Asheville, NC

I'm visiting the wife's family for the week here in Asheville, Nc. There's not much time to work on things as I would like so I've been trying to take some notes on Normal Maps and learn a few things. Set up some ideas for projects I want to model over the summer. I've already got an ambitious list together but I think it's feasible if I stay ambitious enough. I'm thinking that won't be hard to do as the more I learn the more I want to try those new things out and turn them into usable skills.

In keeping with my idea of wanting to model a vehicle, by summers end I want to model a semi truck and trailer. I'm thinking something old school.

Again, I typically like to pick projects that are fun, interesting, and something that I can relate to. So to model something like the truck below would hit close to home. My Granddad was a truck driver with Standard Trucking for a very long time (not exactly sure how long) and has been a truck driver for over 50 years. I used to remember seeing him pull his truck and trailer next to the house all the time when I'd visit. Although he's no longer a truck driver anytime I mention travels through NC he can still name near about every road and the quickest way to a destination. Personal projects like this certainly help me focus on my goal and are enough to keep me motivated to see a project through.


Anyways, if anyone's reading this or following then keep checking back often to see some of the projects throughout the summer.

As I progress I hope to start getting a good workflow pipeline in place for myself to make my models game engine friendly.

The Marmoset Toolbag from 8 Monkey Labs is an awesome program to render your models in real-time with it's respective maps. Check it out. At 50 bucks it's a steal!

Modeling Practice - Pocket Knife

I've decided that I want to start testing my speed. As a way of doing that I will create models under a time limit and leave them at that. I may use them or touch them up for other projects but for my speed purposes I want to see if I can get faster with my high poly models under a constraint.

I have a tendency to focus on the most minute things. Hopefully this will help speed up my progress without worrying so much about every single vertex. 

In the below images are the reference I decided to use for my Pocket Knife model.
In this model I limited myself to 2 1/2 hours.

Summer Goals!

Since I will not be taking any classes over the Summer I've decided to learn some new skills and hone all those other ones while I'm at it.

Some of my goals for the Summer are:

Unreal Development Kit:
    -learn the basics of the development environment
    -learn to import my own models to create a fully lit and rendered environment
    -learn the basics of Unreal Script

3Ds Max
    -Model a fully built scene to import the objects into UDK (some ideas - am abandoned gas station is what I've got in mind right now)
     -start modeling high poly objects and learn to build Normal Maps from them.
     -Practice UVunwraps for textures. (Texturing is my weakest link at the moment)
     -model a car and a pick-up truck.

Programming
     -Learn Unreal Scripting
     -Continue lessons that were not assigned in my Game Programming class using DarkBasic GDK
     -Review my C++ book from previous semester for programming class in the fall.

This may seem like a lot, and I assure you it is, but I'm ambitious and want to know as much going into some classes and personal projects as I can. When I get this out of the way by Summer's end I'll be that much closer to getting some great designs, objects, and skills developed for my Portfolio and whatever jobs lie beyond.

My main driving focus is that in a year I'll be leaving an industry I've worked in for 12 years and (hopefully) start in another that I can find something I enjoy doing and that personally challenges me to better my skill set.


In 3 1/2 months I'll be just that much closer to my goal.

Demo Reel and Portfolio Images for classes

These Portfolio renderings were made for our final project in my 3D modeling class. We were to select from any of our past projects and compile a portfolio image. The only one required to be in this showcase was the character model.

The video below is the Demo Reel that was created for my final project in my Audio/Video class. I rendered out animations for my models to show them off. To flesh out the video I also include two of my Google SketchUp projects from the Fall 2010 semester.



This Spring semester has been a blast. I've been able to create a lot of assets and develop on skills from the previous semester. Thanks to all my instructors who encouraged all their students to do more than just what was written in the requirements. It's great to have people that support their students going the extra mile.

Here's looking forward to a fun filled Summer learning a bunch of things before returning in the fall.