XIV Международный конкурс научно-исследовательских и творческих работ учащихся
Старт в науке
3- Д модель лондонского такси
Автор работы награжден дипломом победителя II степени
Полная версия работы доступна во вкладке "Файлы работы" в формате PDF
Introduction
Humans have been creating different objects and things: from the primitive cave paintings to the majesty of galleries’ masterpieces since early times. In the 21st century a new era of computers is developing rapidly. Every day new conceptions, gadgets and technologies appear and become a part of humans’ life. Information computing technologies are widely used in most spheres of life and a huge number of students try to master computer techniques in different ways.
Phototyping applications, especially games, require lots of graphics. It takes a very long time to create a perfect image. 3 D modeling is a new way of creating products to make life easier, more comfortable and interesting. The questions state: “How does the technology work? Is 3D modeling program easy to use?”
The aim of the work:
to make a 3 D model of a London cab.
Objectives:
search the information about London cab (origin, design)in the internet,
collect knowledge about 3D modeling,
target steps of producing a London cab model,
present the product
Methods:
collecting information
consulting ICT teachers and masters
work on computer
Resources :
- the internet
- social network
- MagicaVoxel 3D modeling application
Types of work:
individual work
pair work
Work plan:
search the internet to find out the information what 3D modeling is. Share ideas what to start the process from,
look through various 3D model applications and download one most appropriate software to work with,
collect the information about the future model (London black cab) in the internet, choose some pictures as examples to follow,
work on computer and create a black cab,
present the item.
The work consists of 2 parts:
theoretical part (the base and the applications used for 3D modeling, the origin of a London cab and its shape )
practical part (London black cab 3D model production through each step description)
End item:
3D computer model of a London black cab.
Theoretical Part
Three Dimensional Modeling Process
1. 3D Modeling Main Characteristics
3 Dmodeling is a modern technique in computer technology that represents a process of making an object. According to Wikipedia dictionary, 3D modeling in computer graphics is “the process of developing a mathematical representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software” [16]. The thing produced is called a 3D model. People, 3 D artists or 3 D modelers display 3 D rendering (a two- dimensional image) or use a computer simulation while dealing with the process. It is also possible to create a true model of something using 3D printer.
All 3D models are divided into solid and shell or boundary. Solid models are built with constructive solid geometry and successfully define the volume. Such models are widely used in engineering and medical simulations. Though, shell constructions represent the surface, not the volume. Games and film visual models are produced in shell models.
Models are created automatically or manually. The manual modeling process is similar to sculpture making. A digital object can be fully animated, which is an essential and breakthrough technology for character animation and special effects production. Whatever type of modeling to choose, an object can be created functionally identical.
2. 3D Model Production
The core of any model is mesh (clay) described as a collection of points in space. “These points are mapped into a 3D grid and joined together as polygonal shapes, usually triangles or quads. Each point or vertex has its own position on the grid and by combining these points into shapes; the surface of an object is created” [1]. The process starts from generating primitive shapes and objects like a cube, sphere and plane. A complex thing is a result of practice via creating primitive forms. The basic (primitive) form is manipulated with the help of various special tools and a three dimension representation is finished.
Wikipedia dictionary represents 3 popular ways of modeling.
Polygonal modeling: vertices (points in 3D space) are got together with the help of line segments to form a polygon mesh. The created models are rather flexible and computers render them quickly.
Curve modeling: a curve (surface of a future model) is influenced by weighted control points so that the curve follows the points.
Digital sculpting is subdivided into two types: the process of using a dense model and storing new locations for vertex positions through use of an image map is called displacement. Volumetric is a similar to displacement process when the model doesn’t suffer from polygon stretching if there are not enough polygons in a region to achieve a deformation. Both methods are used for artistic exploration as “the model will have a new topology created over it once the models form and possibly details have been sculpted. The mesh usually has the original high resolution mesh information transferred into displacement data or normal map data if for a game engine” [4]. These 3D objects can be generated automatically or created manually by deforming the mesh, or otherwise manipulating vertices.
3D models are used for a variety of mediums including video games, movies, architecture, illustration, engineering, and commercial advertising. The technique is also widely spread in medicine and 3D objects are often created to save people’s lives. The process is followed by means of special programs (software).
3. 3D Model Applications
Special software (3D modeling software) is a class of computer graphics used to manipulate points in virtual space (vertices) to form a mesh. Individual programs of the graphics are called modeling applications.
