(Group Project) Week 4 - Finishing off the Modelling and Texture Testing

 The group planned this to be the final week for all modelling to take place, so I was needing to up the pace and add in the final parts to my section of the pump

By Thursday 12th November, we aimed to merge all of our modelled sections together and see how well our individual scaling held up!

This is the progress I made in order for my part to be completed within that time frame - below this collection of screen-shots I have also supplied a selection of textures that will be mapped onto the various sections of the model (mine first as I have only the gauge lever and dial needles to animate, whilst the other guys animate the main pistons and connecting rods/shafts, along with the wheel itself in the centre)

 

  Before I wanted to continue, I had a quick checkup on the scaling of certain objects making up the complete model - namely the gauge-pipe

I had a feeling, when checking it up against the many reference photos I have, that the final curved section leading to the t-junction was too long and the 'u-bend' went too far downwards, so I de-attached the pipe from the other section and, as shown here, selected the 'Polygons' I didn't want (keeping to the "Front" view, I could make sure the selection cursor was 90degrees to the Polys, avoiding any unneccessary selection/deletion of Polys had I been in the "Perspective" viewport)

 

I needed then to make progress on the bolted attachments and fittings that would secure the regulator piping and ducts to the main casting that housed the left-hand pistons and con-rods

Basically, it was a case of using a conbination of 'Standard' and 'Extended Primitives' like the 'Cylinder' shown here, which will be cloned and extruded in both activities to lead down into the symmetrically cone-shaped bolted attachment mentioned above - this object was extruded from a 'Spline' called 'Ellipse', again to a set scale

'Merging' in the 'nut_bolt objects' once again, I placed these onto the bolted casing-fitting and made sure they were lined up against the reference images, the added items like grease/oil stains and paint chips will be noted when application of textures takes place next week - note I have also taken it upon myself to rotate the junction leading from this attachment to gain a better sense of positioning and scale when attempting the next section

Before I was to continue with the taps and funnels below, I wanted to sort out the hydraulic hose that comes into the upper t-junction, parallel to the gauge pipe modelled earlier

the 'Polygon'This was achieved in a similar manner to the pipe - creating a cylinder only .15cm deep (still enough to select face accurately) and a radius just smaller than the tubing it was to be connected then, by making a 'Line' under 'Splines' to flow around in the shape of a U, the cylinder would be 'Extruded along Spline' as before and follow the 'Line' path, as shown

The hose was, of course, not angled correctly yet, so I needed to use 'Soft Selection' and, by adjusting the 'Falloff' I could select only the Polys that I wanted to include in the 'SS' modification

Here, there is a total of 470 Polygons selected (which highlights how detailed and memory-dependant a piece of tubing can be!), which were now able to be controlled through the 'Move' and 'Scale' tools at a greater level than just selecting Polys with 'Soft Selection' 

 

This image demonstrates the complexity of the adjustements that can be made using the 'Soft Selection' modifier - I had set 'Falloff' anywhere between 5 and 20 cms, keeping to the reference scaling the group had discussed

Little by little, the hose could be moved and re-positioned to follow the photograph (it would go behind the flywheel in the final merged model anyway) and there were only incremental tweaks needed to both the 'Falloff' and the 'Pinch' modifiers (the 'Pinch' was to stop the Polys from tapering inwards or outwards, which ever was caused from the adjustments leading to this stage)

A rendered update to the progress I was making with the model at this stage in the week - note, the final curve downwards came about through the obligatory use of the 'Rotate' tool within 'Soft Selection' and avoided the mesh breaking up and 'pinching'

Back to the casing fittings/attachments now and I wanted to design the objects with Max's memory-capacity in mind - the file had passed the 2MB mark now and I still had around 40% left to do!

