Going Live

Well I have carried on working on the assets and the mountain for the landscape. I had a little trouble with uv mapping one of the sweets, though I think I solved it ready to finish the extra fluff texturing once the bulk of the animation if done.

In the whole subject of modelling and working with 3D I have been having come difficulties, lots of problems I didn't foresee such as the uv map problems, odd inverting of edges and the time I used the sculpting tools for the mountain and every thing twisted on the top. So I have been asking for a lot of help from my team mates, though I think they are satisfied with my work. I would have liked to have tried to tackle a character, though knowing my own weaknesses and the time limit I think it was wise for me to stick with assets. Though I am still looking forward to texturing the landscape and dressing it with my rocks and Katlyin's plants.

We are a little delayed due to some problems with the rig that Katlyin was making for the little goat. So today was more of a catch up and a rig testing day to be sure that there would be no further problems. Then we can go ahead and start work on our shots. I also said I would take on the rough thumb nailing, just so the animators had a vague guide to help them get started. Also it was for me to question and figure out some of the walk cycles and story points at the beginning of the story.  

Crabs and Walks

So for the project with Olly I have tried to keep up with the crabs and getting the 3D elements ready for the hybrid object

I also did very quick walk cycles for the Boy character just so we could get an idea about his character. Though Olly commented on how he wanted it more realistic, though Phil our tutor said that it would be best to have a little exaggeration as 2D animation along side 3D can get lost. So once I finish up a little more work on the going live project, (namely the animation) I can dive more into animating for this project, though I really want to get the crabs finished, textured and tested asap. 

Lesson Round Up

I have been neglecting this blog so I decided it's best to round up what I've been up to as succinct as possible.

This post is mostly a quick update on the lessons in the maya and green rooms.

With Malcom we were taught how to create a 360 photo reference of a room and how to apply it in nuke or after effects, so to include a 3D object within the scene. It was a useful thing to learn for the future if I ever was on a live action project, though I can see it's usefulness in animated film as well. Though in our next lesson with Malcom which is going to be an after effects advanced lesson, I may ask how to apply the skills from last time and apply it with an animated feature.

Then with Sean we have been focusing on animation lessons. The first one being the bouncing ball (of course)

Along with the basic animation and keying we learned how to put the graph editor to best use, then how to apply squash and stretch to our ball. Which is going to be very useful for me as we go ahead with our animation in the going live project, as I am doing the walk cycles for two of the goats and I think applying the squash and stretch will add a lot to the sequences. 

Then the next week we did a walk and run cycle which was a lot of fun and very useful. I found I still had a slight robotic like jerkiness even with adjustments in the graph editor. Though with practise I think I can get a hang of it. 

But now that I have done it I feel more comfortable with animating in 3D but I know I will need a lot of practise before the year is over. 

Reflection on practise.

The last week or so I have been focused on the going live.

After completing the model sheet and beginning the modelling on the sweet and rock assets, I have found that I should try to draw out what I'm going to model, as I had great difficulty and spent more time than usual to model simple things like sweets, that need to be adjusted due to some comments from my team mates.

I tried to use my mood board to good use but not having the images on a plane within the program proved difficult. 

Meanwhile with Olly's project I have neglected to keep up to date with what I have been doing with that. I have been focused on the designs of the crabs, then for the next week or so to model 3D assets such as claws then to do 2D animated tests with the legs along side the claws. 

I also want to produce some more concept art though only if I get time to do so, I would rather keep focus on making assets for this semester and doing tests. Ready to launch into producing animation for the final product in the third semester. 

I also sat down with olly and we plotted out the crab action scene (with various props) to try and figure out the set/sizes and general movements of such titanic sized things.

It's good to know my figure collection and snacks could achieve so much along side Olly's empty lunch container. 

Going live and reflection on practise

I have been neglecting my blogging which is bad, most of my reflection on the work so far has been verbal communication with both of my teams. A very quick turn over of tasks and decisions that has been decided all together.

It started with the start of going live. We all had a lot of ideas and even though we just pushed an idea of a re telling of the three billy goats gruff aside in the first meeting. I just had a very cool visual picture of piñata goats and after making a quick mood board the whole team began working on a more firm idea.

