Maya tips and shortcuts

Reposition pivot point

Press Insert on the keyboard.

hold V and move the pivot to activate snapping

Press Insert to exit edit pivot mode.

snap the object from it pivot point to a grid line
X + move with move tool

Smooth preview
number 3 on keyboard

Normal preview
number 1 on keyboard

object view
select an object and press F

extrude in one axis
click on extrude
press W to make the axis appear

Access a window stuck in another screen
With the window we want activated, press alt+ spacebar
press the down arrow button two times
press enter
move with the arrows in the right direction until you can access the window

access edit menus
spacebar
shift+right click
W+left click

center pivot
spacebar-modify-center pivot

combine two separate objects
select the multiple objects to combine with shift
mesh menu- combine

cartoony house modelling

I decided to wait a bit before modelling my mini-van. I don't know much about Maya tools, so before going into modelling for real, I will follow this little tutorial going through Maya tools.

http://edge-cgi.com/tutorial-model-cartoon-house-maya-beginners/

Actually, this tutorial seems to have quite a nice batch of tutorial for beginners.

My reference pictures:

The house base shape

Here is a preview of the house with most of it parts. I still need to add some details. I want to add a chimney and I still have the roof tiles to make.

 With the roof details.

Done with the modelling. I really want to deform the house like in the tutorial, but it does not show how to. I will need to look elsewhere to learn how to do it.

Maybe I can use this tutorial to deforme the house:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jviQSB6quJY&list=UUOk6ffx1URvXnn4jOtsjC9w

I used the lattice tutorial and successfully deform the house by applying two lattices. One for the roof and another for the house and chimney. I also re-scaled the sides of the gabbles for a better style consistency.

Now, it is time to add colors with simple shaders.

I don't know about the shaders. It kinda looks bleh...

I will add the lights and make a render to see if it gets better.

It will be easier to adjust the colors too. I haven't add specular and all too, so it is basically plain shaders.

Final Result! I am very satisfied with this exercise. I had quite a hard time controlling the light and the shadows. They often looked out of place, but I think that with do.

How to setup your image references

I am sharing my Maya methodology to setup planes.

First, I import a temporary image by going into View- image plane- import image...

I import the front view.

In front view, I create a plane and make it the same dimension as the imported image

Then, you can delete the imported image and conserve the plane.

Redo the steps for the profile plane.

Now, we will apply materials so that we can see own blueprints.

Window- rendering editors- hypershade

Add a new lambert material

Right panel, edit the lambert.

Click on the checker logo next to color.

In the opened create render node, select file. 

In the right panel again, click on the yellow folder logo.

In the open window, chose the file you need.

Repeat the material processus for the other plane.

If you can't see the pictures, make sure the two buttons in the picture below are activated.

Final setup ready for modelling:)

Bedroom modelling

work in progress of a bedroom

Blocking

Adding secondary objects

Finish modelling

Lighting test with vray

Setup photoshop grid for pixel art tile sheet

First, open a new file. Let say we start with a 128 x 128 pixels document.

Here, we will go for 9 tiles. So, you need to expend your image by 300%. Image- Image size

Now is the time to setup the grid. First, we want to see the separation between the tiles.
edit - preferences - guides, grids and slices
Gridline evenly: 128 in pixel (the image will be guided at each 128 pixels)

For easier pixel drawing, we will add more guides.
Subdivision: 2
You can also add more subdivision if you find it easier.

The result!

Make sure you draw with the pencil tool and that your eraser is in pencil mode.

Happy pixeling!

Zbrush alpha making

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/zbrush/sculpting_series/index_part5.html

Mini Van modelling

2014-07-26

This is the new tutorial I am planning to follow:

http://cgi.tutsplus.com/tutorials/create-a-stylized-car-in-maya-the-complete-workflow-part-1--cg-16921



 I did not touch Maya much, so I decided to model a complex object using Maya and a tutorial to learn the tools.

1. My reference board:

I will model my own car inspired from mini vans.

