tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28680688825366626162024-03-05T22:17:36.470-08:00Andy Bailey: Third Year 'DFGA' Student.Hi all, my name is Andy Bailey and I am a student currently studying my second year of 'Digital Films, Games and Animation,' at Leeds College of Art. This blog will document both my progression with the set modules throughout the year, and also personal development within my chosen area of study (concept art for games).Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-73953723783598828742014-05-22T10:54:00.002-07:002014-05-22T10:54:50.475-07:00Dave Blewett, Sumo Digital<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had a talk from the Art Manager at Sumo Digital, a majorly established independent game studio based in Sheffield. The talk felt very tailored for someone in my position, as Blewett had worked most roles in the game artist field. As he explained, 'Artist' in the game industry used to be an umbrella term for something with the full package (UI, Environmental Art, Modelling...).<br />
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The roles in the industry today are:<br />
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Concept Artist.<br />
Environmental Artist (3D)<br />
Character Artist (3D)<br />
Animators<br />
Motion Gaphics<br />
User Interface Artist<br />
Vehicle Artist<br />
VFX<br />
Technical Artist (rigging, hypershade)<br />
Lead Artist (lots of planning on Microsoft Excel)<br />
Art Manager (meetings and more Excel)<br />
Art Director (monitors quality of art)<br />
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Blewett asked us some questions relating to how we see ourselves as practitioners:<br />
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<b>How adaptable are you?</b><br />
Can we pick up new skills quickly and help fill a hole where needed?<br />
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<b>How realistic are you?</b><br />
When time and budget run out will you be prepared to modify your approach?<br />
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<b>Do you have the right team spirit?</b><br />
When clutch time comes, will you be prepared to stay late and grind it out?<br />
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<b>Are you a professional?</b><br />
Can you be trusted to talk to the publishing staff.<br />
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Reflecting on these questions, firstly I feel I am quite adaptable, as I had to change my style to adapt to our final major project. I do feel quite able to let go of preciousness with my work, a point raised by Bewlett. When working in groups I am always open to feedback, making tweaks and even sometimes discarding pieces that don't quite work out. Also I feel that I have a team mentality. I like to think I'm quite a tactful and considerate person, and would feel confident with talking to publishing staff. I think the point Bewlett was making here, was that sometimes when publishes arise to criticise or discard work, some artists can reply with attitude. I am quite an easy going person and receive criticism well.<br />
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It was interesting to hear Dave Bewlett talk about the characteristics and attitudes of good artist in the game industry. I think the key message was that when developing games as an independent company, teamwork and flexibility is key. I will carry this mentality in to 'Zeppelin for Hire.'Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-16594893444142827882014-05-22T01:34:00.000-07:002014-05-22T01:34:01.949-07:00Writing my CV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have now completed the main body of my CV, but I have yet to write a concluding paragraph. I feel that this will likely be tailored for the jobs I apply to (I hope will consider me for the position of...) Hopefully, if Zeppelin 4 Hire is successful, I won't have to worry about sending CVs, but it is good to have one written incase I decide to apply for a concept art job. As I have already specified, I don't yet feel I have the skills for employment i the established games industry, but hopefully the indie game collaboration will be a nice springboard to develop my creative skills further.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-28274729856083722632014-05-21T15:52:00.000-07:002014-05-22T00:54:35.162-07:00NostalzillaFirstly pardon the terrible pun. As I saw the new Godzilla movie the other day, I thought I would share a review, focusing also on some of the design choices tying in with my area of practice.<br />
