Virtual Sketch Book

2016-04-11T07:04:00.002-07:00

I constantly look for ways to make my workflow easier and more efficient so I can have more time to create the perfect product. This website is one of the best sites for gaining resources when doing graphic design or working in 3D.

Cameragiveaways.com

2015-01-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

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2013-09-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to work with VRay some more so I made a quick model of a chair.

Exterior Scene

2013-09-16T11:12:00.001-07:00

I am doing another Digital Tutors making an exterior scene of a house.
The biggest problem I am having is getting rid of bright reflection speckles.

I couldn't really figure it out yet but here is a final image fixed with photoshop.

Architectural Rendering

2013-08-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

Posting this image here to host for a digital tutors contest. My progress can be seen here WIP.

Finished Render

Big-Wheel-Nerf Action Vehicle

2013-07-03T19:47:00.002-07:00

My wife and I were messing around with game asset ideas and after about an hour it had evolved into a game of riding around on a big-wheel bike with nerf type guns attached to it. So I went with it. I used those two things as a starting point and made a quick sketch. There will be two identical guns in the front attached to the wheel and one gun mounted on the back. They will shoot discs (Eco friendly of course) that are fed to the guns by large ammo boxes that are easily replaced at refill stations. Also the front guns are detachable by releasing the clips. The guns are shot by triggers that are on the handle bars (works the same as a common bike brake). That is about as far as I got.

Just finished the vehicle shapes. I might change up the handle bars though.

AO for the bike.

AO for the front gun.

Front guns are now mounted with ammo box.

Back gun is finished and low poly version made.

RC Car model

2013-06-28T11:09:00.001-07:00

I decided to do another digital tutors tutorial so I can learn more tricks to modeling. This is a quick model that took me a couple days to do. It is a remote control car I call "The Eagle". I am planning on texturing it with an eagle in mind! Here is the ambient occlusion render.

Here is a quick render with basic materials added.

I added some textures today and some lettering. Maybe I will add more another time.

Final render.

Female Game Character

2013-04-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

So I am now making a Female Game Character that is modeling test for an internship at ArenaNet. So far I am in the process of making the female model in ZBrush. I am thinking she is a little too buff for a woman, but I mean seriously, if you wielded a sword all day slaying monsters wouldn't she have a buff arm? Well maybe ill tone it down a bit. Here is a snap shot.

Of course I need to fix the head, hands, chest, legs, and feet. Those are next.
I got more detail in. I took it in maya and made the ears, nose, and eyes. Then I brought it back into Zbrush to project the sculpted tool onto the maya model.

This image is rendered from maya.

Then These are snap shots from ZBrush

Here is a quick render of the armor shapes that I made in Maya which will then be sculpted in ZBrush for the details.

Here are the final renders. First one is the Detailed Zbrush render, the second one is the Maya rendered one. I could do a lot more work to them, just didn't have enough time.

Ghost Blaster weapon from the planet Creepton

2013-03-02T15:19:00.002-08:00

This is a weapon that I modeled on Friday. I watched a tutorial on Sci-Fi Weapon modeling here: http://www.digitaltutors.com Right now I am in the process of adding details and then I will unwrap to texture. Here is a quick render

Here is a really quick render with some textures and color just so I can get an idea of where I want to go next for details and decals. This was rendered in keyShot.

I made a few more changes and added a lot of little detail. Next step is to make a low poly version that is good for game engines. These next two pictures are just quick renders in keyshot so I can see what more needs to be done.

I am now in the process of baking the high poly onto the low poly as a normal map.
There are a few problems I have faced that I do not want to forget.
1. make sure that there are no extra verts, it will show itself by having parts of the cage be out of line.
2. make sure all the high poly details are joined, ( Panels, screws, attachments of any kind). And then turn the mesh into a editable mesh with no other modifiers stacked.
3. make sure the cage is not penetrating the mesh.
That is about it so far.

NEW updates. I think I am calling it finished. The first image is game res model and second shows the maps I used.

These images are rendered with the high poly model, just having some fun in KeyShot.

Art Studio

2012-12-20T22:22:00.001-08:00

I have started an interior model of a personal art studio. I am making a lot of models for this room so it has been taking me awhile. I have been using 3ds Max to model them in, mostly because I want some practice using the program. I am beginning to really like this program better than Maya for modeling. The way the modeling tools are set up seems to make more sense than Maya's settings.
So far I only have a few things done but here are some recent AO renders.

Also I through in few free models I got from magazines. They include the couch, sunflowers, Plant, cup, spoon, plate, and teacup.

This next image shows how my computer desk design works. Hopefully someday I will build it.

I will post more as I go.
Cords Cords Cords Cords.

It has been a few days and Christmas is over but I managed to get a few more models done.

Slowly getting this added, next step it to get some textures on them.

