Principles of Modelling and Rendering with 3D Studio

By (author) Stuart Mealing, Brian Adams, Martin Woolner

Publication date:

01 May 1998

Publisher

Intellect Books

ISBN-13: 9781871516708

BOOK DESCRIPTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS

The use of three-dimensional modelling is developing rapidly in a number of important areas - product design, visualization and architecture for example. Designed to complement the existing reference books on Autodesk 3D Studio, this book primes the reader with an understanding of the fundamentals of 3D computer modelling, rendering and animation. As well as explaining the theory and practice of the medium, the authors first offer an overview of the 3D studio application and then work through a number of case studies illustrating its use. The future of the discipline is considered and a comprehensive glossary of the area is included.

Heavily illustrated throughout, the book will prove equally useful to the novice and the established user.

Topics dealt with include:

The role of the designer and design methodology

Different versions of 3D Studio and different user techniques

The fundamentals, from display to deformation, from raytracing to bump mapping and from keyframing to kinematics.

1 INTRODUCTION

PART ONE: THEORY

2 THE WORLD OF 3D 3

2.1 What is modelling? 3

2.2 Navigating a 3-D computer world 4

2.3 What is rendering? 6

2.4 The role of the designer 8

3 APPLICATIONS 9

3.1 Architecture 10

3.2 3-D Design 11

3.3 Engineering 12

3.4 Simulation 13

3.5 Medical 17

3.6 TV graphics 18

3.7 Special effects 20

3.8 Art 22

3.9 Film animation 22

3.10 Archaeology 23

3.11 Education 24

3.12 Games 26

3.13 Virtual reality 27

4 FUNDAMENTALS: MODELLING 29

4.1 Display 30

4.2 Coordinates 30

4.2.1 Relative and absolute 32

4.2.2 Cartesian coordinates 33

4.2.3 Polar and spherical coordinates 33

4.2.4 Homogenous coordinates 34

4.3 Raster 34

4.4 Vector 35

4.5 Splines 35

4.6 Modelling 36

4.6.1 Methods 37

4.6.1.1 B-rep 37

4.6.1.2 Primitives 38

4.6.1.3 Swept forms 38

4.6.1.3.1 Spun 38

4.6.1.3.2 Extruded 39

4.6.1.3.3 Freeform 41

4.6.1.4 Lofted 41

4.6.1.5 Skin 41

4.6.1.6 CSG 42

4.6.1.7 Voxels 44

4.6.1.8 Fractals 45

4.6.1.9 Particles 45

4.6.1.10 Grammar-based 46

4.6.2 Joints 47

4.6.3 Flexibility 47

4.6.4 Deformation 48

4.6.5 Editing forms 48

4.7 Viewing models 49

4.7.1 Legibility 49

4.7.2 Wireframe 50

4.7.3 Hidden line 50

4.7.4 Depth cuing 52

4.7.5 Solid 52

4.7.5.1 Coded and lighted 53

4.7.6 Perspective 53

5 FUNDAMENTALS: RENDERING 57

5.1 Light sources 57

5.2 Lighting models 58

5.2.1 Lambert 58

5.2.2 Gouraud 59

5.2.3 Phong 59

5.2.4 Blinn 60

5.2.5 Ray tracing 60

5.2.6 Radiosity 60

5.2.7 Photo-realistic 61

5.2.8 Specialized 61

5.3 Shadows 62

5.4 Surface characteristics 63

5.4.1 Procedural and non-procedural 63

5.4.2 Texture mapping 63

5.4.2.1 Dirt 64

5.4.3 Solid texture 64

5.4.4 Bump mapping 64

5.4.5 Image mapping 66

5.4.6 Reflection mapping 66

5.5 Artefacts 66

5.6 Current research 68

6 FUNDAMENTALS: ANIMATION 69

6.1 Frame rate 70

6.2 Keyframe 70

6.3 Timeline 71

6.4 Scripted 71

6.5 Kinematic 72

6.5.1 Inverse kinematics 72

6.6 Dynamic 72

6.6.1 Inverse dynamics 73

6.7 Rule based 73

6.8 Assistance 74

6.9 Hierarchies 74

6.10 Metamorphosis 74

6.11 Organisation 75

7 PRACTICAL ISSUES FOR 3-D WORK 77

7.1 The operating system 77

7.2 Hardware elements 78

7.2.1 CPU 78

7.2.2 Memory 80

7.2.3 Storage 81

7.2.4 I/O 83

7.2.5 Networking 84

7.3 Expansion 85

7.3.1 Accelerators 85

7.4 Control hardware 86

7.5 Files 87

7.6 Compression 87

7.6.1 JPEG 89

7.6.2 MPEG 89

7.6.3 H.261 90

7.6.4 IFS 90

7.7 Customization 90

7.8 Expense 92

7.8.1 Time 93

7.8.2 Money 93

7.9 Ergonomics 95

