26/10 10：00 – 13：00

ZBrush Basics and Maya Retopology

Action	Shortcut
Rotate view	Left-drag on empty canvas
Pan view	Alt + left-drag on empty canvas
Zoom view	Alt + left-drag, then release Alt while still dragging
Frame model	F
Show polygon wireframe	Shift + F
Open brush palette	B
Smooth	Hold Shift
Mask	Hold Ctrl
Invert brush effect	Hold Alt
Brush size	S
Brush intensity	U
Symmetry	X

DynaMesh

• Purpose: Rebuilds the mesh with evenly distributed polygons
• Use: Early-stage blocking and large shape changes
• Benefit: Reduces stretching after heavy sculpting
• Location: Tool > Geometry > DynaMesh
• Key setting: Resolution controls mesh density
• Update: Ctrl + drag on empty canvas to remesh

ZRemesher

• Purpose: Automatically generates cleaner, quad-based topology
• Use: Simplifying a sculpt and improving its edge flow
• Location: Tool > Geometry > ZRemesher
• Key setting: Target Polygons Count controls the approximate polygon count
• Limitation: Automatic results may still need manual cleanup, especially for animation

Retopology in Maya

• Purpose: Rebuilds a dense sculpt as a cleaner, lower-poly mesh
• Why it matters: Clean topology makes UV unwrapping, baking, rigging and animation easier
• Tools: Make Live and Quad Draw
• Good practice:
  • Use mostly quads
  • Keep polygons evenly distributed
  • Follow the form with edge loops
  • Add supporting loops around joints

29/10 17：00 – 21: 00

NUKE ROTO and TRACKER

02/11 10：00 – 13：00

Maya Modelling and Rigging Basics

Maya Fundamentals

• Learned the interface and core tools
• WER_move/rotate/scale
• Hide_H

Castle Wall Modelling

• Tools: Extrude, Bevel

Landscape

• Tool: Soft Selection_B
• Method: Edited vertices to create uneven terrain

Character Blockout

• Workflow: Cube → Subdivide → Extrude
• Approach: Overall form first, then details

Rigging

• Tool: Auto Rig
• Purpose: Tested model quality through rigging
• Note: The character must face forward

02/11 14：00 – 17：00

Water and Foliage Systems

Water System Setup

• Water plugins
• Water Body types: Ocean, Lake, River
• Water Zone: controls shared water properties
• Water Brush Manager: supports terrain carving

Water Adjustments

• Ocean: matched Zone Extent and Ocean Extents
• River: edited spline points, depth, width and velocity
• Waves: adjusted Gerstner Waves, Wave Attenuation Water Depth and Max Wave Height Offset
• Terrain: adjusted carving and blending with Curve Settings, Falloff Settings and Effects
• Shallow Water River: lightweight Niagara 2D fluid simulation

Water Material

• Material: Single Layer Water
• Workflow: copied material instances to the project folder and added the _local suffix
• Colour: Absorption, Scattering
• Detail: Caustics

Foliage Workflows

• Foliage Tools: manual painting with high artistic control
• Landscape Grass Type: automated, material-driven groundcover
• Procedural Foliage Spawner and Volume: large forests and biome transitions
• Procedural Vegetation: graph-based vegetation creation

Foliage Optimisation

• Culling: hides foliage that is out of view or too far away
• LOD: reduces detail with distance
• Console commands:
  • r.RayTracing.Culling 0
  • r.RayTracing.Geometry.InstancedStaticMeshes.Culling 0
  • foliage.ForceLOD 0
• Assets: low-poly for backgrounds, high-poly for hero shots
• Monitoring: checked performance with Show FPS and Show Stats

Concept

THEME：“Who Is the Fish in the Tank?”

The main subject of this project is a carousel, which was originally developed as the central asset for another assignment. In that project, the carousel was placed in an abandoned amusement park. For this project, I wanted to explore how the same object could change in meaning and visual impact when placed in a different environment.

Instead of using another realistic amusement-park setting, I decided to place the carousel in a surreal indoor water park. This change of environment allows me to explore the relationship between the carousel and water, reflections, floating fish and dreamlike space. It also allows me to compare how the same object can create different emotions and narratives through changes in context, lighting, colour and composition.

It explores how our understanding of normality depends on perspective and established conventions. The entire scene takes place inside a giant aquarium. The carousel and the fish remain upright, while the surrounding architecture is inverted, creating a world that appears impossible but follows its own visual rules.

Reference

ELEMENTS

Element
fish tank
fish
Carousel
The first perspective（hand）
balloon
Reversing

Ambiance image（older version）

Version 1

Overall:
The image is made by AI. The image presents a surreal and empty indoor water park. The warm lights of the carousel contrast with the cool blue pool environment, creating a nostalgic, dreamlike and slightly unfamiliar atmosphere. The reflective water connects the different elements and reinforces the sense of a childhood dream

Foreground:
Large tropical fish appear close to the camera on both sides of the frame, creating depth and framing the image. A pink inflatable ring is visible in the lower-left corner, while the wet pool tiles reflect the orange and blue lighting.

Midground – Main Subject:
The rabbit carousel is positioned near the centre of the composition and acts as the main visual focus. Its warm bulbs and decorated canopy contrast with the surrounding blue environment. The carved rabbits replace the traditional carousel horses and give the object a softer, more dreamlike identity.

Background:
The background contains an indoor water slide, columns, palm trees, balloons, swan boats and more floating fish. A long blue corridor creates depth on the right side, while the rainbow visible through the distant arch adds an impossible dreamlike element.

The cabin represents a forgotten corner of the adult mind, where fragments of childhood remain hidden, faded and difficult to reach.

Things to Do in Asbury Park: Explore with WalknTours’ Self-Guided Tour

Fort Edmonton Park Carousel — Binder Construction