MDS - GA1A03 and GA2A04 Summatives: Modular Environment and Particles

Pre-production

Types of building I found that utilises modular pieces to great extent, yet produce a majestically (and sometimes diabolically) grand architecture, are cathedrals and temples. Upon receiving this new Summative I decided to attempt to create a modular temple, perhaps with an added twist of the unexpected.

The modular building blocks in real cathedrals can easily be identified, yet each piece contains a great amount of detail as if they were artworks of their own, all piecing together to form a three dimensional collage of shapes, patterns and textures in the form of a massive building. I cannot imagine the years of labor put into constructing such a grand work of art.

Fictional cathedrals and temples give limitless room for the imagination, anywhere from being infused with magic to deserted and lifeless, a place of miracles to a place of evil.

I decided to choose a temple built on water, or with water flowing within. I used the image above only as a guide/reference to the model shapes, as my temple will not be as bright and colourful, but instead more dark and abandoned.

Production

Modelling

As this was my first ever modular environment, creating pieces that looked good, fit together nicely, and kept a consistent theme definitely proved to be challenging. I began by pre-building my whole scene in Maya, one new piece at a time.

Progress 1 - Starting with the first column

Humble beginnings.

Progress 2 - Creating arch, window and glass pieces 

I noticed the gaps formed in-between the columns, so I added a window connector piece to fill it and to add more shape to the overall design.

Progress 3 - Bridge, window connector, curved arch, and spiral staircase.

The spiral staircase was purely experimental at this point, as well as quite a few other pieces such as the half-circles on top of each window and the extruding poles to the sides.

Progress 4 - New roof piece duplicated four times to form a roof section.

The roof was challenging, as I had to mold the shape one edge loop at a time. The resulting model looks decent, but the poly count was through the roof. There was also quite a gap formed in between each roof piece, which created a cross-shaped hope in the roof. I remedied this but adding an extra cross-shaped piece in the center of the four roof pieces.

I noticed a fault with my windows from building them using the boolean function in Maya, and also thought that the method was probably not the best for production quality models, so I decided to rebuild the windows from scratch using edge loops.

Progress 5 - Roof sections joined together to form rooms.

A solid modular piece was added in-between each 4 joining columns to give the structure a more sturdy look. I played around with the layout, and since a staircase was needed, I decided to stick with my spiral stairs and add a second floor.

Progress 6 - Second floor added, walls formed to create actual rooms.

Wall pieces were added, forming actually rooms that can be closed from all sides.

Progress 7 - All pieces complete, staircase links to second floor, doorways added.

Other pieces also created to meet the Summative requirement, though I feel some of these pieces were last minute additions and did not really fit with the overall theme. These are the door, the doorway, and the large "torches" for the brick (added in case I wanted to make a fire particle).

Improvements that could be made to the modelling process:

• Less pieces, given the time frame. Alter other pieces to make them more modular so more reusable. This would reduce time spent on modelling, piecing together, UV unwrapping, and texturing the pieces.
• Reduce more polys, and bake normals for a smoother look.
• Be more decisive, and plan ahead more instead of experimenting too much and not using pieces. I've probably discarded around 30% of the pieces I built because they didn't make the cut.

Texturing

After spending a great deal of time UV unwrapping, still needing to choose and learn a game engine to work with, and unfortunately struck by illness in the third week, I realised I was left with little time to draw any ideal textures I wanted for all my modular pieces. 

The only textures I hand drew and normal mapped were the bricks used for most pieces, and the pattern strip that runs across the wall and columns. Out of all the textures in the environment I think those turned out the best is the highlight of the scene. Tools used were Photoshop for drawing, then trial and error with Crazy Bump to find the perfect normal.

Bump mapped bricks and pattern in Maya.

Other textures were pulled from the web, and modified to fit the UVs. Some worked better than others.

Improvements that could be made to the texturing process:

• Smarter utilisation of texture space, more textures laid out on each file. I'm still lacking experience and knowledge of how to utilise textures efficiently, but this Summative has helped me gain some insight into this.
• Cleaner texture files, because quite frankly, most look like a total mess.
• Ideally, all textures will be hand drawn. This would also solve the messy textures as each custom drawn texture fits exactly as intended.
• Specular mapping, something I am still very inexperienced with.

