FIT1033 Foundations of 3D
S2 2025
Assignment 2: Crafting a 3D Diorama [20%]
Brief
This assignment involves the design and creation of a 3D scene, or ‘diorama’, that features stylised models and textures. Your diorama will be confined within the limits of a set stage provided on Moodle. The inspiration for the 3D models that you will make in Maya may draw from real or fictional references, and your textures will be created using Substance Painter. All materials included in Adobe Substance 3D Painter can be used as a starting point for your texturing.
Please note: any textures, 3D models, and materials downloaded from the internet are not permitted and will be considered as evidence of plagiarism.
Once the models that make up your diorama are modelled and textured, you will export your creation to a supplied Unity project and add dynamic lighting. Your environment is primarily architectural, and should avoid plants and other natural elements.
Environment Design
A diorama is a three-dimensional scene that captures a moment in time. Your selection of visual references will guide your concept and ideally, your diorama should tell something of a story. It should include a range of objects that add visual interest and hint at something about the kind of characters that might inhabit it, without actually showing them. We strongly encourage students to consider something more imaginative than simply making a model of their own bedroom.
Your scene must contain 1 major set piece, as a focus for your composition and narrative. It will also contain a minimum of 3 minor ‘props’ as “set dressing” which can be used multiple times throughout the scene. You are welcome to make additional props as you see fit.
The stage we provide for your scene can be edited in minor ways, either to allow for dramatic lighting, or changes in composition; however, the general scale and shape of the scene stage must not be changed. A human sized scale reference has been provided to assist you in setting the scale of your scene.
Your stage must be textured in such a way to complement the visual style. and composition of the scene. Careful consideration for both material design and lighting will be important criteria in this assignment. Your prior conceptual and visual research will be key in crafting an original creation.
Deliverables
Submissions for this assignment should contain the following (three items):
(a) Maya scene files and exported textures
This should contain your final Maya file and 3 incremental saves showing your working history. You are also required to submit all exported textures created for this assignment. Note: You do not need to submit your Substance Painter Project as these files can easily exceed 100MB. However, you must make these files available upon request by your tutor.
(b) A Unity3D Build (Mac or PC) and the Unity Project
Importing your design into the Unity scene provided and exporting your scene as an interactive build. Please ask your tutor which build they would prefer. You will also need to submit your Unity project so your tutor can assess considerations such as lighting and materials, as well as in case your build fails to compile correctly.
(c) Documentation as a PDF document
Your documentation will contain research, references, screenshots, analysis, and written descriptions of your working process. You can use the screen recordings of your modelling process and include selected screenshots from this video in your documentation. Further information on what your documentation should contain can be found in the Documentation Guide uploaded on the Assessment page, and examples will be provided by your tutor.
Note: You must screen record your modelling process. Your screen recorded videos do not need to be submitted with your assignment, but must be made available in the event that your tutors request them when marking your work. These videos can be deleted once your assignment has been marked and feedback has been returned to you.
Submission is via Moodle. ALL submitted items must be named in a clear and logical way and compressed into a single .zip file, which should be named with the assessment number, and your name.
The maximum total file-size for this submission is 500MB.
Assessment Criteria
Your submission will be graded on the following criteria:
Quality of 3D scene, modelling, and geometry [6 marks]
● Complete scene modelling of architecture, infrastructure, and associated set dressing
● Clean and Efficient Geometry
● Use of modelling tools & techniques
Quality of UV mapping & materials [5 marks]
● Application of UV mapping techniques and texturing tools
● Appropriate use and consideration of 3D materials
● Application of PBR map types (Albedo colour, normal, metal, roughness, emission)
Unity Presentation [3 marks]
● Application of real-time lighting techniques
● Visual impact of your scene’s composition in your final Unity Build
Written and Visual documentation [6 marks]
● Discussion of inspiration, research, design, and planning
● Coverage of 3D process (including modelling, material design and application, lighting, and Unity)
● Use of images/screenshots and other visual resources to illustrate workflow
● Explanation and reflection of decision-making process
Suggested Timeline
Below is a recommended timeline and workflow for this assignment, note that this only shows rough production stages, and your documentation should be written continually throughout this process. If you find yourself running behind on any of these steps, this is not the end of the world, however you may find that you need to either adjust the scope of your assignment or discuss your assignment with your tutor.
Late Penalties
Any submission received after the due date without a prior arranged extension will receive a 5% reduction to their available mark per day late, for a maximum of seven days. Submissions received more than 7 days after the due date - without a prior arranged extension - will receive a mark of 0 and no feedback will be provided.
SUBMISSION DUE: Monday Week 9, 11:55 PM