This lesson i did my 10 minute presentation, which i think i did okay in. There were many improvements to be made for the way i presented the presentation and the presentation itself.
The structure of the presentation could have been better, for example on the development part of my presentation, i needed to include more pictures, and i could have done with putting more images into the whole presentation all together.
Another point that needs improving is the use of text, i had way too much text in my presentation and not enough images. I need to condense all the information into bullet points so the presentation doesn't seem in boring and keep people interested. One example is i had just pages of text and no images, i need to balance out text to images, and make sure to use bullet points. I think my referencing was okay, i did link a lot of my information. They way i need to improve on this is to put it into the Harvard Referencing style and definitely include a bibliographic at the end of the presentation. I think i was quite confident verbally presenting the presentation, i think i was talking loud enough so everybody could hear me, i did take a few unnecessary pauses which i need to work on, but overall i think i'm okay on that part.
My lecturer has given me feedback on my presentation, and i will need to do an evaluation on my communication method, 500-1000 words.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Specialist pathway
I have finished my building, it is fully textured and now rendered. The lighting is a physical sun and sky, i think this the only lighting i will need since i'm only rendering exterior shots of the building. I have added Ambient occlusion, global illumination, ray tracing and final gathering. I have looked at tutorials on ambient occlusion which i may have mentioned before - http://www.samwirch.com/blog/simple-ambient-occlusion-render-maya-2012.
Overall i'm happy with the renders, obviously there's always room for improvement. I think i have a achieved in making a model in the Sydney Opera House and i have had good feedback on it from my lecturer and fellow students, feedback being constructive criticism, and on some good points of the model. And i agree with all of it.
Some parts of my model are way to reflective, making it look very glossy, and the water is too choppy, the waves are too big and i should of reduced the size of them. There was a lot more i wanted to do with in general anyway which i never got round to, i did want to add more detail to it and also get more renders of the model. Also the lighting is way too intense, I did reduce the intensity which made no difference, so i did reduce the gamma as well. But i did this after the renders above so it only took effect on my night time renders which i printed in A3 for hand in.
The night time render didn't come out as well as i hoped it would, although i do like the reflections on the glass, i think the scene at night could have done with better lighting, as the only lighting i put in was the physical sun, but i was running out of time. Another thing i wanted to as was caustics, since there is water in the scene. I have used caustics on a previous project and i got good results on the renders.
I also didn't have time to do an animation which i'm majorly disappointed about, i think an animation would have made the project a lot better, i think to one of the reasons of not having time was to when i had lost half of model earlier in the project forcing me to go back to a previous file. Some of the textures could have been better for example the floor concrete texture was a bit bland a too stretched although I was happy with most of the textures. I did want to take a few renders into Photoshop and do some post production with them, add Sydney Harbor in with the bridge in the background, i think this would have been great and it would have added realism to the model, i could of added characters in as well to help show the scale of the building.
I think for my next project i will need to manage my time better, i also think i will be able to deal with problems a lot more efficiently and effectively.
Investigation, Reflection and Expression
I have put together a Powerpoint presentation for IRE, the presentation is on my Specialist pathway work. The presentation will include most things i have done on my project. The structure will be -
- What research i have done, what i have looked in for example Architectural visualization studios and blogs.
- Research i have done into my building.
- Techniques and processes used.
- Lighting and Rendering
- Actual renders of my building
- A conclusion
Animation
This lesson we begun Character animation, the character i will be using will be fully rigged. We had a choice of three characters all with similar rigs. I picked a character called 'groggy'.
I am to animate the character preforming some kind of task, i did a number of sketches in my sketchbook, drawing down ideas. I came to the idea where my character would be pushing a box and then while he would be doing that he would somehow fall over. I drew some stances the character could be in to push to box, like pushing just with his hands or using his whole body to make the box move giving the impression the box is heavy.
Using the rig to move the character and key framing each movement so i could get the character to progress forward. At first i found it hard to get the animation going especially animating the legs since I've only animated using a rig once before. The more i did the more easier it became, and i got quicker at animating the character.
After i had got the character moving the box i decided to make him slip over just to make the animation a bit more interesting, and made it a bit more harder to animate.