Importing into Game Engine

I first chose UDK to be the game engine for my modular environment. I have had some previous experience with UDK as a previous Summative required its use, so importing and placing the pieces into the scene was smooth sailing.

I soon however ran into a big problem with UDK. The building the lighting would just keep on building forever, with the progress bar not moving an inch after an hour. This could have something to do with my light map resolution being far too high, and also the fact I haven't laid out a second UV for my light maps, and/or perhaps it really needs a few hours to build. I unfortunately did not have the time to debug and find a solution, as it was the last few days before this Summative was due.

I took the risk to switch game engine to CryEngine as I found out lighting was much less of a hassle with there, but trouble was I knew very little about how to use the engine, and just exporting and importing textures and models with the correct file formats took quite a few addons/plugins and a days worth of research and work.

The risk was worth it in the end in my opinion, though I would have liked another week's time to learn more and tinker more with CryEngine.

Within CryEngine I also made a rain particle effect, with the help of online tutorials and classmates. The raindrops are set right outside the temple, and the lifetime has been set so it dies as soon as it reaches the floor. A collision particle effect was also added that produces a ripple, though the ripples appear on the floor material and not the water itself. Collision hasn't been added to the temple pieces, therefore I could only move the rain effect so it sits right next to the temple but not actually pouring over it.

It was a rushed job, and I would definitely like to improve it if time allowed.

Post-production Screenshots and Video

The door texture definitely feels out of place.

Rain particle video:

GA1A01 - Theoretical Foundations of Art and Design – Submission Four

Submission - Self Portrait

The scanned image turned out a little darker than the original

For the final submission of the portfolio summative, I chose this self-portrait I drew a few months back because I deem it’s the best traditional work I have produced this year, and I will be explaining the artwork in detail and why I think this is my best work.

The reference photo I chose from was one I took earlier in the year. I found this photo to have very soft diffused lighting over my face, and I chose this lighting over harsh and contrasting (such as closely shining a lamp over my face) because I felt the resulting drawing would bare more resemblance to my real face as you don’t walk around every day with a lamp shining over your head. This choice however also raises the difficulty of drawing my self-portrait as the slightest shade change can result in deforming the face.

The time spent on this drawing was around 10 – 12 hours (three nights of 3 – 4 hours’ work). I spent the first night getting the proportions matching as closely as possible, which meant heaps of light line work, comparing, and erasing/fixing. I highly prioritised this step because the human face is perhaps our most sensitive region of visual perception and the tiniest alteration/difference in proportion can be easily picked up. Next night I did the majority of shading, mostly on the eyes and skin, and then on the last night I drew the hair and finished up the whole drawing. I left the clothing mostly without detail to keep the focus of the portrait to the face.

Features I felt I did well were the general proportions of the face and the shading on the skin to show form. I feel these two features were the standouts of my portrait and the reason I think the portrait bares great resemblance to my face.

Features I felt that were most difficult to draw were the eyes and hair. The shape of the iris was especially challenging due to the preciseness needed to make it look natural. Hair was more time-consuming than difficult, but I think the shading requires more attention than I have given it.

The features I felt I could improve most are also the details around the eyes and the hair. Details such as eyelashes and my eyeliner became mixed up, which I feel could have been fixed by drawing the details much finer. The hair needs another night of detailing each strand and the overall highlights need improving especially around the side of the head. Overall I think I did a fine job on the self-portrait.

Wang, Q. (2013). Self-portrait. 

BCT13021 - GA1A03 3D Asset Generation - Prop Modelling Summative

Pre-production

The game which the prop I chose belongs to is Chrono Trigger, a RPG first published in 1995 by Square (now Square Enix). I chose Chrono Trigger because it was one of my first full length RPGs I’ve ever played and have many fond memories of it.

Initially I chose a model a different prop, a robot. I started brainstorming and researching all the different robots in the game.

I decided to focus on one of the robots in game called Gato, a NPC singing robot the player meets early in the game.

After a day of playing around the model and doing more research on the different props in the game, I changed my idea and decided to model one of the weapons in the game. The weapon that caught my interest was the scythe used by Magus, one of the playable characters.

I found the default scythe to be too dull, so instead chose to base my model on a fan art thumbnail I found on Google images.

Post-production

Completed Scythe Renders using Mental Rays

The final model differs slightly to the reference picture as I have added my own personal touch to it. It is just over 1.7k poly faces which I believe to be reasonable.