There is a great variety of applications from beginners till masters. Though, many programs can be easy to study if it provides a variety of tutorials or learning resources. The highest ratings are for such applications as:
Cinema 4D - designed to be fast and easy to use. It prioritizes intuitive and customizable UIs to modify it quick. You get great results with little effort.
ZBrush – an easy and high quality sculpturing application is packed with tools for 2D and 3D drawing and 3D modeling. A variety of modeling methods don’t require a powerful graphics card.
Modo – a powerful 3D modeling program full of modeling, rendering and animation features. Replicator feature and texture bombing for quick conception is widely used. Tutorial courses are available in the website.
Blender - a free and open source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, video editing and 2D animation pipeline. Blender’s comprehensive array of modeling tools makes creating, transforming, sculpting and editing your models a breeze. Modifiers are automatic operations that affect an object in a non-destructive way. With modifiers, you can perform many effects automatically that would otherwise be too tedious to update manually (such as subdivision surfaces) and without affecting the base geometry of your object. Shaders and a node-based system make the crafting easy and high-quality.
3DS MAX Design – a powerful application with rendering and asset libraries. There are a lot of shortcuts for professionals and short teaching videos for beginners. The software is mostly used for game design, though is possible to apply for any industry.
Lightwave 3D – a professional 3D modeling and animation software for visual effects and computer games. Only paid versions are applied.
Sculptris - a free limited version of ZBrush for beginners has a super easy interface including simple import and export functions.
TinkerCAD - a broser – based program for 3D printing models. A straightforward interface and tutorials make the usage simple for everyone.
MagicaVoxel – a light-weighted software occupied for printing, painting or moving voxels in a cubic grid being animated and rendered. It represents a value on regular grid in three- dimensional space. “In contrast to pixels and voxels, polygons are often explicitly represented by the coordinates of their vertices (as points) Voxels are frequently used in the visualization and analysis of medical and scientific data (e.g. GIS)” [8]. Voxel graphics is considered to be a super easy and extremely fast way to create a 3D content. The application is free to download and is easy to deal with.
UI of the app is divided into expandable columns:
Color Palette: the left-most column is your color palette to pick and choose from a whole spectrum of colors.
Brush: the second column, right next to the Color Palette to get picks a brush mode. You can choose from modes like V (Voxel), F (Face), B (Box), L (Line), C (Center) and P (Pattern). It is also possible to choose an action to Attach, Erase, Paint or Move voxels using the current brush.
View Options: just below the Brush section in the same column to toggle various display options like DG (Display Ground), SW (Display Shadow), BG (DisplayBackground), Grid (Display Grid), Edge (Display Edges) and Frame (Display Frame).
Editor: the middle section to edit all voxel creations.
Rotate by holding the right-mouse button down while dragging,
Zoom by rolling the mouse wheel up or down,
perform the selected Action by clicking the left-mouse button on the scene.
Name of a voxel creation is set at the top of the editor.
Edit Options: the second last column on the right contains a set of common, useful operations to perform on your voxel creation.
Zero empties the model,
Fill paints the model with same color,
Full sets the model to full volume,
Rotate, Flip and Loop your model around an axis.
File Options: The very last column to Load, Save, Save As, Duplicate and even Delete voxel models and patterns.
Export Options: right at the bottom of the right-most column.
Computer sphere provides the market with another simple in use creative techniques. Though, the method is a time investment via online tutorial or learning programs or videoblogs. Nevertheless, the process of 3D modeling tends to be creative, demanding and essential part of modern life. Engineers and architects use it to plan and design their work. Animators and game designers rely on 3D modeling to bring their ideas to life. They are also used in the medical industry to create interactive representations of anatomy.
2. London Black Cab as a British Icon
2.1. British Taxi History
Visiting London a tourist may notice small black cars on the roads. Officially the car or a cab as the right name is a part of London transport system – a taxi. “A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab and hack or London taxi) is a carriage or horse for hire. The horse coaches first appeared in London in Tudor times, when wealthy people who owned coaches hired them out to recoup some of the high cost of keeping them. In the United Kingdom, the name hackney carriage refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office or the Department of the Environment depending on region of the country” [5].
Taxi business came from 1634, when Captain Baily, a veteran of Sir Walter Raleigh’s expedition, put four coaches to work by the Maypole in the Strand. He dressed the coachmen in livery and they set the exact price for the service. This first cab rank established a taxi business model. The first Hackney-Coachmen appeared in London in 1654 when some regulations and special places were approved by Parliament. The increase and irregularity of Hackney Coaches were the reasons to a system of hired transport for citizens’ use. In 1834 horse-drawn carriages were modernized in handsome cabs as vehicles for hire.
