Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Working in 3D
The initial impulse for someone interested in learning 3D graphics is to immediately jump in and start build-
ing—trust me, I have been there! While there is definitely something good to be said about diving right in, if
you spend a little time creating a foundation of skills, you will have less need to break bad habits later. Before
you start creating anything, you need to understand the canvas you will be working with and the elements that
will be used in the creative process.
This chapter covers the following:
• Understanding 3D space
• Exploring a 3D scene
• Navigating the modo user interface and its viewports
• Maneuvering views and objects in space
Understanding 3D Space
Maneuvering in 3D space can seem easy at first glance. After all, only one dimension has been added to the
standard page layout, and that dimension is what we experience as we move around every day. However, be-
lieve it or not, the addition of this dimension can make navigation harder to get used to for the novice 3D
artist. If you don't grasp some foundational principles from the outset, you can become disoriented and lose
track of your model and scene. The addition of a third dimension adds much more than just another arrow on
the monitor.
A standard page layout has two axes: x and y. If these equate to the horizontal and vertical directions, re-
spectively, then the third axis (z) extends off the screen, toward the viewer (see
Figure 1-1
).
This works well for starters, but let's take it a step further and look at space in terms of a map or other top-
down design. In this case, the plane defined by the x and z axes makes up the Cartesian plane. More specific-
ally, the negative z-axis is north, and the negative x-axis is west, in relation to the middle of our workspace
(see
Figure 1-2
).
The center of space (called the
origin
) will be the starting point for all of our design work unless we spe-
cifically need to work in a different area of the scene. Even in this case, it is often best to create an object at
the origin and then move it to the desired location, because this will enable you to work with symmetry, easily
locate objects, and move the mesh layer, which can then be reset or animated much more easily.
Figure 1-1:
Three dimensions from a screen perspective
