Modeling a Flat Screen TV

Are you a baller, or just a person that appreciates large scaled items that can test the limitations of the studs within your walls, well then you probably have a Flat Screen Television. These days no entertainment system these days is complete without two huge speakers and a nice plasma or LCD. So if your making mods for a social networking program such as Second Life or the Sims, my latest tutorials in a series of household products is perfect for you.

Tools:
3D Studio Max
15 Minutes or Less

Skills Highlighted:
UV Mapping
Modeling- Edit Poly

Steps

1.) Create a Box that has the dimensions: Length = 3 , Height = 5, Width = 5.


2.) Next apply an Edit Poly Modifier to the box and select Polygon under the menu. Then using while holding Ctrl, select the middle nine polygons, and then scale across them X axis.


3.) Next with those same polygons selected, select the Extrude button and Extrude the polygons just a little to create a small extrusion. (Although the click and drag method is easier if you have problems following with it, select the box next to the Extrude button, and use the numbers as your guideline. The problem when using this method is that once you stop at a number, it creates a new segment which we don't want, so with the numbers method, you have to get it right the first time or undo and start again.)


4.) Then Bevel the same polygons, and you will notice a small curvature among the edges of the polygons.

5.) Again with the same polygons selected, choose the Inset Button, and create a small inner outline of the polygons by clicking on and then dragging the polygons.


6.) Then with the same nine polygons selected, select the Extrude once again, except this time slightly Extrude inward.

7.) Now create another slight inset and extrude in once again. You are done creating the screen portion, and now for the touch ups.


8.) Select the outer edges of the TV and select chamfer to create angled edged.



9.) Reselect the front 9 polygons located in the middle of the TV and while holding shift, click on the polygons. Notice, it will ask you if you will like to clone them, and choose Clone to Object and name it Screen. Then you will see that a new object has been created, I would change the color of either one of the objects, to distinguish between the two.



10.) Now we are really going to change the color of the tv, so add a material with a diffuse color that is dark gray to the TV set.


11.) Next Add an Edit Mesh Modifier and select the polygons to the side of the TV screen. These will comprise the speakers of the TV set. Once you have selected the polygons, open th Material Editor and create material with an even darker greyish diffuse color. Then select Apply to Selection.



11.5) In a different Material Window, load a bitmap that you would like to use as the picture on your TV screen. To do this, select the box next to the Diffuse Color, and select Bitmap and choose your picture.


12.) Now select the object: Screen that we had made earlier, and apply a Unwrap UVW modifier. Then select Polygon, and then Edit under Parameters. Then the Edit UVWs window will appear and select Mapping -> Normal Mapping.



13.) You will see a pop up as below, and select Top/Bottom Mapping. The results may differ here, so experiment with the options to receive the results as shown below.



14.) Next in the drop down menu located next to the letters "UV" in the upper left hand corner, select Pick Texture, and then in the Mtl Editor select the Diffuse Color map that you created earlier containing the bitmap.


15) Now using Scale tool near the tool next to the rotate tool to transform the rectangle to contour to the picture. If you press the down arrow on the Scale tool you will see more options to scale in either th x or y direction. Use them as they will be very helpful.


16.) Now to make the base of the TV, select a polygn in the middle of the bottom of the TV. Your polygon should be in the second row of the original box. Then Extrude the polygon and then Bevel the same polygon to create the stand. Use the below pictures as a reference.




17.) Notice how the bottom portion of the stand is a quite large in relation to the television. I choose to Scale those polygons across the y axis. This choice is up to you.



18.) Finally highlight the bottom polygons and Autosmooth them. Any angle will be sufficient.



19.) Render the television, and your done.