WEEK 10: Texturing & Shading 1: 3D Painting with Viewport Canvas and Photoshop

Viewport Canvas in 3ds Max

Did you know you could have been painting right in your 3DS Max viewport this whole time? Well.. you can, with Viewport Canvas and Photoshop's relatively new 3D toolset. We'll take a crack at it and very quickly learn what advantages and disadvantages there may be to painting in the 3D viewport.

There are lots of helpful resources for these tools:
We have 3 helpful tutorials:
1 - Intro to Viewport Canvas
2 - Viewport Canvas part 2
3 - Viewport Canvas part 3


Click here to download the material files for this class. 

Click here for the Digital Tutors: "Using the Viewport Canvas" - video #44 in the Intro to 3DS Max series.

Click here for the Autodesk Help pages about Viewport Canvas.

Autodesk's "Viewport Canvas toolset" is a good brief overview as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shEl4iMebxM

3D paint in PS

Click here for the Digital Tutors course:"Painting on 3D surfaces in Photoshop"

Please welcome my replacement, Jamie Richards who starts next week.

WEEK 9: Texturing & Shading 1: WIP, Hydrant, continued

We'll do a brief recap of the first 2 assignments.

Next we'll introduce two more types of maps:
Normal and Specular.

Normal Maps are like Bump Maps on steroids - they create the illusion of extra detail using not just height information, but angle as well.
 
Specular Maps define the shininess of different materials. 

All three examples at right are just simple planes. Their appearance has been changed using diffuse, normal, and specular maps.
 
There are many ways to generate normal maps. 2 common tools for creating them from our diffuse textures are CrazyBump and nDo.  We'll go through how to install and use both of these tools in class. You will need them to complete your homework. If you can't install them at home you will need to complete your assignment at school.

Click here to download nDo

nDo tutorial:

http://www.philipk.net/tutorials/ndo/ndo.html

You should also be learning how to bake them from high-res models. For this assignment we will be focusing on creating them from images. This technique can be combined with baked normals.

Please always bring a stylus - they are required for painting your texture maps.

Intercession Week!!

WEEK 7: Texturing & Shading 1 - unwrapping more complex models, continued

We'll pick up where we left off last week, finishing up the unwrapping of our fire hydrant model.

Always keep in mind the importance of grouping your objects to make them easier to paint. We'll (hopefully) get started with a little painting today.

I'll give you a little background about ye olde hydrant to get you thinking about how to make it look really nice and beat-up. Maybe we'll even pay our fire hydrant a little visit in RL. :o)

This assignment isn't due for a few weeks so you'll have lots to time to paint it and apply a couple of new kinds of maps.


TEXT2010 Assignment 5 & 6 
Assigned: Wed, Oct 17th 
Value: 30%: UV's 10%, Diffuse 10%, Normal 2.5%, Specular 2.5%, Final Look 5% 
Click here for the rubric for this assignment 
Due:  Wed, November 14th 
Hydrant, UV'd and textured: 3DSMax file, diffuse map, normal map, specular map, and a simple render
SAVE your work uncompressed (2048 x 2048 PSDs recommended)
SEND me only Targas (.tga), one for each of your maps.
Maximum resolution: 2048 x 2048 pixels, 8 bits per channel, no alpha
File naming convention example:
tdonovan_hydrant.max
tdonovan_hydrant_diff.tga 
tdonovan_hydrant_nrm.tga 
tdonovan_hydrant_spec.tga

tdonovan_render.jpg  (a screengrab or render of your final piece)

Save your Max file at a nice angle, maps applied and paths stripped. 
Please be very careful with your naming conventions.  All assignments are to be handed in via Dropbox.

Click here for a reminder on how to strip network paths in 3DSMax

WEEK 6: Texturing & Shading 1 - unwrapping more complex models, creating texture libraries

Our next texturing challenge is a bit more complex -- a beat-up old fire hydrant. Together we'll work through the UV'ing of a pre-built model.

century-old hydrant at King & Jarvis

Click here to download the model.

Next week we'll wrap up the UV's in class and answer any questions that may have come up.

