3d modeling question for "modern minature effects 1: project planning & aquiring 3d models"

epitaphs3dmo

I was watching "modern minature effects 1: project planning & aquiring 3d models" course , but was mainly intersted in chapter 11 of the course where they explain how to hollow a 3d model using maya and fitting the animatronic component inside it using maya , so there is no issue when 3d printing it all.  But they just explained the finished result of what the process looked like at then edn of the whole process, I am wondering if anyone could give a tutorial on how to make a 3d object hollow and fit objects like animatronic precisely inside it and the best way to go about it as I am trying to figure that out myself and have not been succesful in finding tutorials on youtube or any other platform. help would be appreciated !

Matt Winston

Hi @epitaphs3dmo, for a more in-depth course on 3D modeling for animatronics, check out David Covarrubias's course here: https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/tutorials/how-to-make-an-eye-mechanism-design-3d-printing-assembly

Alexander H

I'm not a Maya user, but I have used Blender extesively, as well as other 3D modelling programs. Depending on the complexity of your model, you may be looking for a "shell", "solidify" or "hollow" feature - one that thickens up the skin on the outisde, and leaves it hollow on the inside, giving room to put some mechanics. How well that works depends on how the software would calculate that function, and the design of the model (for example, it may struggle with objects with really thin and then thick parts).

On top of that, you could use Boolean functions (typically a "difference" Boolean) to cut holes into the mesh to allow you to access the hollow inside. I'm not at my main PC right now to share images, but when I made my animatronic Disney Tiki Room drummer, I used a model by Andrew Martin and used a number of Boolean objects to carve out the room I needed inside for servos and push rods.

The course Matt linked to is good, and although the software is kinda outdated now, the same general principles still apply. It's CAD software, so a little different to the modelling style of Maya (and Blender, which I believe are similar), but I still make all of my mechanical components in Blender - so Maya would be no exception.

Stratomech

I use Solidworks, and the way to do it there is to make a shell of the model.