minoan column with splines: exercise 4 - … column with splines: exercise 4 college of dupage...

MINOAN COLUMN WITH SPLINES: EXERCISE 4

College of DuPage Architecture 2220: Architectural Modeling 1

EXERCISE 4: MINOAN COLUMNS WITH SPLINES ASSIGNMENT: In this exercise you will re-create the Minoan column from exercise 2 using the the spline tools. The purpose of this exercise is to use splines to create curvilinear forms. This exercise also demonstrates how different modeling methods that can be used to complete the same object. There is usually more than one way to successfully model an object in VIZ. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: • Working with Splines • Editing splines at the sub-object level • Using the Quad Menu • Introduction to materials • Creating Multi Sub-object Materials • Introduction to Environments • Introduction to rendering and composing a scene PROCEDURE: 1. Open Autodesk VIZ 2006 2. Open your completed Minoan column file from exercise 2 and save as

yourname-exercise4.max

Minoan Column at the Palace of Minos, Crete CARLI Digital Collections



3. Select the two copies of the column you created and delete them. The

remaining column should be the original column you created located at the origin.

4. Select the Column and choose Group, Ungroup from the Group Pulldown Menu.

5. Activate the front viewport and select the Maximize Viewport Toggle so that the front view fills the screen. We will be working primarily in the front viewport for most of this exercise.

6. Right click on the name “front” in the front viewport and select show grid to activate the user grid in this viewport.

7. In the command panel, select Create, Shapes, Splines and select the Line tool.

8. Create a shape with 10 vertex points that looks similar to figure 4.01. You can create the shape visually at this point, we will adjust it for accuracy next. Hold down the shift key to constrain the line to the horixontal or vertical axis as necessary. Right click to end the line creation process after placing point 10.

Note: The vertex numbers are shown here for reference. You should create your line shape in the order shown here. To activate the vertex numbers for your exercise, use the modify panel to modify the vertex sub-object. Check the show vertex numbers under the display parameters

Figure 4.01



EDITING THE LINE 9. In the front viewport, use the zoom tool to enlarge the lower right corner of the column so that your view is similar to figure 4.02. 10. With the line object still selected, select the modify tab in the command panel. 11. Expand the line object so that the sub-object levels are visible as shown in figure 4.03. 12. Select the vertex sub-object.

13. Click on the Select and Move Tool to activate it. 14. While in the vertex sub-object, you will select and move each vertex to match the profile of the column. 15. Click on each vertex with the select and move tool and adjust it to match the column profile. Zoom in and out as necessary . 16. Your line shape should match the following diagrams shown on the next page. Note: you can scroll down to the display parameters and check the “show vertex numbers” box if you would like the vertex number visible on your screen.

Figure 4.03

Figure 4.02



19. Match points 1-3 as shown

18. Match point 4 as shown

17. Match points 5-10 as shown



BEZIER 20. Zoom back in on the column top as shown below in figure 4.04. 21. Select and right click on vertex 9. This will activate the quad menu, which contains option for editing. The quad menu can be activated by a right click in any viewport at any time and will contain different options depending on the object selected and the mode you are working in. 22. Select Bezier.

23. Select and move the grips as shown in figure 4.05 to match the curve of the column as close as you can. You have now changed the properties of vertex 9.

Figure 4.04

Figure 4.05



24. You will now select other vertex points and change their properties so that we can match the profile of the column. 25. Select vertex 8 and change it to a Bezier Corner. Move the grips to match the column profile. 26. Select vertex 6 and change it to a Bezier. Move the grips to match the column profile. 27. Select vertex 4 and change it to a Bezier. Move the grips to match the column profile. 28. Your line should now look like figure 4.06.

29. Click on the vertex sub-object to exit the sub-object level. 30. Select the following elements and delete them: Column Base Shaft Ring Capitol Base Capitol Top. 31. The only object remaining should be your line shape you just created and the two boxes named “base” and “column top”.

Figure 4.06



APPLYING A LATHE MODIFIER 32. You should still be working in the front viewport. 33. Select the line shape, and click on the modify panel. Add a Lathe modifier to the object. You shape will look like figure 4.07 34. Expand the lathe modifier and select axis.

35. Using the select and move tool, move the axis so it is aligned with the center of the column, as shown in figure 4.08. This controls the location of the axis about which your line is rotated. 36. Click on the axis sub-object to deselect it. 37. Minimize the front viewport and select the zoom extents all button. 38. Your column should now look like figure 4.09

Figure 4.07 Figure 4.08



Figure 4.09

As you can see from this example, we have created a column with the same profile as we created with standard primitives in exercise 2, this time using a line with a lathe modifier. There is always more than one way to model a shape in VIZ.

ADDING MATERIALS 39. We will add color materials to the column using the photograph on the first page of this assignment as a guide. A note about materials: Viz materials are applied by object. This means that each object in the scene can accept one material. The problem for this scene is that the column has two colors that we need to accommodate. To accomplish this we will create a multi sub-object material which will allow us to apply 2 materials at the sub object level to the column we just created. 40. Open the material editor by clicking on the icon on the main toolbar. 41. In the top row, select the second material from the left. 42. The default material is named 02-Default and is an architectural material, as shown in figure 4.10



Figure 4.10

43. Change the name from 02-Default to “Column” 44.Click on the button labeled Architectural. 45. The dialog box shown in figure 4.11 will appear.