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Firstly, Gozilla has returned to the bottom heavy upright stature we were used to prior to the poorly received 1998 envisioning of the classic monster:<br />
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I think the key aspect as to why this approach was taken, is that firstly, we associate this more upright human-like Godzilla as a defender of the city. It moves away from the more arched dinosaure-like look of the Godzilla we saw in 1998. The enemy monsters (M.U.T.O) were more insect-like with dead expressionless faces:</div>
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Unfortunately there are no movie stills or concept drawings of the M.U.T.O on the net, but as you can see, the enemy creature lacks recognisability with its long limbs and crazy anatomy. Even the legs are horse-like, making the monster entirely un-relatable. Godzilla has more human features like arms and legs and expression filled eyes. The stubby, cartoon-like anatomy of 'Zilla with the tree trunk legs, makes him strangely cute as well as terrifying. He almost appears like a giant mean teddybear. I think the new design gives off similar effects to Peter Jackson's 'King Kong.' The giant ape is at times fierce and shiver-inducing, and then at moments adorable generating massive amounts of sympathy. </div>
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I also liked the choice to set the first part of the movie in Japan, bringing back the oriental origins of the monster. Also, I believe the film does well in presenting 'Zilla as a force of nature. When he arrives in Hawaii, the sea retracts in preparation for a tsunami. The monster arrives within the tidal wave raging through the city of Waikiki. When the monsters fight in San Francisco, we mainly see glimpses of the action from the perspective of protagonists on the ground. I was expecting 'Pacific Rim,' but to my pleasure the action was more subtle, and I was reminded more of 'Cloverfield.' the way we only see parts of these monolithic monsters do battle, made it feel like there was a giant storm raging through the city, rather than a giant dino-boxing match with destructible skyscraper looking props. There was a particular scene where a military unit were parachuting into the scene, and we were treated to a helmet view from one of the soldiers as he descended past the colossal Godzilla. I feel these are points on framing and shot set-up.</div>
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In the 1998 envisioning, Godzilla was often seen arched over in full shot.</div>
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In the most recent adaptation, Godzilla stands taller, often mostly out of frame to emphasise his monolithic stature.</div>
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Overall, I preferred the way that Godzilla was presented in this 2014 instalment. He reflects much more of the classic Godzilla build, and arrives to restore natural balance after the M.U.T,O arrive, rather than needlessly terrorise mankind.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-12170125584629927142014-05-21T13:59:00.001-07:002014-05-21T13:59:38.391-07:00Super Speedpaint FuntimesThere was some recent controversy towards the 'Daily Spitpaint' group on Facebook. The admins were supposedly enforcing rules hard, banning people instantly who claimed to have gone a little over the time limit. There was also a post saying that photo stamp-like brushes (Tree stamps for example) were now also banned. For this reason, concept artist 'Espen Olsen Sætervik' created a more relaxed group.<br />
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'Super Speedpaint Funtimes' allows a 50 min time limit, allowing phototextures and any brushes. I don't think that this new group has the intention of sabotaging Spitpaint (which I am not adverse to still using despite its strict rules), but I think Espen has created something that more tailors concept artists, where we can work in our comfort zone, applying phototextures and a fast workflow as we please. I like this new groups approach. It has yet to loose touch with the idea that art is about having fun and being creative. As long is it doesn't plagiarise, we just be free to use any media to express ourselves.<br />
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I submitted this piece for the topic '500 years in the future:'<br />
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I chose to begin with this topic as it fell with out my distopian future Sci-fi comfort zone. I didn't use photo textures or reference in fact for this piece, as I was acting on impulse and being expressive. I will likely try more topics, but treating them like mini-briefs. I will gather reference and try and create an efficient workflow using phototexures and appropriate texture brushes.</div>
