This class presented us with pre-made objects, and gradually introduced the setting up of lights, creating UV maps, and finally applying textures through Mila materials. At each step, we were given a reference to follow, although we were allowed some artistic freedom near the end in which textures we chose.
The first project we were given was to line up different objects exactly as they were in the reference. It required some tedious adjustments and test renders, but the more important process was to create lights. They not only required specific intensities to match the slight hints of color, they also had to be placed in the appropriate spot. This was largely a trial-by-fire process, but it impressed upon me how important the building blocks of your scene are to the final product.
Here is the result from the above work. We used Maya's 'Mila Material' found in the Hypershade to create a diffuse layer for the textures to appear. Unfortunately, it also required the use of a glossy layer which I struggled with. Glossy layers help to control what type of material you want the object to look like, from glass to metal or diamonds, and it also controls how it reacts to light. It was a slow process to understand how all the different 'nodes' inside the Hypershade interacted with each other.
Here is the final result. The coins were given a metallic appearance, the bottle was revamped into a realistic glass bottle, and the wall was adorned with various stickers and layers of dirt. All of this was possible through the use of the Mila material. My most important takeaway from this class was that you had to create imperfections to have a believable result. A wall in real life isn't completely smooth, it has a small layer of bumps on it, and you may find areas where the paint wore off, or someone was moving furniture and made a large gash tearing the paint away. These are the little imperfections you have to apply for your materials, your characters, and your environments in order for people to accept it as real.