Sketchfab Model

Magus Scythe from Cynthia Wang on Sketchfab.

I think the Sketchfab model looks less detailed than in Maya probably because of some settings I have overlooked or not familiar with. The bump map doesn't seem to be showing from what I can tell.

Production Commentary - Development and Challenges


Modelling:

• Modelling the bending & twisting branches on scythe proved to be the most challenging part of the base model. The method I used to create the branches was by first using the EP Curve Tool to lay out a path for the branch shape, then create a cylinder primitive and extrude one of the flat faces to the path, creating a curved cylinder.  

• I created the high poly model first, then the low poly by removing edges but keeping the overall silhouette.

• I found that the curves were too sharp in some areas resulting in overlapping faces, so I was forced to delete and reorganize the edge loops around those curves. This ended up causing some unintended stretching and accidental deletion of edges which ended up producing some minor problems with UVs and texturing.  

UV Mapping:

• As of now this was the most complex object for me to UV unwrap. The curved branches were by far the hardest components to unwrap properly. I mostly used automatic mapping to create to UVs, cut and stitch them back together, then unfold and relax tools to adjust layout. For the branches I created the UVs using spherical mapping, then cut one of the edge loops and unfolded the UVs. 

• The resulting shape of the branch UVs where the best I could manage efficiently within the time constraints due to the complex nature of the branch shape and my limited skill in UV layout as I could end up spending a whole day working on uniformly laying out a single branch. 

Texture - Diffuse/Specular/Normal:

• This was my first model that I had to properly apply diffuse, specular and normals maps so I think the result was rather messy and not how I envisioned it to be, but it was a good learning experience.

• I followed a online video tutorial for baking normal from a high poly to a low poly mesh. I found the resulting normal map didn't make much difference. The reason could either be the high poly details were too subtle to be noticed, or more likely I may have messed up the baking process somehow. I decided not to spend anymore time trying to get it working and instead move onto bump mapping.

• For bump mapping, I chose some patterns on Photoshop and painted them onto the UV map. Using CrazyBump, I generated some normals for the model to give it more texture and depth. This was my first time creating a proper bump map as well, so I think the result was just an experiment and not ideally how I hope it would turn out to be. I aimed to create bumps that could simulate the texture of tree bark, but instead I think it turned out looking like random small dents on a metallic surface (especially noticeable on the top of the scythe).

• The textures were rushed unfortunately to get the whole model done on time after spending too long on both the UVs and baking the normals. They only consist of simple colours and some subtle patterns. If time allowed I would have much preferred to have hand painted the textures.

•  I have yet to grasp how to properly specular map, so all I did was use the specular map generated by CrazyBump when I was bump mapping. Not sure if it made any difference to the model. I will need to study more on this.

Portfolio Submission Three

GA1A01 - Theoretical Foundations of Art and Design – Six Life Drawings

Drawing 1: Gestures of female model

I decided to submit this drawing because I believe it demonstrates an understanding of form, movement and weight. This drawing comprises of three sketches, each of the same model in different poses. The sketches also differ in the amount of time spent on each; therefore they also differ in the amount form and weight.

The centre drawing was done within the least amount of time, so it only comprises of gesture lines. Even so, the flow of movement can be seen by from how the lines curve from the head to the spine to the legs and arms, both creating the form and showing positions of where they are.

The outer two drawings show more form and weight than the centre as they also comprises of spherical forms. As seen in both drawings, the centre of weight is in her buttocks, with the weight of her tummy pulling towards this centre in the left drawing. Movement can be seen in her spine how it creates a wave-like shape.

Improvements that could be made to the drawings include more visible gesture lines in the outer two drawings, and if the drawings were more in the correct proportion.

Wang, Q. (2013). Gestures of female model.

Drawing 2: Posterior pose of female model

I chose this drawing as it is a more refined drawing of the previous three of the same model and shows better anatomy. The gesture lines and spherical forms can clearly be seen within the outlines, similar to a combination of the previous three. A smaller gesture only drawing of the same pose is situated on the top-right of the page.

A distinctive feature of this drawing compared to the previous three is the twist in her waist. The twist can be seen in the gesture line of her spine, showing movement. The spherical forms in this drawing create a more proportionate drawing than the previous three.

Improvements that can be made would be a better eye for detail, especially her legs. Her knee lacks proper form from an anterior view, and her lower legs are not correctly in proportion.

