Understanding 3D design

In this video, we will have a look at the basic aspects of 3D design, what steps go into the creation of a 3D scene or animation, and how these can be covered in Modo? After an initial concept is reached, 3D design typically begins in the modeling phase. modeling is the creation of geometry in 3D space to simulate real world or fictitious geometry. Geometry is made up of three main components in 3D, Vertices, Edges, and Polygons.

A vertex is a single point in 3D space. Unlike a pixel, it's not something that you'll actually ever see. It's just the basic building block of 3D geometry. Two vertices combined create an edge. And at least three edges creates the basic building block of visible 3D space, the polygon. This is an example of a four-sided polygon, often known as a quad. This is actually the combination of two triangles.

You can see here in this top view a triangle in the upper left and a triangle in the lower right. By combining multiple polygons, a 3D scene can be created or a model of a 3D scene can be created. This shows a simple sphere that has been detailed to create islands on a tiny planet. And another simple sphere that is unaltered to create the water.

This is a good example of how simple geometry can be modified in order to make a much more complex scene. Polygons like this one here can either be represented directly or smoothed to create the illusion of more continuous and flowing surfaces. If we take the example of two polygons, you can see that a very definite and defined edge is created.

But when smoothed, the appearance is much softer. This smoothing of polygons is known as subdivision surfaces and is very common in 3D graphics today. It allow artists to have control over a smooth surface without having to move around many, many control points. As you can see, in order to change the shape of this curve, all I need to do is change this center edge. Once polygons are created, textures or surfaces can be applied in order to give the model the appearance of a more complex surface. In this example, the polygons are textured with the surfaces of rock, sand, snow, water.

And in the final render, even the appearance of clovers on the surface of the island. With models and textures created, lighting can be put in place to simulate lighting found in the real world in studios or completely fictitious lighting as defined by the artist. With lights, textures, and models in place, cameras can be placed and animation can be created by moving and deforming objects in 3D space.

The finished results are then rendered to create realistic imagery or surrealistic imagery. All of these elements combined create the backbone of 3D design. modelling, texturing, lighting, animation, and rendering.