Maya Animation Assignment - Sub & Fish

For this weeks homework assignment, we had to animate and learn the basics of skeletal animation and rigging. I decided to follow the Lynda tutorials from the beginning of the exercise; looking at key framing and adding techniques like Motion Paths and Ghosting to help with the work flow. Below is the exercise file model of a Submarine that I used to create the techniques for guidance.

I found that keying in the frames and thinking of motion in 3D was really straightforward. I made sure the Subs path was in actual animation and in alignment to what the real thing would move like. Furthermore, I double-checked this in the Dope Sheet with the hierarchy summary. Below is last lesson of the tutorial. I began with a simple cylinder shape and used the joint tool and smooth binding feature to create the 'moveable spine' that is then manipulable with the parent-to-child like system for morphing the entire object.

Above is the final stages of my fish body animation (model from the exercise files). Following a similar approach with the cylinder, I created a spine for the fish using the joint tool to position the stems from the center. I was then able to go in and select key circle joints to branch out connecting 'bones' for areas of the fish, for example to the tail and fins. After binding the joints to the polygon skin, I used the Paint Skin Weights Tool to edit-paint the sections of rotation that were deformed (seen on the grey-scale fish). Finally I was able to animate the fish by key framing the circular joints on the timeline. Underneath is my animation sequence I am really happy with; seen with the joints highlighted using the X-Ray feature.

Maya Session - Gun Turret Texturing

In a previous Maya session with Robin Ledger, we had to make a high detailed turret model. Following this, we extracted high and low polys to then create the texture maps in a software called xNormal. 

In the image above is the software interface that allows you to bake the normal and occlusion maps by manipulating several settings.

Above is the final normals bake that shows you where all the contours and extrusions would be in the surface of the turret model.

Above is the final bake occlusion texture that acts as the base of what is 'tone' on the objects and around the turrets surface.

The maps were then applied onto our low poly turret and made to look like its actually a high poly model.

After this we could then go in on the blinn materials and add even more detail using Adobe Photoshop to patch it to the image and then finishing by importing it into Maya. Above is one of the several free textures I found online to create my end model result below.

Maya Modelling Assignment - Gas Pump

For our fourth and fifth weeks homework assignment we had to construct a Gas Pump following a tutorial on Lynda. Below are the three stages I went through in building the model; wire-frame positioning, surface elements and then the UV texture mapping. As this is in the form of a man made object, I had to carefully size the UV mapping to the right proportions. This is because the image texture will be metal and although that element can be stretched, you don't want the distortion of the resulting image.

Underneath, I have my UV map laid out in the UV Texture Editor. Although it may seem simple, I found the process of selecting certain elements very difficult. However, so long as the construction of the segments are correct and in the graph of what the texture will be put on, you do not have to display the Editor as neatly.

Visual Design - Perspective Lighting: Tank Assignment

Last week's assignment was to create a tank concept and introduce perspective lighting on the vehicle. I started by looking into how tanks functioned and their basic properties. I also wanted to include historical reference to tanks of the First and Second World War. Below is my main inspiration and research images that guided me toward my final piece.

As I roughly sketched out the well-known rectangular shape of a tank, I saw several possibilities of concepts. For example a raise able turret design with a 360 degree view and a compact front-wheel drive 'race car' tank.

I decided on creating my 'Mammoth' concept piece for the final design. I looked at Nasa's Land Crawler-Transporter for inspiration on creating a mobile 'city' tank platform. The idea was that it was capable of housing an entire army and efficient at a range of various tasks like ore mining, surface-to-air transport launches and firing two, eight tonne shells (simultaneously) out of its forty meter long cannons; at a distance of thirty five miles!

I am quite happy with my final watercolour and ink image. Although I did not get to work digitally this time, I found that taking my time with traditional methods like a ruler was fun. I left my pencil sunlight guides on the image to show how I had to set up the shadow lines of the image as the angle makes the object backlit.

Maya Session - Gun Turret Animation

In our sixth session of Visual Design on Maya with Robin Ledger, we continued with the development of the Gun Turret Model. Firstly we got to order the components of the model in the hierarchy. This was very useful as it grouped the sections into a 'folder' that then was moveable together when selecting the parent-to-child system of the named objects. 

Secondly once the polygons had all been sorted out and placed in their correct parented groups, we went through constricting the transforms (local 3D position of the objects) of the turrets components. After doing this we could go back and select the objects key transformation axis's i.e. X, Y, Z so that path would move in the animation.

