Critical Evaluation, FMPA2

I've been told I have to put this on my blog, so here goes:

When I started this project, I was unsure of what to pursue – traditionally I have focused on character design, mainly 2d with a hint of 3d. For this project I set out to fix the gaps in my knowledge.
I think having a wide range of skills is a must in this industry, as it helps with the processes involved in the creation of the content and it (hopefully) makes you more appealing to employers. I felt that this was a good way for me to go, to bolster my knowledge of 3d modelling and texture mapping. I decided to focus on the very basics of 3d because I feel that once you have the basics down, it is easier to work your way up to the more complex methods. However if you begin with really high polygon models and begin using the different types of maps from the very start, it is easy to get swamped. You cannot create a high poly normal mesh without having a low poly base mesh to apply it to. So I felt that this was a good area for me to start in.
I also decided not to focus on the usual type of characters I had done previously. I wanted to do something a little different, so I chose an idea I had had in the first year of my studies, an MMORPG/Racing hybrid in which people could design and customise their own futuristic super-fast vehicles. So this is what I decided to model and texture.

Originally in my initial brief/outline I stated that I would design a total of three vehicles, however I ran out of time towards the end of the deadline. I had begun texturing my first vehicle, and decided to try to get as much detail into it as possible (because I was relying on the occlusion texture map to do the job of the normal/bump maps you find in new generation software) as I had decided early on to try and create something impressive without having to rely on newer technology.
However when it came to rendering out the texture, applied to my base mesh, it came out well – but not as well as I had hoped. The texture was lost on the renders, mainly because of the lights I had applied in my scene and the way Maya renders.

After learning this, I was a little disgruntled due to the fact I had spent a lot of time on the first texture. Looking back now I would’ve much preferred to use the techniques I used in the creation of my second vehicle texture, so that I would’ve had enough time to create yet another vehicle. The next textures I made were the road and environment textures, I feel these came out really well. Especially the road. I didn’t spend a vast amount of time on them, and the skills I had learned in creating my first texture helped me a lot. The one I was a little disappointed with however were the mountains. I had to cut around them in Photoshop and create an alpha channel so the top of the image appeared transparent in Maya. If I could go back I would work on painting my own, so that they looked less ‘cut-out’ and more natural.

The second ship was much easier, I managed to build the base mesh and fully texture it within 3 days, whereas the previous vehicle had taken over a week, so I really feel that I learnt a lot during the process, I even preferred the second one to my first! On the second I decided not to bother with minor details and instead focus on creating a vivid colour scheme that was eye-catching, I think I succeeded in this, so I made this vehicle the focal point in much of my submission, including the poster, screenshots and show reel I produced.

In conclusion I feel that overall I managed to do most of what I assigned myself in my brief, besides the fact that I wasn’t able to create my three vehicles, I did manage to complete all of the other tasks. I created a fully animated environment, that includes a road, a sky and some mountains. All of this gives the impression of speed in my final show reel. I also managed to create a fairly unique visual style that stands out, which was another of my targets. I had the idea of modelling and texturing each vehicle in a way that would portray the racing teams/pilots character. On the first I decided to go for industrial colours and very angular shaped, and on the second I went for a much more streamlined appearance and bright vivid colours. I created some logos for each team which convey this successfully as well.

If I could go back and change some decisions, the main thing would be the amount of time I spent on the first vehicles texture. Another would probably have to be the choice I made about the texture maps, even though I feel the textures work well. I can’t help but think they would’ve been even better with bump maps and normals.

Youtubage

Not sure if this will work, I'm a youtube virgin.



If you'd rather see it in HD (which I recommend) click the text at the top of the video, then head on down to the HD buttonz :3

Almost forgot.

Thought I'd share one last image with you, it shows the final render quality and the motion blur working.

Anyway...

There has obviously been a bit more development than I have shown here, but I don't want to clutter my blog and bore you with posts consisting of pictures of maya and failed renders, so here's a couple of the renders I did just before adding all the spangly effects like motion blur and camera focus. As you can see theres 2 ships now, I was initially planning for 3 but time got the better of me (as it usually does) and I decided to stick to two.



This is the second ship during texturing, and below is it in action.

Failroad!

Just a really fail road I made when I was trying to figure out how to lay out the road in my scene. Texturing something thats flat but curves is annoyingly hard. Thought I'd share because it was so rubbish, haha.



Also, as promised, the texture map for my first vehicle (or atleast part of it) You can see the amount of detail I tried to get in there, but in the end it just wasnt worth it as it was lost in the renders.

Development. Ohsofun.

Well to kick things off I thought I'd show some of the screens I took when I was first creating my 3D models - using the thumbnails I'd whipped up in a neat little program called Alchemy (google it, it's worth it!) Here's the first of a few of them.



Heres the same ship just after mapping out the UV's and unwrapping them.




And again, same ship, in the process of texturing and fiddling with lights and stuff in Maya. *shudder*

I'll show the texture maps in my next post. This one is already far too long.

Righto.

So yea, me being true to form I've left this until far too late. Ah well, better late than never huh?

Been working on my project for Uni, titled Epinephrine. The basic premise is an online MMOG that uses similar gameplay mechanics to WipEout, with a mixture of RPG elements taken from games such as EvE and World of Warcraft. I also set myself the task of creating a fairly unique visual style that stands out.

Anyway, now the boring bit is over I can show you some of the WIP shots I took throught the development process.

I have no idea how I'm going to format these images. bleh.

At the very least, these will really help me when it comes to modelling my own designs, I have progress images in my work folder that show how they are built, giving me an idea of what shapes I can use to create a similar effect in my chosen 3d package.

The area in which I decided to be unique was the overall look of my vehicles, I want each team to have its own style, driving position and handling. This way I could use the anti-gravity system WipEout has claimed as its own yet still inject my own personality and ideas into the vehicles.

Igarashi Design are a company who focus primarily on 3D concept and vehicle design, as the above pictures show. I chose to include them due to the realistic construction of each model and concept. It is obvious to see that these concepts are machinery, the engine of the motorcycle and the rotor of the helicopter are based on actual real world counterparts and thus seem more real. This is helpful to me because it shows how each is made, what components hold together other components etc. Very useful when building my models.

One of the other reasons are the decals. The company logos found all over each vehicle represent the manufacturers/sponsors, whether they exist or not this adds a sense of realism to the concepts and is something I strive for in my own designs. The shape of this helicopter is also something I find very interesting because it is unusual.

The main reason I have included Ed Lee, is his artistic style - I think his use of vivid colour and crisp clean line art give his concepts exactly what i’m looking for, a realistic style but obviously exaggerated. The cleanliness of the lines almost gives them a surgical quality - these things are instruments, a mean to an end.

I chose to include this ‘Rebel Stealth Fighter’ picture on this page because of the obvious relation to my idea, the stream lined appearance and generic wedge shape all point towards high speed. I also chose it because of the way the picture is drawn, I really feel the lack of colour actually enhances the design, it is easier to see the slight nuances in the shape and form of the jet. This is something I would like to experiment with in my own designs next term.

This is a scan from an edition of EDGE magazine. As you can see Airborn has a very vibrant colour pallette, the creators of the mod have expressed their wish that they would like it to look like a drawn cartoon when not in motion. I think it is a fantastic use of the Unreal3 engine and I have decided that rather than going for very realistic looking vehicles, I would rather go for a very stylised bright vivid look, and hopefully my decision will be reflected in my texture work next term.