<br />Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-36597296142045211002014-05-21T13:21:00.002-07:002014-05-21T13:21:59.541-07:00Saturday Night VengeanceYesterday we began discussion on our first project. The working title (one that we are happy with and will most likey stick) is 'Saturday Night Vengeance.' We want to go for a very retro 80s tougue-in-cheek feel. There are few comical themes already emerging:<br />
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1. Over-the-top Violence:<br />
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One good example of this is indie game 'Broforce' which pokes fun at macho American 80s and 90s movie characters and satirises American patriotism. The player charges into a non-specified Vietnamese looking environment, blows up half the scenery, mercilessly kills the enemies in a firework display of gore, raises American flags, and on leaving hanging from the rope ladder of a helicopter, a banner reads 'Area Liberated.'<br />
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The game makes fun of America's superiority complex, by making fun of the oriental enemies 'shoddy third world construction.' I really like this flamboyant satire approach.<br />
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2. Obsolete Technology Predictions:<br />
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We're thinking old chunky computer monitors, Big analogue buttons and questionable fashion faux pas.</div>
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Classic revenge narrative:</div>
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Perhaps with a ridiculous motive. Something highly nonchalant and unspectacular, as oppose to the dramatic wedding massacre plot from 'Kill Bill.'</div>
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We have also been discussing presenting ourselves as a collaboration between artists, rather than a small indie games companies, for the purpose of networking. This way we can still present ourselves as individual practitioners before making the decision to tie ourselves down to a company as it were.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-61414802794199734882014-05-19T14:17:00.003-07:002014-05-21T05:20:37.411-07:00Zeppelin 4 HireTim, Adam and I have begun some preparation for a small indie game company (Rhys is still unsure as to whether he will be able to contribute the time after the course has finished). Tim is eager to get things moving quickly, so has requesting a logo design so that he can build a website.<br />
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We had the idea of a man riding a small zeppelin in a rodeo fashion, much like the famous scene from 'Dr. Strangelove:'<br />
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When I present a visual idea, I usually like to present two or three similar ideas. The approach here was to try different angles and expressive poses. It's surprisingly challenging to get a nice cartoony exaggerated feel. On further discussion, we thought it would be funny to have a 'Fat Princess' style character riding the zeppelin. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro3gKw89-afTRXqn3DYuylJRhEOqHUVA-z12DVThI9mwW0nkbTSullKFp7z_3lbiVFjRqY3t0RZAPtInjDBJYKgMs2fcaMg87NRtIF9Xxwsi8_H2tIDnzeCgEMdw_bFi5WdmOtm3gMTk/s1600/Fat_zep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro3gKw89-afTRXqn3DYuylJRhEOqHUVA-z12DVThI9mwW0nkbTSullKFp7z_3lbiVFjRqY3t0RZAPtInjDBJYKgMs2fcaMg87NRtIF9Xxwsi8_H2tIDnzeCgEMdw_bFi5WdmOtm3gMTk/s1600/Fat_zep.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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The design actually looks more like an old lady but still gives a similar comic effect. I have thus far worked with with rough sketches, but am planning on taking the lineart into Illustrator and creating a clean vector for the web. I will probably rework this line drawing, making the character look more like a young overweight princess, and it has been requested by Tim that I lengthen the zeppelin to make it more distinguishable.</div>