Firstly, I was to 'Clone' the bolted casing-fitting as a 'Copy' and increase its scale by a small margin - this was resultant of one photograph I had taken which shows the piping that attaches betwen the two 'nut_bolt objects' of this newly cloned fitting actually passes right alongside the hose and its neighbouring tubing object - so I had to use the 'Top' viewport to align the nuts, bolts and edges of the ftting, also increasing its scale too

To save time and conserve memory for the file, I highlighted the 'Polygons' making up the first bend of the U-turn in the gauge-pipe (as it comes down from the dial and around ) and cloned 'By Selection'

This way I had a replica of the object and could use it in this instance for the piping described in the aobve caption- as the image shows, I could do the same clone for both sides and didn't need to be concerned about sizing up and maintaing scale to quite a delicate degree

Here, the image shows the step I took when seperating the clones of the un-used pipes that sit up alongside the hydraulic hose - the piping is so called 'un-used' due to it isn't actually attached to anything in the reference images we took on the day we were at the Museum, but we may rectify that when we include the model in its historically accurate environment

 

The two sections of piping are then capped - selecting the face 'Polys' and using the 'Cap' tool

This then allowed me to use the 'Scale' tool (learned from the Facial Model before) to extend the upper length of the left-hand pipe to comply with the images collected

 

This central section here was actually a 'Cloned-Copy' of the lower part of the t-junction connecting the hose and gauge pipe - it had the rounded edges and thickness that would match closely to the pipe-tubing on this section of the pump - all that was needed was, using the 'Move' tool, an adjustment along the 'Y' co-ordinate to bring the selected edges downwards and form the curved/rounded edge further

 

In order for me to get both sides between the two pieces of pipework, I had to think of a way to repeat the newly-created tubing without adding any more memory-dependant objects...the solution? The 'Symmetry' modifier was applied to the 'Cylinder_Object', mirrored along the 'Z' axis and I also made sure the 'Weld Seams' option was checked to avoid any problems with the material-mapping later on

 

This image shows the introduction of the nut/bolt objects once more, to plug the gap between the right-hand pipe going downwards towards the casing and the left-hand pipe (the group later found out that this pipe is actually used when steam in introduced as a fuel to the machine and it is this pipe that brings in the steam from a manned external supply!)

They were 'Merged' into the scene and took on the scaled measurements of this file 

 

An updated render of the modelled pump so far - notice how Max keeps the objects colour-masks in keeping with what 'object type' they are classed as - primitives, compound objects and so forth

 

I now needed to begin constructing the extended piece of cylindrical piping that the first of the three taps sits atop

The image above shows that I spent a little while aligning it up against the two bolted-fittings with the 'Top' viewport and a regualr check against the groups many aerial reference images - the object itself is a 'Cylinder' sclae down, with the 'Width Segments' increased by two to give me extra 'Polys' with which to extrude with to add on the spacers/washers before the next part

 

For the vertically-positioned attachment that the tap is...well, 'attached' to, I had to use a modifier as it wasn't a simple case of re-creating a cylinder and changing a few vertices

I had to first create a slim cylinder, but then I used the 'Taper' modifier to achieve the accurate look of the real-life piece - by checking the 'Taper Axis Primary' as 'Z' and 'T.A Effect' as 'XY', the object could be manipulated to end up looking like this ('Taper Amount' set at '-0.5' and the 'Taper Curve' at '-1.4')

 

I hadn't really thought of the many ways to approach the modelling of the taps, as many would simply involve a cylinder with 'Boolean-ed Out' material to give the gaps in the item itself - I had to conceive a way in which I wouldn't impact on the memory too much

It was simple - By creating yet another cylinder for the outer section and then duplicating that to scale down and fill the space of the interior section of the tap, I then converted both as 'Editable Polys' (allowing me to modify their attributes), and then selected the 'Polys' that matched the reference image I was following

 

The upper cylinder shown here is with the previously selected 'Polys' deleted and now it was a case of moving that to one side and creating the gap in the lower cylinder for it to fit inside of - looking downwards when doing this required the use of the 'Top' viewport in order to select the correct number of 'Polys' and when scaling both to avoid any gaps in the mesh itself

 

Here is the 'Tap' positioned just a few clicks away from its destination - the inner cylinder is now in position in the center and there has been the inclusion of the square-shaped top-cap in the centre of the circular feature in the center of the inner cylinder

The highlighted 'Polygons' are being scaled downwards to match the detail in the photos taken when the group were at the museum (I was certainly pleased I took so many shots of as many features of the steam-driven pump as I could on the day; it has proved invaluable in these situations!)

