These two units together worked well. My aim for here/now was to create a new study space for degree students studying art and the final outcome of this would then be a virtual tour around the building. I used blender to make the 3d model because it is free software that I could download onto my own laptop. I feel like I picked up the program really quickly as the video tutorials were clear and informative and short enough that if I had to go back through them to find out specific information or hot keys then it was fairly simple to find out. The only other software at the time that I could have tried to use was Maya, which is another type of 3d modelling software. I didn't choose this option because I wanted to use a program that other tutors or friends knew how to use too as I predicted that I would need help for some of it. Other software that I could have used to create the 3d model includes programs such as sketchup, archicad and unreal engine.
Issues throughout the project using blender mostly included losing textures and not applying them correctly, because I would move then save files between my laptop and the desktop computer at the market hall which resulted in me using specific textures that my laptop might not have saved to it. Any glass that I had created in blender also wouldn't get drawn properly, the glass would be rendered before the object meshes behind it as blender draws meshes in order of distance.
Near the end of the project I realised that my plan to work on my model while we had a week off wouldn't be as simple as I thought as my final blender model was saved to the market hall computers and I would have to redo all the textures on blender again on my own laptop. I decided to bite the bullet and change software. I chose to use unreal engine 4 because I was informed it's slightly easier to use than blender, its easier to apply textures and while I was being shown a demo, it has default glass textures as well as other props such as doors and door frames.
When I was using unreal engine 4 my greatest issue I found was that my laptop struggled to run the software properly when I had to carry out actions such as 'undo' by using ctrl z. I timed it at one point, I had to wait a little over 20minutes which is a ridiculous amount of time to wait, luckily I didn't need to use that often. I managed to get through and complete the model although I had to leave out details such as laptops and paper in the study pods as well as the kitchen sink and microwave that I had tried to make in Blender. When I was walking through I had to try and get used to using the wasd and the arrow keys together at the same time. I struggled with that but overall I am pleased with my video as I have finally completed it, although I am sure there could be a list of a 100 things that I would want to include or alter. My biggest gripe would be the lighting. This needed to be worked on some more as I wasted time adding in tables and chairs in a classroom only to find that any lighting I tried to include wouldn't work so the room was too dark to even attempt to go inside. The lighting in the entrance was also influenced by the daylight through the windows and the point lights that I used. I think I needed to use more point lights but I was conscious of the amount of processing time that it would take to build the lighting as well as what would happening regards of lag whilst walking through the model.
Sorting out a written time plan to try and follow to, or at least creating to do check lists would be more helpful for me as I would often get distracted in perfecting something that was minor in comparison to the whole project. I feel that my poster could do with more work done to it. I think if I had had more time between completing my video and making the poster then I may have come up with more creative ways to display the model. I used screenshots of the model as I did not feel I had time to create hand drawn/digital images or create a paper cut in the shape of the building. I do however like my poster as it is simple, to the point and very clearly shows what my model is about. I am also pleased with the fact that I have managed to use unreal engine straight away with very little help along the way, it is definitely favored more when compared to blender.
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