3D – Page 9 – jamie3d

September 4, 2012

The Razorback – Part 14: Refining the Robotic Arm Base

In this part of the video series, we start to give some attention to areas of the model that are still very primitive. I kick things off by refining, smoothing and merging the base of the robotic arms. The base part of the arm has a motor mount fused to the housing as if it were cast from a single mold.

We start by merging the objects, giving it a yellow color and running through some Boolean techniques that may sound familiar if you saw my recent videos on Booleans in Cinema 4D.

I realize that at this stage of the modeling process, I may be making up words like: Boolean-ing and Boolean-ed… I’m OK with that. If we can Google something, then I can consider something Booleaned.

August 28, 2012

The Razorback – Part 13: Instruments Tweaking and a Test Render

I don’t practice using the MoGraph module enough, and this video proves it.

We start this video on a critical note as I realize that I’m still not happy with the instrumentation cluster on the front of the machine.

At the end of the video, there’s a test render with some simple Global Illumination.

August 21, 2012

The Razorback – Part 12: Blades Shape and FLIR Adjustments

In part 12 of the Razorback series, we take a look at the blade disposal system and the instrumentation array. The instruments are the Razorback’s eyes and ears. This array of optics and other sensors will allow the machine to move through the environment.

August 14, 2012

The Razorback – Part 11: Blades Mounting System

In part 11 of the Razorback series, we start off by looking at the blades and the blade mounting system.

August 7, 2012

The Razorback – Part 10: Robotic Arms Base and Rough Shape

In this part, we take a look at the shape and mass of the robotic arms. The last video looked at the rough layout of the arms, just focusing on where they will fit, and how they will be able to articulate.

July 31, 2012

The Razorback – Part 9: Robotic Arms Shape and Layout

In this (relatively) short video, we tackle the layout of the robotic arms. We experiment a bit with the scale of the arms and the reach. We start with a simple sketch of the arms as I see them in my head and then we move on to various considerations.

July 24, 2012

The Razorback – Part 8: Start of LIDAR and FLIR Instruments

The eyes of the Razorback are going to be comprised of a combination of LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging [basically a type of 3D scanning]) and FLIR (Forward looking infrared). This instrument array is pretty ad-hoc as the novel doesn’t talk too much about the look of them.

July 17, 2012

The Razorback – Part 7: Kickstand Pivot and Ram Brackets

This video is a bit longer than the others (sorry), but there’s some good modeling technique in there. We look at creating the brackets/cradles for the hydraulic rams of the Razorback. Before getting into that heavy modeling, we look at the approach I settled on for pivoting them into and out of position.

July 14, 2012

Polygonal Landscape Wallpaper

This Polygonal wallpaper, inspired by some of the Android 4.1 (Jellybean) wallpapers and is my first ever wallpaper (desktop) that I’ve published. There are sizes for various desktops and I’ve even re-rendered it for the iPad 1 and 2 (1024×1024), the iPad 3 (2048×2048), and the new Macbook Pro Retina (2880×1800). Because each size is rendered separately, the size you choose will be slightly Read More

July 14, 2012

Boolean Tips for Cinema 4D Modelers

In these two videos, I take a quick look at the way Boolean operations work in Cinema 4D. Specifically, I take a look at my usual approach and examine it a bit further. I’ve heard some 3D veterans and amateurs alike say things like, “Booleans always create messy geometry” or “Just don’t use Booleans… Ever!” I disagree however. As long as Read More

July 10, 2012

The Razorback – Part 6: Steering Servo Brackets and Kickstands

In this video we cover the modeling of the brackets that connect the steering servo gearboxes to the frame. While modeling the brackets, we get to use the Bridge tool to patch up geometry and focus on the benefits of using quads instead of triangles.

We also take a look at the kickstand placement taking issues such as ground clearance and style into account.

July 2, 2012

The Razorback – Part 5: Steering Mechanism Linkages

In this video we look more closely at the steering mechanism linkages. We start out by creating a few ball joints and linkages for the steering. We then work on the rigging of the linkages via some Xpresso and the Range Mapper node.