To help you continue your work at home, we've made you some very helpful tutorials which we'll go through over the next couple of weeks.

1 Overview Base and Top

2 Front and Top

3 Body

4 Details (note - sped up, no audio)

5 Chain and Bolts

6 UV Layout

But let's not get stuck UV'ing for the whole class -- the next assignment is all about how texturing shows the effects of time, use, and weather. You will be going into the wild to start taking photo reference of urban decay.  Using these photos you will be creating a style guide for your upcoming texturing project.

Assignment 4: Texture Reference Library & Guide

Value: 20%
Click here for the rubric for this assignment

Assigned: 10/10/12
Due: Wednesday, Oct 31st, before class

1) Shoot and process a library of at least 10 photo textures related to your fire hydrant project. In addition you may include related reference images such as backgrounds, ground and wall treatments.
2) Create a reference guide using your photos showing how you will approach the texturing of the hydrant assignment.  (Note: you do not have to follow the guide exactly for the texturing assignment.)

Make your photos look their best by fixing levels, contrast, hue & saturation to bump up details and get rid of fake-looking colour casts. Images should be clear, in focus, and free from extraneous detail.  Textures should be ready to use with shadows or highlights removed. Shoot in flat light, dry weather, perpendicular to your subject. Avoid perspective and warping by zooming in from a few steps back. If it's potentially tileable, shoot a large enough surface area.  If it's a detail, get close enough to the subject.

Remind yourself of keys to good textures on this site:
http://www.cgtextures.com/content.php?action=tutorial&name=shootingtextures

SAVE your images at any resolution.
SEND me your images only as NON-interlaced PNGs.
Measurement of longest edge: 2048
File naming convention:
tdonovan_descriptor_001.png

ex:
photo textures:
tdonovan_peelingpaint_001.png
tdonovan_scratches_001.png
tdonovan_brickwall_001.png
tdonovan_grafitti_001.png
tdonovan_grafitti_002.png

reference images:
tdonovan_streetcorner_ref_001.png

reference guide:
tdonovan_texref_001.png

WEEK 5: Texturing & Shading 1 - Guest Lecturer from Arc Animation

Please not that there will be no class Wednesday, October 3rd.

Instead, we will be joining Phil's Texturing 1 class to hear a guest lecturer: Andrew Shyshko, a modeler/surfacer from Arc Animation will be coming to talk about professional texturing techniques.

Meet in the Octagon (515) next Thursday, October 4th from 6-9pm

Arc Productions (formerly Starz) is a major feature, tv and visual effects studio just around the corner from George Brown College. Here are some examples of their recent productions:

All Visual FX for the live action/CG pre-game series “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn”

Animated feature "9"

Visual Effects for live action feature, "Dolphin Tale"

Animated feature "Gnomeo and Juliet"

WEEK 4: Texturing & Shading 1 - Bump Maps and Alpha Maps for Grass

We'll continue building detail into our simple sign by learning about 2 more kinds of maps:

No craters here - just a bump map

Bump maps add the illusion of detail and are very simple to edit.  We'll work with creating some gritty surface texture and cracks on the sign's base, scratches in the rusty paint, and add height to relief details such as the bolts holding the sign in place.

Here are some videos explaining how to create and use bump maps correctly:

Using Bump Maps in 3DSMax
Painting Bump Maps in Photoshop

Grass cards from Skyrim 

Alpha maps are useful for masking out areas we want to remain transparent. One common use for alphas is in the application of foliage to our scenes. We'll add some simple grass elements in our scene and experiment with layering these elements to make the grass look more complex and realistic.

Here are some videos explaining how to create and use alpha grass:

Painting grass textures in Photoshop
Applying grass textures in 3DSMax


Next week: instead of our regular class we have a guest lecturer Andrew Shyshko, a modeler/surfacer from Arc Animation to talk about production techniques. Meet in the Octagon (515) next Thursday, October 4th from 6-9

WEEK 3: Texturing & Shading 1 - Diffuse Map Painting

I'll be your model for this assignment :D

We'll pick up where we left off last week with editing the UV's for a simple low-res game model: the exciting "No Parking" sign.  If you were able to correctly UV the model and render a UV snapshot, you can get set to paint up in Photoshop any way you like.  We'll keep things simple with some photo textures from the internet... for now! But don't get stuck there. We're moving into Photoshop to doctor up our texture map and apply it to our models. If your first crack at UV'ing did not go too well (I can advise you in class) you will be given another option to use a pre-UV'd sign.

