BLOCKOUT, VEGETATION AND ENVIRONMENT MODELLING
04 INITIAL BLOCKOUT
Once inside of 3ds Max, set up the system and display units scale (Customise>units Setup). This project used the metric system. Set the system units to centimetres and display units to metres (the display units can be set to your preference, the system units are the important thing here).
Start off by either importing a base mesh of a person if you have one (Zbrush ships with some), or make a biped (Creation tab>systems>biped) and make sure they are scaled to a realistic size, between 160cm to 180cm tall. These are going to work as the scale reference.
05 BLOCKING GEOMETRY
Create a plane around 20m long and 10m wide, keep the segments to 4x4. Keep the geometry low at this early stage. Convert the plane to an editable polygon and begin to shape the plane into a rough rocky outcrop. If you need to add more edges to create the desired shape, do so, but keep the mesh low res. Next add a turbosmooth and set the iterations to 2. Then add a noise modifier and set the scale to 4,500, turn on fractal, setting the iterations to 10, and the strength to 5m for XYZ. You should end up with something like this (image 05c).
06 TEMPORARY MOUNTAINS
First create another plane, this time with length and width set to 100m and the segments to 100. Add a displace modifier (not the WSM). Next open up the material editor, drag out a Gradient Ramp node and apply it to the map slot of the displace modifier, making sure to set it as an instance. Set the Strength to 50m. Edit the Gradient Ramp as follows. Invert the black and white flags, set the gradient type to radial, set the noise amount to 1, size to around 12 and levels to 10, then adjust the phase value until you have something you like. From here, this mountain will be used to block out the landscape. Set up a rough camera angle from behind the character. This doesn’t have to be perfect at this stage, it can be refined as the image is developed.
Next begin to fill out the scene, copying the mountain around to form the landscape. Make sure you add a ground plane to act as the water level. Rotate, scale and use the FFD modifier to create a rough blockout for the scene. Don’t get hung up on details as this will be replaced with more detailed mountains later.
At this stage you can also add a sun and sky to read the forms on the mountains. Adjust the time of day and angle of the sun to achieve a mood that you like. 06a 06b