LECTURE NOTES

-To crop, go to the white square with a blue circle in the middle

-to render options, go to the movie clap board with the two dots at the side

-to show render, go the the plain movie clap board w nothing on it

--if you select something on the render screen, it will render ONLY that particular pat

--save image

-material first

--stuff the object is made of

-texture

--a "sticker" on the object

-bottom corner right, red running man is the preferences

-surfaces, 5th object over (planes, in the "tab")

-lambert material (its the default material, usually when its created or when you shade it)

rendering (in the tab)

-in the middle is the different types of materials

--go to the middle one, the one w/o the highlight (should say lambert material when hovered over)

---go to the attribute editor->common material attributes->color->change the color

-Changing the texture

--color (attribute editor)->checkered box->file (in the new window)->folder image (under image name)->load image-> click on the checkered ball (under the rendering tab)

-select image->curve tool->trace object (make sure to moderate your dots and hide your reference)->enter->revolve (revolve is also in the surfaces tab and looks like a wine glass. next to it is loft and planar as well)

-instead of spacebar->choose window, use hold space bar->maya->view

-create->nurds primitive->cylinders->checkbox options->caps->none

-sections are how many slices you want the object in, spans is vertical cuts

TO INTERSECT AND TRIM

-a tube sitting inside a plan (under surfaces; cylinder is brown; "intersect")-> select 2 objects-> click that icon

-plane w/o the cylinder next to the one you just clicked ("trim")

--select one object, hide the piece->select the one you're trimming-> click icon->select what you want to be saved (the lines should become solid white, rather than dotted white)->enter (the object you clicked on should be shown, while the others should have deleted)-> hide the current object, unhide the previous object->click the one you want to save then enter

---the pieces that you trimmed (the ones that seemingly disappeared) aren't actually gone

----edit->delete by type->history

-DONT do the parenting until you're done with intersecting and trimming (trimming doesn't like parenting and will not trim unless you de-parent)

ISOPARM AND HULL

-COMM d pawn->control vertex->isoparm->insert isoparm (5th object from the right under surfaces, inserts another line if you moved an isoparm)

-isoparm

--you can move the lines that make up the object. by doing so, you can have more resolution so that the surface becomes smoother (you can do it multiple times if you hold down shift)

-Hull (left click, hull)

--selects various isoparms together 

-sometimes if the lines are "straight" then you might have moved the vertices if the lines aren't "straight" then your object might come out strange

CUT THROUGH OBJECTS

-done via nurbs

-best if in wireframe view

-curve tool->draw (make sure you "cut" all the way thru)->enter->COMM d->separate one from the other->loft(you can go back to shaded view now->adjust the lofted object so that it cuts all the way through as desired->proceed with intersect and trim 

-remember to use the isoparm and hull to make the objects smoother

EXTRUDE

-an object that follows a path

-circle is following the curve to make a tube

-curve tool-> enter->circle curve tool (under curve tab)-> make it a bit flat->select the main object (example was a circle)->shift+select the object being followed (example was the curve)-> surfaces (at top)->extrude (make sure checkbox option says "at path")

-to make the object thinner or thicker, go to the first object (the circle) and adjust its scale

-select curve->isoparm->sélect circle->edit curves->duplicate-> planar

-modify->center pivot

--puts a pivot right in the center of the object

-to make a right angle w the curve tool, click twice in one place then click somewhere else

-make curve (don't close)-edit curve->close curve->surfaces->bevel plus

-if you make anything out of a sphere, make sure you rotate the sphere on its side, THEN you can stretch it

-if you want to make something like a pillow, elongate the sphere after rotating the sphere on its side, scale it then mess around w the sides

-bolt: flatten a sphere from the top

-spoon: rotate sphere 90 degree, flatten, isoparm/hull. to make the handle, circle curve, curve tool and follow (extrude)

-do NOT use squares or cubes. use curve tool.

