The vehicle…

The vehicle, coming off of my last project, I was really confident I would do well with making a car. However, one thing I discovered is that vehicles are nothing like treasure chests.

My initial plan was to make a  1969 Dodge Charger, I really liked the design and I figured I’d have the know-how to pull it off. I quickly got to making the vehicle only to find once I had made the front, I just couldn’t grasp my head around the rest. I quickly scrapped the idea and went off to try my hand at something a bit more easier, a jeep. I was aided by my tutor at making a simple base I could work off of, and within a short amount of time I had made a very good looking front.

I had now added some whee  axis to it too, some headlights and a bumper bar. From this point I could now add on the more detailed parts like wheels, a steering wheel and seats. I wanted to however, try something a little different than a standard jeep. I decided I would add a tarp to the top of the jeep to give it a little bit of a challenge while making it look a little unique. After about four or so hours I had finally created a suitable top for my truck.

This was the final model before I began texturing. I had completed a tarp that fit onto the base model perfectly, I had created wheels and seats that all fit in without issues. This modelling was quite a challenge as the tarp was not easy to make, there was a lot of merging of vertices that caused problems at the UV unwrap stage. But in the end I was extremely satisfied with this.

These were my final wire frame and textured models. I had so much fun making this model. It taught me so much about maya and my capabilities. I was extremely proud of how far I have come from thirteen weeks ago when I was shaking in my boots.

I look forward to working in maya in the future!

Ricky.

Treasure chest!

Over the first six weeks of Trimester three in Animation, we were tasked with creating a treasure chest on Maya. I had never used maya before so I quickly got into using the program. After a few fails I began to understand the program and quickly began creating my chest. My first few attempts fell through, as I was not familiar with UV unwrapping. But once I had figured that out, I quickly began to optimize my next attempt to better suit unwrapping more easily. 

This was my first finished, box modeled chest. I was quite happy with it however once I put it through the UV unwrap it got a little difficult to unwrap properly due to how I modeled it initially. I used the multi cut tool, but did not actually use edge loops, so the loops were slightly bent and when it came to unwrapping, this caused many issues. Once I scrapped that one I quickly began on my final one. I used a cylinder and cut it in half, filling the hole that it left to form a chest lid, the base was easily done shortly after as seen below.

This was the final modeled chest I completed. I was extremely happy with the outcome and quickly dived into texturing. The unwrapping was simple due to the simplicity of the model, so I knew the texturing needed to make up for that. I knew how to use Photoshop so I quickly began texturing. I was quite satisfied with the outcome.

This is the final texture placed on the chest. I added some bump maps as well to give it some depth. I found this to be extremely enjoyable and fun, when seeing the bump map applied I felt completely and utterly fulfilled. Now that the chest had been completed, it was time to put it into the scene. We were given the assets for the scene (starfish, crabs, trees, sand and a skybox). I learnt how to apply keynotes to each object to give them their own movement throughout the scene. This part was also extremely enjoyable and I picked it up fast.

After duplicating coins to fill p the box, the scene was starting to come alive. My plan was to have the crab fall into the chest and send the coins flying. Once I keynoted everything it began to workout and blend in well!

The overall work of this project was quite satisfying. I had a whole lot of fun making the project and it gave me the knowledge to use maya for the next and more difficult project, a car!

Democratisation in 3D Graphics Industry…

Democratization regarding the 3D graphics industry, involves around replacing the current libertarian model that seeks profit, with a democratic one that operates for the better of the industry.

One of the greater advantages of a democratic industry, is the distribution of software to the general artists and people who wish to dip their finger into the animation pie. This in turn is allowing for more diverse and different forms of animation to come about. While diversity is a rather positive thing, there are also negative points about a democratic industry.

Competition between artists will get larger as the industry grows in numbers. In a 3D animation industry, your work means everything. Your degree may say you completed it, but your portfolio is what is going to get you hired. With an influx of people trying to get the same job, it will be harder for people to actually get their work out to big companies looking for the next best artist to create their projects.

Though this is a negative, this is also a positive for indie developers who are relying on crowd sourcing, not big developers and studios to get them notoriety and money. This allows for studios to not have to spend big bucks on software licenses, freeing up the monetary capacity to make bigger and better projects for the masses.

In closing, I support the democratization of 3D animation industry, as it will allow for a more enriched industry full of diverse and talented animators, modelers and sculptors.

Industry Pioneers

In this post, I will be discussing the pioneers that have lead the charge into the 3D world. These men have revolutionized the way we view CGI and 3D animation, and what they have done for the gaming industry as well as film and animation will be remembered for a lifetime. These men are:

Ed Catmull: Ed Catmull is probably the biggest pioneer to date. He is the president of Pixar Animation studios. He has done so much for computer animation. He has been credited for inventing texture mapping, anti aliasing and spacial algorithms.

Ken Perlin: Ken Perlin has made so many contributions to 3D animation. Currently a professor at New York University, he was the man who created the Perlin Noise, a technique which gives textures a more natural feel. He is also one of the people who worked on Hyper Texturing, allowing artists to view changes to 3D models in real time.

Jim Blinn: Jim Blinn is a well known for his time served in Nasa, aiding with pre-encounter animations for the voyager program. He is heralded as the creator of Blinn shader models and Bump Mapping. Blinn Shader models give textures a more realistic simulation on 3D models. While Bump mapping gives textures a more dynamic look and feel when applied to objects.