I am now doing the textures. But I am having a hard time with the floor. I am currently using 3Ds Max 2013. I am using a couple plugins from cgsource.com called floor generator and multitexture map. The problem I face is that I need VRay. So I downloaded the demo and come to find out it only works in Max 2012. I have both, 2012 and 2013. What I did was make the floor an obj so I can open it in Max 2012. Now what I am wondering if there is good way to bake the VRay floor texture on the obj so I can open it in Max 2013 and have it render with the rest of the scene in Mental Ray. I hope I figure this out soon. I attempted to bake a floor texture already and it froze my comp. Not sure what I will do now. I think I will post my problem on a few forums. But at the moment this image will show what I have done so far.

I need to fix the table wood. Also the solid colors will all change; those are just default colors assigned by the program.

Well so far this is what I Have come up with on the floor.

I am still experimenting with the floor but at the moment I have the floor as a polished concrete. Also I am trying to make the illuminating desk look realistic. I am not sure how convincing it is.

Most recent:

Fixed many lighting issues, and this is what I came up with.

Finally had some time to work on this again. I got that mysterious light in the back fixed.

Dream Animal

2012-11-11T14:45:00.002-08:00

I have been practicing more with ZBrush so that I can increase my technical skills. I had a dream a long time ago about this creature that was purple with pink dots. In the dream I was in a house talking to someone and suddenly I saw this creature bouncing past the window. I was so curious to know what it was that I came to the window then it stopped in its path to turn around and glare at me with its dark horse like eyes. Then it turned back around and continued on its path. I am not sure if I have seen this creature in real life, so I decided to make a model of it.

Here are some quick concept sketches of it.

Here is a test render. This one was rendered in maya with mentalray.

And here is a link to the turntable.

Here are the texture sheets.

art show

2012-06-26T10:29:00.002-07:00

Motorcycle

2012-06-06T21:14:00.001-07:00

Another project I am currently working on is a motorcycle. I am using realistic parts but the design is purely conceptual. It is going slowly mostly because it is a little difficult to find useful blueprints for motorcycle parts. At this moment I have the basic design down and the frame in the works.

Here is some photos.
This one is a photo reference to get the basic shape modeled.

This one is a render test of the frame.

I am getting very close to finishing the Engine. It is not exactly like the the engines that actually exist but its pretty close. Here are a couple renders.

I decided to do a quickly render check on the main body to see if it coming together well. If anyone actually reads this and sees something that needs attention please leave a reply. I like constructive critique.

Soon final renders will be coming.
update 6/28/2012:

Basement Remodel

2012-05-28T23:16:00.002-07:00

Hello,
It has been awhile since my last post mostly due to crazy life events that sorta takes up all your free time. But I am back and ready to show what my current project is. Right now I am redesigning a basement of my in-laws. I have all the freedom I want with creating this. I have the basic floor plan laid out and some of the furniture and other items finished. I will post some screen shots to show the progress.

This first image is a quick 3D view of how the layout is.

These next few images are of the furniture I will be using. All of these are modeled and textured using Maya and Photoshop and rendered in KeyShot.

This image is an Ambient Occlusion of the water heater and freezer.

Here is a render with the water heater

Here is a render with the Freezer

Now I am working on getting some storage shelves and stuff like that.

Here is a bed, still a wip.

2012-01-05T11:52:00.001-08:00

This is a painting I did for the announcement of or son.

Paintings for Christmas

2011-12-28T21:58:00.000-08:00

During the break I painted some pictures for Christmas gifts. The first one is for my wife Sara's Grandparents. Her Grandma likes Dragons so I thought I would make an attempt to paint them. The second one is for my mom. I painted this one for her newly remodeled kitchen. She wants to make a birdhouse themed kitchen so that is were I got the idea from.

This dragon one was done in Oil paint on a 18x24 size canvas.

This birdhouse one was done in oil on a 16x20 size canvas.

Pottery Class

2011-12-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

This year I had a pottery class that was very fun. For the last half of the semester we had to come up with new three new projects. My first one was themed, "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" and the second one was a "series of three." and the last was about "gravity."

These photos are about the chicken.

The next set of three are a more practical assignment of three noodle containers for the counter tops. The black one is for lasagna, the red one is for spaghetti, and the yellow and red one is for shell noodles.

This last one is the gravity one. I decided to make a fountain. Its not finished yet. I cant wait to get it all finished and running.

-Special thanks to Ali Lockwood for photography and Willis Coston for helping with the fountain framework.-

Ford Bronco

2011-12-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

This is my final project for my class in 3D texture and my other class 3D lighting. I decided to do the Ford Bronco that is currently in my driveway. The environment is created in VUE a program made by e-onsoftware. The truck is modeled in Autodesk Maya. It is still in the works and I will add more info as soon as I am completely finished.