Below is the animation process I carried out. To the left is the channel box where I entered the rotation of the objects for example the main head of the turret. To the right is the graph editor that tells you the path of the transforms and their range. I found this useful when telling the speed of the animation which is performed in the timeline as seen in the following image. As I have worked in Adobe Premiere and After Effects before in college and for personal work, I found this task really easy placing the key frames in after rotating the objects and hitting enter to activate it repeating this process to create the entire sequence.

Below is my final animation sequence. I am quite happy with it and I like how the frame rate makes the turret seem like it is tracking something; it then locks on, and fires its barrels with the recoil of each fire.

                                             

Visual Design - Insectoid Character Assignment

A two-week homework assignment was set this time which was to design a insectoid character concept. Below is my reference/research images that helped me develop towards my final outcome. I was heavily influenced by the structure of the butterfly, an insect I have a fascination for as well as Ladybirds.

I then went on to see how I could manipulate several features of insects and shape them in to a human like figure form. I spent only several minutes on the designs below to get the general characteristics that I then went onto use for my final insectoid.

I noticed how several insects and bugs have a dome (elytra) on their back which acts as an outer shell that commonly the insects wings can fold up into. I really liked the idea of this incorporated in the body and I instantly then though of the 'Hunch Back of Notre Dame'...and so the Hunch Beetle of Notre Dame was born!

We also had to give the character a small bio. I decided as the setting was going to be in Paris, to create the insect into some sort of religious monk background. With the blueprint plan above I wanted to make a hood and henna-like tattoos on the insectoid to give the effect that it was a solemn creature and humble like in its stance as well.

Above is my final piece. I struggled many times with the values of the shading and point of lighting. After watching a tutorial with the group in a recent session, I was able to go over the composition in more detail and find a point in which I was happy with it. I really wanted to test myself again doing something I had never tried heavily before which was texturing mostly everything from my own photographs; and then mixing them with the blending mode in Photoshop to get the different elements into place.

Life Drawing - Session 5, 6, 7 & 8

In our fifth life drawing session we began with the lengthy task of creating the composition of the figure behind a wooden border frame. I struggled several times on aligning the body with the wooden struts but managed to bring the angles in together with the vertical lines. We were then able to use pen to sketch and as this was something I practised alot in college before; so I enjoyed outlining the model more roughly.

In our sixth session we played around with form and tone on the male model. I used the charcoal more heavily and closer to the paper to get deeper lines and harsh shading. Towards the end of the session we had fifteen minutes to use a rubber on charcoal covered paper and find the negative lighting on the model. I really enjoyed this technique and hope to it try out in future sessions.

For the seventh session we got to use an ink and bush on paper. I had to do several attempts to get into using ink on thin paper again as I heavily used the ink before wetting the brush in water. At college I enjoyed, similar to the work above, finding the negative lighting on the model and using the ink only as the shade; I was quite happy with the outcome of the top right hand image below.

Our eighth session was more detailed focused and I really enjoyed finding the best composition of the model to put in the frame of work. We also got to work on sketching the face of the model for the first time. I found this easy as I have always enjoyed sketching the appearance and expression of the human visage.

Visual Design - Monster Assignment

Our homework assignment for the forth week was simple really as it was Halloween...to create a monster! Below are my reference images taking inspiration once again from one of my favourite game trilogies, Dead Space. I also looked at the TV series The Walking Dead and the film The Mummy for human aspects that we are so used to seeing and then manipulating them to create our worst nightmares.

For my initial rough sketches I was very undecided on what to make the character look like visually. However, I knew the human element I was going to put in to make it scary was the face, as its something we instantly recognise. 

I decided to create my monster with extended features of the human body, as though a morphed parasitic life-form had taken over. I also stretched the jaw out, sunk the eyes in and changed the angle of the sockets to produce more of a horrific glare to the face. 

Finally I spent around around six hours creating my final outcome below. I enjoyed trying out using only six different colours to create the entire image. Furthermore to bring out the proportions and size relationship, I made 'MUNCH' stand out at about 3.5 meters in height.

Visual Design - Perspective Assignment

Last weeks assignment was to create a drawing using the technique of one-point perspective. I had already learnt about perspective drawing before watching the tutorial video and book pages on it. On the other hand, it was great exercise helping me figure out horizons as that was something I wanted to look into more. Below is my original sketch and rough digital toned piece that was a fun one hour speed-painting.

Maya Modelling Assignment - Furniture

For our third weeks homework on Maya we had to follow another set of tutorials on Lynda; this time making furniture. I really struggled mapping the UV's and sewing the wrapping of several objects but was eventually able to work around it. Actually creating the models and wood texture was plain sailing. Below is the before and after texturing of two sets of two different types of a table and chair.