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We have began some early discussion on our first potential project, but Adam raised the interesting point of scale and scope for our first undertaking. We are going to discuss this tomorrow in the studio.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-20919050647446540942014-05-19T13:38:00.003-07:002014-05-19T13:38:57.714-07:00Offering WorkI saw an add from 'Allusondrugs' seeing if any aspiring artists would be interested in contributing some poster art. I'm aware that free work is a sometimes controversial subject in the freelance business, but as I am a genuine fan of Allusondrugs' music I thought it could be a nice opportunity to get my work out there and produce some portfolio material:<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRw1chlBLBsbj6A2mBmhLvO4Ww7i2ZSRcB7s1azNXdsr6_-_8j6QBqZLBg-EU9sBwhEiRcQW4OoaHyrtlkrsWVvzL83kx7DcZxtHfXo08IxFsmvA-rNjRUtRQMhBj2HwClADCtCedp-n0/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-05-19+at+21.25.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRw1chlBLBsbj6A2mBmhLvO4Ww7i2ZSRcB7s1azNXdsr6_-_8j6QBqZLBg-EU9sBwhEiRcQW4OoaHyrtlkrsWVvzL83kx7DcZxtHfXo08IxFsmvA-rNjRUtRQMhBj2HwClADCtCedp-n0/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-05-19+at+21.25.21.png" height="327" width="400" /></a></div>
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I kept my opening message quite informal and chatty, as I felt this appropriate dealing with the band director and not a manager figure. I was complimentary towards their work, showing that I enjoy their material and will show enthusiasm towards any requests. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LB5bb1jR4JfTFrx6ns0K3tNskQWa2P7XUQrPRI_v-pyWLzkqsFiRz6yDwULtvEpsAsOetkbGNXn2XrCy0uW9OC7J3GPBuO4UWDxtqSp2vumrJbs77sav1pSZp4ZsDHr4QrPAKa79NYI/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-05-19+at+21.31.59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LB5bb1jR4JfTFrx6ns0K3tNskQWa2P7XUQrPRI_v-pyWLzkqsFiRz6yDwULtvEpsAsOetkbGNXn2XrCy0uW9OC7J3GPBuO4UWDxtqSp2vumrJbs77sav1pSZp4ZsDHr4QrPAKa79NYI/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-05-19+at+21.31.59.png" height="108" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's been a few months since I got the reply now, so I am not sure if I will hear back from the band. On reflection however, the band now are really doing rather well, with a video aired on 'Kerrang' and an article in 'Q Magazine' to name just a couple. If the band had have taken up my offer, I could have ultimately benefitted through fans of the band seeing my work. It goes to show that there are plenty of opportunities to broadcast artwork, and I will continue to offer my services to projects I am genuinely enthused by.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-80653927958235750332014-05-19T11:13:00.001-07:002014-05-19T11:13:34.038-07:00Jobs in the Game Industry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB73kIyolwtxuuyVFE7a5MT0jxofPj1slR8-7Ao3JV6D2Su1fcmzV5MTZ4hGFyLRuY1TZ-pt0qkPi4YYZ6fW0T8PNKuvOB2tXtjI4X2Gn_2d5MGqga_V8VE56rJUVc7hlBE72h_YkavkU/s1600/frustrated1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB73kIyolwtxuuyVFE7a5MT0jxofPj1slR8-7Ao3JV6D2Su1fcmzV5MTZ4hGFyLRuY1TZ-pt0qkPi4YYZ6fW0T8PNKuvOB2tXtjI4X2Gn_2d5MGqga_V8VE56rJUVc7hlBE72h_YkavkU/s1600/frustrated1.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A generic corporate powerpoint presentation style photograph of a frustrated businessman.</i></span></div>
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I have recently been looking at jobs in the industry within my region. There are quite a few developers in the Leeds area interestingly. Even in my hometown of Castleford there is the company 'Alternative Software.'<br />
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One thing I have found however with smaller developers, is that there seems to be big market in sports games. Also it is clear that other companies like 'Four Door Lemon' are established for offering coding services, an area obviously outside my depths within the gaming industry.<br />
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There are also excited developers 'Rockstar North,' 'Just Add Water,' and the small indie company 'Hypersloth' all based in West Yorkshire.<br />
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Reflecting realistically with where I am in terms of my abilities and possible jobs in the industry, I feel I am still clearly at a post graduate level, and perhaps still need more time to develop as an artist. Many of the successful concept artists who are vocal on Facebook like Titus Lunter and Mark Molnar work freelance under contracts from larger games companies like Ubisoft and LucasArts. They are also active within the external art community, for example, Molnar gives tutorials in ImagineFX magazine.<br />
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It's quite overwhelming really, to look at these art communities online and realise the sheer vastness of it all. There arse so many talented hopeful artists, and such a high benchmark for quality and professionalism within the dominating game industry.<br />
