Building set terrain for Latvian Komedie Minute.
Working in Maya
We continue with the making of The Latvian Komedie Minute building set terrain back in Autodesk Maya. I took the mocked-up geometry from the first post and used the slice tool at 1 inch intervals from the front camera to create a topological map. With the sliced geo I created single planes which I then extruded. This gave me an accurate representation of what I was trying to create for my miniature set. Once again I double checked from the camera to make sure that the scene still read the way I planned.
Building set terrain in Autodesk Maya with sliced for foam construction.
Mocking up real-world camera focal lengths in Autodesk Maya.
Foam-core insulation board purchased at Home Depot.
Foam-Core
Back at SCAD in one of the sculpting classes which I took, we had to create a relief sculpture out of insulation foam-core. You can buy it in sheets of different thicknesses from most home improvement stores. I still find little pink pieces of it on old clothing from when I had to spend hours sanding it into the right form. Foam-core is a light but sturdy material that with the use of a foam cutter(a heated wire melts through the foam with ease) is easy to work with.
Back when I first started working with the foam-cutter it was just a couple of D batteries running a current through a wire. Oh how the times have changed. I was able to pick-up an electric version with adjustable wire shape and heat intensity from Scenic Express.
Electric Foam Cutter used for blocking out the environment for The Latvian Komedie Minute
Real-World 3D
Using the sliced geometry outlines from the scene in Maya I traced it onto the foam-core.Then using the foam-cutter trimmed the foam down to the correct shape and size. Here I am in my cramped office cutting away. Once the cutting was done I was able to recreate the mocked-up scene from 3D.
Prepping the foam-core for cutting based on the 3D mockup.
Cut foam-core stacked up for gluing.