Wang, Q. (2013). Posterior pose of female model. 

Drawing 3: Box form gestures

I chose this drawing even though it is rather rough because box form emphasises on movement and form rather than accurate anatomy. This drawing comprises of two fighting stance poses, the left a mid-punch pose and the right an injured pose.

These two poses show strong movement, as this can be seen from the curves and twists within the gesture lines and box forms. The curves can be seen in the left pose with the arms positioned 90 degrees to the torso and the right leg bend and tip-toed. The twists can be seen in the right pose around the torso as the boxes are not lined up with each other and a progressive twist of the boxes from top down and vice versa.

Improvements that could be made would be stronger outlines to show the box forms more clearly, and tidier boxes as there are too many diamond-shaped boxes that did not quite fit the box form style.

Wang, Q. (2013). Box form gestures.   

Drawing 4: Overlapping poses

I chose this drawing because out of all my life drawings, I believe this one shows the most understanding of weight distribution. The drawing comprises of three poses which overlap onto each other, but all share a common pivot point. This pivot point is set in the centre of contact between the model and the surface he is sitting on. The three poses combine together to show the model getting up from a surface as if he was getting out of bed.

The first of the poses shows the model lying on the surface with his bodyweight shifting downwards. This can clearly be seen by looking at the model’s waist and hips as there is a noticeable curve inwards that would not be seen in an upright position.

The second pose is the intermediate pose showing the distribution of weight shifting from all over his body to his right arm and shoulder. This weight support can be seen by the way his arm is stretched straight to be used leverage for his entire body, with the muscles in the arms tightened.

The third and final pose shows the distribution of weight shifting from his right arm to his buttocks, as he is now in a sitting pose. His left arm is leaning on his left knee, showing small weight leverage of his torsos. His right arm is no longer leverage and this can be seen by the relaxed muscles in the arm.

An obvious improvement that could be made to this drawing is to not have the poses be cut off the top of the page. I made a mistake with the starting pivot point of this drawing, therefore the positioning of the three poses ended up as they did.

Wang, Q. (2013). Overlapping poses.

Drawing 5: Transitional poses

I chose this drawing because I believe this one shows the most understanding of movement out of all my drawings so far. The drawing comprises of three poses which each occupy a third of the page in landscape. The poses show the model getting up from a starting position into a sprinting pose, representing the movement of an athlete during the start of a sprint.

The first pose shows the model kneeling with his left hand on the ground and head facing to his right. The distribution of weight and nearly all his force focused on his right knee so that he would be able to push himself up with velocity. His right hand is place on top of the knee so that in movement he would push the arm onto the knee, and the force of the push will lift his upper body up.

The second pose shows the model just on his feet from the previous pose, this time weight and force shifting to his left leg to start creating momentum for the sprint. His right arm swings to keep his body in balance. As he had just gotten up, his head has yet to face upwards.

The third pose shows the model taking his first step in the sprint, now with his head up and facing on eye level. His legs and arms have alternated in force.

The big improvement to this drawing would include properly lining up the poses to give correct perspective, which again I made a mistake with the positioning of the first pose.

Wang, Q. (2013). Transitional poses.

Drawing 6: Sitting Pose

I chose this drawing because I believe this one shows good understanding of anatomy. The pose was difficult to get proportionate, but I believe I can point out the mistakes.

The pose shows the model leaning on her right arm as leverage, her left leg over her right, left arm relaxed on her legs and waist, and head facing 45 degrees to the right. Her clavicles are prominent, her ribcage can be see through the shape above her waist, and her tibia bulging out due to the left leg being pressed against her right.

The mistakes and lack of details in this drawing would be:

·        Her hands which still lack correct anatomical especially with the carpal bones.

·        Her neck and the lack of details on the face.

·        Lacking detail on her toes and metatarsals.

·        Her torso may be a slight big longer than anatomically correct. 

Wang, Q. (2013). Sitting Pose.

Ten Thousand Coins - Final Production Log

City Gate (For Ashandria and Goldmouth) Day

City Gate (For Ashandria and Goldmouth) Night

Village (For Oldlyn and Snakefang) Day

Village (For Oldlyn and Snakefang) Day

• Drew up the final room backgrounds for all the locations in game. Had to make do by reusing backgrounds to complete under time constrants.
• Drew up poster and marketing material.
• Finished production logs and final game.