Figure 4.11

46. Double click on Multi / Sub-Object to select it. 47. Select “discard old material?” and click ok. 48. Click on the Set Number button and change the number of materials to 2. 49. Your material properties should look like figure 4.12

Figure 4.12

For #50: Select by clicking on material.



50. Select the first Sub Material from the list. 51. Change the name of this sub material to red. 52. Under shader basic parameters, make sure 2-sided is checked. 53. Under blinn basic parameters, select the diffuse color swatch. 54. Set the RGB values to the following: R = 128 G = 62 B = 35

55. You will notice that the Ambient and Diffuse color both change because they are linked. Unlink the two and change the ambient color to slightly darker by moving the values slider slightly toward black. Click on Close. 56. Click the go to parent button to exit the sub-material and return to the parent.

57. Drag the sub-material “red” you just created on top of the second sub-material. Select Copy and click ok.

Go to parent Diffuse Color Swatch



58. Select the second sub-material to change its parameters. 59. Under blinn basic parameters, select the diffuse color swatch. 60. Set the RGB values to the following: R = 14 G = 7 B = 4 61. Select the ambient color swatch and set the RBG values all to 0. 62. Name the sub-material “black” 63. Click to go to parent button to exit the sub-material and return to the parent. 64. Using the select and name tool, select the line 01 column shape you previously created. 65. Click on the assign material to selection button to assign the material you created to the column. Located in the material editor dialog box.

66. Use the Quick Render tool to render the perspective view. You will notice that the entire column is now red as shown in figure 4.13. To change the lower and upper portions of the column to black we will need to add a material modifier to the individual polygons that make up the column.

EDITING THE LINE SEGMENT 67. Examining the front viewport you will notice that about the lower half of the column shaft is composed of one vertical polygon. We will first edit this segment of the line to add more divisions. This will allow us to select the appropriate portion of the lower column shaft and adjust the material. 68. Select the front viewport and maximize it to get a better view of the column. 69. Select the line 01 column object. 70. In the modify panel, select the segment subobject of the line. You can still edit all of the parameters of the original line shape even though we have already added the lathe modifier. 71. select the segment between vertex 3 and 4 by clicking on it as shown in figure 4.14.

Figure 4.13



72. Scroll down the command panel until the divide button becomes visible. 73. Enter the number 3 in the adjacent box and click on the divide button. 74. You have now added 3 vertexes to this segment as shown in figure 4.15. 75. Exit the sub-object level by clicking on segment again to deselect it, and then click on the lathe modifier to reactivate it. MESH SELECT AND MATERIAL MODIFIERS 76. Add a mesh select modifier to the top of the stack. 77. Under the mesh select parameters select the polygon symbol. 78. Make sure that the window/crossing selection toggle is set to window. 79. Drag a box to select the lower portion of the column as shown in figure 4.16. 80. Hold down the control key and drag another box to select the polygons at the top of the column as shown in figure 4.17



81. With these polygons selected, add a material modifier to the top of the stack. 82. In the modifier parameters, change the material ID to 2. 83. Add one more mesh select modifier to the top of the stack to “close” the selection process. Your modifier stack should have the hierarchy shown in figure 4.18.



84. Quick Render the perspective view. Your column should now have both colors of the multi sub-object material assigned to the shaft. 85. The next step is to assign a material to the box objects that make up the top and bottom of the column. 86. Open the material editor. Drag the black sub-material from your multi sub-object material on to any open material slot. Create a copy. 87. Using the select by name tool, select the “base” and “column top” objects. 88. Assign the black material to this selection. 89. A quick rendered view should look like figure 4.19. COMPOSING THE SCENE 90. Select all of the objects that make up the column and group them. 91. Name the group Column 92. Create two instances of this group spaced 6’-0” apart as we did in exercise 2. 93. In the top viewport, create a plane as shown in figure 4.20. 94. In the front viewport, create a copy of this plane and set it at elevation z = 9’-6” as shown in figure 4.21.

Figure 4.18

Figure 4.19




95. Open the material editor and select a new blank material. 96. Keep it set to architectural. 97. Change the name to “stone” 98. Under templates, set the template to stone. 99. Change the diffuse color swatch to have the following RGB values. R = 202 G = 193 B = 169 100. Make sure the 2-sided box is checked. 101. Assign this material to the two planes you just created. 102. Arc rotate and zoom the perspective view until your view is similar to figure 4.22.

Figure 4.22

103. From the rendering pull down menu, select environment. 104. Under environment map, click on the box that has “none” displayed. Double click on bitmap. 105. Select the file crete.jpg from your student directory. This will map an image as a background for the scene. 106. Close the environment dialog box and quick render the scene. Your rendering will look like figure 4.23. 107. Save your rendering as yourname-firstrender.jpg 108. Save your max file as yourname-exercise4.max Congratulations, you have just completed your first rendered scene. Missing from this exercise is lighting, which we will cover in the future. Figure 4.24 on the next page shows this scene with the addition of two omni lights. Lighting improves the realism of the scene. Please experiment by adding lighting to your own scene.

Figure 4.23



Figure 4.24

minoan column with splines: exercise 4 - … column with splines: exercise 4 college of dupage...

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