Modelling and animation is basically graphics design in 3D. Through the 3D Fundamentals course, we learnt how to observe and construct objects virtually, in 3D perspective. It involved the tweaking of vertices and polygon topology, in order to mould any 3D object of random size and shape. Four view ports, mainly the front, top, left and perspective viewpoints required constant attention, as we needed to keep in mind the way the objects look in these dimensions. The front, top and left views are essential in building the models although they may have caused much headache during the first week of basic modeling. The view ports allow us to view our models in all directions - we could even rotate our objects and zoom in on them. This way, of course, we can pay greater attention to the nitty-gritty details of our model in all angles and are aware of how they will turn out when we’re finally done.

Being able to predict and plan before starting allows me to get a good head start. The smoothing tool - Turbo Smooth, which gives the shapes a smooth feel to it, is one of the greatest challenges faced (Yes, we all used this tool).

Another common tool was extrusion/beveling. This tool was what allowed us to make planes three dimensional.

The most common tool however was adjusting the vertexes. When adjusting them, we had to check from all the views to make sure that they were in the right position hence giving our models its shape. However when Turbo Smooth is applied, the model may or may not be in shape so we’ll have to shift the vertexes, again and again and again.