August 1897 was the starting point for electric cars Berseys. Though, the cars tend to be rather expensive and unreliable. They were withdrawn by 1900. In 1903 London’s first petrol cab was introduced. With the development of Renault cabs London’s streets grew with the vast number of cars for hire. The fitting of taximeters known as “taxicabs” or just “taxis” was made in 1907.
William Beardmore& Co Ltd, the largest Scotland’s concern, built London’s first new post-war taxicab in 1919. The model became very popular despite its high price. A revised version of the pre-war Unic appeared in 1920. The most important new make to appear was Austin. Sponsored by taxi dealers Mann and Overton to replace the now defunct Unic, it was based on the Austin 12/4 car. Being cheap to buy, sturdy and reliable, it was an immediate success. A revised model, the LL "Low Loader" appeared in 1934 and it became the most numerous London cab.
During the Second World War, the majority of younger cabmen were called up into the forces and the production of new cabs was postponed. The taxi trade was one sphere of work where women did not take over men’s roles, as it was considered that there was little time for them to undergo the “Knowledge of London”, the lengthy topographical test that cabmen had to undergo and still have to take to this day.
In 1958, the most famous of all London taxis, the Austin FX4 was introduced. It remained in production, with various modifications, for 39 years. This wasn’t because it was such a good vehicle – it had many shortcomings – but because neither Mann nor Overton, Carbodies nor Austin could find the money to replace it in the troubled economy of the 1970s and 1980s. Production of the Fairway ended in 1997 after a total of more than 75,000 FX4s had been built.
Metro-Cammell-Weymann launched an all-new Metrocab in 1987. Like the 1972 prototype, the cab’s body was made of glass fibre. The Asquith, a retro-style cab based on the pre-war Austin LL, was introduced in 1994. It was powered by a Ford Transit diesel engine. It was very expensive and only about twelve were sold in London. A modern style cab was proposed, but never went into production.
Production of the Metrocab was suspended in April 2006 and a new, range-extended electric prototype appeared in 2014. To date it has not been put into production. The last taxi powered by an internal combustion engine to be approved for use in London was based on the Mercedes-Benz Vito Traveliner MPV, which appeared in 2008. Its designers achieved the required turning circle by installing rear-wheel steering, which only operated at very low speeds. It was not a popular choice with the London cab trade because it did not have the traditional appearance of a London taxi, which deterred customers from haling it on the streets. However, its comfort and space proved especially popular with corporate clients and with discerning passengers at London’s Heathrow Airport.
2. Black – the Taxi Colour
The official version states, that “black cab” originated as a slang term within the London minicab trade. The trade dealers appropriated the term “cab” that tends to be the official name for licensed taxi cars until 2000. Though, provincial taxi licensing authorities did not put up the idea of London black taxi. Despite, London’s fashion, prewar cabs were painted in different colours. “After the Second World War, when the Nuffield Oxford and the Austin FX3 were introduced, they were supplied with factory-fitted steel bodies. These were painted black, because it was the cheapest colour to supply. Different colours were offered at extra cost, but few, if any buyers were prepared to pay for them. Nevertheless, black became the standard colour for London taxis. The FX4 was actually offered in three colours; black, white and carmine red, though black remained the choice of almost all buyers” [3].
In the 1970s, Mann and Overton, the FX4's sponsors and dealers asked the maker, Carbodies to provide more colours. When the finance regulations were looser at the end of the 1970s, more drivers were able to buy cars themselves instead of renting them and chose any colour they liked. That is why todays London cabs are possible to meet in all colours, though black remains to be a specially advertising symbol.
Up to now a Black cab is recognised as a special carriage, one of the first taxi, and its old car model. In one of the most diverse cities in the world, 93% of black-cab drivers are currently white men. The characteristics of a traditional car model Austin TX4 are:
Wheelbase 2,886 millimetres
Length 4, 580 millimetres
Width 2,036 millimetres
Height 1,834 millimetres
Curb weight 1,975 kg
Having become a British icon, a black cab is not also a part of national history, but also a rare car model. Car lovers and collectioners mark an unusual design of the vehicle that still attracts majority of observers.
Practical Part
Black Cab Creation Process
The main material of 3D modeling and cab design has been studied. As the internet offers a great variety of tutorial videos, the information and process of transformation were observed. Three useful video tutorials are put into the literature list of the work. After that the things go manual to create something similar to a chosen car model. The process is described step by step. Screenshots of the steps are taken (front and back screen) to show how mesh transforms into model.
Firstly an artist downloads and installs MagicaVoxel program.
