Project Alpha - Milestone 3

For our final milestone of the Project Alpha stage, I continued creating model sheets, that act as blue prints for our game designer to use for reference, as well as completing the games art bible and several speed paintings.

Above is the main character model sheet. As our game is focused purely on the environment, we wanted to create a very basic but at the same time intriguing character to fit into the lost world idea. The concept we decided on was a male spirit figure that is an entity sent to explore the world of Crimson Kingdom and uncover why everyone has disappeared from the villages.

This is one of the larger peasant house models I designed for the game. Although the citizens of the new world have regressed to living in an era like that of the medieval times, there is still a wide variety of technology available. An example of this is the solar panels utilized on top of the house's roof.

Here is another peasant house for the lower village in the game. I designed several elements such as doors and windows that could be reusable assets; aiding in helping the work flow for the modeler, as well as bringing a continuity to the structures overall.

In the game there are three separate town areas on the island. The village, working class and upper class areas. Here is one of the upper class buildings that was teleported in via a void portal. The building is based on that of an 18th century American New York apartment and I made sure to include several details that have shown the structure has shifted in place and contorted to its new foundations; such as several shattered windows and huge cracks in the walls. 

Another one of the upper class buildings, teleported in via a void portal, is a contemporary five-storey apartment. Unlike the other models and landmarks I had some help with photographs for reference, this building was a bit more tricky and required combining conceptual construction such as the front face of the building. I made sure to feature the fire escape separately, so the modeler could design that component without any other clutter in the way of the field of view. I enjoyed creating the finer details on this piece, from the fire escape stairs to the side gutter and rough brick work.

Furthermore, the upper class area features several European 16th century architecture buildings. To help the modeler out again with time management, I created another set of reusable asset pieces, this time with the buildings front. This way the modeler can then interchange the front faces and give a sense of diversity among the buildings when they are placed around the area.

In the intro for our game, we decided on having a short animation using game assets; to bring a small narrative into the walking simulator. Above is the storyboard I created after making one on a whiteboard with our group. I really enjoyed playing around with the compositions and angles of the frames. Overall, the intro unveils several elements all at the same time, such as the void portals and the spirit character. I made sure to use a light harmony of tones to bring aspects in the frames into focus, not just for the animator but to also point out key objects of interest.

Here is the original (whiteboard) storyboard we developed as a team in the Uni studio. We would discuss the best flow of events in each shot and then I would quickly sketch that composition down on to a frame. Overall, we aimed to have the intro segment at just under a minute.

Above is a detailed elements panel I created for our game designer to work with. Basically the panel is made up of frames to help piece together the animation that will happen over the course of a period of a few seconds. In the five frames I included the most important stages in the animation. Furthermore, the panel still works for either method we decide to use to make the sequence; from either code or by key framing the animated parts in Unity.

This is one of the later concept pieces I made in a couple of hours of an area in our game at the shoreline. I experimented with using a range of techniques from plain digital painting to photo-bashing. I really enjoyed working with a richer colour palette and deep hues to form the sunset; or perhaps sunrise. In the center distant island rocky face, the plane from the intro sequence can be seen crashed on top. The two large body objects in the foreground are the Gherkin Building (officially named 30 St Mary Axe) and the Chichen Itza pyramid (also known as El Castillo) that have been teleported in via a void.

This piece I really had fun working on. The statue of the Colossus of Rhodes, resembles many things in the weird world of the past, present and future we have made. The ancient seventh wonder of the world is one of the larger landmarks in the game and is almost central to the map; also making it a recognizable figure for orientation when moving around the map.

While making this piece, I looked up several techniques and tutorials online of how to generate camera effects in a digital piece of art, to add an extra layer of realism. Although I found a few great tutorials online, I actually was reading a magazine for digital artists which had a few great 'pro secrets' such as lens Chromatic Aberration, to give a greater sense of depth and camera noise. This amazing tool helped give the statue its overall curved form and fitted the model in front of the background scenery perfectly. Once I was happy with the painted image, that took about three hours, I added in one more final touch; by utilizing the Colour LUT feature in Photoshop and adding a soft sepia filter.