-toaster: made out of 3 objects: modified sphere and 2 objects cutting through it

ASSIGNMENT week 3

-create 5 kitchen related items

--pots pan, jars, slotted spoons, toaster, blender, juice extractor

--demonstrate extrude, intersect and trim

-demonstrate a beginning understanding of 3D space manipulating isoparms and abstrate Nurbs modeling

Messing with Maya Buttons and Basic Shapes

In Class:

-Overview & Intro to 3D modeling

-user interface of Maya 2011

-Explanation of navigation in 3D space

-How to see the shape of everyday objects and how to interpret them into their most basic forms in 3D space

Lecture Notes:

-when you have time, look at the intro movies "essential  skill movies," it'll help you

-window/view port, the main screen, the grid thingy

-uppermost menu has the main menu

--maya organizes based on sub categories (when you click on the left pull down and click on the word it'll change the top menu)

--will be mainly working with surfaces

-most menus have a box

--is the option box

---if you want many diff save versions, click "ignore version" underneath "file" -> "open (and checkbox)"

----the first place you want to go if you're having trouble opening your files

-(surfaces) -> create -> NURBS Primitives -> Sphere

--shade by clicking on the blue box on the list above the view port

---you want to be able to move it around

--panels->orthographic->front

--go back by panels->perspective->perspective

-cube (top right in the view port) is often something you want to avoid because it can mess up the perspective

-the items to the left bar next to the view port won't be used for this class

-the circle with a white BG underneath the "show"  (its called resolution gate)

-sqaure w "highlights" will allow you to see the wireframe of the object

-"grey scale square" to the far right above the view port is the x ray option that allows you to see whats behind the object

--will be used in homework

Homework: Review interface and navigation of Maya 2011 (mine is 2012)

Creation of Nurbs objects 

-using loft, planar, and revolve 

Final Turn In

submitting:
-here on the blog
-and here on the computer in the school. facultyfoldersstudent
--type in jl (jlecuyer)
--All Assignments done turn in. Final versions of each item only.
--2000 px flat files; jpg, no layers
--new folder outside folder FS122 "Fri Fall 11 Final", name "Callueng_Michelle." Drag into the folder. Once you drag into this folder, it is locked so make sure everything is in order before submitting.

Week 1, Homework 1 Final Ver: Messing with Photoshop

Week 2, Homework 2 Final Ver: High Key-Middle Key-Low Key Composition Practice

Week 3, Homework 3 Final Ver: Images On Images-Shirt Design

Week 4, Homework 4 Final Ver : Reality Practice- Movie Poster

Week 5, Homework 5 Final Ver: Strange Environment- Compilation of Reality Pictures

Week 6, Homework 6 Final Ver: Manipulation of Fonts and Images

Week 7, Homework 7 Final Ver: Painting 3-D Shapes

Week 9 Homework 8 Final Ver: Painting an Inked Drawing

Ass 8

Here is my final version which took my almost 4 consecutive days to do...
Critique:

-nice painting overall

-paid attention, good detail, paid attention to the cast shadows, feels volumetric

-Good, nothing to improve.

 

Heres the original, ink version directly from a manga called Full Moon. Unfortunately the person who scanned this didnt have a very good scanner and some of the details from the original manga was lost.

-instructions

-sketch/lineart stage, flat stage, shadow and light stage, shadow and light tints
--highlight w/in a highlight, and a shadow w/in a shadow
-multiply turns all whites clear; lock the layer when you dont want to mess it up accidently
-work from background to foreground
-work from dark to light
-work from thin to thick
-merge multiple layers as you go on
-to see is you are doing well, turn of the ink layer; is the image created by whats left closely resembles your original image
MAJOR:
--looking for good rendering (separation of value)
--dramatic shadows and lighting
--temperature

asssi 7

Here is my second version for all 3.
-Circle
--changed background slightly
--corrected flat color and most of the shading itself
-Square
--corrected it's base shape
--corrected the darkest shading

-All 3
--corrected castshadows position/shape & color
--corrected reflective light (still had trouble doing them)
--made sure there were no ! marks
--used Gaussian Blur

 

Here is my sphere, cube, and cylinder. Someone told me I have to do a cone, but I didnt see it in my notes nor have time. I had a hard time choosing the colors (in terms of avoiding dark orange, light orange, ect. except for the circle), overall with the cylinders and doing the cast shadows.

