3D Modelling in Maya
The new year begins with an introduction to the 3D computer modelling software, Autodesk Maya. I came into this feeling quite apprehensive as I sometimes struggle with technical processes where I need to follow specific instructions rather than my own creative instincts. My experience with drawing has always been rooted in traditional media so computer modelling feels about as far away from that tactile feel as you can get.
It took a while for me to get used to a more methodical way of thinking about shapes. The 3D forms in the computer space are compiled of many polygons (triangles and quadrilaterals) so I need to consider simplifying my ideas for the shapes I'm looking to make. Computer graphics are evidently geometrical in nature but I have never had to figure out that puzzle myself. I am reminded of Ed Catmull's famous breakthrough in modelling and animating a hand in 1972- a helpful illustration to me of the quantity of polygons to make a complex, organic shape.

For the first brief using Maya, we have been asked to construct a building. The geometrical nature of the simple shapes I have started to put together do lend themselves to basic architecture. Therefore I can already start to see how I might construct something interesting, despite previously knowing nothing about the process.


Here are the first results of simply playing around without much thought of what I was making. I allowed the forms to happen by testing different tools, resulting in an abstract set of objects that are starting to resemble a town centre.
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I have used the 'Extrude' and 'Bevel' tools from the 'Modelling Toolkit' (on the right hand side of the Maya screen) as well as rotation, moving and resizing. There's already a lot to extrapolate from these initial tools. I'm able to use the modelling tools more instinctively, like clay, the more I use the program.
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In my practice session here I duplicated and resized an oval shape to give the appearance of steps going up to a platform. Also I found the approximation of a lamppost, though I need to further explore and practice to make the details more convincing.

Castle research
I have chosen to construct a castle in Maya. Here is my Pinterest mood board (linked) for inspiration, looking at a wide variety of structures and styles. I wanted to give myself plenty of examples to select pieces from. During the construction I hope to be spontaneously building the elements of the castle with a spirit of play, rather than feeling too constrained by one particular style of architecture.
In response, I have been drawing basic castle shapes in my sketchbook. In accordance with advice from our tutors, it's best at this early stage to keep it simple. Once I have a simple structure then I can always embellish by building more elaborate detail on top of that framework.
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One of the main references for my design will be the moated Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, which has a simple enough layout to start with and then I may deviate from it according to what's immediately achievable. Castles are wide-ranging in design, so I may add extra turrets or peripheral details outside or within the walls of the site.
I will simplify the round shapes of my reference castle to more of a box-like geometric set of turrets. I don't want to create awkward 'ngons' or overcomplicate the project enough that I may end up crashing the program. I'm learning about the extent to which 3D modelling requires computer power, as my home laptop is struggling with Maya. I'm able to use the studio computers but it does limit my creative freedom and ambition a little if I'm concerned with technical issues.
3D Inspirations...



3D computer animation has always been one of the main inspirations in my life, mostly from the pioneering work of Pixar. Although computer graphics can be quite a cold medium, Pixar realised how to best use the plastic-looking forms, telling stories about desktop objects and toys. Their organic textures developed over the years, inventing ways to show fur, flesh, water, mud etc, however I still have a soft spot for their earliest work.
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Luxo Jr., animated by John Lasseter in 1986, is an example to me of a short film done perfectly. It uses the limitations of the medium present at the time and tells a succinct, funny and wordless story about two desk lamps. Through their body language and proportions alone we understand them to be a parent and child. It's difficult to imagine the smoothness of this animation having been possible with traditional stop-motion techniques, and watching it now still inspires in me a sense of the possibilities of 3D.
I tend to believe that the job of an artist is to keep exploring the unchartered waters, and so computer art is simply the next frontier. Pixar were at the forefront of pushing those boundaries, when at the time very few in the animation industry believed in the potential of computer graphics for storytelling.
"The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art."
- John Lasseter.
Looking ahead to my own personal ambitions with 3D modelling and animation, I would love to think I could make something in the mould of a Pixar short film. I have always loved the animated short as an effective medium for imaginative storytelling, perhaps even more so for me than feature films. Sometimes I wonder if at heart I am a writer more than purely a visual artist, as the pursuit of a good story is where my drive comes from (more so than if I were to simply realise someone else's idea). Some ideas are by their nature tricky in a particular medium and I have thought at times, 'it's a shame I can't animate that story with computer graphics'. I was resigned to that sense of defeat for a long time, thinking 3D animation was simply unrealistic for me. It's exciting to think that's an option now, and I am seriously thinking about making my final course project a computer animated short. I may change my mind, as I can't do everything, but it would be the furthest medium from anything I previously have experience in, and therefore I feel a duty to truly challenge myself.
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I have a fascination with light, as is evident in much of my fine art work. Occasionally I have had ideas for stories for which a light source comes from the character, which is quite impractical for stop-motion and would look inconsistent if hand-drawn. Luxo, Jr. is one such example where the virtual space can accommodate that specific lighting; the lamps' heads giving off a soft glow. Here are some more examples that come to mind in existing animations...