I managed to get the character to fall over but its not a seamless fall, due to time i won't get a chance to adjust it. All i have to do is batch render the animation and then edit.
I managed to get the character to fall over but its not a seamless fall, due to time i won't get a chance to adjust it. All i have to do is batch render the animation and then edit.
I am to animate the character preforming some kind of task, i did a number of sketches in my sketchbook, drawing down ideas. I came to the idea where my character would be pushing a box and then while he would be doing that he would somehow fall over. I drew some stances the character could be in to push to box, like pushing just with his hands or using his whole body to make the box move giving the impression the box is heavy.
Using the rig to move the character and key framing each movement so i could get the character to progress forward. At first i found it hard to get the animation going especially animating the legs since I've only animated using a rig once before. The more i did the more easier it became, and i got quicker at animating the character.
After i had got the character moving the box i decided to make him slip over just to make the animation a bit more interesting, and made it a bit more harder to animate.
I managed to get the character to fall over but its not a seamless fall, due to time i won't get a chance to adjust it. All i have to do is batch render the animation and then edit.
I managed to get the character to fall over but its not a seamless fall, due to time i won't get a chance to adjust it. All i have to do is batch render the animation and then edit.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Specialist pathway
I have encountered a problem with my model, half of it has disappeared. I'm not exactly sure why and i have looked it up online to try ans solve the problem, scanning through forums to see if anybody has had this problem but i was not able to find anything that would help. I have had to go back to a previous save, this save has the model complete but there are no textures on the model i will have to re-texture it.
This is the error message that occurred when i opened my file, it comes up every time i try to open the file and after i close the error message i cannot see anything in my perspective view port. This will put me back a few hours and i have concerns about not having enough time for rendering and animation. 
So i will go back to a previous file and i will have to re-texture it. This should take me an hour maybe 2 and then i will add water to the scene and then go on to do the lighting and rendering.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Research
I have been researching into alot of 3D and games design, using 3D world and other resources on the net. Also researching into Architectural Visualization and found some interesting videos and articles including step by step guides and videos. I have also found a video on 2 young games developers who made a game and won alot of money. - http://video.unity3d.com/video/3711675/spiderling-studios-develop
This is an article on 'Create a winning arch-viz image' i found this article very useful it takes a look into the process of how the artist made the image and how he he did his post production.
http://www.3dworldmag.com/2011/02/28/creating-a-winning-arch-viz-image/
This is an article on 'Create a winning arch-viz image' i found this article very useful it takes a look into the process of how the artist made the image and how he he did his post production.
http://www.3dworldmag.com/2011/02/28/creating-a-winning-arch-viz-image/
Some of the Architectural Visualization i have looked at have also included their processes especially the studios that do arch-viz - http://www.lightbox3d.co.uk/
Specialist pathway
My model is almost complete i have it mostly textured and also i have started to test render the model using different techniques with the lighting. I have added water to the the scene to put my model into context. I have found a complete list of IOR(Index of refraction) values which will help when rendering. http://forums.cgsociety.org/archive/index.php/t-513458.html
I have also found a great texture site which is better than the one i have been using which was ( http://www.cgtextures.com/ ). The texture site i am now using ( http://www.animax.it/#node/24 ) most of the textures are free on the website and are actually really good.
To help me with ambient occlusion and render passes i found a tutorial done by Sam Wirch, he has a blog and has done a few posts on how to do it in Maya, he also provides screenshots with his step by step guide.
http://www.samwirch.com/blog/ambient-occlusion-and-render-passes-maya-2011
http://www.samwirch.com/blog/simple-ambient-occlusion-render-maya-2012
The texture material i'm using is a mental ray material (mia_material) because it generally better than using Lambert and Blinn materials, plus you get a better reflection from mental ray materials.
For the glass on my model i have had to remodel it so its separate easier to texture so i can get better rendering results on the glass, i have done most of it but the rest will be time consuming. I can also model the bars on the glass to make it a bit more clearer on the render.
Other techniques i will be using is caustics, since my model is surrounded by water i think its important to get this detail in. I have used caustics before on a different project and it does make a difference. Obviously i will be using global illumination and maybe ray tracing.