Materials

A major aspect of my role in the group is to research, collate, design and apply the textures that will be going onto the objects throughout the modelled pump itself

Below are some that I have found online from recognised free-texture download site www.grungetextures.com

The material above has been chosen due to its suitably weathered looking surface and irregular patternation - ideal for the flooring in the workmans shed/workshop that the pump will be in its final redenred environment within the post-produced stage

 

The aspect of this I'm focusing on is the mottled and beaten-looking concreate that is all around the storm-drain cover - its possibly the exact texture that can be applied over the pumps main structures, such as the piston-casing and steam-valves

 

There are many areas of the metalwork where paint has been worn away through heavy use and/or neglect with restoration - this texture (and the one below) are prime examples of the application of such intricate attention to detail that will be needed onto the model itself

 

The texture above also has the use of being applied to other degraded items within the environment that the pump is also in - I'm sure I may find areas on the pump which could value this material as well along the process

 

A possible material ideal for the various outhouses or indeed, the fireplace or other stone-based items, within the workshop in and arond the environment

 

If wooden items and features were the group's final thoughts for authenticity of the post-production, this weathered and stained example would be the sort of thing we could find a use for

 

If a corrugated roof was to appear in the final environment, this material fits the bill nicely (I especially like the inclusion of faded colour and oxidisation taking place in random spots)

 

Many of these, and other textures like them, will all be dependant on my ability to use them to their strengths and make sure that, with the help of 'UVW Mapping' and careful consideration of 'Tiling' and 'Axis Paths', they will enhance the realism and authenticity of the pump and its immediate environmental space

Next week, I shall be including a Storyboard from which to base the Post-Production on in the coming weeks, and the posting of more materials, as well as examples of my design intentions for these as I apply them to areas of my modelled section of the pump

(The group has decided, furthermore, that while I'm finishing modelling and material-mapping my section, they can begin animation of the main Connecting Rods and attached-Swingarms, as well as the Flywheel itself; my section only needs me to animate the dial-needles and the rotation of the control lever...!)

 

(Group Project) Week 3 - Modelling the Gauge and Regulators

This week, I began to model my part of the complete pump - I would model the gauge read-out, the pipe connecting it to the junction, at which the regulators are connected, and then through to the hydraulic hose which monitors the level of fluid going into the regulators themselves

I wanted to begin by creating the pipe, so that I had a scaled object which I could then base all the other attachments by to keep the measurements accurate and not just have an excuse to use the 'Scale' tool!

By creating a 'Circle' and then converting to an 'Editable Poly', I could then use the option of 'Extrude Polygons Along Spline' to get the extruded material to follow a set path

I used the 'Line' tool to create a 'Spline' which, when set at 'Smooth' would create a consistent line without any angles or edges - I tried this keeping to scale first of all but this caused the vertices at the underside of the pipe where the pipe changes direction to invert themselves behind the row of vertices parallel to them, which meant there would be 'pinching' when applying any materials later on

I knew that this method would be the only way for the pipe to be constructed without extruding Polys all along the object itself and so I thought that by reverting the settings that generate the 'Spline' from 'Smooth' to 'Bezier' (as they were by default), I may be able to use the same method once more, but create a 'Spline' larger than real-life to avoid the curvature of its path to modify the vertices positions to the previous degree

The image below also shows that by increasing the number of 'Segments', or frequency of vertices that makeup the object, I could achieve a smoother finish (but unfortunately, this was to impact on the memory Max required to generate these modifications, so I had to abandon this idea too!)

The next step was to rotate the completed pipework 180degrees so that it could be compared easily against the reference photograph I was using during this process

Once it had been rotated, I noticed the circle from which I had 'Extruded' from was still open-ended, and so I had to select 'Border' from the 'Editable Poly' modifier, left-click onto the border/edge of the circle itself and then select the 'Cap' tool under the 'Edit Border' sub-heading under the modifier list - image above shows this

Having selected File>Merge>nut_bolt.max>Import Nut/Bolt, I now had both the nut and threaded bolt that I had created last week in this scene, ready to be cloned,modified and edited to create some of the obscure metalwork found throughout this iron-machine

My planning of keeping the scaling of each piece a prority paid off - here, I am able to drag the nut over the top of the pipework (also accurately scaled down from before) and find its just the right size!