This class will be all about diffuse map painting.  We'll also talk about using photos in our textures and where to source good textures. 

Here are the videos we're using for this class. Sound will be added later :oD

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1617070/sign_diffuse_painting1.3gp

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1617070/sign_diffuse_painting2.3gp

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1617070/sign_diffuse_painting3.3gp

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1617070/sign_diffuse_painting4.3gp

Next week we'll add two more features to our sign: a bump map and alpha maps to add grass around the base of the sign. For this week, just focus on the diffuse (colour) map.

Some examples of signs from last term

Assignment 3: 10% Sign Textured
Click here for the rubric for this assignment
Assigned: Wednesday, Sept 19th, 2012
Due: October 3rd uploaded to the shared DropBox Assignment 3 folder before class
SAVE your work uncompressed (PSDs recommended)
SEND me only PNG's.
Maximum resolution: 2048x2048

Please do NOT put your files inside a folder.
Please do NOT zip your files.
Please follow the naming conventions exactly as given:

tdonovan_sign.max
tdonovan_sign_diff.png

tdonovan_sign_bump.png

tdonovan_sign_grass_001.png (or tiff) (*you may have more than one grass file)
tdonovan_sign_alpha_001.png (or tiff) (*you will need an alpha for each grass file)

WEEK 2: Texturing & Shading 1 - Basic UV-ing

We'll make sure everyone is up to speed with Photoshop basics - we start painting textures today!
Hopefully eveyone now understands the basics of linking textures and has successfully completed the vehicle from last week.
We'll discuss the article you were given last week, "Texturing for Dummies" by Leigh Van der Byl.

UV basics:
This class we'll delve into the shallow end of UV'ing.  By the end of this class you should have a basic grasp of UV'ing and working with the UV editor.

For more information, try the excellent Digital Tutors content such as,
UV Mapping Workflows in 3ds Max

See also the video tutorial we covered in class, "UVW Basics: Unwrapping the Sign" 

Click here to download the materials for the first assignment.

Assignment 2: 5% Stop Sign UV's
Click here for the rubric for this assignment
Due: Wed, Sept 19th uploaded to the shared DropBox Assignment 2 folder before class
SAVE your work uncompressed (PSDs recommended)
SEND me only PNG's.
Maximum resolution: 2048x2048

Please do NOT put your files inside a folder.
Please do NOT zip your files.
Please follow the naming conventions exactly as given:

tdonovan_sign.max
tdonovan_sign_uvs.png

Click here for a note about Creating UV Templates

WEEK 1: Texturing & Shading 1 - Applying texture maps to a model

Welcome to Texturing and Shading 1!
Please have a look at the outline for the course and familiarize yourself with the academic policies.
Please sign in at every class.
Classes may need to be rescheduled from time to time - please fill out the survey at the bottom of this post so we can plan the best time for the most people.
This course requires a lot of hand-painting in Photoshop.  You will require a Cintiq pen at every class.
We will also be shooting our own texture reference. There are some cameras available to sign out from GBC, but if you have your own camera that would be even better!

-------------------------

Many people think Texturing is just a matter of finding the right photos to stick on to their models.  A quick look around any AAA game or high-end production environment will quickly dispel this idea. Texture artists are skilled in painting both digitally and often practically. This course will give you  proficiency with necessary technical tools while increasing your skill at hand-painting richly-detailed texture maps any style from realistic to abstract.

Today we'll explore the power of Texturing to make simple geometry appear to be detailed and complex.  We'll look at some examples of game environments and their texture maps and go over basic types of texture maps and their uses. Read through the article, "Texturing for Dummies" by Leigh Van der Byl to make sure these concepts sink in.

