Personal Project entry for the 31/10/2015

Tests for Inevitable project

s1s1 test

Just a low quality test so i can see how to animate and light my character in the scene. No lights have been used in this scene however.

Personal Project entry for the 29/10/2015

Rough Inevitable test Animatic.

This is a compiled rough edit of some of the footage i took during my two day shoot of the Alleyway set and the Gallows Peak set.  Note footage only no characters.

Personal project entry for the 29/10/2015

BTS
Alleyway set

 The overhead light with blue gel attached and two yellow lamp lights provided the alleyway set with enough light to match my storyboards and concepts.

 The 3D print of my beast gave me a chuckle when i was looking down the alley trying get the height right for a camera shot and looking up seeing the beasts face peering out through one of the windows.

 I had to constantly turn the main lights on and off when adjusting the camera and when starting a new shot.

 I made a small figure shape from some Plasticine that was down in the basement. This helped me figure out roughly how tall my character would be and it also gave me a focal point for the camera.

Gallows Peak set

 This set took a lot longer to get the lighting right  because i had a very strong opinion of what i wanted and i found it hard to decide on what to focus on. Leading up to the gallows or the gallows themselves or a mixture of both.

 Perhaps there wasn't enough light on a certain spot or the foreground was out of focus.

 or too much light.

Personal blog entry for the 29/10/2015

Texturing

 Progression of dog, still haven't really decided on a name so its either dog or beast at this point. I tried using just plain old blinns, but yea totally looks wrong and cheap.

 I used a 50% blend of Maya material x physical glass with the body of the beast to make him more smoky looking. I added a glow to his eyes to make them stand out a little more and to match the concept art.

 Above is 100% Maya material x physical glass. Wow he really looks like a demon dog!!!
Had a few suggestions to make inner organs that were all smooshy and fluidy but i think i will have to texture him differently due to time constraints. maybe someday though.

Picture of a dogs gums this helped a lot when choosing the correct colors for his mouth and teeth though i did yellow his teeth a little more.

 The beasts eye.  This eye has three different overlayed and painted eyes in it.  I used a feather brush in Photoshop to match the "strands" projecting from the iris.  Some minor adjustments in Photoshop were also used regarding hue and color to get a golden glow with a tinge of green.

Henry's boots all textured up.  This is my first time texturing a character and i think i haven't done too bad a job. =)

All things considered Henry and the beast have both been easy to texture as they both don t have very many textures and if they do they are similar to another part of the character so i can reuse the texture with some slight modifications; such as the skull above. The greyer areas are where the uv map outline is.

Personal blog entry for the 29/10/2015

Lighting

Just a quick blurb about how i went about lighting my animation.  I based the lighting off the white-ball shots that i took when photographing the set. (see below)

 I used three lights; two yellow lamps and an overhead  lamp with a blue gel to cool the warmth. (Actual set used)

No lights just plain old fashioned mental ray render. (Maya character w.fake lighting)

With two blue lights. (Maya character w.fake lighting)

With one Blue and one yellow light. Its still a bit strong on the shadows so i'll turn them down on the yellow to see if that helps. (Maya character w.fake lighting)

Lights turned down on yellow, lights changed slightly to better match white ball reference. (Maya character w.fake lighting & set piece with Real lighting)

The final lights ready and in place. (Maya character w.fake lighting & set piece with Real lighting)
Lighting is smooth and provides a decent amount of contrast that works with the feel of the set and the atmosphere of the animation.

Now i have to turn off the background and render Maya character and lights out then composite them back with the background.

Personal Project; Entry for the 20-21/09/2015

 Just a quick update on the Alleyway set.  Ive almost finished which is a relief as the impending bell of finality is coming up fast.

 All the walls are finally finished and painted up.

 Still need to finish the floor and put the rest of the grass on the edges of the alley.

 The floor all painted up. Just need to finish the roofs and grass.

 My slightly wonky celtic knot.  Doesn't matter though as this will be covered with the archway.

 All grassed up.

Personal Poject; Entry for the 18/09/2015

Alleyway set


The arch poles.
First i chopped some balsa wood into lengths, cutting out a small section at the top of one side to slot into the arch itself.  I then drew an outline on the front and back of the piece of balsa wood and added the "Superman Celtic" knot.

Using a sharp craft knife I cut along the design at an angle one way then again the other. This when picked out left a deep groove producing the final result.

Another angle showing the depth of the design.(Below)

The arch in place with the poles supporting it in position.

The arch itself is simply made from foam board.

Ron's smithy.(above) Detail of the hammer and anvil. (below)

The roofs finally painted.  Still have to finish these off at some point.

Detail of the painted chimney stacks, boxes and other 'buildingesque' things on top of the roofs.

Starting to paint the archway.(below)

Updated.

 Carrying on from before. Painted the poles a dark brown and used a rich gold to paint the inlay.  Mixtures of black a grey were used to create varying levels of dirty grunge on the concrete area.

 The 'Celtic Superman" design is on both sides of every pole so that when i shoot from the other side you will still get some nice details.

 I used some old cardboard to make a ridge so that i could stick the matchsticks to it.  This was glued to the top of the archway.

 I added a small window by simply cutting and glueing a triangle of card onto the other piece.

 One side completed.

 How its looking.

 Added a small Celtic looking window by getting two ends of Popsicle sticks and gluing them in a V formation. (Above) Finished roof (Below)