A Christmas Carol (2009)

Shrek (2001)

Finding Nemo (2003)
I imagine that the more proficient I get at building shapes in programs like Maya, the easier it will be to build my own sets digitally too. It can be difficult to find the space for a physical set for stop-motion, and then there's the problem of not knocking into it or inconsistent light. For peripheral details, I could duplicate (copy and paste) certain objects like trees for a forest, or even crowd characters, which again would be laborious in any other animation technique.
Castle model
Following a series of practice sessions I began to build the various components of would become my castle. The essential parts were the walls and the turrets, to be placed at the corners. The walls started as a tall cuboid shape, which I extruded out from the side face and then slightly upward from the top face, repeating as much as I wanted, to create the recognisable crenellations of castle walls. I set aside the walls and worked on the turrets, similarly extruding from the faces of a square shape, this time upwards to create a tower. I duplicated the structure before adding upper details, as I wanted two different kinds of turret. One would taper to a point, like a fairy tale design, and the other would be the traditional crenellated pattern. It's been interesting to see my building come together from very basic cube shapes into an object that is immediately identifiable as a castle.
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Once I had my key components, I aligned them using the grid as a guide, placing them all equidistant to create my building. I varied the height and girth of the various turrets as to avoid it looking too uniform and symmetrical. I used Bodiam Castle as my guide, also helping to make a more convincing, solid entrance.




As I'm just starting out on 3D modelling, at this point I have no idea how complex I have made my structure for the purposes of texture later on in the process. I wanted to keep this first design fairly simple so that I learn the lessons I need to learn for now, and make more elaborate models down the line.
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Just by adding several windows, ledges and pathways, I can give the impression of a habitable space. A little goes a long way, it seems. The more I get to be familiar with the tools on Maya, the more I can imagine the possibilities of expanding to a larger scene. I added a path up to the entrance, with steps, drawing from my research images of Bodiam castle. This small addition does conjure up images in my mind of a narrative unfolding, and who would be returning to the castle.
Adding texture/colour
My main struggles on the course are about understanding new programs and reacting to unexpected tech issues. It has taken a lot of patience and perseverance to keep trying again when I don't understand why something isn't working. In all other aspects of my self-taught art life, I can usually draw my way out of trouble and rely on my imagination to come up with a thousand creative ways to do something. With technical processes, there is usually only one or two ways to do something, and this tends to clash with my natural approach to creativity.
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It took me a while to comprehend the various steps of adding colour and texture. I have needed keep rewatching instructional videos walking me through the process. The early stages of looking at hundreds of unknown buttons can drive me a little crazy, but at least I know when I have figured something out it will always get easier from there.
Castles typically have a stony exterior, so I have looked to replicate that texture. The main other texture to consider is for the tops of the pointed turrets. These could be more metallic and therefore rusted or tiled in some way. I wanted to differentiate textures somehow.