Today we have the following:

• First, work on your 3D room.  You should be well underway with this project by now.  If you are nearly finished, please continue to add detail (books, pictures, pens/pencils, clock, electrical cords, etc.).  The more detail and effort that goes into your room, the better.
• We have a Guest Speaker from Academy of Art University coming tomorrow (Tuesday).  They have courses in Art, Architecture, Fashion, Game Design, Motion Pictures, Multimedia, Music, Photography, and Web Design.  
• Finally, a brief word about "Guest Speaker Etiquette".  I am grateful when a guest speaker is willing to come all the way to Lake County to visit our school.  Although I am pretty easy-going on a regular day, I expect polite, respectful behavior when I have a guest speaker

• Keep computers off.
• Do not make random or off-topic comments.
• Do not ask random or off-topic questions.
• Be quiet when he/she is speaking or presenting material.
• Be interested -- or at least act like you are.
• Failure to follow these rules will result in a lower grade and a loss of privileges.

Today is your day to catch up (if you are behind). Check out the 3D Assignments and make sure they are all on your portfolio for grading. I will be grading projects this evening and will have grades available tomorrow. This week is your last chance to get late work turned in.

Your Homework: Measure your bedroom [or another room in your house] to be modeled next week. Measure length, width, and ceiling height. Measure windows and doors. Measure things like your bed, your desk, your television, your phone, etc. You might want to make some sketches of the items you will model so you can get them done accurately. Remember to include little details like power buttons, power cords, etc.

We will be spending next week getting the scene built (accurately) with as much detail as possible. If you have a digital camera, you might try taking a picture of your carpet or wallpaper or bedspread to use as a texture for your final render.

Today we're going to try something a little different -- you're going to work through a book tutorial to create a Rubber Duck. The Training Manuals are online (see previous post) and today you'll be using Rhino Training Manual Level 1 [pages 156-169].  Following a tutorial from a book [particularly an online book] can be difficult, so I will work through this one with you as well.

The following links open the Rhino Level 1 Training Manual and the Rhino Level 2 Training Manual.  We will be doing some projects out of these books.

LEVEL 1  /  LEVEL 2 

In this project we will learn about turning on "Control Points" so you can stretch a shape (like a cube or a sphere) into other shapes -- in this case, a vehicle body of some sort.  We begin by building a block -- generally large and rectangular in shape.  Then we "explode" the shape, "rebuild" it, and turn on Control Points (F10).  Finally we drag the control points to create new positions to build our new shape.

Today we are going learn a few new tools to build a decorative table with an inlaid top and carved legs. We will be beveling the edges of a block using the "SOLID > FILLET EDGE" tool. We will create the "carved legs" look by starting with a "Truncated Cone" and then creating a "Spiral Curve", adding a "Pipe", and then doing a "Boolean Difference".

Today we will be using the "Extrude" command to turn a line/curve into a 3D shape -- in this case, a "ribbon". Next we will "Cap" the holes to make it a "solid shape". Then we will use truncated cones to create legs for the table.

The next piece of the project is to put some items on the table -- perhaps a coffee mug, a plate, a vase, etc.

Finally, create a floor under the table and put a spotlight (or 2 or 3) on your table.

Note: If you double-click the "Examples" folder on your desktop, you should now be able to view the 3D Resources folder which has TONS of textures, bumpmaps, models, etc. Check them out.

Today we are building a 3D shape such as a goblet or vase by drawing the profile of the shape, then using the "Revolve" command to make it a 360˚ object.

Use the "Curve" tool (either "control point curve" or "sketch") to draw the shape in the "Front" or "Right" viewport -- use the red "base line" as a "floor".

1. Press ESC to get out of the "curve" menu.
2. Click on your new line.
3. Type "Revolve" in the "Command:" line.
4. Draw the "Axis" (use Shift to keep the line straight) and press Enter.
5. Type "360" at the "Revolution Angle" prompt and press Enter.
6. Press "Delete" to remove the original curve that you drew.
7. Shade the Perspective viewport and view your object from different angles.

Today we begin using a program called Rhinoceros 4.0 -- a 3d modeling program which is used in a variety of industries around the world.  Rhino is used in automotive design, marine design, jewelry design, shoe design, etc.

You can download a trial version (which is limited to 25 saves) here: http://download.rhino3d.com/rhino/4.0/eval/

Check out a gallery of designs made with Rhino here: http://gallery.rhino3d.com/Default.asp?language=&g=1

Today we're going to be building a water craft of some sort.  You might do a boat, a canoe, a submarine, a jet ski, or whatever other creation you can think of.  The examples below are from some former students to show you some different takes on the project.

The next project we're going to create is some sort of "land vehicle".  Obviously there are 2 and 4 wheeled vehicles [and you are welcome to do one of those], but below are some examples from former students who took this project to the next level.  Have fun with this one.

Your project for today is to model [build] a 3D model of an air or space vehicle.  Some suggestions might include a space ship or space station, an airplane, a jet, a hot air balloon, a blimp or zeppelin, a rocket, etc.  Some examples from my former students are below.

Get creative and have fun!

Today we will begin working with the camera in our 3D animation work. It's a little more complicated because we'll be having the camera follow an object that is moving, but it's still definitely doable. :)

I am once again including a video tutorial below should you need it.

Today and tomorrow we are going to explore basic 3D animation.  Obviously you can tell by the picture on the right, we aren't going to be doing very complex animations, but it will help you understand the concepts of 3D Animation.

Again, I am including a video tutorial below.

Today we're going to experiment with using Bryce Symmetrical Lattice to make a 3D logo.  On the right you can see the finished YouTube logo in 3D, while on the left (below) you can see the original.  I applied the logo to the Symmetrical Lattice.

I am also attaching a tutorial video for those who would like to try this at home.

Todays project is really the absence of terrain... and sky... and haze.  It's space.  In this instance we will be creating a moon, stars, a comet or two, and [if you want] some sort of space craft.

I am also including a video tutorial below if you need the extra help.

Today we are going to be using both PhotoShop and Bryce.  We will create a grayscale image in PhotoShop (size 512 x 512 pixels) with several shapes (mostly rectangles) which we will use to apply to our mountain (terrain editor).  This will effectively allow us to create a city in Bryce using a single mountain.

An example of the grayscale image is seen on the left.  The brightest (white) colors will be the tallest points and the darkest (black) colors will be the lowest points.  Obviously the different shades of gray will be mid-size buildings.

I am also including a video tutorial below if you shoud want to watch this tutorial again. [Or if your family or friends would like to create something like this.]

Today we are going to use our Terrain Editor, the sky editor, and some haze to make a scene that appears to be a desert.

I will also be including a video tutorial below for those who need to review the in-class lesson [or those who are absent during the demonstration]. 

Use today to finish up your Bryce projects and get the rendered images on your Portfolio.  Once your Bryce scene is fully rendered, go to the top of the screen to choose FILE > SAME IMAGE AS > name.jpg.  Then in your blog, click NEW POST and upload your image.  You might want to give a little bit of detail about each project to make your portfolio more interesting.

If you are finished with all of your Bryce projects [so far], play around with Bryce a little bit and see what you can come up with.

Today we will be using the Bryce Terrain Editor to think a little bit out of the box.  We will be creating a forest.  We will be using a terrain for the ground, a terrain for the trees, some fog, and [of course] an effective sky.

I am also including a "video tutorial" below if you need to go over this again in the future.