Maya: Submission Post - 06/05/2016

Pipline 2: Modelling

Games Assets PART 1 - Low Res Modelling

Game Assets PART 2 - UV Layout

Dynamics 1: Legacy Particles

Intro to Dynamics PART 1 - Sketching Particles

Intro to Dynamics PART 2 - Particle Grids

Intro to Dynamics PART 3 - Omni Emitters

Intro to Dynamics PART 4 - Directional Emitters

Intro to Dynamics PART 5 - Volume Emitters

Intro to Dynamics PART 6 - Emit from Curve

Intro to Dynamics PART 7 - Per Point Emission

Intro to Dynamics PART 8 - Surface Emission

Intro to Dynamics PART 9 - Curve Flow

Intro to Dynamics PART 10 - Emit from Particles

Intro to Dynamics PART 11 - Collision Events

Intro to Dynamics PART 12 - Instanced Objects

Intro to Dynamics PART 13 - Instance Rotations

Intro to Dynamics PART 14 - Animated Instances

Intro to Dynamics PART 15 - Goal Weights

Intro to Dynamics PART 16 - Conditional Goal Weights

Intro to Dynamics PART 17 - Sprites

Lighting & Rendering 2: Mental Ray

Mental Ray Sampling

Mental Ray Final Gather

MR Physical Sun & Sky

Mental Ray Portal Lights

Mental Ray MIA Material X

Mental Ray HDR Images

Mental Ray Ambient Occlusion

Motion Blur

Mental Ray Proxies

Adaptation A

A Beginner's Guide to Failure - Final Submission

Adaptation B: Final Submission

Adaptation B – Making Of by DanReason

Making Of

Simple Turnaround

Wireframe Turnaround

Adaptation B: Simple Turnaround

Without yet following the turnaround tutorial, I have made this simple turanround of the building using a basic camera that pans around it. I'm really quite pleased with this, as the lighting works well with the model. I especially like how the shadows and reflections work on the base that the building sits on. I did, however, have to change the quality from HD 1080 to HD 720, as it was taking far too long. I will now go and complete that tutorial.

Adaptation B: Fixing the Lighting

Without Colour Management

With Alan's help, I have changed some of the lighting and have also tweaked the ambient occlusion node. It's looking a lot better than before, but I did run into a few little problems when rendering. When I had colour management turned on, it looks a bit washed out and grey, as you can see below, and so I kept colour management off. It is a bit darker and a bit more orange, but is a lot clearer compared to the other render.

I have made a camera that goes round in a circle, which is continuously focusing on the building and so I have left that to render. Once that is complete, I'll move on to trying the Wireframe turanaround tutorial.

With Colour Management

Adaptation B: Improving the Lighting and Main Texture

Maya crashing was a perfect opportunity to tweak the main texture of the building. As you can see, I have added some small details and have changed the colour in the middle of the building, so that it stands out more. Maya crashing did, however, also mean that I had to go throught the Sunset tutorial again, but this team I made a few minor changes that make the light not be as strong.

Adaptation B: Following the Sunset Tutorial

I have now completed the Sunset tutorial and this is much closer to what I had originally wanted. It's still a little too bright, in places, and I feel the shadows could be a little clearer, so I'll need to tweak things without following the tutorial. Overall though, progress is going well and so I'm quite optimistic, at the moment.

As you can see from this image of the back of the building, it is too bright and so I need to fix that.

Adaptation B: Following the Mid-Day Tutorial

I decided to use the exterior lighting tutorials from last year to help me add the lighting. I have followed the mid-day tutorial, with no problems and so now have a well lit scene. I think I will continue onto the sunset tutorial as that is the intended effect/look that I originally intended. Although this mid-day setting doens't look too bad, it is a bit too bright.

Adaptation B: Fully Textured

 I have now added all the textures to the building, and so now I need to get the lighting all sorted. I'm pleased with how it's going so far, as while each texture was being added it made it look a lot better, which is good, obviously. I think I'll still tweak a few colours in certain areas, however, as I don't think it looks very "Scrooge" at the moment.

Adaptation B: Progress so far

As I've not posted anything for a while now, I thought it would be best to show where I'm currently at. I think it's not looking too bad at the moment, but is looking a little flat, although when I add the lighting and change the render settings it should look a bit better. Obviously there are still some more bits I need to add textures too, and so once they're done, I'll go back and tweak a few colours on existing textures before moving onto the lighting.

Adaptation B: Making the Textures - Test

Now that I have completed most of the modelling, I have moved onto sorting out the UVs. I have done a quick test on the overall shape of the building, using the UV layout that I have created. The UV layout still looks a little complicated, so that is something that I will need to continue working on.

As I didn't want to spend too much time on this and because I just wanted to see how it would look, I have only used the original colours, that I used in the designs, and have only done the front of the building, with the rest of the building being white.

As you can see from this image, the colours have matched to the model as I had wanted and so now I know that this should work.  I will obviously add a lot more detail when it comes to doing the final textures and will also add some "pen style" outlines, so that it will match my illustrative style.

Adaptation B: Modelling Progress #2

In today's Maya class, Alan helped me fix some problems that I had with my existing modelling, as it was too complex and would be hard to layout UVs for. Through his help, and by adding more of the features to the building, I am at the stage of having the majority of the shapes and large details in place, with just a few things left to do before having a low-res model complete. I'm still quite happy with how it is going, and will hopefully be at the stage of laying out the UVs in the next couple of days.