When the installation is finished, enter the program.
Start off by creating a blank slate for yourself. Select New under File Options to create a new model. Set the voxel model dimensions to 20-60-16 and then click Zero under the Editor Options to clear out the entire model.
pic. 1
Choose and create a new project. Name the model London Taxi at the top of the editor and press Enter when you’re done. Select Save when prompted. Find a picture of a cab in the internet as an example to watch.
Then turn on the Grid which is toward the bottom, left of the main editor window. Choose the correct brush (black). Press B to go into Box Mode and press T to select Attach.
Choose button Attach and start creating the 3D model as picture 2 states.
pic.2
Change color in favour of white in the left part of interface.
Create a base for the model where it will stay.
When base creation is finished, start working out the car cell by cell. The process lasts rather long – about four hours. When the main part of the car is done, come up to small details: wheels, windows, bumper, engine, headlights.
pic. 3 pic.4
pic. 5 pic. 6
Create the car in small details, make some shape rounding and come to panel Render. As the model seemed flattened, the voxel dimensions had to be adjusted into 20-16-20.
pic. 7 pic. 8
Add light to the object to make it look more realistic. Light addition also requires much time. It is the most time-consuming process (about 3-4 hours) in the work. Though, the model is clearly seen and a kind of movement attends and catches the sight.
pic. 9 pic. 10
In order to share the new voxel character to a social network like Instagram or Facebook, it must be exported from MagicaVoxel to a format that they accept. Luckily, the application supports the .png option which is the most widely supported image format. To export any voxel model from MagicaVoxel as a PNG image, click the camera button under the editor window in the bottom left:
The work is done. It is possible to improve the car by polishing it if an artist likes. Nevertheless, it will take more time and efforts. This car required about 24 hours (1 week work) if worked for 4 hours a day. Time of creation varies. It depends on the complexity and size of a model. Though, whenever a creator starts, the process becomes very catchy and exciting.
Conclusion
Human life is full of inventions and creativity. With the help of computers modern technologies and products appear rapidly in all spheres of people’s existence. Nowadays computer knowledge is a crucial theme in a huge number of professions as well as 3D modeling.
3D modeling is a process of creating a three-dimension object using special 3D model applications. The objects are possible to print and make not only visual, but also touchable. The technology is widely spread in engineering, medicine, film and games production.
The aim of the project was to create a 3D model of a London black cab. While searching the information about 3D production, it was found out there is a huge variety of 3D model applications in the Internet. According to your budget, level and computer characteristics it is possible to create a computer thing even for beginners.
The MagicaVoxel program was free downloaded and properly studied (the characteristics, tools and peculiarities) for getting a mesh. All characteristics of a cab (its look, size, peculiar features) were scanned to make the product as real as possible. With the help of the internet video tutorials and IT specialists’ consultations the cab was created. Of course, the sculpture doesn’t look exact, it needs to be polished more properly and more time spent. It is found out that a beginner will spend about 1 week, to be exact, more than 24 hours (if an artist works about 4 hours a day) to create the model.
The aim of the work is achieved. There is a London black cab in your computer to deal with. The model can be used for advertising or game and video production. 3D printer opportunities can make the model real.
Literature
Application of 3D modeling. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_modeling
Blender 3-D modeling. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https: //www.blender.org
Black cab. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа// https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_carriage
Best 3D modeling programs for beginners in 2019. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://learn.g2.com/3d-modeling-programs-for-beginners
Hackney carriage. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_carriage, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TX4
MagicaVoxel. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://www.voxelmade.com/magicavoxel/
MagicaVoxel - 3D Пиксель арт (Воксели).Magica Voxel для новичков. Воксель арт by Artalasky. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ad0Pz-0_Oo
MagicaVoxel 3DArtTutorial. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа//https://www.raywenderlich.com/375-magicavoxel-3d-art-tutorial
Magica Voxel Tutorial for beginners. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа //https://www.megavoxels.com/2019/08/magicavoxel-3d-art-tutorial-for.html
Microsoft 3D Builder Tutorial: How to Create Models for 3D Printing.[Электронныйресурс] – Режимдоступа //https://www.youtube.com/watch/f5XLbznDkNA
The history of London’s black cab. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/09/history-london-black-cabs
London Taxi history. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://lvta.co.uk/menu/lvta-taxi-history/
Основы MagicaVoxel. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://ru.wikibooks.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B_MagicaVoxel
3D Builder Tutorial – 01. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJKXhFSylYE
3D Modeling Tutorial On 3D Builder. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа //https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPsHYcarheM
3D modeling. [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_modeling