Next we'll practice applying pre-made textures to a model and operating 3DSMax's relatively new Slate Material Editor.  Click here to download the materials for this exercise. Please complete this activity for homework. If you need help, just ask! If you find it super easy, find someone to help!

Assignment 1: 5% Intro to Photoshop
Due: Wed, Sept 12th in class

See the verification code here

For homework, please complete the following Digital Tutors course in the Basics of Digital Painting in Photoshop. You must pass the test and receive your certificate to receive full marks for this assignment. Each certificate has a unique number which verifies it belongs to your account (see left).
Click here to fill out the form with your certificate number.



For people who need a little 3DSMax refresher
Click here for a video on the 3DSMax Viewport
Click here for a video about the initial preferences

Next week we'll start on the technical process of UV unwrapping, beginning with Digital Tutors "Getting Started with UV's in 3DS Max"

So long!

Great working with all of you. I look forward to seeing many of you again after the holidays!

WEEK 14: Texturing & Shading 1: Final Assignment

Bring me your WIP -- I'll let you know where I hope you to take it for next week's hand-in.

We'll revisit is the idea of tiling textures - a number of people asked about how to apply them.  

If you have any questions please ask them now while you still have time.

WEEK 13: Texturing & Shading 1: Skies

All about skies today -- typical approaches include sky boxes and domes. We'll mostly focus on domes and create one by converting a tiling panorama to a usable map.

Skies are so interesting and contribute so much to atmosphere. I'd like to get beyond simply applying a photo you found on the internet like a sticker -- we'll get into painting skies, clouds, including graphic treatments.

WEEK 12: Texturing & Shading 1: Reflection Maps, Nonliteral Textures

Epic Citadel

Reflection maps are used for all sorts of details - shiny metals, mirrors, water, windows.. But real reflections are very slow to render. Solution: reflection maps -- entirely fake reflections created with textures. We'll apply some basic reflection maps and talk about some potential uses for your game.

Prince of Persia

Our other topic today is "nonliteral textures" - meaning non-photographic realism.
Texturing in the style of a specific game often requires us to conform to a specific art style. We'll look at some popular games that use alternative art styles and talk about how they achieved the look.

WEEK 11: Texturing & Shading 1: Terrain and texture libraries

Planning textures for the city.

Mood boards

Terrain:

Creating tile-able textures in Photoshop to add to wall and ground planes

Click here for a tutorial on creating tileable textures.

Tile-able Normal maps
Displacement maps

Texture Libraries:

Downloading textures, collecting your own

Preparing photos as texture files – batch processing, resampling

Assignment 5: Texture Library
Assigned: November 16th
Due: November 27th by ftp
% of Final Grade: 10%
File sizes should be under 2 mbs, around 2048 px max.
Filenames:
tdonovan_<descriptor>_texture.jpg

Description:

Build a sample texture library
Aim for a variety of surfaces, colours, and textures.
Minimum number of images: 12
Include at least 4 examples each of walls, ground, and details.
Try to find images you can use in your project -- ie you need old, grungy textures.
You may reuse images you shot for your 'entropy' project.
Shoot in flat light, dry weather, perpendicular to your subject.
Correct the white balance if you can.
Make sure they're in focus.
Shoot a large enough surface area if it's potentially tileable, and get close enough to the subject if it's a detail.
Avoid perspective and warping by zooming in from a few steps back.
Edit in PS -- crop out extraneous details, use levels, contrast, and hue & saturation to bump up details and get rid of fake-looking colour casts.
Remind yourself of keys to good textures on this site:
http://www.cgtextures.com/content.php?action=tutorial&name=shootingtextures

WEEK 10: Texturing & Shading 1: Intro to Viewport Canvas and Photoshop 3D paint

Did you know you could have been painting right in your 3DS Max viewport this whole time? Well.. with Viewport Canvas you can. Photoshop has similar capabilities we can experiment with as well. We'll take a crack at it and very quickly learn why --for now-- painting in the 3D viewport is still pretty laborious, but occasionally very useful.