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Without sounding cynical, I frankly feel that my journey in the arts still has a long way to go. Perhaps it is self doubt that is holding me back, but I still feel intimidated at the prospect of approaching a games company and requesting a job as a concept artist.<br />
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There is always the sometimes controversial approach of trying to find an internship. Alteratively there is freelance work. This would have both its advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, I would likely need a supporting job as my client base would take a while to build. Secondly, this supporting job would likely take priority and it would be easy to get lazy with my development as an artist.<br />
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This looming self doubt is likely something worth discussing with tutors. It would be a shame for three years hard work to go unrewarded through slipping into a general unrelated job, as I do equally feel I have taken a lot of skills from my three years of study: even simply a broader understanding of the arts from a social and political standpoint with the Concept of Practice modules.<br />
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I want to make it clear at this stage when I refer to myself as not being ready, I am not criticising the structure of the course or support from tutors. Admittedly, the notion of networking and putting myself out there as a practitioner has intimidated me from day one. I resorted to the often used excuse that I was focusing on the module at hand. Although I feel that this last year I have managed to push my artwork further and develop technically, I am still something of an unknown entity to any potential employers, and again, feel that my technically abilities still fall short of the industry benchmark.<br />
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I do have an indie game venture lined up, which I will discuss further in a later post.Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-48964952832553293482014-05-19T09:54:00.000-07:002014-05-19T09:54:08.361-07:00Frank FrazettaI've been trying to draw influence from a wider range of artists as oppose to exclusively reflecting on modern digital artists. I like the painting style of Frank Frazetta, as they have a very tradition oil painted look, yet with often exciting over the top subject matter. One criticism I have however, which seems ever-present in modern entertainment design also, is some of the over-sexualised exploitative subject matter:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwg1LLcfSblDcKaFjY3X76-qtPargLuUhHOOG0TjHKrO36IQlri6X_1rbZrQrSFDsSelPPgq8512c6WdYjc5feRtox81TSWdVm79iGrwUI7BUR0ZHqY9lkY7YM8Xk4ATE8kQWGUZaXeaY/s1600/frank_frazetta_flashforfreedom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwg1LLcfSblDcKaFjY3X76-qtPargLuUhHOOG0TjHKrO36IQlri6X_1rbZrQrSFDsSelPPgq8512c6WdYjc5feRtox81TSWdVm79iGrwUI7BUR0ZHqY9lkY7YM8Xk4ATE8kQWGUZaXeaY/s1600/frank_frazetta_flashforfreedom.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjY9JVLWp5pLOJlYbBqLRx9PQJZ25L4QHrY4tfsgcfnn9gX7p5z0dPw-fb5ubnOkefRm4lDkfVod2IDswg75vVJH9HBvyMOVFH6hPN1Cq16UtzLn9F7ALUYdIWIzga0uwVlTE0-NS6nI/s1600/frank_frazetta_devil_rider_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjY9JVLWp5pLOJlYbBqLRx9PQJZ25L4QHrY4tfsgcfnn9gX7p5z0dPw-fb5ubnOkefRm4lDkfVod2IDswg75vVJH9HBvyMOVFH6hPN1Cq16UtzLn9F7ALUYdIWIzga0uwVlTE0-NS6nI/s1600/frank_frazetta_devil_rider_2.jpg" height="320" width="259" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFBS2wPfE3r0tGEVWc3ocRHGyJoHFbiQRVzOwFAou8gRbqpIUipRCwGJ7Z1pAaPElcTpVN9xNnG2XDXDJ2X29uLA5oJkX4QXAwixkPQn1Hi5LdzSh7789Nlh0OFnEamezIWVXCtRk0uQ/s1600/frank_frazetta_flashmanonthecharge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFBS2wPfE3r0tGEVWc3ocRHGyJoHFbiQRVzOwFAou8gRbqpIUipRCwGJ7Z1pAaPElcTpVN9xNnG2XDXDJ2X29uLA5oJkX4QXAwixkPQn1Hi5LdzSh7789Nlh0OFnEamezIWVXCtRk0uQ/s1600/frank_frazetta_flashmanonthecharge.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The women presented in many of his paintings often seem enslaved by the powerful male figures, often nude in a humiliating objectified manner. I imaging his work would appeal more to a male audience, as they seem aspirational and empowering toward the male gender, yet degrading toward female audiences. </div>
