Cat model
This week I modeled the Cat for the “cat’s secret life” project, I feel that that over the last term my modeling skills got better since that I had to create several for these two projects and collaborative project as well and I have now a set of tools in maya that help me model the props and characters.
These are some pictures showing the process of the cat model: I always start from a simple geometry a circle in this case smith it and select the vertices using the smooth selection tool most of the time to create the main shapes: for its head I have used a sphere, for the body a sphere as well and extrude the faces creating proportioned faces following the polymodeling technique for the body I extrude the faces to create the tale, the four legs and the neck too.
From the head shape I extruded the faces for the ears and extruded and moved the vertices to get to the final look. I also deleted some faces after having created them with the multi-cut tool to create a hole for the two eyes that I have created starting from two spheres and selecting the faces to make the pupils assigning them different colours.
I have assigned different colours materials to the body to make the cat similar to a Siamese cat
Which other props will I need for this project?
Based on my storyboards I have created a list of props that I will need to create my short animation “Cat’s Secret life”:person (owner) legs, door, cat’s bed, table with vases and lamp, sausage chain, small sofa.
Since that the perspective of the camera is going to be the one of the cat and therefor in would develop at a lower level following its view, I won’t need a whole body to be modeled but just the legs which I have created with a smoothed sphere polygon and extruding two faces for the legs, and from the legs I consequently extruded other two faces to create the feet. I added few details manipulating the vertices and assigned different textures to differentiate the different parts.
For the cat’s bed I opted for a classic design (just like the one that my own cat has) creating the pillow where he would sit and the side pads I even added a label to allude that that it’s his property.
Final look
One of the scenes depicts the owner living the house an d one the owner coming back home: I have designed a door with a wall for that scene starting form a cube polygon
This is the door knob I have created starting from a cylinder and extruding its faces.
This is a rendered picture
In one of the scenes the cat breaks a vase by pushing it down form a table. I have decided to design a chinese vase to imply the fragility and value of it.
After I had created the main shape I have assigned a texture to it but it was spreader evenly on the surface that’s why I have UV mapped the vase surface
Final rendered picture
The vase is part of the living room scene. To model it I used the following reference picture
I have started form the table trying top match the cube to the reference picture
I then extruded the faces to created the drawers, I also UV mapped the table after using a planar UV Mapping since I have assigned a wood texture and also added a bump map to give it texture too
I also added a canvas on the wall using a drawing I have painted digitally portraying my cat a few years ago since I thought it might fit the topic
I after assembled the scene after creating a lamp as well: I have added some attributes in the emission of the lamp texture to make it glow, I also put two area lights inside to simulate light coming out of it.
This is the final rendered picture
For the sausage chain on which the cat is supposed to swing onto I have first used a cylinder and smoothed it
I have extruded the top and bottom faces to simulate the creases of the sausage
I after duplicated it and give them different angles to simulate a sausage chain
I also modelled the sofa that the cat is going to scratch his nails onto, for this specific model the bevel top was particularly useful to create the pillows of the sofa
For the pillows I had done a research to see which is the best way to model one and I have found this video which was very useful since it show how to use the cloth simulation to quickly create one.
I after UV mapped the faces of the sofa and applied a fabric texture to it in the bump map
I have created three key light to render the sofa
Final rendered picture
Regarding the other project I have textured the Fisherman character which gave him a lot more credibility to the character