Here are the intro videos we'll be using for this class:
"Using the Viewport Canvas" - video #44 in the Intro to 3DS Max series.

http://game.georgebrown.ca/~tdonovan/movies/ts1_viewPortCanvasIntro.mov
http://game.georgebrown.ca/~tdonovan/movies/ts1_viewPortCanvas2.mov
http://game.georgebrown.ca/~tdonovan/movies/ts1_viewPortCanvas3.mov
Click here to download the material files for this class.

If you want more practice at this you should check out the Digital Tutors lessons:
"Texturing Using the Viewport Canvas in 3DS Max" - a course in 10 lessons.
Autodesk's "Viewport Canvas toolset" is a good brief overview as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shEl4iMebxM

It's time for our last texturing assignment -- your own choice from your city models.

This assignment is worth 40% of your grade so it should be something pretty chunky - I'd recommend you set this up for your portfolio by making it a set piece -- you could group some props with ground and wall planes, maybe a fence with some grass growing up from some cracks, for example.  

City models – planning and organizing
"Mood Boards"
Start UV'ing city models to texture next week

Assignment 6: Final Assignment
Assigned: November 8th
Due: December 13th in class
% of Final Grade: 40%
File sizes should be either 512x512 for smaller props or 1024x1024 for larger ones.

Filenames:
tdonovan_ final_000.max

tdonovan_final_descriptor_diff_001.tga

tdonovan_final_descriptor_nrm_001.tga
tdonovan_final_descriptor_spec_001.tga

etc.

WEEK 9: Texturing & Shading 1: WIP, Hydrant, continued

Next we'll introduce two more types of maps:

Normal and Specular.

Normal Maps create the illusion of extra detail while Specular Maps define the shininess of different materials. There are a few ways to generate normal maps. Some common tools for creating them from our diffuse textures are CrazyBump and nDo.  We'll go through how to install and use both of these tools in class. You will need them to complete your homework. If you can't install them at home you will need to complete your assignment at school.

nDo's download site is currently down. Click here to download the zip file.

Click the CrazyBump & nDo logos to visit their sites.

Please always bring a stylus - they are required for painting your texture maps.

TEXT2010 Assignment 4
4th Assignment, Part 2: 10% <-- NEW!!

Assigned: Tuesday, Nov 1st
Due: Sunday, Nov 6th <-- NEW!!
Hydrant, UV'd and textured: 3DSMax file, diffuse map, normal map, specular map
SAVE your work uncompressed (2048 x 2048 PSDs recommended)
SEND me only Targas (.tga), one for each of your maps.
Maximum resolution: 512 x 512 bit, no alpha
File naming convention example:
tdonovan_hydrant.max
tdonovan_hydrant_diff.tga

tdonovan_hydrant_nrm.tga
tdonovan_hydrant_spec.tga


Save your Max file with the maps applied and the paths stripped, and all textures in the file so they apply when I open it.

Please be very careful with your naming conventions.  All assignments are to be handed in via FTP.

WEEK 8: Intercession!! Now G'wan home..

Step away from the computer.. go rake some leaves and jump in 'em. Draw in those sketchbooks.. 

It's vacation time.. *

*except my classes who all have homework. 

WEEK 7: Texturing & Shading 1: WIP, Hydrant, continued

You should be finishing up unwrapping your hydrants and getting ready to work on painting the diffuse.

Finish up painting your hydrants over the break and get them ready for adding more maps.

WEEK 6: Texturing & Shading 1: WIP, Hydrant, continued

This week we'll continue unwrapping our fire hydrant, start painting our diffuse textures and  get ready to learn more about some new types of texture maps.

Check out what we've been up to so far:
Sample work from Assignment 2: Texture Reference Library showing examples of entropy (decay) around the city.

Click here to go to the library

Sample work from Assignment 3: Sign Post -- learn UV unwrapping and create textures for a sign. Age it using photographic textures & hand-painted details to create diffuse, bump and alpha maps.

Click here to go to the example gallery

Lots of great stuff there, everybody -- looking forward to seeing what else you can do.