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3d Modeling and Animations, Where do I go from here?
Ok so as many of you have probably noticed there is a lot of value to a video presentation. Being able to animated a 3d model to show your design process is not only fun to watch but it also helps other people understand your design concepts quickly and easily. I have watched a couple video presentations that I thought got the job done quite well, the link below is Bjarke Ingels and his Figure project.
Basically I would like to start doing videos like this , but I don't really know where to start. As far as I can tell a video like this is made from combining an existing sort of "home video" and then overlaying a 3d animation that is made to fit in place properly so that it appears to be at the right scale and perspective.
The first challenge would be modeling the building whether its just massing as in this video, or in its entirety as I would ultimately like to do.
At the moment I tend to use Sketch Up 8 pro with Vray to do all of my rendering / animations but in my opinion as soon as you have developed a really detailed model the program tends to bog down and freeze up during auto-saves.This happens to me regularly despite the fact that my desktop is built to be more then adequate for running the program ( I7 processor, 8gb of Ram etc.) This, to me at least, seems like the reason why Sketch Up usually isn't considered an industry standard.
I have started to use Rhino for modeling then importing the model into 3ds Max for mapping and rendering. The thing that bugs me is that if I discover a modeling mistake while I'm mapping or rendering in 3ds max, I have to go back to Rhino to fix the mistake and then import the model again into 3ds max and start mapping all over again. This becomes a long tedious process.
Now granted I know I'm not the greatest at either of the 2 programs but I am just wondering if there is an easier way.
Should I be trying to master 3ds Max so that I'm modeling from scratch in it? Or is there another program that is all inclusive (i.e Model, map, render and animate all in one that I can use to make the overlay animation to be put into a video presentation. )
Just wondering what other people in the field are doing and what programs they are using to accomplish tasks similar to what I would like to do.
Below are a couple rendering I have done in Sketch up for a project I'm working on. just for reference to my skill level. ( I am going into my 4th year of my B. Arch program)
I know some of the displacement maps like the water and the grass look really funny, I was just playing around with different maps to see how they would look.
http://vimeo.com/3499612
I thought 3ds max can do all the animations and such i've seen some animations with it and they look really nice and all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mPxA0quLNI
I don't see why you can't modify/edit a rhino model you've imported into 3DS max. Its fairly easy if you understand Poly modelling.
To be honest, I don't think there is a single software that will satisfy all your needs. I would suggest you mastering Rhino and learn 3DS max or Maya to cover for rendering, visualization and animation needs. Unless its purely conceptual modelling or modelling for visualizations, 3DS max may not give you the accuracy that you can find in Rhino. Rhino is mainly Nurbs based modelling which can be tedious and take long during the conceptual phase but you have its CAD based tools to throw up plans and other orthographic drawings etc. On the other hand, 3DS Max or Maya is excellent for Poly based modelling, especially if you need to come up with some quick study models. If you learn the concept of poly modelling in 3DS, it becomes easy to pick up Maya or any other poly based modelling software as they work similarly.
I'd say master Rhino and either 3DS Max or Maya.. Make them your primary software... You can add more softwares after based on your needs.
If you want to be an architect, I wouldn't get to caught up in the fancy videos that some firms use. Top quality video work is a full-time job and architects will typically hire professionals for that type of thing.
On the other hand, if you prefer working with video, then it might be a better career path for you than architecture. This is a profession with a lot of tangents and nobody is a master of all the skillsets in play.
Yo!
hey Sam,
Prince here :D
I have been working on this idea a little bit but I only spend a week or so trying to figure it out.
I used Sketchup model for it and imported it in 3dsmax, you will love these following links!
http://ae.tutsplus.com/tutorials/workflow/basic-match-moving-with-pfhoe-day-1/
http://ae.tutsplus.com/tutorials/workflow/basic-match-moving-with-pfhoe-day-2/
http://www.vfxtalk.com/threads/35495-Matchmoving-Advanced-tutorial
This one is for Graphics, I learned a lot from here: http://www.alexhogrefe.com/tutorials/
If you were to breakdown the BIG video, its basically : modelling , shooting raw footage, using pfhoe to track the 3D points, bringing the tracked data to 3DSMAX (or Blender), bringing your 3D model into 3dsmax and assigning the points . That's it!
Check out the following links it will help you a lot :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KYJ8sqoZSo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IEET0Dm4ms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojo6y6Ppvgw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKcByJ3LbZc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxoTDHMh_sQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IEET0Dm4ms&feature=related
And these links too:
http://www.pfhoe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=230
http://www.pfhoe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=272
http://www.videomaker.com/community/forums/topic/3d-models-for-your-movies-using-google-sketchup
http://tech.gaeatimes.com/index.php/archive/10-steps-how-to-open-and-edit-3d-models-in-adobe-photoshop/
http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Photoshop_CS3_Extended_Plug-In..
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/9.0/WS3878526689cb91655866c1103906c6dea-7e3da.html
I still need to learn advance options in Vray, never got past 20 pages of that manual !
Good Luck!! I always look forward to seeing your work!
Thanks everybody for the comments!
@MyDream
I know 3ds max can do most of what i need, but i find it some what slow and tedious compared to rhino, but your right the animations do come out quite nice.
@accesskb
Thanks, thats what I thought too, i guess im just going to have to devote more hours to rhino and 3ds max if i want to start producing some serious work.
@HandsumCa$hMoneyYo
I do want to be an Architect. I see learning how to make video presentations as an important part of making myself a serious competitor in the job market.
Prince, When i get back to school we have to combine efforts. Your going to be in design 5 right? you didn't go abroad this summer?
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