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But good textures are only part of the story. By themselves, they are not enough, accurate lighting is an essential ingredient. If the lighting is too intense, or poorly positioned, your models can look washed out or flat.
This screenshot shows how lights are evenly arranged around the globe and are especially apparent in the Top Viewport (3DS Max). Also notice how the targets of the lights touch the globe in the Camera Viewport.
The greater the resolution, the more detail is going to be needed. If your final output for a streaming video with a resolution of 320x240, you’re not going to need intensive geometry or textures. But if your output is for stock photography, you’ll need high quality textures and smooth geometry on objects in the foreground.
The above steps are only a fraction of the issues that you’ll encounter when beginning an animation project, though this article will point you in the right direction. There is much more that hasn’t been covered here, such as Lens effects (motion blur, distance, depth of field), Deformations, the amount of detail required so shapes deform properly, issues with seams, etc. To learn more about the Modeling for Animation process, check out some of the DVD’s and books in the reference list. Also, have look at some of the recent articles in the 3D section on WebReference.com for more information.
Modeling for Animation,
by Alias Software. DVD. Price: $34.99.
Modeling, by Alias
Software. DVD. Price: $34.99
Digital Texturing and Painting,
by New Riders. 352 pages. Price: $38.50
Digital Lighting and Rendering,
by New Riders. 304 pages. Price: $35.00
2D Artwork and 3D Modeling
for Game Artists, by Premier Press. 720 pages. Price: $47.99.
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Created: June 5, 2003
Revised: October 10, 2003
URL: http://webreference.com/3d/column5
