Week 1 (06/01/25) - Start

This week was the start of my third project for my honours module at UCLAN. For this project I have decided to create a Jian sword. The Jian sword is a double-edged straight sword that originated in ancient China. It is known as the 'Gentleman's sword' due to its design and what it represents. I decided to make this sword because recently I have been enjoying wuxia novels. Wuxia novels are stories of fiction that follow warriors in ancient China, in these novels the Jian sword is quite a prominent and powerful weapon.

This week I have been gathering research on the Jian sword so that I could properly understand its cultural importance, uses, and the way it is/was crafted. Once I believed that I properly understood the history and structure of the sword, I gathered various images, of the type of sword I wanted to create, that I then analysed. You can see this below: 


I also made a list of links to websites that contain information which I believe will be useful when modelling and texturing my asset. These are:

5 Facts About the Chinese Jian - SwordsKingdom UK 

Parts of a Chinese Sword: The Jian and Dao Anatomy 

The Jian - A Historical Reality 

Jian Sword's History and Significance in Ancient China 

After I had finished my research, I broke down the sword into five sections (the scabbard/sheath, the blade, the guard, the handle, and the pommel) and then began to model it in MAYA.

My plan for the next week is to finish my model and to texture it.

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