3D Graphics modelling
 

For the 'computer graphics' part of my university course, I've been using a professional 3D graphics program called 'Maya' to create some cool graphics. It's very powerful and you can render very detailed, realistic things such as human heads or whole bodies, and render them in very high detail with raytracing, shadows etc. etc.

Here's some 2D examples of what I knocked together this afternoon.

A simple chromed Mercedes badge, with a few spotlights.
You can zoom all around this in 3D in the program, its very cool:

More zoomed out, and the badge is transparent here

Textured and bumpmapped - looks quite realistic.

Oh yes the outer ring shouldn't be a perfect circle, it should have 'edges' all the way around the ring for a true MB badge, but I couldn't work out how to do it :(

Has anyone else used this MAYA program? Any tips (or files) for me? :p :)

Waaaayy COOL
 

Hey Russ,

Those are way cool, perhaps you can turn a pic into a new window sticker for the Diesel or perhaps the whole MB group.

My other car is a benz wrapped in type on the outside of the ring. Readable on close distance but not from 2 feet or more!

I'd rather be riding in

Sparkless!

Are you moving towards design school?

You are most creative.

russ,

the outer ring surfaces could be modelled using surfaces of cones. There is a total of 4 cone surfaces that make this up:

* the upper outer ring surface is the bottom of a solid cone pointing upwards

* the upper inner ring surface is the top of an empty cone (i.e., the space left by a solid cone) pointing downwards

* the 2 bottom surfaces are symmetric with the corresponding upper surfaces

i hope this helps ...

This is cool! As a CNC programmer at a machine shop, I'm starting to learn how to work with solids. Some pretty cool stuff!! I have been toying with modeling the star and making my own replacement hood stars. Could get them plated, anodized, or whatever.
Never heard of MAYA, but sounds great. I'm working with Solid Works and a CAM programming software called GibbsCam, which has some solids modeling capability. Seems much easier to work with then the older 3-D surfacing techniques were.
Keep at it. There's a lot of need for this type of training out there. Wish I could go back to school full time and catch up on the technology!:)