Here is another speed painting I made, this time looking out towards the sun on the horizon of the sea. While using only a colour palette from a photograph, I worked using just four Photoshop brushes and completed this piece in over an hour. While creating the ocean stretch, I had trouble showing the layers of colours and the depth of the waves became too over-complicated. To solve this, I just went over what I had done but this time, simplifying the waves and textures in the condensed space which really helped. I was very happy how this piece came out and it shows my time management within Photoshop and the utilization of several techniques to produce an outcome.

After completing the above speed painting, I created a concept of how the main menu on starting up the game could look like. I made sure to include the basic details such as the title and optional buttons, focusing on the 'less is more' approach. Here is four variants I made for the game designer who was quite happy with the bottom right version. On the later final concept I would refine the text however; as the font is a little small and difficult to read because of how thin it is.

I also designed a basic loading screen concept to help our game designer visualize. As the game is very heavy on graphics, a loading screen would be a great option to show the players while the game scene is initializing in the background. Furthermore, the loading screen acts as a nice professional transition into the game world, instead of a straight up laggy jump-cut in.

Here is the first page for our art bible. I made sure to keep things simple, as the main point is to visually sell the idea and not get bogged down with text.

This is the overview page directing the reader to the right page for the correct info.

Here is the art style page detailing the environment, scales and dimensions etc.

For the character art page, I included the model sheet I created to give a clear sense of proportion and overall construction/whether the character has any attire.

Similar to the character art page, I included several model sheets I made for key objects in the game; to express the detail gone into construction design and aesthetic considerations.

Here is the level of detail page outlining some models and realistic textures the game designer/modeler made. I have also noted our attention to selective detail optimization, to further help our game run better. By featuring selected objects such as ones close to the players field of vision in high detail and distant in-accessible ones, in low poly detail, all aid in the gameplay performance.

Within the game, we have a menu system that is within the world of Crimson Kingdom. The menu is on a phablet (tablet/phone) and can be opened and closed by using the keyboard shortcut 'p'. Another element within the menu phablet is several features such as a torch, a map of the island world and a scanner allowing the player to identity landmarks and give some information on them (as well as trivia)!

The camera perspective in the game is seen from a third person perspective and uses a screen warp zoom effect when the character is slowing down from running.

Our colour palette choice is a highly saturated vibrant one; in theme with the end of the world idea.

In the game, there will be a single day cycle from a clear morning to evening, adding in an atmospheric feel to the mysterious world.

One of the core mechanics we have added into the game, is the use of the spirit characters abilities. He is able to switch between dimensions from one reality to another to gain access to items that will help him progress on the journey. In the gloomy/foggy alternate reality, there is a timer as to limit the player from skipping ahead in exploring, and to create an interesting rush component.

While creating a large world for a game and all the assets that will be in it, it is key to keep a clean work space and folder structure. Above I have shown some organization previews and a piece of code made from scratch by our game designer.

One of the key pieces of inspiration for our game is the 2015 open world role-playing game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Above is another major piece of inspiration for our game, the 2009 film Land of the Lost. Overall for this first alpha stage of the game, I have had a many challenges, as well as learned quite a fair bit from structural and historical design to time management. I hope to explore and look at developing, in the next 'beta' stage, strong cinematic visuals and scenic environment paintings to further aid in the games style and tonal language. Alongside this, I also aim to continue creating several models to support the modeler and to help with landscape paint-over practices.

Life Drawing - September, October & November Sessions

After a year break from life drawing (originally only in first year) I was very excited to start it again as I learnt a lot of new skills and enjoyed working with charcoal. In our first life drawing session of the term, we worked with still life objects.

Above is the first session best pieces I produced. We used parts of animal bones and two human skeleton models that we could take apart and re-position randomly. Although I found it strange working so close to bones, it was a good chance to study bone structure and the skeleton form. In the last fifteen minutes of the session, we were asked to explore and have fun manipulating forms into a part of nature. I decided to incorporate bones into a tree which was challenging and fun.

In our second session, we had a male model and did a variety of compositions and timed pieces. I thoroughly enjoyed working in a background for context on a few, as the charcoal can give great texture and mood to a piece.

For our third session, we played around with lighting such as harsh light. It was interesting to study how strong light fell onto the body's form. I experimented with compressed charcoal, although some of the strokes if you're not careful can get very black. We also tested our skills by sketching with our charcoal taped at the end of a long stick which I found really fun.