After selecting the nut's polygons and using the 'Extrude' and 'Bevel' tools, I am able to generate washers and linkages that join each piece to another without creating each item seperately, which certainly increases the likelihood of the model being completed by the groups self-imposed deadline (only a couple of weeks, in reality)

The threaded bolt was useful at this stage to become another part of the steam-control handle and fittings

By decreasing it in scale-length and increasing the number of  'length segments', it was possible to select the inner section of polygons and 'Bevel' them (by using the 'square icon' next to the name-tag, I could choose the amount by which the 'Polys' were 'Bevelled' in greater detail)

 This attachment of the steam-control handle needed to be enlarged in the centre so, by using the 'Left' viewport, I then dragged-and-highlighted the 'Polys' that I wanted to scale up

(This method could also be employed with any object on this model-section that has been converted to an 'Editable Poly', although Id rather maintain an even scale when possible)

 

The pump should be modelled as accurately as Max would allow and this meant that if the pump had a fitting that had an impromptu hole through it, then thats what needs to be included in the model

Creating a to-scale cylinder and placing in through the relevant section, then choosing 'Boolean' from the 'Compound Objects' Object-Type, and selecting the fitting as 'Operand B' - the material where the cylinder sat has now been removed!

By using a combination of all four viewports, I can assess the positions of the objects themselves as they being placed above or below each other on-screen. After adding on another nut attachment above the regulator-handle fitting (the modelling process of the handle itself will be further down), I was to create the gauge and inner dial, which was a 'Primitive Object' Cylinder reduced in height to '4.5cms' but increased in radius to '15cm' using the 'Parameter' options  - I also increased the number of sides to 20 to ensure a smooth overall edge

After re-positioning the gauge to the angle shown in the reference images, I then went into 'Sub-Objec' level, selected 'Polygons' and highlighted all but the outer-most ring of them (adding to 140 Polygons!) - I then used the 'Move' tool and push in the Polys by about 4cms equivalent

This was so that I could then apply a material inside that would demonstrate the dial and all the detail in there and to then add a 'glass' cover over it with a simple 'Reflective' Map

The hands shown were created by using the 'Extended Primative' object 'Cone', with which I could then reduce the width and number of sides (the minimum is 3, unfortunately, so I couldn't get the shape totally flat) to get the desired form

Although I was dissapointed I couldn't get the shape to only have a single side, this threw up an unexpected advantage - why couldn't I use the three sides to not only display a 'Specular Highlight' as they went round to increase realism, but also to improve my judgement when animating to avoid them 'colliding' into the dial itself, whereas single sided there could be problems of that nature...

Before progressing any further, I wanted to sort out the 'dimpling' that appeared on the pipework at the underside where it changed direction, when it was extruded along the Spline 'Line' & extruded from the 'Circle' - this was perhaps due to acute angles that the the Line followed

The 'Front' view was very useful in allowing me to see 'inside' the model and modify the vertices and regularly check back in the 'Perspective' viewport how the re-postioning was affecting the mesh itself

Here you can see how, by careful manipulation of the vertices co-ordinates, I could realign them to get the underside smooth again

Having finished the modelling on the gauge/control end, I moved over to adding fittings and attachments to the opposite end if the pipe: this meant cloning a few copies of 'extruded nut_objects' and, as shown here, creating a scaled 'Cylinder' which would then be modified into the t-junction fitting that joins the hydraulic hose and its attachment rings, as well as the damping-taps to control the pressure of the compressed gas/steam coming into the pipes

  

 

Once I had positioned the 't-junction_object', I could then 'Clone as Copy', reduce its overall length, but then use the 'Scale' tool as a means to create a 'bulge' at the lower end from which I then attach the apparatus for the Damping Taps - you may notice that I had increased the number of height/width segments when modifying these objects (this is so thats when a 'Specular Map' is added with 'Anistropics', I can re-invigorate the material with a metallic surface similar to that of cold-forged iron

To add extra detail to the 't-junction_object', I went into 'Sub Object Level', selected the Edges closest to the edge of the cylinder and brought them closer to the edge, adding in a bevelled edge to give a greater sense of the junction having properties close to that of its real-life counterpart

 

Note: Image should be rotated 180degrees!

This is the finished piece 't-junction_object', which means I have now linked up all three branches of this part of the whole model and I can now progress over to the hydraulic hose and then downwards to the casing (containing all the internal regulators and pistons, which thankfully we don't need to model!)

