UPDATE! NEW WEBSITE

After nearly three years, I can now say that I'll be having my own website with all my work on it. The blog posts from this blog will be copied to my website, which will be great as the website will provide a story to each and every asset you can buy from it. I will be deleting this blog in December 2020 and the website will be launched in April 2016.

Modeling a Volkswagen Golf MK1 1975 in Autodesk Maya 2015

It's been over a year and a half. I upgraded from Maya 2011 to Maya 2015. The change is BIG! I want to go back to Maya 2011 but an error comes up telling me I should downgrade my Mac (which I mostly do my models on). I didn't want to reinstall Mac OS X Snow leopard so I decided to learn Maya 2015 for my benefit. I can't be using the same version all my life, I'll need to stay updated, so I decided to do so. I feel like an old person in the industry who has been around since the early days and has seen 3D modelling change. But I'm only 21 years old and have known Maya for around 2 and a half years. Plus I just have got my Mac working and shall Build more for this portfolio. I present you with the building of my VW golf 1975. enjoy!

I had to convert this file when I moved versions. This was annoying and also I haven't used Maya for 10 months before that. Note: the texturing will be a separate post. Take a look at it opened first time  in Maya 2015.

This is how it looked (see the picture above). I have screen shotted parts of the picture above and will show you how I'd normally model a car.

I firstly started with the from side door. This is because I will use a plane and keep on extracting in a the front view with the plain showing through, so I can see the images I am using to model the car. this way it is better and less annoying than box modelling where you make a box and extrude from it to make whatever your making. I do not find that helpful, even though I was taught to model using box modelling techniques by a teacher who didn't know how to model. I had to then teach my whole class how to model and he was learning a lot from what I taught myself in a month. 

I then moved onto the front side panel. I only model one side of the car and near the end I will copy and flip it and then join both parts together and then see the final model. I found the wheel part the hardest as I had to move the vertices slightly so it won't mess up the side panel. 

I then had to join the door the the panel. I firstly extrude a part of the panel and moved it close to the door. I joined them together and then make it all look like a cars front side by moving the edges till it was moved and curved enough to look like a cars parts.

I modelled the bonnet and then joined it to the side panel in a similar way to how I joined the side to the door and then i extruded the window from the bonnet and pushed it in a bit and joined the side to the door.

I then copied the front door and flipped it so the front was at the back and so on. I then extruded it out so I could cut out the back side panels. I then moved the vertices to make the wheel holes and then I filled that in.

I then made the front grill bumper and lights.

I then make the back.

I then made the side mirrors.  I had difficulty joining the mirror to the body as you can see there are a few areas that do not look good.

I then combined both parts and joined them up. 

I then modelled the wheel. I was tempted to make better rims. But I wanted to make an original VW golf 1975 and then make a from custom body kits and rims.

I then moved the wheels to the body and grouped it together. 

As I modelled this in smooth mesh view (press 3 on the keyboard to see models in maya in that mode), I could see it with quality. I then went and smooth meshed it to polygons so when I use it in my animated film I am working on and I go and render the scene to JPG, I won't have the car in a funny looking way.

I am deciding to open a new youtube account where I show my work off. I will look in my computer to find this and will show it off in a youtube video which will be available as a link in this post in the coming months.

Model of an athletic man

This is screenshots of a model of an athletic man. I have finished modelling the model. I now need to rig it and animate it too, so later when I know a bit about programming and I can programme a basic game. I will then be able to use this in a game and also for making a rough draft.

I started with the torso as I found modelling that bit easier than modelling any other part. I gave it the cartoony look inspired by Teenage Mutant Turtles cartoons I us to watch with my little brother when he was about four all the way till 8.

I found the back challenging because, after I had modelled the torso and chest, I had to deal with unbalanced or mirrored back. I finally, after hours got it to this point. As you can see around the upper back are, it looks very, very straight as if it has been drawn by a ruler and pencil. I left this back to the very end so I could correct it and then texture it.

The most fun I had modelling this model was probably the lower chest upper abs area as I modelled both as two different objects and then merged then together to form a nice smooth muscular, macho man look. like the above picture.

The top picture shows all of the edges and all. As it was my first Character model, I didn't use the extrude tool because late when I come to texture it. It'll be a nightmare texturing.

I will be uploading more screenshots of the modelling process when I have the time. At the moment I am thinking of rigging it.

Car Modelled based on Ford Crown Victoria (famous American Police Car)

This was my first vehicle model I made and I love it the most because I spent a lot of time on it. I really like perfection and that is why it's very good for a first try on modelling a car. the next vehicle model will be a car called Chevy Impala '64. This is because I really liked the video game, GTA San Andreas.

This is my finally, untextured model. As you can see, there are a lot of mistakes and straight edges. I left some detail out because, I felt that after I'd have textured it, I'd add details into the texture.

As you can see, I have changed the design by having that 'boyracer' look to it, for, one, the feel to it when you drive it in a game and two, for the cruising look. I'd say this is my favourite view of the model as the rear light to rear wheel view looks realistic.

I added a different exhaust so it could have a double tailpipe and give the loud turbo car noise feel to it. Just the type of car a Juiced 2 or Need For Speed fan would like. I'll upload the modelling process and texturing process some other time as I couldn't find them on my computer.

World War Two: Anderson Shelter

This is the final model. I spent 3-4 hours modelling it today as someone requested to see a military style 3D model, so I made an Anderson shelter.

This is the view from the back of the shelter.

This is the texture sample. I have used around 5-7 pictures to make this. the grass texture I found on the internet and the front and back sides, I took pictures of cushions and rust from cars.

This is a picture of a sandbag in a game engine. 

This is a picture of the completed model in the same game engine.

This is a picture of the model in the game engine again but taken from above.


As you saw, this model was made for a game engine called Unity 3D.

Modelling Sackboy

 I firstly started with the head. I found the head very easy as i kept on adding more and more edges to shape the head. The head started of as a box like a lot of the other parts of the model. the eyes are just circle objects combined to the head and are not in the texture as that way it saves time.

 I found the process of modelling sackboy very fun and easy. The real change was texturing the head as I am a modeller not a texture person.

 Here we have the finished product.

This is the most favourite part of modelling and texturing sackboy. I had to redo sackboy's zip line's texture around 5-6 times. The zip is an object it self as that way if I was to port it to cryengine, unity, UDK or any other game engines, the zip would be able to open and the sackboy can use his insides as a inventory.

Finally, this project has been a fun first character modelling project as it make me model a character independently and I now have the confidence to model more realistic characters in the future.