Presentation Slides

NURBs Progress

(Kind of)

I have simply added a few basic objects to it since the last update. If it was real, it would now function as it is intended (yes, if it was real) as I have now modeled the lights. They may need a little more attention, though ..I'll make sure I don't keep them on, as this is bad for your eyes.

I wanted to see it a little differently, so I did a very basic IBL, assigned a mental ray shader (looks like a blinking plane!) and composited it in Photoshop.

Shoe and Tell 3

I've dabbled with sculpting and texturing the shoe in Mudbox. I have put it together roughly in order to practice with setting up displacement maps with shaders in Maya. It can be quite tricky. 

It is far from perfect, but I should be fairly pleased that I have got a result at all.

So this has the sculpt in the shoe on the outside.

And, if you have a look at some of the textures, for example, the laces and seam on the side of the shoe, you can see that they need some time put into them. This is due to just testing everything out before I go into high details.

Here you can see some the issues with the displacement map in this ambient occlusion layer - especially at the toes...

The texturing process in Mudbox is quite efficient, especially that you can export them then open them into Photoshop if you wish to tweak them before going into Maya with it.

See, a comp' can make anything look better. Even a rough Photoshop one (yes, specifically by blurring poor textures!)...

NURBs Progress

A few more hours spent on the NURBs project/assignment. 

I reshaped some parts and added a few objects, and wires. It is starting to take shape and get more detailed. After I add all of the objects and wires, I shall then add the curves and shapes between objects which make them look smooth and as they are welded. After this, a little tweaking should be in order...

Abstract Writing

Assignment for Jeanette's module.

Cinematic Composites

Understanding the history and antecedent work of your industry is imperative for going forward and doing a good job, in my opinion. Therefore understanding film history is important in making motion pictures. I have studied this generally in the past. I have also generalised in animation. I feel this understanding isn’t often the case in the industry. In this image-exploration-based masters course, Animation and Visualisation, I hope to study the images in film over time and produce my own cinematic images. This will be produced by modern techniques, using nowadays technologies, in visual effects. My specialism is compositing, which is the pulling- together of all of the elements of several medias to integrate these cinematic moving pictures.

I plan to interview individuals based in animation, and people who are simply audience members and objective in their views. This will give me a better understanding of opinions on images on screen and even what people simply like to see and appreciate in a film.

I shall also hold peer reviews for the progression of the piece and seek opinions on development work. This can be through networking and blogging.

Research taking place will also be in the form of photographing and scouting cinematic locations, based on research of several feature length and short films which are of the look I hope to achieve. Concept art in the form of digital and oil on canvas is hoped to be achieved to create the look I am aiming for. I will combine these materials in designs for environments for my character. Collaboration will take place here, as well as in writing.

Prior to this, I will develop a character which I will collaborate to develop a simple, visual situation which sets up compositing techniques for me to explore.

I have worked in, and enjoyed, After Effects for composting in the past. I plan to research how to emulate what I can create with this software in Nuke, afterwards learning new techniques, for example, chroma keying.

In the first semester I plan to do simple Nuke composites with a live action character put into a simple generated scene – hopefully justifying using software to create the scene by animating it for example, or creating something not purely realistic. Even two tests, one being a 3D camera tracking shot, and the other simply a green screen test.

I plan also to sit with a team of writers for my final project. I will create a character and a vast list if visual reference material. The collaborators will be there for brainstorming, suggesting and bringing other ideas to the table. I can then discuss the settings we envisage with 3D modellers and texture artists . After this, I can discuss lighting and shot layout with the cinematographer and plan to synchronise the live action and computer generated lighting for compositing. Some of this may exceed the dates of semester 1. However, the process is similar to that I will go through for the semester 1 test(s).

The remainder of semester 2 and semester 3 will therefore be creating the environments and compositing everything in computer software to polish the cinematic images.

Work by Alfred Hithcock, Martin Scorsese, Jeff Desom, Alex Beh, George Melies, Charlie Chaplin, film noir, mob film, etc, are influences on my work.

Shoe And Tell 2

Simple 3D modelling is practically done...

Extruding the lace through the holes and around each other was actually fairly easy and simple. I find polygon modelling a lot easier than NURBs. However, I have worked in polygons for a couple of years now.

It is also good to model this shoe, as it is simple. Being simple, by going into detail, you can make something that ultimately looks good.

This is a photograph...

Polygon Modelling Progress

After one afternoon I got the basic shape of the plimmy recreated:

I have just duplicated it for demonstration purposes, but there is some shape coming together so far. The laces should be interesting... as well as later Mudbox sculpting, lighting, rendering and compositing...

NURBs Modelling

NURBs modelling was taught as a defunct method of modelling up until this semester, for me.

It is definitely a tricky way to model, and seen as I am not a modeller and never used NURBs before now, I have chosen an object (lamp post from the Nethergate) which has a variety of 'simple' shapes, which is still mind-bloggling at this point in time to recreate. Things considered simple, such as having closed-up edges and creating bevels or adding geometry, are like quests across the antarctic for me at the moment (hyperbole, like).

After years of modelling solely with polygons, it is a bit like re-inventing bread.

The curves can create a very realistic or imperfect 'sharp' edge if utilised correctly...

Tools such as boolean, round tool and circular fillet tool cause some problems sometimes, but I have still made progress. There is still some detail to complete and adjust yet...