This year at STEM, I feel like I’ve grown in persistence. Persistence is when one is able to do something willingly over and over again. One way to see this is through the Video Game Project. In this project we try to teach about history (specifically the Middle Ages) through a video game. We had to first draw concept art, then we had to use an online 3D modeling program called Maya 3D, were we had to persist to get work done.

 

During the Video Game Project, we had to try and teach about the Middle Ages though a Video Game. In the Video Game Project we had to draw concept art, use Maya 3D, and write a sales pitch. I had to persist in the concept art step. In this step I had to draw and critique concept art, but I’m going to talk about drawing the concept art. I am not much of a drawer, but I persisted through. I had to draw a manor (a medieval village), a camp site in which the story takes place, and a bandit (who the main character fights against). They turned out pretty good in the drawing and in the 3D model.

 

Another way I grew in persistence is through Maya. Maya 3D is a very intelligent and complex (sort of…) 3D modeling system were had to learn how and what thing in it did so we could transfer our concept art images into 3D models. Some of the tools in Maya are the combine tool, separate tool, and the extrude tool. I had to use these tools to make my concept art into a 3D model. After dropping down shapes, stretching, reshaping, editing, combining, failing, undoing, coping, and eventually I did finish my concept art 3D models, and it turned out pretty okay.

 

Looking at the concept art images, you can see that I’ve persisted because I had to do a lot of drawing, which I’m not very good at, but I persisted to get my best work possible done. In Maya 3D I had to persist to learn and master the controls in Maya to get progress done.

 

Because of Maya and the Concept Art, I improved my ability of being persistent. DRSS has made me a more skilled person because persistence is an important skill. I can use this skill to help me in the future besides 3D modeling and drawing because it applies to many things, and, maybe even everything. It allows me to work longer and better. That’s how DRSS has made me a better person.