3-D Modeling Concepts, round II

Continuing in a purely straightforward manner, last week's assignment was to create a disembodied human hand.

It's modeled on my own hand, thus the weirdly-angled first and last metacarpals, and drab coloration.  The only real mistake is the last knuckle; I put the pinkie at too steep an angle, and several steps along the way, the knuckle came out looking more like a wrinkle than a dome shape.

Gotta level with you:  I strongly dislike CGI, and the more I do it, the more I dislike it.  I've rarely seen any piece of CGI that I didn't think would've looked immensely better if it were hand-drawn.  Especially animation.  I don't like computer animation any better now than I did when Toy Story came out.  I am dreading the part of this course that covers it.

On another note, I'm pretty sure nobody at Bucks reads my blog - actually, hit counts indicate I get about one view per post - which is only good insofar as I can get away with badmouthing a class I'm currently taking.

Foundry, round I

Here's the wax positive for my first assignment in Foundry, creating a talisman.  I worked from a little souvenir shop statue my parents have had for many years of the Laughing Buddha, whose astounding belly brings good luck to all.

I'm an American, and 13 years after reading Siddhartha in high school, the image that comes to my mind when I think of a "Buddha" is still the Chinese figure of Budai or Hotei.  Depending on who you ask, Budai may be a Buddha - a previous incarnation of the future Maitreya Buddha - but in no case is he claimed to be the Buddha, i.e. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha who founded Buddhism.  Nonetheless "Buddha" sounds like a rather round and jolly word to an English-speaker and that may be one reason the image is so persistent.

He's still not finished; the feet and left hand all need digits carved and I haven't attached his ears yet, plus the model should be hollowed out as much as reasonably possible.  However, the Sun was going down and the was may well be covered in slurry by tomorrow, so I figured it was now or never.

The one thing I'm not satisfied with is his face, which looks less jolly than the original, and more like a fat cave troll laughing at your doom.  Well, I did my best.

3-D Modeling Concepts, round I

For spring I'm taking two courses at Bucks again, 3-D Modeling Concepts and Foundry, since Professor Mathews of the 3D Arts department told me that many foundries are making use of digital prototyping.  I haven't produced anything for Foundry yet although I have my first wax in progress.  The first three assignments for Design were a "temple," a sledgehammer and a crowbar.

Slight customizations:  The multiple tones and finishes are a departure from the overall "blinn" finish and "sand" color the instructional calls for.  The spire and altar are also both mine.  These are nothing once you get the basic processes down.  The server indicates that a classmate of mine named McCall created a very elaborate piece of architecture for his or her final.

Closeup of the altar.

For the sledgehammer, I went with a lighter tan for the handle, as I'm accustomed to seeing in modern hardware stores, likewise the polished steel faces.  No physical customization.

The crowbar, or prybar as the instructional calls it.  No customization.  It was tricky enough to get right in the first place.

Something went wrong with the curved tip.  Both the "front" and "back" faces should extend to the edge; instead, the "front" face above (relative to us) sinks in and actually protrudes a tiny bit in wireframe view.  I'm not sure how to correct it yet..