2014-07-27

2. A little sketch of the van before the modelling phase.

Flash dressing game still going on

2012-06-18

Ok, I began this a long time ago. Half a year ago, maybe? Then, school started and I left it behind. I first tried to do this little dressing game because I wanted to learn more about Adobe Flash. I used this software in high school, but I forgot all about it. As this is my first dressing game, there are some things I had miscalculated, but I still won't leave it in a corner. Hope I can finish it someday. The scripting is done. I just need to complete the closet. I am also thinking about adding a start menu. And yes... The character I use is a renowned mascot in every Final Fantasy, a mog...or moogle.

Some things to look out next time: make a front view of the character instead of a 3/4 view. It is easier to draw the clothes. Sometimes, I drawn them quicker and forgot about the perspective (sorry about that, and I am a little lazy to redo them). I should be more careful next time. A front view also makes it easier for multiple clothes to fit together. We should also think about having the arms in suspension in case there are fluffy and large clothes. Make some sticky clothes also. It is easy to make and gives more choices. If it is a 3/4 view, we should try to separate the front arm from the rest of the body.

Previews of the ongoing game.

Adobe Flash - Dressing game TEST

I did a test to see if I can do a dressing flash game. I know nothing is pretty, but it is just a test for now. Everything work fine, except for some buttons that I plan to take out.

Enjoy the first phase!
Play the game here!

Note: old post 6/26/11 

Animation - Morphing integration from 3Ds Max to UDK

It is actually in french because I did it for my school which is in french. If anyone need a translation, just ask it and I will make one.

Voici un tutoriel que j'ai fait qui explique pas a pas comment faire un morph dans 3ds Max, l'importer dans UDK et controller l'animation par clés dans UDK.

Étapes:

3ds Max:

Avoir un mesh de base. Dans ce cas-ci, le mesh de base a été dupliquer 2 fois, pour avoir 2 morphs différents. Un ou le personnage sourit, et l'autre ou il ouvre la bouche. Le soft selection en vertex mode a été utilisé pour modifier les morphs.

Selectionner le mesh de base. Appliquer un "Morpher" modifier. Selectionner un box "empty", cliquer sur "Pick Object from Scene" et selectioner le premier mesh de morph.

Le mesh doit être relié à un bone pour être importer dans UDK. Créer un bone.

Ajouter un "Skin" modifier au mesh de base. Cliquer sur le bouton "add" pour ajouter le bone créer.

Exporter le mesh de base avec le bone et le bone's nub en .FBX. Cocher Animation et les 3 Déformations.

UDK:

Ouvrir le content browser. Importer le mesh. Cocher Import Morph Targets.

Un "Morph Target Set" sera automatiquement créer.

Double-click sur le mesh pour ouvrir l'AnimSet. Les Morph Targets devraient être là. Ici, ils le sont sous le nom de morph1 et morph2.

Creer un AnimTree.

Mettre le "Morph Target Set" et le Skeletal Mesh" dans l'AnimTree.

Click droit dans l'anim tree. Ajouter un "MorphNodeWeight"

Click droit dans l'anim tree. Ajouter un "MorphNodePose"

Renommer les "MorphNodePose" en utilisant le nom des morphs dans l'AnimSet.

Renommer les "MorphNodeWeight" par un nom désiré.

Avec le mesh selectioner, click droit dans la scene, ajouter un "SkeletalMeshMat"

Selectioner le mesh de la scene. Presser sur F4. Ajouter le mesh.

Ajouter le Morph Target Set.

Créer une sequence Matinée dans le Kismet.

Ouvrir le Matinée. Click droit pour ajouter un "Skeletal Mesh Group". Click droit de nouveau pour ajouter un "Morph Weight".

Copier le nom du "MorphNodeWeight" dans l'AnimTree et le coller comme nom du "Morph Weight" dans matinée

Cocher le carré noir du "Morph Weight". Ajouter des clés. On peut ensuite animer les point jaune entre 0.00 et 1.00.

Done!