Then after a throw around of ideas and an early script we went of to do rough designs. Which I did with the troll. Knowing we were leaning to a more Mexican desert feel I thought to reference a lot to Mayan and Incan sculpture and statues.

Then we all as a team decided which parts of each designed worked then I went away and focused on a more refined troll design. 

I also quickly rendered some stone like textures just for the team to see what I was visualising in my head. I had wanted the blue troll to look more like painted wood but it didn't come off that way. The favourite of the bunch being number 3 with the stone texture.  

The team then decided to mix some elements from another's design (Giannis) into mine and the same with his design only with elements of mine. 

(image created by Giannis Giagias)

The team decided to go with my design with a couple of small adjustments to be done ready for the model sheet.

At the same time we were tweaking the story board after Brad and Phil's comments of the repetitive camera angles.

so I went away and rewatched some spaghetti westerns and adjusted the timing and shots on the troll and large goat's confrontation. 

Which the team enjoyed and I helped Bimpe with editing the story board and then I went on to edit the animatic together. 

Adding a few motions in flash as well.

I did have music as well as the narration by Giannis, but my software doesn't seem to want to use the same file I did on the campus computers. 

Now that I have completed the model sheet for the troll/ogre it's time to move onto modelling. Which I have been tasked with the small assets, so I shall have to begin rounding up American and Mexican sweetie references. Then designing, modelling and texturing them, then helping also with the landscapes and texturing for that also. 

(After some discussion about trying to have a running theme amongst all the characters

the team asked for me to add dot eyes as well as normal eyes. The consensus is that 

the dot eyes win.)

Final Push

Forgive my pause in posts. I have almost completed my 3D model and am in the middle of finishing an up to date turn around animation for my final 2D design.

In the last moments of my modelling I had some troubles with the rigging first with my attempts of IK and FK handle methods for the arms. In the end it was suggested as my model wasn't going to be used for animation I should stick to simple rotation handles to pose the character.

After fixing problems and binding my character I had to shift the knee controllers, as Sean said some of the deformations I was getting after the bind, was because the knee controllers were effecting the mesh by being too close. 

Then came time to pose, weight paint and prepare the model for render. Again some problems came up that were mostly caused by my lack of forethought. I will have to keep note to arrange the modelling process more logically so not to have the same problems in the future. I had attempted to use blender shapes for the face, but after breaking my skeleton I was unable to use blend shapes with the weight painted model I had just posed. (I should have blended the face first). So I decided to shift the eyes and eyebrows on the model itself, then render the scene. 

Based on the simple textures I decided to go for a simple image render and compile the 3D elements on a painted background, to better imitate the style of my earlier concept pieces.

(Original)

(Redraw)

So now it's just to paint the matte for behind the model and add snow effects, then the model and her scene will be finished. All in all this is the most complicated thing I have done within Maya, so I know each of the processes enough to apply to a new model. I just need to review how to complete an animatable rig which I plan to do during the winter break. 

Changes?

The future of the project.

Tomorrow the three of us that might have worked on this project in the future, are going to have a discussion with Phil, (Tutor) to see if the project will have to be discontinued. Not saying that I will stop development, as this project could be achievable at a later date but it seems it would probably be best for us to join other ventures. Though I won't bury this just yet, we have to discuss this with Phil first but I have a feeling that it may be for the best. 

On a lighter note I have almost completed the UV texturing for my model. I have UV mapped the items that I wished to paint so now I just need to finished the texturing. Though if I can figure out mudbox I may texture a few other pieces of the model in that software. I have found it hard to get the right tones in the maya engine. 

I used a mixture of Sean's PDF notes, recordings from the lessons and digital tutors lessons to get this far. So close to being complete!

I also completed the final designs for my girl main character and a more refined version of the reindeer god. Though if this were to be completed I would develop this design a lot more, but based off my earlier sketches in my sketch book. I prefer it to look more ethereal like this. 

This variation of colour is to represent the girl slowly fading away as she gets colder.

Hopefully I will have enough time once I finish my 3D work to completed a reviewed turn around animation or even a walk cycle.