Making Of 'Hummer H1'

Introduction

For a very long time I have wanted to try my hand at automobile modeling. I'm particularly interested in the Hummer H1 design because it is much more sturdy and heavy in comparison to typical sports cars and sedans, which have more of a progressive and modern design. These factors fascinate me.

Originally I was LightWave user, but I also like to use 3ds Max and so I began modeling this Hummer for the purpose of studying Max. For me, the production period lasted around six weeks, but a more skilled Max user could probably have completed the process in a faster time. I'm still in the process of becoming proficient in 3ds Max so please make your evaluation of this Making Of based upon knowing that I am not expert in using this program.

Modeling

First, I started by searching for all possible references (around 100 images) of this model due to the fact that I was unable to find an accurate blueprint for the Hummer vehicle (Fig.01).

Fig. 01_refrence

Fig. 01_refrence

I will explain the basic subdivisions that I did the modeling for. I think that this part of the modeling was done pretty well and so I'm not going to go into much detail. I created the overall framework of the vehicle, cut or extruded the polygons and then moved on to the more intricate modeling details (Fig.02).

Fig. 02_modeling_parts

Fig. 02_modeling_parts



With the luggage, I made each of the panels separately and then assembled them (Fig.03).

Fig. 03_car_parts

Fig. 03_car_parts

I made the overall shape of the body, set the position of the lights and then created the frame of the car's windows (Fig.04).

Fig. 04_high_poly_model

Fig. 04_high_poly_model

After the creation of the headlights, rearlights, bolts, and the interior, I completed the model by designing the detailed parts of the car (Fig.05).

Fig. 05_parts

Fig. 05_parts

The wrinkles and leather texture of the seats and frame were expressed through sculpting in ZBrush. After sculpting, I applied a normal map to the surface (Fig.06).

Fig. 06_seat_sculpting

Fig. 06_seat_sculpting

For the tire I started by designing one segment of the tire's pattern, then I repeatedly duplicated and bent the original pattern 360 degrees (Fig.07). The tire's brand was first created in Photoshop, and then a bump map texture was applied (Fig.08).

Fig. 07_tyres

Fig. 07_tyres

Fig. 08_tyres_texture

Fig. 08_tyres_texture

For the headlights, the most important point was the complex look of the glass refraction. I made the glass design in a duplex surface. As you can see in Fig.09, I applied a general glass surface for the first layer and a bump map texture for the second glass.

Fig. 09_lights_fixing

Fig. 09_lights_fixing

The bump map texture was made using the Gradient tool in Photoshop (Fig.10).

Fig. 10_bulb_texture

Fig. 10_bulb_texture

Lighting

I used real studio light settings and created a scene that I could refer to (Fig.11).

Fig. 11_lighting

Fig. 11_lighting

Here are the lights that I used (Fig.12 - 14):

  1. V-Ray light - helps to create the ambience and reflections within the scene
  2. V-Ray light - bounces off a spherical object and creates soft lights
  3. V-Ray light - bounces off a spherical object and creates soft lights
  4. V-Ray light - bounces off a spherical object and creates soft lights
  5. V-Ray light - I searched for the areas where it looked too dark or had little reflection and decided whether or not I needed to add or take out more light.
  6. Spot light - I made the background brighter to help separate the car from the background.  I also added color to the light to create an overall atmosphere.

Because I wanted to make a soft reflection, I made sure that the V-Ray light's Diffuse was on and that the Specular and Reflection were both off.

Fig. 12_lighting_camera

Fig. 12_lighting_camera

Fig. 13_camera_angles

Fig. 13_camera_angles

Fig. 14_lighting_shadows

Fig. 14_lighting_shadows

The shape of the Hummer is not round, but rather it has a flat shape. So, I used the method mentioned above to try and create a softer reflection, and in turn create an image that has more volume (Fig.15).

Fig. 15_composition

Fig. 15_composition

Even if there was a studio filled with people on set who were able to catch every angle of the scene, it would still be hard work. I had to constantly remember to set the light according to where I was going to set the camera.
 
And here's the final image (Fig.16).

This outlines the progress of my work, and I hope that it is a helpful resource for you.  Thank you very much!

Fig. 16

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