The first step in my process was looking up bed bug pictures to get an idea on what they looked like (build and texture). I never been so grossed out in a project before. These two picture below I used to help create my bed bug model throughout the entire process of making the model. It gave the best view and texture ideas for the bed bug model.
This picture is from: http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/Animals/Insects/Bed%20bug.html
This picture is from: http://www.everydayhealth.com/info/v1pt00/bed-bugs-pictures?z=generalwellness/healthyhome/dlp&s_kwcid=TC|21765|bed%20bugs%20pictures||S|e|7791979214&gclid=CNuThunpw6sCFWsEQAodE0S20g&xid=g_dlp-v1pt00
By using these pictures here I went into 3dsMax to design my bed bug.
I started by using standard primitive shape, the sphere. I felt this shape was the best way to create my bug. I then flatten the sphere quite a bit to give the bug body. Once I got the shape of my desired body type for the bug, I began extrude for the legs. One of my team members showed me on how to give my first leg joints and more flexibility to my bug model. One of my other team mates brought to my attention that using symmetry, mirror feature in 3ds max that would save me time and give me more accuracy to my model. This did help lot. From this point I also started to extrude smaller pieces of the body toward the head and final the head and eyes.
Extruding from the body making the legs and head.
Using the symmetry feature in 3ds max then welding
The legs took me the longest part on the model, mainly because the joints' shape and making three of them. I had to go back several times on the legs, either correct something on it or perfecting the shape with the other legs.
Working on the three legs
Once I completed the three legs I work on shaping the body more like in the first bed bug picture. Keeping on a round, full body with a point at the end of his body. Once I got his main body to my liking I moved toward the smaller section toward the head and shaped it (as best I could) to the pictures I have on the bed bug. This was only achieved by extruding from the body and then using the scaling tool to give the desire shape. From the small part of the body I extrude the head, eyes, antennas, and nose (or I think that it's nose from the pictures).
Body screen shot (top view)
Body screen shot (front view)
After I finish making the bug model, I end up using Turbo Smooth on the model to give my model a rounder smooth look to the model so it didn't look boxy. I was very pleased once I put the turbo smooth on the model gave the model a more realism and depth to the model, but unfortunately I would have to take off the turbo smooth feature off the model, because of the poly count on the model. I was so disappointed that I had to do this. The bug model had to go back to the boxy look shape. I wish I had more time to round it out myself, but there wasn't enough time to do this because of the sound effects, music sections that I also have to for this game........plus everything else.
Turbo smooth feature on the bug model (top view)
Turbo Smooth feature on the bug model (front view)
Now it was onto the mapping section of the bug model. The UV mapping took longer than I thought, but it wasn't to bad. Unfortunately I could not just do one side and be done, like I did making the model. I had to do edit the seams on every body part on both sides on the bug model. I started first with the legs. I took the right and left third legs (the one furthest to the back) and made two sections of them (one for the right leg one for the left leg) on the map. The reason why I did this was mainly due to the way I made the leg during the build process of it (how I added the segments, causes the mapping of this leg to go into two sections). From there I made one section of each right and left legs for the first and second legs. Then I did the eyes and antennas (which by the way where a pain in the ass to do because they are so thin). The last body part was the body. Divide the body into four sections ( making a right and left top body, and right and left bottom body sections). I did this by editing the seams on the top middle, bottom middle, and along the sides. For each body part I unwrapped UV in 3ds max by edit the seams, highlight the faces around the seams of that body part, and finale pelted each section. Once I had all my body parts I made my UV map in 3ds max (and saved it as a targa file). I then went into Photoshop to make the textures (skin) for the bed bug.
Screen shot of Photoshop of UV map
I came up with five color (textures) total for this bed bug, since there might be multiple bed bug that the main character might fight off (plus the team or myself could not come up with just one color for the bug). The colors are just solid color with with lines (ridges), these colors are purple, yellow, and green. The other two colors used where red and brown with textures added to the map. I layered the map by: eyes, legs, antennas, body, and/or lines (ridges) or texture file on the body. Here are some screen shots of textures I made for the bed bug model inside Photoshop.
Screen shot of purple texture for the bug model in Photoshop
Screen shot of green texture (without black background) for the bug model in Photoshop
Screen shot of brown texture with bed bug texture (picture) for the bug model in Photoshop
The first two left side columns are the sections of the legs of the bug model. The top middle section (the black color item) is the eyes of the bug model, which can only be seen by take away the black background in Photoshop. The item next to the eyes (first column toward the right) are the antennas section for the bug model. The items at the bottom right and middle are the body sections of the bug model (they are marked with lines or texture files).
Once I finish my texturing in Photoshop I went back into 3ds max and texture my bug model, by going into the material editor and placing the targa files from Photoshop into the editor and making them bitmaps. Here is the final product of the bed bug and all his glory.
Screen shot of yellow bed bug in 3ds max (front view)
Screen shot of yellow bed bug in 3ds max (top view)
Screen shot of yellow bed bug in 3ds max (render)
Screen shot of brown bed bug in 3ds max (top side view)
Screen shot of green bed bug in 3ds max (top side view)
Screen shot of purple bed bug in 3ds max (top side view)
Screen shot of red bed bug in 3ds max (top side view)
I really enjoyed make this model. I just wished I had more time to work on him some more, but he need to be finished right away. This model was a bit of a challenge for me when I first started to work on him, but as time went on it wasn't that bad. I really haven't done much modeling work, but would like to do more modeling in future projects in games. It was exciting to work on it and see how the bug would turn out, but I'm also glad that it is over as well. It time to focus on the music and sound of the project, which is my passion. The next blog will be all about my latest recording session in the studio, which was all about the music of our team's game. Until next time.....
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