Creating Multimedia Characters in 3ds Max

Creating Multimedia Characters in 3ds Max

Orazbayeva A.A., Zhumagalieva E.

Zhetisu State University named after I. Zhansugurova, Taldykorgan, Almaty region, Kazakstan

The article covers the questions concerning the process of creating and animating multimedia characters in the 3ds Max environment. Six essential steps of the process are explained in detail and the basic definitions are given. Various 3ds Max objects used for animation and visualization are described. The article also covers various graphical and geometric primitives from which various 3ds Max objects are constructed. Additionally the basic elements of the 3ds Max environment, such as toolbars, menu elements and windows, are briefly explained and the examples of their usage are given.

Keywords: 3ds Max; multimedia characters; animation; visualization; modeling; lighting points; texturing.

To create multimedia characters and their animation you need to perform the following steps:

• Modeling – the process of creating objects;

• Texturing – imposing of materials on our objects;

• Lighting –setting light points;

• Animation – the process of creating dynamic visualization;

• Visualization – the process of obtaining the last image or animation.

Step 1.

Modeling

Modeling is the process of creating real or fictitious models using a program of three-dimensional (3D) modeling [1].

 The following methods are usually used for the process of modeling:

1. Primitive modeling is a method of inserting primitive objects into a scene using the means of 3ds Max. Primitives are built of simple parametric objects provided by 3ds Max such as the sphere, pyramid, parallelepiped and many other objects.

2. Spline modeling is the creation of three-dimensional models using 3d-curves for the construction of spline carcass on the basis of which an envelope three-dimensional geometric surface is created.

3. Grid modeling is a method which uses modeling objects consisting of various polygons tied to each other by numerous links.

4. Skeletal modeling is one of the types of grid modeling. In skeleton modeling the types of objects are represented by numerous triangles and the process of their modeling consists of determining their upper parts.

5. Polygonal modeling is an improved version of skeletal modeling where the process of modeling objects consists of creating polygons which can be linked to each other by multiple links.

6. NURBS (“non-homogeneous rational B-spline”) is a special technology targeted towards creation of smooth organic forms and models based on complex mathematical manipulations. Using NURBS you can simulate ergonomic objects, cars, planes, as well as people and animals.

7. Patch grid is a flat grid consisting of several fragments. Bezier curve-based modeling uses surfaces whose shape is determined by a deformable lattice. This lattice has vertices named control points which can be moved so that to change the shape of the surface objects. Deformations along the coordinate axes found in this section of the surface represent splines, and the control points have tangent vectors with markers at the ends which can be moved to give the surface a different curvature.

Step 2.

Texturing At this stage, the scene objects are assigned various materials. Materials are used to determine the following essential properties of the surface: the color of the dots and the relief, the type of glare and its volume, transparency, reflection, refraction and illumination. The 3ds Max package provides a lot of different built-in types of materials including those which consist of several texture maps. The texture maps are either raster images or procedural maps (built on the basisof mathematical algorithms, for example, gradient texture) in the jpeg and bmp formats. If the texture represents a rectangular image, then in the process of texturing an object it becomes of high importance to choose the correct projection of coordinates in order to assign a texture to a complex model. In such cases, first of all the texture is projected onto a sphere, parallelepiped or cylinder. After that their parameters get processed and only then the texture is projected onto the objects.

Step 3.

Lighting At this step lighting points are set on the scene and then processed using the basic illumination parameters. Lighting objects on the platform should be as close as possible to realistic lighting. Make sure that the lighting is not projected too brightly on the objects.

Step 4.

Animation Animation is the process of dynamic or statistical visualization. Animation is divided into two types: linear and nonlinear. Linear animation is a movement of objects within a certain predefined interval. Here the interval neither moves nor intersectswith other intervals. Linear animation, in its turn, is divided into animation of motion and animation of deformation. Motion animation is performed by such operations as reshuffling places, rotating and zooming. Deformation animation is performed using such means as the Flex modifier or the application of bones. Bones are invisible elements of an object that are embedded into a deformed object from the skeletal hierarchy. In the process of bones rearrangement the elements of the network are changed and the movement begins. Setting the time for the animation is done using the key frames. In addition to the key frames, for the process of character animation you can use Motion Capture technologies as well. This technology allows to digitize the movements of the actor and use them to control the three-dimensional model of the character. The modified data is then copied into the format recognizableand readable by Character Studio which then uses this data to give motion to the skeleton of the computer character [2].

Step 5.

Visualization Visualization is the final step of the work on a simulated scene. This is the process of removal of a two-dimensional image from an animation. The statistical image can be saved in the jpeg, bmp, tif andtga formats, and animation in the avi, mov and flic formats. The time of visualization can be very long. Visualization depends on the geometry of the view, the quality of the texture maps and the number of lighting points. Therefore, all types of visualization are divided into the initial and final. During the initial visualization the following simplification operations are performed: the output volume becomes decreased; shadows, textures and lighting points are removed; the algorithms of indirect rays of illumination are simplified; the number of reflections and refractions in the course of the radiance rays decreases; during the animation each n-th frame is explicitly shown. The time of a small fragment of the final visualization on a single computer can vary from several hours to several weeks. Therefore, a complete network visualization can be achieved only using several computers with 3ds Max. In 3ds Max environment a three-dimensional scene is projected onto the flat surface, thus creating so-called views. Types are located in the special projection windows. To manage the projection windows 3ds Max provides a group of buttons on the right side of the screen.

There are the following types of projection windows:

1. Axometric views are views that are obtained by parallel projection of three-dimensional objects on a flat surface while straight-line views stay preserved.

2. Orthographic views are axonometric views in which the projection is parallel to one of the axes of the Top, Front, Left, Back, Button or Right corners.

3. A custom view is an axonometric view obtained by rotating an orthographic view.

4. Perspective view is similarto analogical vision of a human in which objects decrease as they become more distant.

5. View from the camera – the view installed on the camera scene. This view is convenient for creating animations.

6. The view from the light source is a kind of similar view from the camera (only from the light source). Pan View is used to move the projection windows in parallel to the flat surface of the view. Pan View includes only axonometric and orthographic views. Rotation is used to rotate the projection windows. • Arc Rotate –is rotation around the center axis; • Arc Rotate Selected –is rotation around the selected objects; • Arc Rotate Sub object –is rotation around the selected sub object. The 3ds max application provides a wide range of interfaces, toolbars, keyboardshortcuts and so on. All of these features are here not only to facilitateour work – they also speed up the modeling process [3]. The term “object” is widely used in the 3ds Max program. Working with objects includes the choice of an appropriate type of an object and the methods of its manipulation.

The objects in 3ds max are divided into the next groups:

• Standard Primitives – simple basic geometric objects such as cone, parallelepiped, pyramid, cylinder, geosphere, teapot, torus, sphere and pipe;

• Extended Primitives (complex primitives) – complex basic geometric objects;

• Compound Objects (composite objects) – complex objects based on the usage of mathematical, logical and behavioral algorithms.

• Particle Systems – objects designed for simulation of snow, rain, smoke and so on.

• Patch Grids – flat objects consisting of the control vertices of the grid and the surface of a structure.

• NURBS Surfaces – complex three-dimensional objects that describe splines as three-dimensional objects.

 References

1. Kelly L. Murdock. 3ds Max Bible. Pap/Dvdr Wiley Publishing, 2008

2. Стиренко А.С. 3ds Max 2009 / 3ds Max Design 2009, Самоучитель. М.: ДМК Пресс, 2008. 544 с.

3. http://3d.demiart.ru/book/3D-Max-7/Glava_03/Index02.htm