{"id":32,"date":"2023-09-10T22:57:22","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T22:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~WeiyiC\/?page_id=32"},"modified":"2025-06-05T21:42:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T21:42:04","slug":"zenith","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~WeiyiC\/zenith\/","title":{"rendered":"Zenith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The “Zenith Project” is essentially Freestyle’s version of a senior thesis, students are encouraged to design and complete a self-directed project. The goal is to show everything they’ve learned throughout their Freestyle courses, while pushing themselves to create their best and most ambitious work yet. The word \u201cZenith\u201d itself means the peak or most successful point of something, which reflects the project’s purpose: to represent the culmination of two years of growth, creativity, and skill development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Zenith Project was about creating the best 3D artwork I possibly could\u2014something visually impressive and rich in detail. So, I began by searching online for 3D images that matched my vision. My original plan was to model a 3D version of a video game character I really like, as shown in the image below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, my teacher, Mr. Cho, pointed out that this project was too advanced for our current level of experience. With what we\u2019ve learned so far, it would be very difficult to create materials that look like silk\u2014especially the flowing hair or the detailed fabric patterns shown in the image. However, he encouraged me by saying that if I stay interested and keep practicing for a few more years, I\u2019ll be able to achieve it. So later, I decided to change my project goal, as shown in the image below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I decided to create this piece, I was determined to showcase the armor\u2019s details as vividly as possible. I started by using Maya to build the basic shape of the character. Beginning with a simple cube, I enabled symmetry mode, which saved a lot of time. Then I added edge loops and increased the number of faces, allowing me to begin extruding and adjusting the shape step by step until I reached my desired form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n