The following tutorials will show you important render setting in Maya that will help you render an animation. Also, they will show you how to import such a sequence to Final Cut Express and render a QuickTime movie, including a compressed version for the web.

Tutorial 1: Render Settings in Maya (14.2 MB .mov)

Tutorial 2: Importing a Sequence and Making a Quick Time Movie in Final Cut Express (20.1 MB .mov)

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail me: PJ Moskal, moskalp@canisius.edu

In this tutorial I’m combining various scripts that ship with Unity3D with my own script to make an enemy character follow the First Person Controller (the player) once he/she get closer to the enemy.

Click here to watch this 5min tutorial (.mov 20.4 MB)

Click here to download my script (read the comments before applying it)

If you have any questions about this tutorial e-mail me at moskalp@canisius.edu

Good luck!

PJ Moskal

Thanks to WPTouch plug-in DMAC blog is now mobile friendly. The blog is properly formatted for iPhone, iPod touch, Android, Opera Mini mobile, Palm Pre and BlackBerry Storm. If you would like to learn more about the plug-in to make your WP website mobile friendly visit this link: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wptouch/

This tutorial will show you how to apply rendering styles to your scenes and how to animate a camera using a Scene object in SketchUp. Also, it will take through the necessary steps to export an animation and reformat it for SmartPhones in Adobe AfterEffects.

Tutorial 1 – Styles and Scenes in SketchUp

Tutorial 2 – Exporting an animation from SketchUp

Tutorial 3 – Reformating your animation in AfterEffects for SmartPhones using 3gp multimedia container

If you have any questions please contact me at moskalp@canisius.edu

This tutorial will take you through the step by step procedures on how to blend a 3D virtual object created in Maya with a photograph.

The first two images that I have here are the source images and the third is a composite image that fuses the virtual and the real into one composition.

Video Tutorials (Flash videos will open in a new window when you click on the links):

Tutorial 1 – Setting up a project file in Maya

Tutorial 2 – Applying textures and bump maps to an object

Tutorial 3 – Creating a camera and attaching an image plane to the camera

Tutorial 4 – Creating  a ground plane and applying a background material to it

Tutorial 5 – Appying lights and setting up shadows

Tutorial 6 – Render settings

One thing that is missing in this tutorial is saving the rendered image. With your Render Window opened click on File/Save Image As… and just save it in an appropriate format.

Enjoy!

If you have any questions please contact P.J. Moskal at moskalp@canisius.edu

Click here to view a list of very interesting tutorials developed by Prof. Ben Dunkle.

Sketch Up is a great tool to quickly sketch your ideas in 3D. You can also model buildings and place them on Google Earth.

Click here for a free download and Sketch Up tutorials.

The following tutorials will guide you through the process of creating your own virtual walk-through using Unity3D software. Flash player is required to view the tutorials and all tutorials open in a new window. Enjoy!

Click here to view the finished walk-through project, you might be prompted to install Unity Player, it’s rather painless.

Walk-through screen capture

Tutorial 1 – Introduction to Unity3D and its interface

Tutorial 2 – Working with the Terrain component

Tutorial 3 – Working with the First Perspective Component

Tutorial 4 – Environmental effects: Skybox, Fog and Lens Flare

Tutorial 5 – Working with Models created in Maya, importing assets

Tutorial 6 - Publishing your project to the Web

If you have any questions please contact P.J. Moskal at moskalp@canisius.edu

In the Spring semester of 2009, the DMA program purchased Unity3D game engine, which will be utilized in DMA courses as soon as Fall Semester of 2009. With the help of the software, students will be able to create Real-Time 3D environments for games, many types of simulations, and interactive works of art. In Unity 3D projects can be published to both Mac and PC platforms as well as for the Wii game console and iPhone. The software will be installed in LY122 and on some computers in the DMA LAB. In the Fall semester of 2009 Unity 3D will be utilized in a course 3D Modeling, Texturing and Lighting and in Spring of 2010 in 3D Graphics for Electronic Games . If you are interested in getting a jump start at Unity 3D you can visit their web site, which includes many tutorials and interesting examples: www.unity3d.com

For more information about 3D related courses e-mail: P.J. Moskal at moskalp@canisius.edu

Modeling and Texturing a Simple Character in Maya

The following tutorials introduce a viewer to basic techniques of character modeling and texturing in Maya. These tutorials are intended for viewers who are already familiar with Maya interface, have basic understanding of Maya manipulation tools and object/component modes.

All tutorials require flash player.

Part 1 – Setting up image reference planes

Part 2 – Organizing your layers

Part 3 – Starting the modeling process with polygonal cube

Part 4 – Creating an instance for the other half of the body to aid the modeling process

Part 5 – Adding more geometry and adjusting the vertices

Part 6 – Mirroring original model and merging the vertices

Part 7 – Finishing the model and deleting model’s history

Part 8 - Modeling the head of the character

Part 9 – Adding more details to the head of the character

Part 10 – Starting the texturing process of the Toy’s body

Part 11 – Finishing texturing of the character

Enjoy!