Critique:
(cylinder)
--colors are too saturated; ! point doesnt exist in the real world, so watch out for them.
-blur the lines; change the strength (50)
-you can desaturate it as well; layers, hue/saturation
-touch the object; shadows live at the very bottom of colors
-the "move up in warmth and move down in cool" was referring to the color selection (the purple when selecting the color moves up or down; temperature) Not that the colors should be diff, same color, but warmth/cool.
-shadow is supposed to be the color of the bg the shadow is being cast on.

-Instructions
-do a cylinder, a sphere and a cube and make it look 3-D
--3 separate paintings, 3 separate colors (each bg and shape must be diff colors)
--cools and warms-lighting and feel; one warm, two cool or whatever as long as its not all cool and all warm
---when in cool light, the colors tend to get warmer
---when in warm light, the colors tend to get cooler
---as you go "up" it gets warmer, as you go down it gets cooler
---dont just go light orange and dark orange. Use appropriate colors
---blend together
-avoid red and blue (soild)
-light is on the top right
-opacity is lightness
-flow is the capacity, the amount coming out
-use diff brushes
--mess around with the settings of the brush
---you can make it so something scatters around so that it creates a patchy feel to it
-you can go to deviant art to download their brushes
--download file
--save file
--("natural media brushes" or "chalk brushes")
--edit, preset manager, load, then load the brushes
--make sure to manage and delete your brushes, cause too many will bring photoshop down
-if no tablet is present or tablet is failing, use 1-9 to change opacity. If tablet is useable you can press harder or lighter
--20%-10% opacity perhaps?
-after youre done, use the select tool and select inverse to delete the messy parts. Make sure you feather. If it still looks to hard, use the blur tool
-remember to apply shadows and reflection light
--in doing the reflection light, make sure to go low opacity and choose a value the same as the circle
-never choose anything from the top or the right; mainly choose from the middle or towards the bottom
-polygon tool for the square and cylinder

Assi 6

3rd ver:
-revised background slightly
-fixed each letter to...
--become more smooth
--become more sharp
--fixed gaps and breaks in the letter
--left some as they way they were due to time constraint and because I liked the way it already was

2nd ver:
-changed logo image by downloading the original the font and loading it to Illustrator.
--was able to change the color and outline of the font due to having the original text
--arranged the letters around so that both "Ns" in the title matched up at the end
-changed direction of dragon image slightly
-added drop cap
-changed shape of background
-fixed typography problem; orphan

 Critique:
-I will redo the font from scratch...
-"shape" the font
-tangency
-orphan; typography
-Drop cap at the beginning
-order was good; over all nice just fix up.



INSTRUCTIONS:
manipulate fonts and an image
-illustrator
-similar to the shirt design; colors
-vectors
-simple tx and image
-high res
-something with a shadow

 Illustrator:
-Photoshop are pixels, vectors is illus
-lower file size on illus
-graphic things; logos, typography
-crisp and great resolution unless you bring a
-layers are on each object; in order to affect it, it must be clicked on.
-you can send things backwards or forwards (changing the "layers") by right clicking on it and "arrange"
-window pathfinder
--for combining images
--only need "divide" and "combine"
--the others are variations of these two basic tools
--combine by selecting all the shapes desired at once then click combine
--to divide, select all, degroup, make sure you deselect and select again then click divide. then you may separate the objects
-clipping mask is used to hide a part or all of an image without erasing it. You may still move the image within (the key word is "within") the mask (see example assi for details)
--you can move the image within the mask by the white arrow tool.
---make sure you select the WHOLE image
-when you want to have text on a object, make sure the object is "closed"
--the shape should be like how we read, from left to right
---the shape on the right can be "messy"
---roughly should resemble a square
--should be readable