For some odd reason, I had completely missed the inclusion of the regulator handle

I knew it wasn't going to be an easy shape to replicate, attempting to create it by means of a 'cylinder', a 'cone' and even trying a 'spline' tool, but nothing came out particularly successfully

Then I thought about using the 'Sphere_Primitive Object' - I could convert it to an 'Editable Poly' and then select its vertices and manipulate them to achieve the desired shape, as shown here

Once I was happy with the scale of the handle itself, I then created the attachments that lead onto the regulator-control. The tap-fitting shown here and its bolt have valves inside to monitor the pressure that is released and this is then assessed by the dial above

To further enhance its historical accuracy, when reaching the animation stage, I used the 'Boolean' modifier under 'Compound Objects' to create a gap in which the tap-attachment fits. I intended to do this due to when animating this part of the pump, the group wants the handle to be rotated around its fixing and so, with a material attached, this process would be clearly visible

Returning back to the 'hydraulic-hose' end of the pipe, all that was needed before I began the creation of the hose itself was a few more 'Extruded' and 'Bevelled' 'Nut_Objects' (to take the place of all the spacers and bushings between each section)

Then, it was simple case of scaling a 'Cylinder' to match the fittings in the vicinity - again, made easier by 'magnifying' the viewports of 'Front' and 'Top' so that all the outer 'Edges' were overlapping just slightly

To make the hose, I conducted a similar method to how I first created the gauge-pipe - a 'Line' created under 'Splines', but this time I made sure it was described as 'Smooth' and 'Bezier' This was so that when I double-clicked after marking each marker along the 'path', I could bend the 'path' to flow and achieve a more accurate representation of the hose itself

Then I made another simple 'Circle Object', also done previously, and layered this next to the end of the cyclindrical connector-tube created in the caption/image above and got the circle to 'Extrude Along Spline'

(segment rating of 50)

A render of the 't-junction' where the gauge pipe is to the right-hand side and the hydraulic hose will be coming in from the left-hand side, the pressure taps developed from the junction-attachment facing downwards - note how the fittings and objects all appear before any materials are added (they will include 'Anistropic' parameters and plenty of 'Specular Mapping' to both enhance the edges and facets of each fitting and attachment and maintain that feeling of aged and weathered-apperance of the pump's surfaces)

When I reached the cast-forged fitting which, while similar to the 't-junction' fitting above, had features that I felt were unable to be captured by a clone of that fitting, so I decided to use another 'Extended Primitive' and create the object using the 'Chamfer Cylinder'

Aaron of the group had used the 'Chamfer Box' before, so I knew its attributes could allow the object to be modified to a greater degree than just a 'Simple Primitive', like the 'Cylinder' or 'Box'

The main parameter I was interested in was the 'Fillet' tool - this meant that I could control the strength of the chamfer to cause the object to resemble a squat-looking gas-tank shape

As I had intended, I was a case of choosing the 'Polygons' facing the direction I needed to go to follow the reference images and pulling the material out with the 'Move' tool (I tried the 'Scale' tool but this caused discrepancies in the 'mesh' of the object and could have possibly lead to the intended texture applied to distort - also similar complications with a UVW Map application!)

 

To create the 'Olive' attachment that is found on this fitting, I had to use the 'Donut' object

This is along the same lines as the 'Circle' Primitive Object, in so much as how I needed to convert to an 'Editable Poly' before it could be 'Extruded'! The object then needed to be repositioned over the previously 'Moved' selection of 'Polys' so that it followed the pump's real attributes

There was a process of then adding on the extra fittings and attachments to get to the Pressure Taps (to be created next week now), which included 'Cloning' of two more 'Nut Objects' and the addition of the 'Threaded Bolt' from the "nutbolt.max file" to become the bolt that holds these fittings together

The second of the two 'Cloned' nuts went onto the thread to complete this weeks modelling stage...

A render of the progress achieved this week - all to an accurate 'Scale' and hopefully as much progression next week when I will be creating the casing and finishing off the taps and positioning the hose too!

*There is also the chance to trial some textures and apply some of my modified textures next week as a matter of course so that there are no real big suprises when I come to apply the material maps and styles to the objects before animation

This is obviously critical as I do not want to hold up the continual procedures our group has planned each and every meeting

I will present some examples of material/texture that will have a use on designated areas aorund the model next week*