3D Modeling Basics for Augmented Reality

ASSET CREATION FOR ARKIT

Written by Eaza Shukla (3D Artist)

Creating 3D assets is a meticulous process, which consists of several interconnected and interdependent stages that are a part of the production pipeline. It is important to ensure that everything is clean, correct and free of technical errors at every single stage in order to get the optimal outcome efficiently. Even though the workflow may vary depending on the medium the assets are for; generally, the stages are:

• Design/Concept: The first step is to determine the design and concept. The creation of the object in 3D should begin after finalizing an interesting and appealing design that clearly expresses the requirements of the project. It is also essential to collect good reference material to refer to throughout the process, setting it as a standard for the project at hand. Having some real world references helps realize the concept more believably.
• Modeling: Typically begin modeling by blocking out with primitive 3D shapes, then molding them into the desired design. A 3D model is made up of a polygon mesh- it is a collection of vertices, edges, and faces that define the shape of the object. After the model is complete, it is necessary to go over this mesh and clean up the geometry in order to have good results upon rigging and animation. Some examples of bad geometry are polygon faces that have more than four edges, intersecting faces, etc.

Object Mesh

Face

Vertex

Edge

• Texturing: Based on the physical properties of the materials, textures are painted separately and then assigned to the object. These texture maps are images that are wrapped around the object. Various maps can be assigned for the different properties, of the material, such as color, specularity, displacement, metalness, transparency, etc.

Color Map- Face Skin

Rendered Outcome

• Rigging: Rigging involves putting a skeleton inside the model. Joints are placed at the points of movement for the model. In a character, this joint set up would resemble the bone structure of the human or creature. Each joint is then assigned vertices of the object mesh that it would have control ever. These joints are attached to controllers that are used to animate the model.

Joint set-up Controllers

• Animation: To animate a model, the controllers from the rig are used to manipulate the model for each frame it’s supposed to be in motion. For every frame the controllers are manipulated, keys are set on the time slider for that particular frame. These keys record the location of the controllers in x, y, z coordinates in the 3D space.
• Lighting: Light sources are added to compliment the model, create a sense of depth and draw attention to the main focus of the project. A 3-point lighting system is a commonly used set up. It consists of-

1. Key Light: The primary light source.
2. Fill Light: A softer light source used to lighten the shadow areas.
3. Rim Light: A strong light source behind the subject that lights along the subject’s silhouette, separating it from its background.

For more on AR advertising and how to create 3D ad assets reach out to us at hello@gethyped.io