These are two test renders to make sure things are coming together right.

This one is a test render in Vue. For some reason mayas materials are not importing into vue. I will have to figure it out.

More to come...

These next three are the final images. First one is the ambient occlusion, second one is the wireframe, and third one is the texture render in a studio lighting scene.

This next one is a render in Vue. The render is at a lower setting so it doesn't look as good as I like. I ended up applying vue materials onto the bronco.

2011-11-12T22:11:00.000-08:00

There is a program called Vue made by e-on software that allows you to create landscapes fairly easily. I am new to it and have only just touched the surface, but with my little knowledge and the help of a tutorial from this site http://vimeo.com/groups/19298/videos/6891644 I was able to make something. My hopes are to learn this well enough to use along side maya as a tool to create scenes that involve the outdoors.

Jabba the Hutt

2011-11-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

In my pottery class one of the assignments was to create a pinch pot deity. So after browsing online for ideas I came across Jabba the Hutt. It was the winner. Pinch pot is a technique were you pinch clay with your hands to form a bowl shape. I created two bowls and then scored the tops. I connected the two bowls with slip and proceeded to add arms, head, and tail. The arms and tail are flat sheets of clay molded into a pipe like form. After it was fired I painted it with acrylic paints.

Space Station ( Si-Fi )

2011-10-09T01:08:00.000-07:00

I am attempting to create a space station in Maya. This station is large enough to house millions of people. The station is connected to 6 moons. Each moon rotates on its own axis to create a level of gravity. With all six moons the station is able to orbit around a planet which helps to create the gravity the people living there need. Each moon is used to gather resources and farm. Coming soon is detailed diagrams and screen shots to show my progression.

As I modeled I did ambient occlusion renders to see the how it was forming. I wanted to see how the shadows would affect the shapes. These are still early on in the processes, I got most of the main modeling finished.

This image was to see how it the scale looked in comparison to a planet. It only has four extensions which changes later as you can see in the last image.

This image shows up close the rail system that runs underneath the resident sections. The rail is meant for transporting goods and people.

This is the main shape when finished.

I started to add the detail.

I started to build the city and unwrap the model.

Started to add textures to the model

Close ups on the crane.

Close ups on the resident section.

Close up on the rail system.

I started to experiment with the spheres.

Tried to create a night scene with only parts illuminated.

No lights directly shinning on the object.

I wanted to make spotlights but with an atmosphere to show they are on.

This is a view with everything in it.

This is the underneath view of the residence and rail.

Dark scene with all 5 sections attached.


Another scene with all 5 sections.

Yet another wide shot!

I brightened the light to attempt at making it look like the sun was shinning right on it.

These are the Texture layers I created in photoshop. I mostly just layered images; little painting.

Texture for the city.

Texture for the city floor and crane parts.

Texture for the main tower.

Texture for the Rail system.

Texture for the residence sections.

I can say that I learned allot from this project. I think my understanding of textures and lights are a little bit better. I had to do some research to make a spot light with some atmosphere. It was kind of difficult so maybe in the future I will make another tutorial on how I made mine.

Lighting

2011-09-24T01:06:00.000-07:00

These images are for a lighting assignment. My goal was to model a patio and create a morning, afternoon and night effect. For the day lighting I used Physical sun and sky. for the night I used a spot light to create a security light.

Afternoon

Morning

Night

Texturing

2011-09-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

My current class is all about textures. The instructor provided the model and we had to texture it. This is what I came up with. I think I may have gone a little to crazy with the bump maps!
Before

After

These are the texture maps I made in photoshop.

Portrait Painting

2011-07-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

My first portrait painting. It was fun to do this assignment because it was new and challenging. There are some things I still need to do to make it better though.

Creature Design

2011-07-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

My new project is creating a creature. We pulled out of a hat three attributes that the creature should posses. My was that it lived in a rainforest, that one of it's strengths was hearing, and last that it was considered a graceful creature. The graceful part was a bit difficult because I do not get why some animals are graceful while others are not. Giraffes for example are considered graceful...who knew? So the creative process begins with sketches followed by quick illustrations so that you can next build the creature in clay. After it is in clay then it is created in a 3D modeling program called maya and finished off in mudbox. From there I may put it in photoshop and make a final illustration or rig it for a animation. This whole process is new to me and it has been fun so far. I hope to continue with this type of stuff. I am not too sure I have the talent to do this as a career but I would love to do this as a hobby.

First image is the sketches and quick illustration.

The top hat gentleman is for scale.

This one is the armature made of wood, floral wire, armature wire, tinfoil, and plumbers putty.

The next series is the clay model before it is baked.

coming soon...painted sculpture, 3d model, final illustration.

I painted this with acrylics. It was fun to paint. I wish I had put more time into it.

Update 8-7-2011
This is a turntable video of the the creature in 3D.