Assignment:
-designing a "logo"
-shadow image and then vectorize. try to get as little amount of vector points
--click the image and his "live trace" on the top screen and hit expand
--if you want to delete something, click on everything and ungroup. From there delete.
--magic wand
-Can also be color, however. But must be vectorized
-The logo and the vectorized image must be combined.
-the body of text will not be read and doesnt need any relevance
--it is used only for pg design
--the text shape may be manipulated to fit your "pg" design
 -export to make it jpg

Assi 5

-show all the images you used on a separate docx. Original, images, combo of images (ver 1)

-combination of all images should look like a photo realistic image. (combine different images to create a new area)
-make sure to match the lighting to make it realistic
-300 dpi, 2500 pixel wide

-apple C to crop

-everyone is the same head height (touching the invisible line)
-everyone disappears by the horizon
-place a key character/object to measure out everyone else
-take the apple b to get the window for color balance, apple u to get hue and saturation
-take the darkness and the light to change the shading
-make the drop shadow by making a layer underneath the image and  copying the nearest shadow (eye dropper tool)
--use polygon tool
--guazy blur (under filter)
--take down the opacity to make it look better
-keep in mind to take into account of the surroundings; if theres a bump, compensate for it by making your object/chara follow it or move it somewhere else
-shadows go right from the edges; adjust your shadows accordingly
-click on your layer and change the settings on the top left hand corner form "normal" to "color" to allow for reflective light; suttle
-for shiny objects, take the background/object, copy and paste onto the other object, select that layer, and go to the upper right hand corner and change the opacity
-non destructive way; bottom circle of layer win, go to add vector mask, the circular icon, you merge two images; when you paint with white, one image appears, paint with black the other image will appear and the other will disappear
--press x to cycle between the two colors
-flatten everything and add noiseat the end; check if everything blends together well first before flattening

in all images play with:
-value
-color
-saturation
-drop shadows

-6 images; put good time into it

Homework 4

Here is my 2nd version.

Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to finish it, and I currently have no scan of my thumbnail.

instructions:
-movie poster (use realistic images), ads or 3-D cartoons (can also be 3-D movie pics. It can be anything realistic or dealing with realism, but NO 2-D pics)
-collect and arrange images to tell the story of the movie in one go
-make sure you have the focus (usually the bigger one surrounded by little ones)
-some times you add paint behind something to make it stand out
-remember the harry potter poster from typography?
 Something like that
-similar to the shirt project, but secret is cutting them out correctly
-fix the edges so that its not jagged.
-when dealing with reality, there is no solid lines, a bit of a blur; it is the difference between cartoons and reality. the more focus, the more clear, the less focus, the more blurry
-8x13 or 8x14 (14 tall, 8 wide)
-basic grading is to avoid bad cuts and halos
-go in slightly into the image with the polygon tool
--the more lil clicks you make, the more precise you'll be with the polygon tool
--to zoom, double click, zoom hold shift, continue and then connect it with the previous selection.
-its important how to work with edges; also with your composistion
-feather your edges
--makes it more realistic
--1.5 pixel or 1.0 pixel feathering
--selection; right click on your selection, then click feather
--if the image looks too blurry, less feathering, too edgy, more feathering
--feather while editing, while deleting
--BEFORE copying and pasting  you must feather!
--when you want something to merge with another object, feather pixels are high to make it look realistic (12 dp) but not necessary for this project
--Feathering is most of the assignment
--when feathering furry creatures, ignore a majority of the strands of fur and get the main shape
--feather will not work well on low resolution images
--you can not use the magic wand while feathering 
-you may save your selection so you may come back to it again in the near future
-remember to make the images as REALISTIC as possible by manipulating BLURYNESS and SOFTNESS!!
-gather all your images first and then draft
---placement draft, value draft
-cut out the chara or the bg (better yet, make the bg using slight brush strokes) and then place your charas
-to add dynamic details, change the kind of brush (go on a diff layer) and do logical and simple strokes
-shrink to a thumbnail