I have also found a great texture site which is better than the one i have been using which was ( http://www.cgtextures.com/ ). The texture site i am now using ( http://www.animax.it/#node/24 ) most of the textures are free on the website and are actually really good.
To help me with ambient occlusion and render passes i found a tutorial done by Sam Wirch, he has a blog and has done a few posts on how to do it in Maya, he also provides screenshots with his step by step guide.
http://www.samwirch.com/blog/ambient-occlusion-and-render-passes-maya-2011
http://www.samwirch.com/blog/simple-ambient-occlusion-render-maya-2012
The texture material i'm using is a mental ray material (mia_material) because it generally better than using Lambert and Blinn materials, plus you get a better reflection from mental ray materials.
For the glass on my model i have had to remodel it so its separate easier to texture so i can get better rendering results on the glass, i have done most of it but the rest will be time consuming. I can also model the bars on the glass to make it a bit more clearer on the render.
Other techniques i will be using is caustics, since my model is surrounded by water i think its important to get this detail in. I have used caustics before on a different project and it does make a difference. Obviously i will be using global illumination and maybe ray tracing.
Animation
For the last few lessons our lecturer has been ill so i have carried on experimenting with 3D animation doing simple animations with primitive shapes practicing animation since i have only just started it. For the start i did an animation of ball bouncing up and down to refresh my memory on animation. I used a different shape from last time aswell as adding two balls in, and got them to bouce up and down but i tried to get the shapes to hit the floor at different times just to make it a bit more interesting so they are not uniformly going up and down. 
I will look for tutorials across the web like youtube, 3D world ect to help with animations, especially for character animation which i will be doing soon. I think i am starting to get the hang of basic animation, obviously there is alot of room for improvement.
Investigation, Reflection and Expression
For this module i have been doing numerous tasks, so far i have the job application and a wiki entry, for the wiki entry i did it about Ambient Occlusion ( http://imda.wetpaint.com/page/Ambient+Occlusion ) i still need to add one more bit to it. The other tasks that in need to complete are
· A formal letter of introduction.· An application for a job.
· Copies of emails and Tweets.
· A questionnaire and questionnaire results..
· An analysis of secondary sources.
· An analysis of primary sources
· A Powerpoint Presentation including images.
For the emails and tweets are will set up a twitter account and find a page on twitter about 3D. Then ask questions about 3D in general and also about problems i get using Autodesk Maya, i think asking about 3D is relevant because it links back to my Specialist Pathway module.
The questionnaire i still need to plan out as i haven't thought it out yet, but i will try and link it to one of my modules.
An analysis of a primary source will be on a game that i have played probably a game that iv'e been playing recently (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim), iv'e thought about writing a review looking at current reviews and try and write one in the same style. I've already looked at current reviews on skyrim since all theses reviews were released this month:
For the emails and tweets are will set up a twitter account and find a page on twitter about 3D. Then ask questions about 3D in general and also about problems i get using Autodesk Maya, i think asking about 3D is relevant because it links back to my Specialist Pathway module.
The questionnaire i still need to plan out as i haven't thought it out yet, but i will try and link it to one of my modules.
An analysis of a primary source will be on a game that i have played probably a game that iv'e been playing recently (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim), iv'e thought about writing a review looking at current reviews and try and write one in the same style. I've already looked at current reviews on skyrim since all theses reviews were released this month:
http://www.oxm.co.uk/35877/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-5-skyrim-review/
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/121/1212136p1.html
http://uk.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-review-6344618
All these reviews are from different websites but all reviewing the same game, they have their own opinions but written in the same style, some more humorous than others, but they are good for getting an idea on how to write a review.
And for the final one A Powerpoint presentation, i will do it on my 3D model that iv'e been doing in Specialist Pathway. Since there will be plenty to talk about like the development process, problems that i have had while making the model, techniques i have used on the model and also techniques I've looked at, tutorials i used to help me and what i would have wanted to do better. I will also have screen shots of the model in its development and renders of the model when finished and a fly-through animation of the model.
