Software Technology: Research Project & Vehicle

Software Technology (STE)

Research Project & Vehicle

Feels like 3DF All Over Again

To start out this class was to open our eyes

to programs that weren't Maya, yet are

used to do the same things Maya can.

We were introduced to two programs,

Soft Image and Houdini. Both we're

strange to learn, though Houdini

felt a little like the crossbreed of Maya

and Nuke. While Soft Image just completely

messed with everything we knew about

modeling programs. I picked two projects to

showcase, one that used Soft Image and one

that used Houdini.

Research Project

Marble Machine:

This was fairly simple, yet there were still complications.

It took several aspects that we had learned with various

mini projects throughout the months and threw them

into a single concept. Only with this project we had to

fend for ourselves, no helpful videos or guides, just

new knowledge and the internet. I did this with 

a partner (groups were permitted); Alex Lempel.

The hardest part of the entire thing was figuring out just

how to make the marble interact with the other objects properly.

It was a matter of a couple of setting changes, but when you're

still learning you don't always know of these simple things.

In the video you can see that we still struggled with

getting the marble to run smoothly through

the coil, the teacher afterwards told us a few quick

ways to fix it for future issues. It was an interesting learning

experience, but it really helped with understanding Houdini.

Vehicle

1967 Chevy Impala

Considering two things: One, I've never modeled a car before

and Two, I've never touched Soft Image before; 

I think this came out fairly decently. It took me the entire month

to get this baby done, obviously struggling with the new program

as well as trying to keep good topology; it doesn't have the greatest detail.

Also I wish there was a smooth tool, if there is one I couldn't find it, 

inside the program to help this thing from looking like its full of dents.

And most people would, hopefully, be able to tell what

this was from just a glance. I might take this into a program

I'm more familiar with, like Maya, and polisher her

up to make her look a little cleaner and more complete.

I'm personally proud of this, considering modeling isn't my forte,

and think that its a great first car.