Jacquelin Vanderwood
January 2005
To start this lesson we'll select Text from Object Type. Make sure you're in the Front view.
In the Text box under Modify and Parameters, type in 2005. Change the text to Arial Bold. Change the Size to 50.
Right-click on the object and convert it to a mesh. Make sure you have all the numbers selected. Now click on Extrude and set the extrusion amount to 25.5 in the Top viewport. Remember that extrusion amount.
Select Box Object in the Front viewport and make a box that measures the same depth as the numbers which can be viewed in the Top viewport.
The objects should like the picture below.
Access the Text button again and type in the Front viewport the word Game.
Move the text upwards to overlap the rectangle then use the arrow buttons next to Size to reduce the size to fit the rectangle width. Move the text down when that is done.
Select Element under Editable Mesh and then specify Extrude at 25.5 to bring the text forward to match the first text. In the Front viewport create another rectangle smaller in height and then move it down under the word GAME.
With the rectangle selected, press Shift and move down. Specify 2 as the number of copies.
Select all of the objects and Group them. Name the group.
From the Top viewport set a Target Spotlight on the scene. Make adjustments so that is in the center.
Set the Spotlight Hotspot/Beam to 17.9 and the Falloff/Field to 28.8 so that there is a little circle.
Open Material Editor and access Diffuse, then select Gradient. Specify the colors below. Set Specular Level to 93 and Glossiness to 46. Under Bump select Bricks and set the Tiling size to -2. Set the Bump map amount to 120 under Maps. Name this map and save. Under Modify List select UVW Map and click on Fit.
Set a Target Camera in the Top viewport and then change to the Left viewport and adjust.
Right-click on the Perspective viewport name and select Camera viewport. Click on Field-of-View and move outward until you see the entire object.
Click on Auto Key.
Hit H and select the spotlight. Open Spotlight Parameters and reduce the Falloff/Field to 20, then move to frame 100. Increase Falloff/Field to 103.4. Hit the Go to Start button near Auto Key to go to the first frame. Press the Play Animation button and watch the effect. Hit Render and change Time Output to Range. Under Render Output click Files and name the file then specify the type of file such as AVI or MOV. Click Render and say OK. Hit Render and take a break. When completed, click on the file name and watch the animation. It's short but good for this lesson. You can dramatize it more by making the animation longer in time. If I had had more space available for this tutorial, I could have made the titling even more spectacular but we can save that for other lessons.
Finally, I added a rectangle in the back and put a spotlight above and re-rendered the file.
Copyright (c) 2005, Jacquelin Vanderwood, All Rights Reserved
