LAB 1

For the first assignment, I decided to model my Xbox Series X. Coming into this class, I had zero experience with 3D modeling, so I wanted to try to design something that didn’t have many curves or irregularities. The process itself to begin with was not that difficult. To create the general cuboid shape was fairly simple. All I needed to do was make a square (150 x 150 mm) and then extrude it to the desired length (300 mm). I then added a circle (diameter 100 mm) and extruded it to make the stand which made up the base of the console.

The next thing I chose to tackle was creating the “grill” of the Xbox which in short is simply where the ventilation system is to keep the console cool. When you look at it, there’s actually a small dip; however, that wasn’t the part that gave me issues. Creating the grid-like circular pattern to conform to the dip was the difficult part. The dip was made by creating a form which allows you to freely manipulate it by pulling on any part of the form to make abstract shapes, and by creating a 2 x 2 plane, you’re able to pull the center up or push it down. Although it’s very subtle, you are able to see it when you look at the inner parts.

Once the dip was made, I had to create the circular grid-like pattern, but as I soon found out, you can’t really make a design on a surface that isn’t flat, so I had to get a little creative. I created a new plane above the Xbox where I made the design and then projected the design onto the actual Xbox using the Project tool. As a result, I got a natural looking design that flowed well with the dip. This part was the one that took me the longest and gave me the most trouble as I spent a lot of time trying to make the design right on the surface which didn’t turn out how I wanted it to.

The rest of the features were relatively straight forward. The green disc pictured above was made by using the strategy of creating a new plane and making the circle on there. The buttons and disc drive were done using extrusions and projections, and the rubber parts were made with extrusions and fillets. The feature that I had to make a compromise on were the various ports on the Xbox. At first, I tried to make a USB port myself, but I really struggled to make something that remotely resembled a USB port. I eventually did some digging and found that there is a whole catalog of manufacturer parts that you can simply download and use yourself (click on Insert > Insert a manufacturer part). I did this for the USB ports, ethernet port, and HDMI port on the back of the console as well.

This first assignment was a great learning experience. I got to learn about new tools and how to use them. Some tips I would recommend would be to create new planes whenever you don’t want to sketch something directly on an existing face/component of your model. Another tip is to look up videos of how various tools work because you get to see someone who is well-versed on the program show you how to use them. Overall, this was not too difficult, and I really enjoyed playing around with various tools.