding excessive detail and complex shapes will improve the efficiency and quality of the model. The most efficient way to add more details after finishing the main part of the model.

After the design was finished, I forgot to double-check, when I opened it again I realized that there was a 10px gap between the bottom of my computer model and the bracket, and I didn't connect them together, so I had to check the model for any errors or defects, such as overlapping, gaps, reversed normals, etc., which may affect the rendering of the model.

[billynamcheng]

🎞️Exploring architectural styles from movies

I searched online for some movies and animations that could inspire me. I watched The Matrix, Blade Runner, and Cyberpunk Edgerunner several times, paying attention to their visual elements. I noticed the distinctive architectural style that reflects the cyberpunk ethos of high-tech and low-life. The buildings are towering, crowded, and decaying which makes them oppression and inequality.

In Blade Runner, The city is filled with neon signs, holograms, and advertisements representing a high level of consumerism and corporatism. The streets are also under constant surveillance by cameras, drones, and police forces. I was especially impressed by the futurism in design and neon lighting that gave the city a vibrant and colorful look, where similar to my hometown - Hong Kong. I also learned about the Brutalist design style that was used in Blade Runner to create a contrast between the old and the new.

The New: Futurism is reflected in high-tech elements, futuristic design, and neon lights.

The Old: The Brutalist design style is exposed to concrete structures, heavy blockiness, and symmetry, which is also reflected in some buildings to show a primitive and strong visual impact.

In "The Matrix", the architectural style predominantly features industrial elements, such as exposed pipes, metal structures, and concrete walls, creating a primitive yet futuristic atmosphere. The film's color palette, dominated by dark and green tones, contributes to a sense of oppression and mystery, reflecting the theme of human subjugation by machines. The buildings in the film are generally simplistic and functional, devoid of excessive decoration. The incorporation of advanced technology and surveillance equipment in and around the buildings exemplifies the cyberpunk exploration of high technology and societal monitoring.

The architectural style of Night City in the animation Cyberpunk: Edgerunner is like

Night City’s architectural style is influenced by both the real world and science fiction works. In the role-playing game, Night City mainly draws on the design and inspiration of downtown San Francisco in the real world. In all versions, the city is always located somewhere on the central coast of California. In terms of style and theme, Night City - and the entire cyberpunk series - is influenced by Blade Runner, and Mike Pondsmith, the creator of the original role-playing game, also mentioned that Bubblegum Crisis, an anime, influenced him when creating the game. The version depicted in Edgerunner is divided into four styles: Kitsch, Entropism, Neo-military and Neo-kitsch. (Tommasino, 2020)

Kitsch style describes a slightly more affluent social class. The members of this social class use some cyberware to look very beautiful and attract attention. The architecture here is also very attractive, with a lot of bright colors, and a lot of shiny materials, such as plastic or good fabrics.

Entropism style is based on poverty and severe resource scarcity. In short, this style visually tells the story of a very poor social class in our world. Its core slogan is “necessity over style”. Entropism style design is based on everyday items that you can even see today, but we have some “cyberpunk twists” here, for example, maybe a mirror has a holographic user interface that shows the date and outside temperature, or maybe a table has a few buttons to control its height.

Neo-military style is a style based on military and security. The buildings and items in this style are very sturdy, durable, functional, usually black or gray. This style reflects the control and influence of mega-corporations and government agencies over Night City.

Neo-kitsch style is a style based on extreme luxury and personalization. The buildings and items in this style are very exquisite, expensive, unique, usually gold or white. This style reflects the most wealthy and powerful elite class in Night City.

Night City’s architecture is also influenced by Brutalist architecture, which is a style that uses bricks and concrete that emerged in the 1950s. Kacper Niepokólczycki, environmental design director of Cyberpunk 2077, said that Brutalist architecture played an important role in creating Night City. Brutalist architecture was also used in Blade Runner to create a contrast between the old and the new, the organic and the synthetic, the human and the machine.

📖References

Tommasino, M. (2020) ‘Night City: How the Cyberpunk 2077’s Megalopolis Was Built’, Domus. Available at: https://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/gallery/2020/12/21/night-city-how-the-cyberpunk-2077s-megalopolis-was-built.html (Accessed: 20 September 2023).

🧸Due to copyright reason, we can only share the trailer, if you want to know the full version of the movie, please use regular channels to watch or buy.

Image 1 & 2 credit: Warner Bros.

[billynamcheng]

💡Theme Choice

The theme itself challenges the way we perceive and how we interact with the world. One direction that intrigues me is cyberpunk. The cyberpunk is a fusion of futuristic technology, gritty urban landscapes, and a sense of dystopian wonder. Picture sprawling, neon-lit megacities with towering skyscrapers, each hiding its own labyrinthine secrets beneath the surface. What we have to do is unearth hidden wonders in the seemingly mundane.

😊My future 3D GCI artworks should try to explore hidden, impossible spaces within the cityscape.I may need to take into account some of the meaning and social phenomena behind cyberpunk when presenting my work

[billynamcheng]

❤️Idea Exploration

These low-poly cyberpunk artworks are stunning! I'm a big fan of this style too.

In the mesmerizing realm of 3D art, few styles captivate the imagination like the low-poly cyberpunk aesthetic. With its blend of futuristic dystopia and neon-infused beauty, this genre offers endless creative possibilities to explore hidden, impossible spaces within the cityscape. However, the intricate textures that define this style can be daunting.

🌈Colour Palettes

15 Cyberpunk Aesthetic Color Palettes - Depositphotos Blog

😍My Choices:

The choice of colors and materials depends on the atmosphere and theme I want to convey. For my project ,I gonna

Using Dark or grey as background colours to highlight the pollution and depression of the city

Using Bright or neon colours as accent colours to highlight the vibrancy and diversity of the city

Willing to use reflective materials such as metal or plastic to highlight the city's high technology and indifference

Picking textures such as rust or stains to highlight the ageing and dilapidation of the city