For our fourth session, we had another female model and practised with some more longer poses. One of the sessions students brought in a prop snake to help develop his portfolio and it was fun working with the shape and flow of the two subjects. We also did a turnaround study where the model moves and everyone draws again and again until we have a complete rotation of the model over six stages; which I thought came out quite well.

In our last session of the term, we challenged ourselves with several quick timed poses from a few minutes to just thirty seconds! I really enjoyed working like this as it challenged you to not think but just include basic form and quick charcoal strokes. In addition to this, the model was very diverse and changed to a lot of different positions over the course of the session.

I also got the opportunity to work with coloured markers in the session and investigated two tone compositions; adding in harsh strokes with changes to brush thickness and outlines. Overall, I have really enjoyed the return of life drawing for third year in the course and have found it really beneficial, aiding my drawing and observational skills with the natural form.

Project Alpha - Milestone 2

Our second milestone required game testing along with concept feedback during one of our sessions. After finishing the paper prototype (for our last milestone) of our 'walking simulator' game, I was able to start work on the first map.

There were various alterations to the players path and what could and couldn't be explored on the island overall. This was mainly due to things such as time constraints and modelling hours working in a small team. Above is the first draft I made, of which we could use in game as a map guide (with a refined update) and to also refer to for later plans and gameplay designing.

For several of the monuments that are scattered across the game, I planned on creating model sheets or 'turnarounds' to help Prem (our Game Designer & Environment/Modeller Artist) with construction. One of the largest monuments from throughout time, that is going into the game, is the Colossus of Rhodes statue. This statue of the Greek titan god Helios, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The first and foremost issue with having this statue in the game, is there is no reference images of it as it was destroyed during an earthquake in 226 BC. Many artists have depicted different poses over the centuries and the painting above is one of the most plausible postures that could have been made of the time. In the image above, I have tried to match a basic male model in Mudbox that I quickly posed using the joint and weight tools.

After posing the basic human form, I could then go into an orthographic view and grab shots from the front, sides and back to easily create a model sheet for our Environment/Modeller Artist. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this piece as it accumulated to a historical and innovative challenge. Furthermore, one of the central points of using this statue was to generate originality over say a stereotypical monument; like that of the Statue of Liberty (of which was believed to be inspired by the Colossus of Rhodes)!

Here is the final Colossus of Rhodes model sheet. I kept to using fine lines (like that of a blueprint) to aid with distinguishing form and size. I also added the statues base plinth on. 

As we could implement dozens and dozens of unique landmarks of interest into the game, we decided on capping the amount to sixteen or so. Having too little is better than having to many in this sense, as there is also a style to composing and merging cultural spectacles. If the Colossus of Rhodes statue was placed next to a Moai Head Statue from Easter Island, would that look aesthetically pleasing? Or would there be a visual conflict? These are some of the questions we had to consider and was really quite fun to evaluate.

Previous is the model sheet I made for the Arc De Triomphe monument (from Paris) and above is one of the smaller misc relics of time in the game, a Chevrolet Camaro (aka Bumblebee)! Like that of the Colossus of Rhodes but no where near as grand, I struggled to find references in an orthographic perspective for the 1970's car. After some of scouring online, I eventually had to combine earlier model blueprints as well as a modified one from the Transformers (2007) film; minus the racing stripes. 

Here is another large landmark we plan on including in the game, the El Castillo from Chichen Itza (in Mexico).

The distinct and strange features of the Moai monolith statues give a great sense of mystery and that was another factor we wished to include in the game. I created just two models on one sheet so that Prem (our Environment/Modeller Artist) could make the two and then simply multiply and alter rock textures on the models for variants.

One of the first signs of civilisation in the game is a small village. We decided on setting the game a few hundred years on from when the world ended and time went into disarray. The idea of putting that event/backstory in was so that we could show how the remaining humans have resettled and constructed society again; using a mixture of technology but regressed slightly to the medieval era. Here is one of the peasant huts I put together. One of the plans we developed as a team, was to be able to make assets that we could reuse and place again over other structures. This would save time modelling and give a sense of familiarity across the environment.

This is the second peasant hut model sheet. Again using elements we could reuse and that gave off a mixture of time periods. Another aspect I wanted to exhibit was that of architecture built from the environment around it. The features such as the wood could have been carved from the forest nearby and the roof, made of corrugated metal, from a destroyed garage that came out a void.

