The primary reason for choosing the Suguay Logo to work on was specifically so that I could learn how to create and use UVs for texturing objects in 3D. I did definitely learn how to do that.
I had to do a bit of research as I was working on this project. I had watched a tutorial or two for other programs that involved using UV maps to create the texture for whatever was being modeled but I had not tried to create them myself. They really just intimidated me. So to do this project I had to learn how to create the UV maps and how to lay them out and what to do with them to get texture on them and then how to get them back into my 3d program. I knew I was going to be learning these things. As always though, I got to learn a bit more than that.
I got to learn how to use a few of the tools available in Photoshop, starting with the Invert adjustment. I also learned a little more on how to use the magic wand tool, for selecting as well as for masking. That will come in handy for sure. And I learned just a little about layer modes. Not much, and looking at the drop down menu I have much more to learn.
There are some things I know I could have done better, both in modeling and in creating my texture. My model has polygons in it that are not seen and are not being rendered. For projects that require low polygon counts this is wasteful and idealy I would delete those. For my textures, I probably could have better utilized layers in Photoshop. Not to mention, better use of masking on the UV texturing for the pencil end of the logo. I also think I might have better organized my UVs. I could have split out the pen UVs so that everything that was going to have the same base color was together and then I could have done a fill on the entire layer to get a base color instead of filling the shapes.
I ran into a couple of strange issues when I was working on my model. I suspect, in the process of poking around in 3ds Max I clicked on something that changed a setting so that scaling my cylinders no longer worked as expected. If I tried to scale the circumference bigger it made the height shorter and that sort or thing. It was quite frustrating. I also ran into a problem where no form of my materials were showing in the viewport. Not even an inkling of what it was supposed to look like would show up. Now I know I did a bunch of poking at things for rendering so I am certain I messed this up. I just don’t know what I did. So I think I will have to make sure that isn’t a problem first thing with the next project. And if it is a problem. I’ll be fixing it before I get too deep into it.
The other big difference between this project and the previous one, Company for Dinner, is that the scope of this project was very specific. My intention was to update the logo and learn to create and use UV maps. The previous project did not have a well defined scope and so it was difficult to decide when it was complete. For this project was much easier to determine when it was complete.
Stay tuned. I will be deciding what the next project will be soon. It should be interesting. I still have plenty to learn and much to practice.