Modelling

I haven't done any of the small items for months, the last were done in May. So this time I have finished the two just in time. So here are some renderings of the beaker and the tube.

I haven't used a high number of segments for both, for the beaker it would at least be possible. For the tube I have tried to use more segments, but the changes done after the rotational constructor then don't work correctly any longer. Perhaps I will look into that problem.

The reddish group of books is the new object inserted multiple times.

Yesterday I modeled the next book, so I make it to create the two objects (although it feels a bit like cheating).

I didn't even create a cover image this time. So they look a bit bland. I fear it will take a lot of additional books to fill the shelf, using the same three books multiple times won't look good.

The light green books are the new object.

I fear I will not make it to create two objects this month again. But at least the book seems to work now, perhaps I will create a second one tomorrow. The pages still need a better shader, though.

I also have to find a good way to combine multiple books into groups. It still makes sense so I can fill a shelf much faster. The idea to model them as a group was not good, I think. I will try to combine the books with the CSG-operator. There is a small feature I have to add, the uv-maps are currently merged and I think I should add code so they are shrunk and put side by side.

As I have found out, that there are problems with the automatic texture mapping, I was trying to fix the last issues by hand. But there is something I don't understand, the map is self intersecting and I see no way to correct that. I will try to take a closer look tomorrow to understand what is wrong. I think, it must be the geometry which is wrong, but I can't imagine how I did that.

While trying to fix the issue I also noticed a small bug, the modifier housing the UV-Editor doesn't include the standard controls for modifiers, I have simply forgotten to add them. So I fixed that little bug also, the controls make it possible to name the modifier and to switch it on or off.

Today I returned to the model of the book and tested the changed Edge Loop-modifier. It seems to work really well, I could do exactly what I wanted to do. So the geometry is now finished and I have started on UV-mapping. The pages were easy, but the books back is still a bit of a problem. I was quite careful when modeling, so the UV-map is easy to create with the automatic mapping. But I have run into a problem, the cuts I made were not sufficient, the map was self intersecting in four regions and when I tried to extend the cuts I found out, that the program crashes.

Yesterday I came home from work very late and didn't do anything. But today I started on a new model. After the stack of books (which didn't work so well) I will try an alternative way. I will model some individual books and try to combine them into a stack. Some of the changes last week were done in preparation for this.

Up to now it went quite well, but now I am stuck again. I model a hardcover book and there the back is slightly curved. To get the curvature right, I first created a big block, then created an edge loop close to the edge and moved the outer most faces back a bit. That way there won't be a seem in the middle of the book (I will mirror the geometry, so I only model one half of the book). Now I have to actually form the curvature and for that I used the Edge Loop-modifier to have some edges to move. I have created some loops and now I have to move them around. But the Edge Loop-modifier can't do that and I think, it would make sense. And so I started to look into the necessary changes to make that possible.

Today I created a simple (very simple) texture and put the group of books into the book shelf. It still looks very empty, but at least some object is in it now.

For the next stack I have to be a bit more careful with the geometry. The books can't be separated, they look like one big block. If the angle is slightly from the top, it is better, though.

Oh, in case somebody wonders, what the title of the books is, the "words" are just some random lines I did with a pen. So they won't make sense (and are probably not readable in any language. I hope).

Today I finished to manually do the mapping. It was not exactly fun, so I will probably try to find an automatic alternative. I still have a small detail that is wrong I  missed when I worked on the mapping. I will try to fix that tomorrow and export the map. Then I will try to paint the textures (something simple) and hopefully create a scene and post it.

I didn't count the last images as monthly items. So this one is the real first item for April, I modeled a book shelf. Currently it is still empty, the books will be interesting to model. I will try to create bigger blocks of books so it is easier to fill the shelf.

I will try to model the books next, but have no clue yet how long it will take. But I think this model is already nice, some books and perhaps some other little items and it might be quite pretty in the background of some scene.

Two sockets side by side

As an addendum to last months monthly items, here are the respective modes with a dual frame. One combines two sockets, the other a light switch with a socket.

A light switch atop a socket.

For the dual socket I had to do the fixes in the CSG difference modifier. But now it hopefully works correctly. I think both look quite nice.

Socket

I have finally rendered some images of the switch and the socket. The socket didn't come out too good, it is not easy to light it well, it seems (and the light setup was done in a hurry).

Light Switch

I have only used the single frame, I will soon post an image with the dual frame being used to combine switch and socket. I think the objects are quite nice.

So this month I managed to finally post them. So at least in March I have created my small objects, though the geometry has been finished for a very long time.

Simplistic, black rim

I have created some more faces for the clock and also played a bit with the color and material of the rim.

Hour marks only, red plastic ring

The second also isn't bad. The red plastic material is a bit bright, though.

Four marks with numbers, brass rim

Then I tried brass for the ring. It is showing a problem with the model, the segments start to show. Perhaps an area light would help. Also the marks are too big when used together with the numbers. That is true for all the following faces.

Hour marks, for numbers and back to gray rim

Next I used twelve marks and four numbers. I also returned to a gray rim. The numbers look too small, but actually the marks are too big. I think this could look quite good with smaller tick marks. I will probably try that.

Minutes are marked, all 12 hours with number, still gray rim

And finally with hours and minutes marked and the twelve numbers.

Nearly didn't make it this month. I had some problems with my netbook (spilled some liquid over it on Friday, I still have to clean the keyboard, I was just too frustrated to do it today) I use for modeling. But I still managed to finish this wall clock. The wall is a bit dark or rather the exposure is not correct (slowly my models behave more like reality, so I should use my photography skills).

I think it came out very well. There are still some problems with the clear cover you can see in the image to the right. Where the surface has a vertex there is some disturbing reflection. I think I have to do a bigger change to fix that, I think the best way would be, if the object wasn't a polyhedron at all. I should directly render the object as a rotation surface made from a spline. That way there would not be any hard edge.

But I think I get much better at modeling and defining materials. Both images are linked to bigger versions.

As I was finally able to render the cabinet, so I can show the images. This object was quite complex and might be classified as medium complexity. It uncovered a lot of problems and was the reason for quite some additions.

The materials are still very bad, they are mostly stand ins. I changed the Phong shader to handle the ambient part similar to the Ward BRDF so the problems to use both together get a bit smaller.

As I wrote some days ago, I think my shaders are not good, that is an area I have to do something about. I could in theory use my wood shader, but that too isn't very good. Additionally I couldn't handle the look in this case. The doors are big enough that in reality they wouldn't be covered by one piece of veneer, but by multiple. And that is something I can't do yet.

Finally I need some way to help in controlling the movement of the doors and the drawers. Currently I can turn the doors in every direction as far as I want. I can also move them, the same with the drawers. I would like to be able to constrain the movements, e.g. to the rotation around one axis and only between two fixed angles. I hope to find some time to add something simple like this soon.

I was very, very lazy today. But it was necessary, I still feel tired, I think from that sickness, I guess I didn't get enough rest then.

But at least I have started to model a socket. I have really stressed the CSG-operations with it and found some situations where they failed. The socket I am modeling is the Schuko-type. The idea I had to model it, is basically modeling the plug, as it can be created easily with CSG-operations. I took a cylinder and added the two pins, this part still worked without problems. Then I created four boxes to cut out parts of the cylinder to form the guiding notches. And that didn't work so well, some triangles were missing. So I have to check that. I also tried to subtract that thing from another box and that completely failed. So I guess I have some more work to do on the CSG-operations, I hope the two problems are related.