Today I had a chance to properly use Maya to create a 3D model. We were tasked with creating a vehicle of any kind. I came up with the idea to create a spaceship, a simple design that I could modify to make it more extravagant.
I started off by creating the body, this involved a cylinder and a sphere. I first increased the scale of the cylinder then decreased the height so it wasn’t as tall. This helped give it a more stream-line appearance. I then used a sphere for the main part of the ship, increasing the size and deleting the bottom half to create a more ‘dome-like’ appearance. I then chose to bevel the edges to give it a smoother look, then extrude the middle portion of the ship to add more detail. I finally copied the larger sphere and decreased it’s size to use as surrounding detail on the body of the ship. I repeated this several times.
I then decided to add thrusters onto the bottom of the ship, as the ship would need boosters to move around. I started off with the main part which would attach to the ship. This consisted of a cube, which was then stretched and a small section near the top created to make the arm. Again, I used bevel on the edge for a smoother appearance. I then used a similar technique to the spheres on the spaceship’s body to create the main thrusters. However, I continuously extruded and beveled the edges to give more detail. I then attached the two objects to create one. I then created a mirror image of the model to create two.
I then adjusted their placement on the ship. Finally connecting all objects together to create one model.
I found Maya slightly easier than 3DS Max, which I used previously. I think it has a simpler layout and this helps you find what you need quicker. I ran into few problems using the program to create the model, which I think helped quicken the overall process. Overall, I am pleased with my process and my end result, which turned out better than I imagined.
Megan Rebecca Watson 