CLOTH SIMULATIONS IN 3DS MAX

3D Studio Max contains tools for creating models and animation involving fabrics.  One of the tools is called the "cloth modifier". 

Students in the last class made these cloth simulation movies. 

Click here to download and view the AVI movie version.

Click here to download and view the AVI movie version.

Click here to download and view the AVI movie version.

Click here to download and view the AVI movie version.

THE 3D GAME ANIMATION CLASS IS FINISHING... A NEW 3D SPECIAL EFFECTS CLASS IS STARTING!

THE CURRENT 'GAMES' CLASS...

We have a new web site!  The May-June 2010 3D Animation for Video Games class took a break from using this web site.  We've started posting our class project activity here:  http://xnagamers.blogspot.com/ Check us out!

We'll still post to this web site in our next 3D Animation Games class in a couple of months.  In the mean time you can follow what we're up to on the new site ( http://xnagamers.blogspot.com/ ).  Our class project for the May-June 2010 3D Animation Video Games class was to write a multi-player network 3D video game using Microsoft's XNA gaming library and 3D Studio Max.  We decided to start a new "Team Blog" web site so that everyone in the class could post content to the blogger web site.  We're just about finished with the completed video game and the class.  Of course, a software project like this is never "completed".  There are endless great ideas and cool features to add.  But, I'll post our latest XNA game installation file and the source code on that site in a week or two.

A NEW CLASS ON INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING...

Our next class session is the 3D Animation Special Effects class.  It started last week.  Last week, students in that class voted to do an Interior Architectural Rendering project using 3D Studio Max and the Mental Ray renderer.  We'll use 3D Studio Max to model a room, furniture, interior lighting, and materials.  We use the 3D Studio Max "cloth" feature.  And, we'll practice using Mental Ray "Final Gather" advanced rendering settings for interior lighting. As always, classes are free to anyone with an interest and a laptop that you can bring to class.  You can follow our progress for that class on this web site:  http://filmfx.blogspot.com.


Russ DeWitt

Game Mods

Here's a GMAX 3D model of a sword used by one of the characters in the game "Grand Chase" (http://grandchase.ntreev.net/).  We modified the game "Dungeon Siege" (http://www.microsoft.com/games/DungeonSiege/) and added this sword.  Our goal was to add each of the anime style characters from Grand Chase to the game Dungeon Siege.

Click here to download the GMAX model of the sword.
Here's our reference picture of a Grand Chase character called "Elesis" holding the sword.

Here's an un-rendered GMAX viewport screen capture of our final GMAX model of Elesis with her sword. 

Click here to download this animated GMAX scene file with rigged character.

Learn to make 3D Animated Movies!

Here's an advertisement flier about the 3D Animated Movies & Video Effects class.  Go over to this link and check out what's happening right now:  http://filmfx.blogspot.com

Next classes are here!

Hi Everybody,

I hope you enjoyed the last animation class. I had a blast -- it was alot of fun working with you all on the short movie clip. The schedule for the new classes is set! Read about the two new classes on this web site: http://filmfx.blogspot.com

In the first class, we will learn how to do photo-realistic animations -- like this one... this is really cool: http://www.luxology.com/gallery/video.aspx?id=208. Oh, and by the way, the new classes are free. So, checkout the new web site and sign-up!

[update Nov9, 2008]
Sign up for the free '3D Animation for Games' class. It meets for 6 weeks for 2 hours every Thursday night. Class will include introduction to GMax/3D-Studio-Max and intro to making game mods!

Russ DeWitt

Watch the movie: An Empire Battle Droid's Day Off

Hi Everybody,

The class is over now, and I'm completing the last parts of scene 1 of the movie that we've been working on. I really enjoyed leading our 3D Animation class over the last 10 weeks! You have given me the opportunity to do something that I love doing. Thank you!

Here's Scene 1 completed! Hope you like the changes I made.

An Empire Battle Droid's Day Off

Press the play button, above.

Or, select one of these movie formats to download and play:
720x480, WMV-Windows Movie+Audio, playable on PC (9.5MB) (with audio track!)

(Note: the downloads below don't include the audio track yet. I'll update them soon.)
640x480, WMV-Windows Movie, playable on your PC (21MB)
1280x720, WMV-Windows Movie, playable on your PC (52MB) (Big File!)
740x480, M4V-QuickTime/iTunes Movie, for PC (12 MB)
480x320, M4V-QuickTime/iTunes Movie, for PC or iPhone/iPod (8.7 MB)
176x117, 3GP-QuickTime/iTunes Movie, for PC or cell phone (.6 MB)

Here's a JPEG Image of the movie openning title. (You might want this as the poster for your myspace page movie link)

Joshua, Rusty & Charminn, please feel free to post these as your own work on your myspace or youtube pages. Your name is in the credits at the end. Be sure to leave a post or email me and tell me what you think of the movie! I'm beginning work on scene 2. I'll post more soon.

Russ DeWitt
DeWitt.Russ@gmail.com

Class #10 -- Here's Scene 1 of 5 from our Animated Movie!

Hi Everybody,

I really had fun leading our animation class the past few weeks. Thank you all for your contributions and for making the class fun. I hope you got as much out of the class as I did. Each of you was instrumental in creating this video, with your story line ideas, your creativity, and your enthusiasm for 3D animation.

I completed scene 1 of our animation movie. I just posted it to the web for you to download from here:

[Link deleted! Download the latest movie above.]

The file that you download is called "BattleDroid's Day Off - Episode 1.zip". Just unzip it and then double click the movie file. It should automatically play in the Apple QuickTime (if you have iTunes installed on your PC). If you can't play it let me know and I can upload the Windows AVI version that plays in the Windows movie player. Or if you have any other problems downloading it, just email me back at DeWitt.Russ@gmail.com.

We never came up with a title for the movie. So, I picked "BattleDroid's Day Off ". I thought it would be funny to make the title about what a Star Wars Battle Droid does on his day off from working for the Empire, like laying around the house watching TV. I added "Episode 1" to the title because this is just scene 1 of 5, and because of the reference to "Star Wars Episode 1".

I saved the movie in QuickTime format to make it clearer for you to watch. QuickTime seems to be a little clearer than Windows WMV format. I rendered it at 720x480 resolution. I'll make another movie version that's reduced in file size for web posting.

This version of the movie is just for you to look at and email me back your ideas about what needs to be changed. This version is missing the opening title and the closing credits and the sound track, so don't upload this version to your myspace or youtube just yet. I'll post the final "scene 1" version by Sunday night with each of your names in the credits, so you can post that version if you want. (It's your movie too, so feel free to post it anywhere you want.)

It took a little longer to complete scene 1 than I anticipated because I'm obsessive about picky little mistakes in the video post-production :-( But, don't worry, I'll speed up the other 4 scenes :-D

Email me back (DeWitt.Russ@gmail.com) after you watch the movie and tell me what you think. As you know, I embedded some Alfred Hitchcock-style cameo shots of each of you in the TV screen in the movie. I can easily change the video shots that each of you appear in if you don't like the ones that I chose. Just let me know before Sunday night.

As always, all of these emails are posted on our class web site here:
http://3drobots.blogspot.com/

Russ DeWitt