In the following remarks I will make comments on the following questions which were asked of me during the course of my project and portfolio class.
What I know about modeling...
This is how I think the fine arts competencies relate to modeling...
I still have these questions...
1)What I know about modeling.....
Modeling in the third dimension is something that I have always been exposed to but until my enrollment at Full Sail University I had no idea what it was or how the animation and games around me, which I absolutely love, were created. I suppose before I began I thought that you simply pushed and pulled polygons around to create the images that you intended to utilize without rules or guidelines. Although on the most basic of levels this is essentially true I have learned that there are several rules in order to develop a usable model that will allow you to apply lighting, color, transparency, form and texture. I will touch on a few of the most important principles that I have learned.
The first thing that I know is N-Gons (or polygons with more than 4 sides ) are bad. They tend to work incorrectly with any form of applied manipulations. I have learned to create every object from 4 sided figures ( with the occasional triangle here and there ) to ensure that as I UV, texture and manipulate objects they maintain proper form and edge flow.
The second fundamental principle that I have learned is that UV'ing is the core to application of texture that is functional. By this I mean that the creation of proportional figures within the 0-1 hypershade spacing of Maya is essential to the application of texture and lighting that flows over an object evenly and realistically. This has been my nemesis thus far as I have found it to be the most time consuming. There are times when your UV appears to be perfect but the lighting and textures bend and warp in unexpected ways. For the persistent however, I have found that most errors or unseen issues can be overcome.
The final and perhaps the most important principle that I have learned thus far is SAVE YOUR WORK in MULTIPLE locations. While this may seem simple I have been in class with several people and have heard several horror stories about crashes, accidental saves to the same name and complete project loss due to something as simplistic as saving to exterior locations. Our world revolves around digital and intangible creations. When working one should ask themself: "If Da Vinci had created the Mona Lisa in Photoshop would he only have saved it in one location?"........
2)This is how I think the fine arts competencies relate to modeling...
Modeling is fine are to the Nth power. In many of my google hangouts I have heard students say that they cannot draw and don't understand why they have to draw in order to be able to create with a 3D Program. I myself questioned this until my last class as people would post various concept share imagery and get torn apart because they could not maintain proper form and proportion. It would seem that the relationship is of the utmost importance as what you can see and do in two dimensions carries over. You may not have to be Da Vinci or Picasso but the mistakes that are made when laying out your proportions, shading, light source, value and form are magnified when you apply a third dimension. In my most humble opinion we are, as Computer Artists, the future fine artists as our work will trick the mind as Escher has, bend reality as Dali so elegantly did and innovate imagination as Da Vinci had done so long ago.
3)I still have these questions...
The biggest question that I have is are we using the right programs in our learning endeavors? I have been in google hangouts with my peers over the past few months and there are some professionals in the field that downplay the use of Maya and Z brush for our creations. Looking at the various programs that are out there for UV's manipulation and texturing it would seem that some are far superior to what we are being taught. Will learning these programs alone allow me to hit the ground running upon graduation and be competitive in the field? If not, what else should I look into? I have a hunger to learn and grow and would love to be given some list of what company uses what program and how I can get my hungry hands on what the pros are using.
Why are there no classes to follow up with your projects and fix them? I suppose dedication leaves us to do this on our own. However, if I have made errors in turning in projects that I have received a 98% on but I know that there are mistakes I just cannot fix on my own what class is there to help me address these issues?
Finally, am I MOVE or am I GAME? I have heard rumors that the path of the animator comes to a fork in the road at some point. How do I know what I am good at and what will be fulfilling to me as a career? It has not been addressed and there is no "this is what they do" type video to guide us in making the final decision of career development. I have looked for videos on "In the life of or day of an animator" but it simply does not exist beyond tutorials. How do I know what is right for me?
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