-go to filter, noise, add noise
--add just a teensy bit
--a final adjustment, very last step after you flatten
--gaussian blur slightly to blend your noise

Homework 3

Ver 3:
-left heart as is due to contrast; the beige background against the heart helped the heart gradually come in from the white background
-Items taken out:
--At the bottom
---running girl; couldnt find a way to make her image recognizable; her hair was making it too messy and confusing
---took out feet; cats found to be unnessary
--Head
---basket ball, car door, extra cresent
-items majorly rotated/arranged:
--crescent to make as the head
---wing so it would be more recognizable
---arranged branches in a more orderly fashion to avoid confusion
---mouse became right up so it would be more recognizable; tail appeared to wrap around the wheel
--Edited parts:
---tree branches; erased more white spots around heart
---some of the right side branches were "lose" and scattered so I erased them
-branches to the left weren't fitting in correctly so I used the clone brush to make them appear more natural

Ver 2 (gave up in the middle of thought process)
-I wanted to take out the color surrounding the heart, thinking I only needed the heart itself.
-Wanted to make the tail bigger so I tried to fix it, but didnt work out too well
-wanted to keep the feet but couldn't find away to make the image itself recognizable

Critique of ver 1
-massed well
-value break down is good
-Heart was masked too much; Keep the heart mostly out, overlap a little bit, Tail swoop out. more clarity, head and legs non-exsistant, change to be more clear
-currently a C or a low B

INSTRUCTIONS:
Create an image using other images together.
-perhaps shadow images/black and white images or colored images; your choice
-8x11
-try to find stuff already cut out
-large than 800x600 or 1024x768 (google)
-harsh lighting
-to delete background, use polygon laso tool, white/black paint brush, eraser, or magic wand
-final ver goes on a shirt; do not allow sharp edges to show; the edges of you portrait.
-you want to connect your images; use textures if you want; make a background with value
-if you want to remove a stamp/watercolor, clone stamp the background around it. (very thin grey line on copyright so be careful)
-shouldnt look like a quilt
-you may use typography if it fits with your design
-should be able to distinguish what the image (the one you made out of images) is quickly.
-image on top, image on t-shirt on bottom right corner (blank shirt, but you can choose others)
-when putting it on the shirt, flatten the image
-no more than 3-4 values
-850 pixel height when uploading to the blog


-wand tool to clear out the shirt
-take all your layers except bg and put them in a folder
-copy the folder
-merge group
-drag the copied image, crop it, and put it on shirt

Redo plans:
-Take out the "head"
-amass the "tail" so that the images that make it are recognizable.
-make the "wings" into vines like image with other recognizable images with hands appearing to want to grab the heart.
-out of the "neck" sprout more "vines" with other recognizable images to creep towards the adjacent corners and split in half for both sides downwards so that it creeps towards the heart as well.

Homework 2

-completed 3 more and fixed 5 of them; total of 25

-

 -first ver...

Use shapes in photoshop to create abstract images (can you communicate something w/o using detail?) Choose a dominant, subordinate and sub subordinate values and shapes and go on from there. Break all your compositions into thirds (2:3 ratio that is naturally found in nature and in yourself; your own fingers) You will do 20-30 separate small compositions; each one should only take about 5 mins, in the beginning it should take you a bit, but after you get used to it it shouldnt take you long.

You can take other artwork and simplify it as well. Use the square, circle, and magnetic polygon tool.
Overlapping will also help a bit.

The main point is to learn the rules of composition: of high key, of medium key, and of low key. Also, look at other's works on the blog to get a better idea once they post theirs.

Also, only rectangles for the composition, verticals and horizontals. BUT NO SQUARES

Assignment One

Here is the first assignment where I am testing out where i turned a cow demon character into a cheetah character using healing brush and magic wand. I messed around with the textures, finally deciding to go with the cheetah instead of the giraffe due the giraffe spots looking too similar to the cow spots he already had in.

Moo

BOVINE