Adaptation B: Modelling Progress

These two screenshots show my current progress with modelling the building in Maya. As you can see, I have added most of the overall shapes and features of the building, and so only have a few more bits to add - lower floor windows, the features at the back of the building, extra pieces of wood etc. So far, I am pleased with how it is looking and hope to have a low-res model completed within the next couple of days.

Adaptation B: Started Modelling

I have finally started to model the building in Maya. I haven't done too much, so far, as I have only made the overall shape of the building. It's, obviously, looking a bit strange at the moment, but once I've added the detailed parts and roof to this model, it should look like the original designs.

I am still currently adding colour to the side and back view designs, and hope to have the uploaded as soon as possible.

Adaptation B: Adding Colour

With Colour

I have added some colour to the building's front view. I will add colour to both the side views and back view, but so far I'm quite pleased with the colours that I have chosen and how they work with the building. I have looked at several images of Scrooge, and so I have tried to include the suitable colours, like dark browns and black.

Original

Adaptation B: Left, Right & Back of the Building

As I will be making a turnaround of the building, I have drawn the right, left and back of the building. I have tried to keep them all to scale so that it will be an easier task when I create the orthographs, that I can work from in Maya. There is still some tweeking needed in this regard. I'm quite happy with these, although I do think the side views are a bit too upright and could be a bit more crooked, so that I can match Scrooge's arched back, but this is something that is shown in the front view. I have tried to keep the same style, which I think I have done, and so each side looks similar to the front.

Adaptation B: Crit Feedback

In yesterday's crit, it was agreed that getting all 6 buildings modelled and then making an animation with them, would be a challenge and that the buildings shouldn't be able to move. It was decided that I should take one of the buildings/characters and should make a high-res model turnaround. Phil mentioned the idea of having a weather transition so it will go from day to night and so you can see lights turn on/off and even see candle lights flicker. This is a very interesting idea that I am looking forward to doing. I then started thinking about the idea of including snow as it would be very suitable for a Charles Dickens building, although it may be a bit of a cliche.

I was given the choice of any of the 6 characters, and as I have progressed with it more than the others, as well as it being my favourite anyway, I chose the Scrooge building. As it's a turnaround, I will need to draw both side views and the view from the back. I have also been thinking about the idea of the building been displayed on a wooden base, similar to ones that are on trophies, but where it of course still applies to the Charles Dickens "Universe".

Adaptation B: Interim Crit

Adaptation B - Interim Crit.pdf

Adaptation B: Re-Design - Ebenezer Scrooge

For this re-design of Scrooge, I have tried to add the "sleeping hat" as well trying to include some things that relate to the character. I don't think there's a whole lot different between this design and the initial one and so I will need to work on this a lot more.

Just like what I did with the Miss Havisham re-design, I have put both designs together so that I can see the differences/similarities and see what works well and what doesn't. Like I have said, there isn't much difference as you can clearly see.

Adaptation B: Building Layout + Story Idea

Using the 6 intial designs, I have organised them into the layout in which they'll be organised. This is only really to show what building is next to what, and so the distances between each building is something I'll work on. Just like in my very first drawings, there will be more than just these 6 buildings in the animation, and so there will be walls, fences and street lamps in between some of them.

My thinking behind this layout was so that it could lead to more of an interesting story and show the relationships between the characters:

Scrooge doesn't like to share his company with people, especially children, and so he restricts himself from as much contact with others as possible.  However, Miss Havisham, the ghostly figure that she is, haunts Mr Scrooge, as she is very much aware of his "past", where interacting with ghosts is concerned.  Miss Havisham's opinion of Oliver is split into two. When Miss Havisham looks over to Oliver she is often reminded of her adopted daughter, Estella, and her relationship to a boy named Pip. Although Oliver is scared of Miss Havisham's haunting appearance, he feels slight sympathy for her and realises what she has lost. Oliver is protected from the evil figures of Fagin and Uriah Heep by the strange, yet comforting, Mrs Gamp. Despite her lousiness and "tipsy" manner, Mrs Gamp cares for Oliver and treats him to the food that he so often craves. Fagin and Uriah Heep, the dastardly pairing, persistently mock Oliver and his lack of strength, as he requires a drunk old woman to protect him from them. In some instances, Scrooge joins in on the laughs and also mocks the low class Oliver - something that neither of Miss Havisham or Mrs Gamp appreciate.

Adaptation B: Oliver Twist & Uriah Heep - Initial Designs

 

As I hadn't yet done nitial designs for Oliver and Uriah heep, I have done these designs in the same method as my other initial ideas. The reason for doing this is so that I can have all the buildings having an initial design and so it would make more sense in the crit on thursday. Obviously because of this these aren't that useful, but do give an idea of my own first ideas behind each of these two characters.

These were a lot more tricky compared to the other four and so they have very unrealistic body/building shape. As Oliver is different to the other characters in that he's the youngets and is genuinely nice and friendly, I wanted to show by drawing him differently by being less "skecthy" and being more smooth with the outlines and details.

When I progress with these designs, I should try to make Oliver look quite cute and innocent, and a character that the audience will like. Uriah Heep, on the other hand, should look ugly and quite mean, similarly to Fagin.