Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Finally, we'll be working on creaing a few materials, one of which is a material built
using nodes.
What Does It Do?
With this project, we will be able to do some very nice poly to poly modeling, which allows
us to do some hands-on work, which is very rewarding when the model starts to take form.
It definitely feels like molding with our hands.
The first purpose of this project is to get acquainted with the basic analysis of topology for
a simple form. The selected car has some features that make it easy to model using a mesh
modeler, such as Blender. This aspect is very important, because if we try to model a very
complex form at the same ime that we are learning the basics of topology, things may
become too complicated. Instead, we decide to work on a model that has a basic shape,
but looks very nice when we build it.
In the shading part, we will be creaing a moderately complex shader using the material's
node system. The material will allow us to learn some basic methods of mixing simple
materials in order to get visually richer results.
Why Is It Awesome?
Topology is definitely the coolest part of this project. The key will be to keep the poly
count low for as long as possible, so that a good topology will help us out when adding a
subdivision surfaces modiier, which will create a very nice, high-resoluion mesh by using
our low-poly mesh as the input.
When correctly applying topology in a model from the beginning, the real complexity of the
job is left to the computer. The idea is to have a simple mesh that the subdivision surfaces
modiier can use to produce a high resoluion mesh, with all the features that we want.
That's the key, and mastering this is important in order to really enjoy mesh modeling.
Our model is mechanical, yet the knowledge that we will acquire with this project is very
useful for modeling organic shapes too. So this project really gives us a very nice opportunity
to improve our modeling skills.
On the shading side, we will produce a few shaders using some basic concepts to create
them. However, the really neat part is creaing the shader for the car paint, where we will
work with the node editor to mix few simple materials into a complex and visually rich
material. Being able to compose complex materials from basic ones is a very powerful tool,
since the level of control that can be achieved for the final shader is quite high and the
process to create the shader isn't that complicated. It's all about
layering
the components
and using the right mixing methods to get the desired effect.