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/121/1212136p1.html
http://uk.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-review-6344618
All these reviews are from different websites but all reviewing the same game, they have their own opinions but written in the same style, some more humorous than others, but they are good for getting an idea on how to write a review.
And for the final one A Powerpoint presentation, i will do it on my 3D model that iv'e been doing in Specialist Pathway. Since there will be plenty to talk about like the development process, problems that i have had while making the model, techniques i have used on the model and also techniques I've looked at, tutorials i used to help me and what i would have wanted to do better. I will also have screen shots of the model in its development and renders of the model when finished and a fly-through animation of the model.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Specialist pathway 04/11/11
Today we are continuing with our models, mine is coming very close to being complete on the modeling side. After i have finished modeling and will begin texturing the model, then lighting and finally rendering it. For the texturing i'm using a mental ray material instead of the normal materials i use (Lambent and Blinn) because i'm trying to get the final render to look photo realistic and mental ray materials will be better for this.
I found a blog on Facebook on 3D Architectural Visualization which will help me with my model and for research. http://www.facebook.com/ronenbekerman?sk=wall&filter=12
I have been looking into the Architectural Visualisation industry and into 3D world and found some useful tips and information for research. http://www.3dworldmag.com/2011/09/02/11-ways-to-transform-arch-viz-renders/
http://www.cgarchitect.com/
02/11/2011 Animation
Today's lesson we started 3D animation, using basic shapes and doing basic animations with the shapes, for example I animated a ball bouncing up and down and a ball jumping over a wall. I did a number of animations with basic shapes for experimentation, also getting used to the graph editor.
I also looked into character animation and rigging, i looked at websites and videos since next week we will start character animation and rigging.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TJnpEaIhZE
I also found a youtube channel which goes through how to rig a model in good detail.
http://www.youtube.com/user/polygonSculptor
And this website has a number of tutorials and tips on how to do 3D in general which will help me out in the future.
http://www.comet-cartoons.com/3dhelp.html
I also looked into character animation and rigging, i looked at websites and videos since next week we will start character animation and rigging.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TJnpEaIhZE
I also found a youtube channel which goes through how to rig a model in good detail.
http://www.youtube.com/user/polygonSculptor
And this website has a number of tutorials and tips on how to do 3D in general which will help me out in the future.
http://www.comet-cartoons.com/3dhelp.html
Monday, 31 October 2011
Investigation, Reflection and Expression
Today i completed my cover letter for my Job Application as a Environmental 3D artist. I've written up my technical skills and my qualifications, i have also mentioned what I've done in past projects for example I've done scripting in unity and done architectural visualization in Autodesk Maya. I think this is good practice for getting my CV right.
I've also been looking into more jobs on http://www.change-job.com/index.php I'm considering being a Junior Environmental 3D artist, i think this would be a very good starting point for myself and that I like creating environments and buildings. I took a look at some architectural visualization work on 3D world http://www.3dworldmag.com/2011/06/21/33002/ and looked at some students work from Escape Studios doing a course called Game Art Production. Their work is quite impressive and i really like their environmental work it sets the bar for where i maybe should be.
The images were created using Autodesk Maya and Zbrush using high and low polygon techniques.
Looking back on my journal and also getting feedback from my lecturer, i don't think my journal has been reflective enough, i haven't been recording enough of my work and although i have mentioned what sites I've looked at but i have not linked them, and i need to include research and development into my journal.
I've also been looking into more jobs on http://www.change-job.com/index.php I'm considering being a Junior Environmental 3D artist, i think this would be a very good starting point for myself and that I like creating environments and buildings. I took a look at some architectural visualization work on 3D world http://www.3dworldmag.com/2011/06/21/33002/ and looked at some students work from Escape Studios doing a course called Game Art Production. Their work is quite impressive and i really like their environmental work it sets the bar for where i maybe should be.
The images were created using Autodesk Maya and Zbrush using high and low polygon techniques.
Looking back on my journal and also getting feedback from my lecturer, i don't think my journal has been reflective enough, i haven't been recording enough of my work and although i have mentioned what sites I've looked at but i have not linked them, and i need to include research and development into my journal.
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