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stzaske
09-07-2002, 11:30 AM
A while back I attempted to build a basketball model. Seemed simple enough, and I really wanted the experiment to be a lesson in decals and texturing. Instead I got stuck trying to model the damn thing, and gave up.

So my question to all of you is...how do you build a basketball model?

My problem is with the dimples of a basketball. You may not be familar with a basketball, so here is a close up of my basketball reference ball:

www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/Bballphoto.jpg

notice that the dimples (similar to a golfball) are all the same size, and cover the entire ball (besides the seams). whenever I tried to use a bump map, displacement map...or 3D texture, it was always obvious that my dimples would grow smaller at the spheres north and south poles.

It looked completely unrealistic and fake.

If you are interested in checking out a few of my test renders you can see them here. Be warned...its not pretty. Just a few tests of each of my different 3D texture options:

As I'm getting some free time, I'd love to give this modeling experiment another shot.

My test renders:
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/1st.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/2nd.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/3rd.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/4th.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/5th-planarprojection.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/6th-spherical.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/7thball.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/8thcube.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/9thtriplanar.jpg
www.zaske.com/files/3d/basketball/10thconcentric.jpg


Thanks,

-=STZ=-
zaske.com

ps. I actually saw a website for a company that built a "Ball" plugin for Maya, and they had a beautiful render of a 3D basketball, exactly like I was trying to build. Unfortunately I cannot find the link again, and obviously they wouldn't be too forthcoming on how they pulled off this trick (since they were trying to sell the secret as a plugin).
stzaske
09-07-2002, 11:57 AM
Found that render I was looking for. Strangely, it is almost the EXACT image I am trying to build:


http://www.phoenixtools.com/gallery/maya_basket.html

I think it's a beautiful model.

-=STZ=-
zaske.com
visualasylum
09-08-2002, 03:01 PM
I can provide a tutorial for doing a basketball since I'm currently working on a similar project. This Tutorial is applicable in all package, and it uses polygon modelin techniques.

check it out.

http://www.chnl1.tv/tutorial_3.htm

Let me know if you need the bumps.


cheers,

Greg
Marcel
09-08-2002, 07:01 PM
I'd use a procedural texture for the bumps and a normal texture map for the other textures (decals).
stzaske
09-08-2002, 07:24 PM
Thanks. Yes, that was going to be my next idea. Break the ball appart at the seams and bump map each piece seperately...but I was hoping for a simpilier solution. In my animation I'd rather have a simple sphere with a complex texture, a few decals and either a bump or displacement map.

I guess I was just more asking about how to apply 3D bump maps or textures to a object as simple as a sphere...without having a seam or pole pinching.

Thanks for the great link though.

-=STZ=-
visualasylum
09-08-2002, 07:25 PM
yes you could use a procedural radial bump, but about the black stripes, if you're doing a close-up shot you need to model those grooves in.

cheers,
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