In this exercise, you will continue 3D modeling and begin texturing. There are different tutorials and exercise submission requirements for three experience levels. Choose the experience level that matches your own.

Learning Resources

Level 1: Novice Students

• Blender Reference Sheet: Blender Hotkeys
• Lynda - Watch Chapters 1- 4 and 7: Blender Essentials
• Lynda - Watch Chapters 1- 4: Texturing

Reference:

• Airline Chair: Download
• Modeling reference: Speed modeling a chair

Level 2: Intermediate Students

• Lynda - Watch up to Chapter 4 and 7: Blender Essentials
• Lynda - Watch Chapter 1 - 4: Texturing

Level 3: Experienced Students

• Character scuptling: Lesson 5
• Retopologize
• Normal Maps and Nodes

Steps to Completion

Choose a either level 1, level 2, or level 3 to complete based on your prior experience with 3D tools. If you are a novice, choose Level 1. If you have some experience, choose Level 2. If you are very experienced with 3D tools, choose Level 3.

Level 1:

1. Duplicate the project folder and continue working on your model from the previous exercise. Optionally, you can start with this project file.
2. Refine the Kem Weber Airline Chair you began modeling. (Be careful not to accidentally create nurbs primitives when modeling)
   • Skills to practice include:
     • Subdivision surfaces
     • Adding bevels and edges
     • Ensure normals are facing the proper direction
3. Clean up your edge flow.
4. Unwrap the chair’s parts’ UVs using the various methods and tools described in the tutorials.
5. Export a UV map for each part and save it in the project folder as uv_1.jpg, uv_2.jpg, etc.
6. Import the UV maps into Photoshop and create textures to match the Airline Chair as closely as possible.
7. Save the textures as arm_color.jpg, cushion1_color.jpg, etc. in the project folder. Name the files in an organized and logical way.
8. In Blender or Maya, set up the chair’s textures so they are visible on the model.
9. Save the 3D scene file as texture-YOURNAME in the project folder.
10. Compress the project folder once you’ve completed the tutorial and rename it texture-YOURNAME-L1.zip.
11. Upload the .zip file to the assignment dropbox.
12. Ensure you’ve included everything properly. Failure to ensure that you’ve uploaded the file will result in your exercise being graded according the grading criteria.

Example Level 1 folder structure

texture-YOURNAME-L1.zip
|
├── [chair part]_uv-texture-YOURNAME.jpg (as many as needed)
├── [chair part]_color-texture-YOURNAME.jpg (as many as needed)
└── chair-texture-YOURNAME.blend

Level 2:

1. Duplicate your project folder from the previous exercise and rename it to texture-YOURNAME-L2.
2. For each of the three objects you modeled in the last exercise: a. Unwrap the object’s UVs b. Export a UV snapshot c. Create a color texture in Photoshop (1024px by 1024px).
3. Save each of the three scenes in the scenes folder as:
   obj1-texture-YOURNAME
   obj2-texture-YOURNAME
   obj3-texture-YOURNAME
4. Save your UV snapshots in the sourceimages folder as:
   uv1-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
   uv2-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
   uv3-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
5. Save your color textures combined with AO texture in the sourceimages folder as:
   color1-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
   color2-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
   color3-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
6. Compress the project folder once you’ve completed the tutorial and rename it texture-YOURNAME-L2.zip.
7. Upload the .zip file to the assignment dropbox.
8. Ensure you’ve included everything properly. Failure to ensure that you’ve uploaded the file will result in your exercise being graded according the grading criteria.

Example Level 2 folder structure

texture-YOURNAME-L2.zip
|
├── uv1-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
├── uv2-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
├── uv3-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
├── color1-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
├── color2-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
├── color3-texture-YOURNAME.jpg
├── obj1-texture-YOURNAME.blend
├── obj2-texture-YOURNAME.blend
└── obj3-texture-YOURNAME.blend 

Level 3:

1. Watch the level 3 tutorials.
2. Continue working on your model from the previous exercise.
3. Retopologize the mesh.
4. Create two maps: A diffuse map and a normal map.
5. Follow the Normal Maps and Nodes tutorial to connect the textures to the creature’s shader.
6. Save your file as texture-YOURNAME.blend
7. Save your diffuse map in the project folder as diffuse-texture-YOURNAME.png.
8. Save your normal map in the project folder as normal-texture-YOURNAME.png.
9. Compress the project folder once you’ve completed the tutorial and rename it texture-YOURNAME-L3.zip.
10. Upload the .zip file to the assignment dropbox.
11. Ensure you’ve included everything properly. Failure to ensure that you’ve uploaded the file will result in your exercise being graded according the grading criteria.

Example Level 3 folder structure

texture-YOURNAME-L3.zip
|
├── diffuse-texture-YOURNAME.png
├── normal-texture-YOURNAME.png
└── texture-YOURNAME.blend