To further expand this idea of building around monuments and objects from the voids, I made this peasant hut. The house has been built directly next to a huge mine truck wheel. Incorporating in these elements to make a structure that doesn't look too irregular was a great challenge and also pushed my concept problem solving.

This is one of the upper class houses that has again been brought in by a void. I followed designs that our Game Designer was after and included influences from 18th Century European architecture. Again with features that could be reused and interchanged.

While being given basic concepts from our Game Designer, I was able to experiment and develop upon these; with a massive influence from TV and film. The idea around these portals are, 'voids' open up across time and space like a doorway, between two time periods and whatever was in the location (often the largest man-made objects) would be transported and abruptly dropped in to the present. The voids was a wonderful way to experiment fractal design and above is an early model of one. I used a simple material pass and found a chrome setting that I thought would work quite well; like a mirror breaking through dimensions.

This was the first render I did in a basic sun and sky pass. I was quite surprised and satisfied with the result of the mirror effect. However I felt that some particle effects were needed to bring it more to life. 

Here is another shot this time with more shards in the centre.

I thought that this one had better form with just the right amount of chaotic shards spaced out. The next step would be to add some particle effects.

To help with the work load of modelling, which is to be mostly all made by the Game Designer and Environment/Modelling artist alone, I began to model the Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge is a very iconic piece of engineering and the art deco design and international orange colour is quite unique. As the structure will be at the start of the game and feature heavily in the concept/promotional art, I wanted to do a decent job on the build. Above is the beginning document stage of blue prints, measurements and project save managing.

Instead of working in mirror mode the whole time, I decide to create half of one of the towers first; so that I could then mirror and merge later on. In the documenting stage I had to change some of the camera settings so that I could see the model from afar as the object is to scale, at two hundred and twenty seven meters high!

As the player has a third person perspective but is grounded to the floor, I could work from a high detailed base to a very low basic form at the top. This would also help with the games overall operating when it comes to the final game build. 

To create the suspension cables, I used a curve line with a bezier setting. This allowed me to create the curve line and also go back in and edit the angles etc.

Here I have used the extrude face along path function. I find this to be the best time saver when it comes to curved cable like objects. I placed the before and after next to each other to show the great result. In addition to this, I tried to use the least amount of edge loops on the curved line to once again help with the games operating. 

One of the smaller challenges was modelling the finer details. Although I have been fortunate enough to walk on the bridge itself when I was younger and have a good sense of spacial construction for it, some of the higher tower struts are inaccessible but an obvious overall detail. A website called Turbosquid with a tonne of 3D models on and several of that of the bridge, was great help for referencing things like this. Here are the two pages I used with a bundle of great renders:

http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/golden-gate-bridge-architecture-3d-model/621273

http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/golden-gate-bridge-3d-model/532375

Once the modelling of one side was finished, came the big mirroring job. I double checked the merge with parent option before I applied the mirror!

Some of the separate items had to be mirrored individually, like the strut walkways and fences etc to be aligned more accurately.

As I went along and saved each time I went into Maya to model the bridge, I made sure to keep a clean hierarchy and label things neatly so I that I knew what objects were what.

Something I discussed with a lecturer at Uni (about all the structures in the games world) was decay and deterioration. He suggested the term to think about called 'Entropy' meaning a gradual decline from an ordered state into a disordered state. There were many ways I could apply/display this in the monuments in the environment. Some examples of this are nature reclaiming a statue like ivory growing or the corrosion of metal on a building etc. One of the ways I did this destroyed atmosphere with the Golden Gate Bridge, was by drooping the suspension cables.

I played around with the sun and sky setting in my mental ray renders of the complete model. This was the best way to show off the height and shear size of the bridge tower. On the other hand, another way I could do this was low camera angles like above.

This render shot shows the hanging cables and the first strut on the tower.

I was thoroughly pleased once this render above was complete. The low sunlight and cast shadows worked fantastically.

I decided to see what the model looked like with just a primitive colour and the above render came out quite nicely. Now completed, I gave the mid/high poly model to our modeller who will then make a low version, bake the two and then texture using Quixel; before being ready to go into the game.