8 COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMPUTER 97

8.1 Input devices 97

8.1.1 Keyboard 98

8.1.2 Mouse (+ variations) 99

8.1.3 2-D graphic tablet 100

8.1.4 3-D digitiser 101

8.1.5 Touch screen 101

8.1.6 Scanner 102

8.1.7 New input devices 103

8.1.8 Video 103

8.1.8.1 Still camera 104

8.1.8.2 Live camera 104

8.1.8.3 VTR 105

8.2 Output devices 105

8.2.1 VDU 105

8.2.2 Printer 108

8.2.3 Plotter 110

8.2.4 VTR 110

8.2.5 Still camera 111

8.2.6 Film camera 112

8.3 The screen interface 112

9 DESIGN METHODOLOGY 117

9.1 Planning 117

9.1.1 'World' map 118

9.2 Matching methods to tools 119

9.3 The naming of parts 120

9.4 Salvation 121

9.5 Lateral thinking 122

9.6 Cheating 123

10 THE FUTURE 125

10.1 Virtual reality 126

10.2 Shared environments 128

10.3 Dynamics 129

10.4 Intelligent models 130

10.5 Digital dough 132

10.6 Catalogues 133

10.7 And finally 134

PART TWO: 3D STUDIO

11 3D STUDIO FOR DOS 135

11.1 Introduction 135

11.1.1 Hardware requirements 136

11.1.2 An overview and some basic principles 136

11.1.3 Grid and Snap 138

11.1.4 Undos and don'ts 138

11.1.5 The Axis 139

11.1.6 The Geometry 140

11.1.7 Saving Files 141

11.2 The 2D Shaper 142

11.2.1 The interface 142

11.2.2 Polygons 142

11.2.3 Adjusting polygons 144

11.2.4 Splining 145

11.2.5 Flat shapes 145

11.2.6 Preparing a shape for lofting 146

11.3 The 3D Lofting 147

11.3.1 Lofting 147

11.3.2 Lofting different shapes along a path 149

11.3.3 Deformation Tools 150

11.3.4 Previewing and creating 153

11.4 The 3D Editor 154

11.4.1 The interface 154

11.4.2 The graphic components of the 3D Editor 155

11.4.3 Display 155

11.4.4 Object colour 156

11.4.5 Selection Sets 156

11.4.6 3D Editor modelling 157

11.4.7 Combining, composing and altering 3D forms 158

11.4.8 Other models and methods 159

11.4.9 Lights 161

11.4.10 Adding materials in the 3D Editor 163

11.4.11 Applying materials 163

11.4.12 Mapping 164

11.4.13 Mapping coordinates 165

11.4.14 Cameras 166

11.4.15 Previewing the image 168

11.4.16 Rendering the image 169

11.5 The Keyframer 171

11.5.1 Directing the action: animation 171

11.5.2 Keys and keyframes 172

11.5.3 Paths 173

11.5.4 The Key Information dialog box 174

11.5.5 The Track Information dialog box 176

11.5.6 Morphing 177

11.5.7 Hierarchical Linking and Inverse Kinematics 177

11.5.8 Previewing an animation 178

11.5.9 Rendering an animation 179

11.5.10 The Video Post 180

11.6 The Materials Editor 181

11.6.1 How 3D Studio makes a material 181

11.6.2 The Interface 182

11.6.3 Attributes 183

11.6.4 Maps 184

11.6.5 Material Libraries 185

12 3D STUDIO MAX 187

12.1 Hardware requirements 187

12.2 The interface 188

12.3 Accessing commands 189

12.4 Creating objects 190

12.5 Transformations and modifications 192

12.6 The Modifier Stack 193

12.7 Different levels of object modification 193

12.8 Creating scenes, cameras and lights in IMAX 195

12.8.1 Cameras 195

12.8.2 Lights 195

12.9 Materials 196

12.10 Rendering a scene 198

12.11 Environmental effects 199

12.12 Special effects 199

12.13 Particle systems 201

12.14 Animation with MAX 201

13 3D STUDIO VIZ 205

13.1 CAD 205

13.2 Modelling 206

13.3 Backgrounds 206

13.4 Lights 207

13.5 Rendering and animation 207

14 3D STUDIO- CONCLUSIONS 209

15 CASE STUDIES 211

15.1 The Hall Table 211

15.2 The Teapot 216

15.2.1 The Cup and Saucer 220

15.3 The Arctic Cactus 221

15.4 The '3D' 225

APPENDIX 1: GLOSSARY OF TERMS 227

APPENDIX 2: FILE FORMATS 239

BIBLIOGRAPHY 241

INDEX 243

Principles of Modelling and Rendering with 3D Studio

By (author) Stuart Mealing, Brian Adams, Martin Woolner

Publication date:

Publisher

ISBN-13: 9781871516708

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