Week 2 Lab 1 (Modelling Toy Train)

This exercise requires me to model a toy train by using the picture as a guidance.

Process

This exercise has no pdf to as a guide to follow, instead we are instructed to use the techniques that we have acquired so far to model the train.

As usual, i began with basic primitive shapes. After observing the picture, i noticed that the train is made up of mainly cubes and some spheres as the wheels. Hence, i created some shapes and scattered them around like the picture below.

When i rendered this frame, i had already divided the cube into smaller sections and scaled accordingly. Thus, explaining the hood of the train being transformed from a cube.

After some adjustments, i managed to finish modelling the first part of the train.

Then, i realized that the second part of the train is just made up of cubes, and so, i finished modelling it very fast after the first part of the train.

Then i realized that i had no connector and hence i used the helix polygon to act as one and also, rotated the second part of the train a bit so that it looks like its turning.

Techniques
Much like the previous lab exercise, i used the bevel and boolean difference techniques to create the different effects. For beveling, i used it on the wheels so that they don't appear so solid and stiff and instead like real wheels. I also applied the bevel to the roof and nose of the train as well. For the roof, i tweaked the settings of the bevel so that the bevel is more than what is being applied on the wheels.
For the boolean difference, i applied it to form the "windows" of the train cabin. The second part of the train also has the boolean difference applied as well, so that the cubes are placed more realistically on a platform with space in it.

Reflection
This exercise was hard to begin with because i did not know where to start. However, once i started, everything just began to flow in. And also, doing the exercise before this helped a lot as well due to the different techniques being learned and then applied. Because of this exercise i also realized that when modelling something, always find out what the model is made up of first. This will help us to quickly evaluate what primitives we should use as a base and then alter it accordingly. Overall, this exercise was fairly easy with lots of primitives being duplicated here and there and just some minor effects and transformation being applied.

References
Week2_01_IN3D_Blocks_Modeling.doc