Junior Year Reflection

Overview 

Throughout this year I have improved significantly and learned not only how to make models that look better but models that are cleaner overall with clean UVS and geometry. Coming in to this year I thought I had a good grasp on basic modeling but I quickly learned that my models were full of messy geometry that would make things more difficult in the long run. The seniors in the class pushed me to et better and helped teach me about new tools and other ways to keep my models simple and still be able get them looking how I want. The year has been full of exploration and has helped set me up for success next year. 

Technical Skills 

My technical skills have vasty improved this year starting with just a basic knowledge from the what we learned last year. As i progressed through the year I picked up new skills with every project ending with learning a brand new program. I began to look into learning Mudbox when I noticed the limitations that Maya had on getting good textures and sculpted details on my models. My first project I have started using Mudbox on is my dragon model. I started by modeling a base in Maya and then converting it to Mudbox to begin sculpting it. I learned how to create layers in Mudbox to give more control over sculpted areas and how pronounced they show up on the model along with how to add basic textures and stamps to the model. I also used what I learned about modeling to create the basic model for this project. One of the major skills I learned was how to merge 2 pieces of a mesh together. By creating parts separate from each other they are easier to model but then the problem is putting them together. Using the merge tool on separate vertexes and pulling them together I merge the meshes together. Finally the major tool that I used was the smooth tool. This tool takes the existing geometry of the mesh and split it up into four parts each. This smooths out the mesh giving it a more life like look. This is needed for the project because the dragon must look realistic unlike the mechanical models I made earlier in the year like my T rex project. 

Collaboration 

This year we only had one project where we were working in groups so my main lessons in collaboration were how to work with others to improve my own projects, get help on how to do something, or get inspired on what to do next. The seniors in our class were able to help me learn more of the tools in Maya and improve upon my projects. Through collaboration my projects were able to go beyond the original concepts and become more than i thought they would be but more importantly through critics from other students I learned how to improve my projects in the future.  This is important because being able to talk to others about how to get better and improve projects. We did have one group project where we had to collaborate with other students to create a coherent project. With this project we were trying to create a children's educational video that would teach counting and simple fractions. When collaborating on the project we had to try to match each others style so that the end result would look like it went together and not like it was hastily pieced together.

Communication 

Communication this year has mostly consisted about being able to give and take constructive feedback. We presented our projects to the class for our first major project and gave each other feedback, this was very helpful because we could see what other people's views were and what they thought we were doing well and what we were struggling with. the communications aspect of the class also prepares us for a career in the filed because good communication between people is essential to creating a coherent result on projects. On our group project our group communication feel apart part way through the project which made it difficult for everyone to know what they needed to get done and by when.  This resulted in the project never getting finished. With better communication the project would have gone a lot smoother and most likely gotten done.   

Project management 

This year my project management skills have gone up in leaps and bounds from where they started. Coming into this class I thought my project management was pretty good but I had never done projects to the scale I did this year. Our first big project took a lot longer than I though it would partially due to bad planning on my part. I had a rough plan from the start with some basic sketches of the T rex I was going to model but had not planned for the change in style from drawing to model. Going into the project I knew very little about how to do what I wanted leading to large amounts of time spent correcting things or looking up videos on how to do them. This was not included into my initial estimates for how long it would take. I had to adjust by spending time outside of class on my project making sure it was done by the deadline. In the future I will plan things out better and set benchmarks to hit so I stay on task and know I am progressing at the rate I need too. This allows me to correct things early on and not wait tell the end to make up for lost time.

Leadership 

Leadership is one of the guarantees that is going to come into play a a lot next year as a senior being expected to lead and help teach the juniors. This year I have learned about leadership from the current seniors how have done a good job taking me under their wing and helping to pass on what they have learned. Since I am the only one who knows how to use Mudbox I will have to take leadership on teaching that to the new juniors or the seniors who don't know it. 

Conclusion 

To conclude, this year has been full of learning and new challenges that were tackled with help from those more knowledgable than me and through youtube. I have learned immense amounts this year and my work level has risen significantly throughout the year. My starting projects for next year have been set up and I will be able to hit next year with a running start.