how do you get started on a project?

[kailyon]

This is mostly in reference to your own personal project or one without much reference material...

 

Just curious how you guys start...do you start with organizing materials, or do you start modeling the scene, if so what part is the easiest to work off of (i.e. plane or building), do you rough out measurements at first or try to be as accurate to real world as possible...yada yada, I think you get it

 

Thanks

[jophus14]

I usually start by opening up the CAD drawing in Autocad and deleting whatever it is from the scene that I don't need. Then I either import the drawing into SketchUp or VIZ/Max and building the model. Next I place a camera in the scene and find the camera view that I want. Then I put in all of my lighting and render out a test greyscale image. If the model, lighting and camera look good, I start to apply materials and then adjust the lighting as needed. A good tip that I would recommend would be to put any jpeg or bitmap files that you use in a material for your scene into one folder. This way all of them are readily available in one folder if you need to make any changes to them.

[Tommy L]

If the model, lighting and camera look good, I start to apply materials and then adjust the lighting as needed.

 

I have a similar workflow except for this part. Once Ive got the lighting, I tend to adjust the materials.

[mattclinch]

before any of that i spend a good 30 mins - 1 hour pouring over the drawings, understanding and building a mental 3d image of how the building works - identify how the glazing works, where the core(s) are, the articulation of the facades etc. assign 'pet names' for various parts of the building, from 'london road facade' to 'skylight twiddly bit' - this gives me a much easier time when im modelling, and navigating around, ultimately saving more than the time it takes to familiarise myself, and stops me making silly rushed mistakes.

 

EDIT - realised the question was more about personal projects, in which case i would design the building. jumping into modelling with no clear idea of what your building is often a fruitless and frustrating excercise.

[kailyon]

Thanks for the responses, love to get insight on stuff like this

 

 

Matt-the question does not strictly apply to personal projects, I was just thinking about that when I wrote it... any workflow for any type of project is valuable info to a noob

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

if the project is a rendering, and i want a certain character i will decide which direction i want the final image to go, and grab some reference photos or renderings that have these characteristics so i can reference what was successful, and what was not successful so i don't make the same mistake. ...or at least try to avoid making the same mistake.

[BrianKitts]

I have a similar workflow except for this part. Once Ive got the lighting, I tend to adjust the materials.

 

Interesting, I'm the other way.... I think all materials should look right in the material editor, if it doesn't look the way you want in a rendering then you adjust the scene, becuase the material is what it is.

 

I think of it more as an environment would change but a material doesn't.

 

side note: I always love it when designers criticize a rendering and say dumb stuff like.... "the walls are too dark in this rendering, I like it better in the daylight shot".... its the north wall of a building....ummm...yeah this whole shadow thing really sucks doesn't it

[SandmanNinja]

I'm in the camp of do a basic lighting solution, then put your materials in there and then tweak and fine turn your lighting solution. Since the materials affect the lighting, no point in doing the lighting, adding materials, then getting colour bleeds and stuff.

[Justin Hunt]

Lighting and materials go hand in hand so I tweek both as I am going along.

 

I agree with mattclinch, getting a good overall understanding of the drawings and building before you start is essential. It amaises me sometimes how so many architects cant lineup drawings (columns or cores dancing around from one level to an other, adjacent corners of elevations at differnt heights and details etc).

 

Before I even start looking a the drawings I like to know what the intention is for the images. Are they for DD, marketing, conceptual etc. As each has its own methode and level of detail. Determinds how long it should take. And most importantly start the ideas on the look and feel of the piece.

 

jhv

[blowback]

I also like to know the intention of the final work before I get into the drawings.

 

Model material lighting. I also try and get what I want from the material in the editor. Then I put it to a lighting solution.

[jophus14]

I think it easier to get a basic lighting solution done and then move to the materials. After the materials are applied, I find it much easier to tweak individual lights according to the materials that it affects opposed to tweaking the material or having several different shades of one material to apply to different geometry. What do you guys think?

[Mechadus]

This is a really interesting thread - its always fun to gain insight into how other artists work.

 

I personaly like to start personal projects by making really rough block models of my scene, so I can get the general feel I want for whatever is in the scene. I then usually do some really basic lighting and apply some colors (not textures mind you). When Im happy with my "block scene" I begin replacing my block models with more detailed models.. usually starting with the main focus points, and working out from there.

 

-Nick

[SandmanNinja]

jophus - we think alike. The material affects the lighting solution. So if you're doing a red feature wall in a lounge, how can you do your lighting first and then materials? Your red will bleed over to the ceiling and other walls and floor. Plus that leather couch will affect the lighting as well.

 

That's just based on the various teaching methods that I've gone through over the past year. That's what is so good about 3DS - there's so many different ways to do the same thing.