3D Modelling Trends – Evolution of the quad!

The evolution of 3D modelling has happened just as fast as 3D modelling has even existed. In the past 30 years, we have gone from basic 3D objects to stellar, awe-inspiring 3D models that mimic realism in the finest detail.

This image above shows the original Lara Croft(Left) from the first ever Tomb Raider game, made in 1996, High-Fiving the recent iteration of Lara Croft from The 2013 Reboot of Tomb raider. As you can see, the level of detail gone into the recent Lara Croft is substantially more than the Lara Croft from 1996. This however, is because of hardware and technological restrictions of the time.

Let’s take a look at some of the Modelling Techniques used to create these models:

Box Modeling: Box Modeling is a technique where a basic shape is molded into a more dynamic shape. The shape is re-modeled over and over until the desired object is refined and complete. Box modeling is one of the most common techniques of modeling around today, but also one of the most tedious and long.

3D Scanning: 3D scanning is a technique where real world objects are rendered using an exceptional level of photo realism. The object is then turned into a Non Uniform Rational Basis Spline, or NURBS mesh within the computer.

Digital Sculpting: Digital Sculpting is a new technique that is quickly gaining traction amongst 3D artists and modelers. The artists are able to manipulate the object as if they were molding clay and can achieve some exceptional results. This technique will most likely become the norm within the next decade as it allows for models to achieve unreal realism. However this technique is rather time consuming, but yields amazing results.

Production Pipelines

Production Pipelines are a way for studios to manage each process of the project they are working on effectively, it allows for easy communication between departments and leaves little room for error or miss communication.

Pre-Production: This is where the concept artists, narrative writers and lead developers flesh out the game in its entirety, figuring out what they need, the scope, art style and mechanics. Concept art for all of these things is then drawn out, to give everyone a clear indication of what they are actually going to be creating. 

Modelling: This is all assets of the game are modeled from concept sketches and artwork. Modelers mostly work with programs like Maya and 3DS max when creating the initial model, and then move onto programs like Mudbox to paint and give the model more detail.

Painting and Texturing: Once most assets have been created, they are all painted and textured. Texture artists work with shading material, which is applied to a 3D model, allowing the artist to control color, how shiny it is and how reflective it is.

Rigging: This stage involves telling the computer how the 3D can be moved. Setting the move range of each limb and movable object of the model is the main part of this process, giving the models a more life-like feel.

Animation: This part is quite complex, as it can mean anything from moving a models arm to producing large set pieces. 3D animators create still movements on frames, creating the illusion of movement at the end of the process.

Dynamics and Lighting: Dynamics is an integral part of this process, as it allows the game to have a more real, dynamic feel to it. It allows for things like walls breaking apart from bullet fire, or a glass shattering on the ground. Lighting is used to give the world a more realistic feel, bringing the landscape to life. It allows the artists to determine how much glow objects reflect, all the way down to the heat of the surface at which the light is reflecting off of. 

(The image above shows the dynamic lighting that Borderlands 2 had, giving the cell shaded landscape an unreal amount of realistic feel to it.)

Production Pipelines for 3D Assets.

Production pipelines are an integral part of 3D asset development. It allows for multiple reviews of the model, allowing for the best possible result. These production pipeline steps are:

1. Concept: This is the first stage where concept artists are tasked with drawing up sketches for the model. Usually, multiple versions of the same model are drawn and proposed to the lead creative director. When the lead creative director has settled on the version they like, they give it to the 3D model artists that begin to create the object.

(Concept art for Vi, a character in League of Legends.)

2. Low Poly Base Version: In this step, a low poly version of the concept sketch is formed, which eventually is imported into a sculpting program like Mudbox, where the high poly sculpting begins.

3. High Poly Sculpt: High poly sculpting now begins, with the poly count being divided into a reasonable number for the mesh. The model is then sculpted and the details are added in. Giving the model a more definitive look.

4. Polygon Crunching: The polygon cruncher is a step that involves taking the new mesh created by the high poly sculptors and reducing the number of polygons on it. Even though the poly count is reduced, it still retains the same quality as the original as they possibly can.

5. Unwrapping: Once the polygon crunching is complete, the model is then moved into a 3D program like Maya and is unwrapped, preparing it for the texturing and rendering.

6. Rendering & Texturing: The model is now rendered into three separate layers; diffuse, normal and ambient occlusion maps. These textures are normally made in Photoshop and are imported onto the model once completed.

7. Engine Importing: One of the final steps when making a three dimensional model is to import it into the engine the full game is being developed on where it is then pieced together and animated.

An inspiring artist…

This week I have decided to showcase an artist that has creatively and personally influenced me over the past three or so years; Alex Grey. Alex Grey is an American artist that has been doing works for roughly 30-40 years. His artwork is abstract, spiritual and psychedelic. He has worked on many different projects, spanning many forms such as Performance art, sculpturing, visionary art and painting. His artwork has influenced me on a personal level because his art aids my imagination in reaching places it does not normally go. His artwork is vibrant, colorful, mystical and thought provoking. One of my personal favorites from Alex Grey, is his painting; Net of Being, as seen below.

(Image sourced from http://www.alexgrey.com)

I love his artwork because it has a real spiritual side, it really makes your third eye grow and makes you wonder what really is consciousness and reality. I would love to model artwork similar to his, as well as make a game as spiritual and thought provoking as his work. Alex Grey has inspired me for over three years now, and will continue to inspire me for many more years to come.