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This got me thinking about me as an aspiring practitioner in the digital arts. Gaming is an enormous industry, so it is understandable that it relies heavily on exploitation and aspiration marketing. This is something I am a little bit disillusioned by: the objectification and exploitation of women in the media. Hopefully the industry will learn from 'The Last of Us' and move away from the delinquent flaunting of the female form.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-48023430664143791202014-05-18T04:47:00.005-07:002014-05-18T04:47:47.370-07:00Brushing up on Colour TheoryA friend linked me to this helpful video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Qj1FK8n7WgY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Firstly, there are obviously these helpful colour bridges etc. but a key thing the video got me thinking about which is somehow overlooked in my work is controlling the saturation to manipulate the eyes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhl-nhF-WGOSpF6EqEfiIA1TaEyQSFw49rzcAwQnaMjon6iBGawxBxsHdLZKW6kg-tKA2GJ2xc15KND31AJfeMHJIjvkk1esbkqg2d4gdTzdN1jXeo7N1gKR4ikDlEooqOmXN7hyphenhyphenNiPA/s1600/City_outskirts_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhl-nhF-WGOSpF6EqEfiIA1TaEyQSFw49rzcAwQnaMjon6iBGawxBxsHdLZKW6kg-tKA2GJ2xc15KND31AJfeMHJIjvkk1esbkqg2d4gdTzdN1jXeo7N1gKR4ikDlEooqOmXN7hyphenhyphenNiPA/s1600/City_outskirts_2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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This piece from my extended practice module is somewhat unsuccessful, as the colours are all bright and blown out, compromising depth. The bright cartoony colours are intentional, but it's hard to distinguish the figure in the bottom right corner from the cityscape.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KxqIRQMjFeD5tebWgftag35bHYwxe-7imdDPyZMhwp_mcKoWWXKUviQKGYydOE3l3Phmoko-iUAMG0t7dY2qxcqrGYdOdYbDYyqmPpGwXqrtrTi7UJ0KMOc34Sx8w5evujWf8f-3cSk/s1600/Snow_ship_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KxqIRQMjFeD5tebWgftag35bHYwxe-7imdDPyZMhwp_mcKoWWXKUviQKGYydOE3l3Phmoko-iUAMG0t7dY2qxcqrGYdOdYbDYyqmPpGwXqrtrTi7UJ0KMOc34Sx8w5evujWf8f-3cSk/s1600/Snow_ship_2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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This persona piece I feel is successful as generally cool low saturated colours are used, but in areas of importance like the explorer figures and the wrecked ship there are warm saturated reds and oranges. The saturated characters guide the eyes towards the red ship.</div>
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It is important to understand the importance of colour. I have become quite aware of the importance of value control, but colour theory has often been overlooked.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-91424233175719041762014-05-18T04:29:00.002-07:002014-05-18T04:29:43.900-07:00Inspiration.I stumbled across a motivational video documenting the journey of a visual artist:<br />
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There seems to be a lot of videos like this around the internet, and they're very helpful and uplifting for aspiring artists like myself. The key message is that despite a common misconception, anyone can develop into a great artist with time and effort. Art isn't exclusive to those who are ultra talented, and at some point every professional artist has experienced self doubt and struggle.<br />
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The 'Level Up!' community on facebook is also a great place for motivational posts. Lots of artists post side-by-side images of there work from a few years ago next to a recent piece showcasing their development. The key thing I can take from this, is that if I am willing to put in the effort, I should undoubtedly develop as an artist.Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-46235140286587429872014-05-14T07:44:00.001-07:002014-05-14T07:44:23.316-07:00Specular MappingWe had already discussed the possibility of bringing in normal maps (specular, bump etc...). We have already established a flat cartoony style, and didn't really want to over do it with bump maps and make it look too gritty or realistic, but Annabeth did suggest that we could experiment with specular maps to distinguish matt surfaces from metallic ones. I applied this to a Weapon of SASS Destruction turnaround I had thrown together earlier in Unity. I found that you could only bring in separate normal maps to work out the bumpiness of a shader, for example specular bump. The flat diffuse specular applies shininess to the entire mesh unless otherwise influenced by an alpha channel within the material. This means again, similarly to when working out the transparency, I am using Targa files:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZVvhgpA1YQwLE8NVQkI7tKD2fuWIUOQOSXRhdTSY8X9LA0daJkZEfyCW4z7iWr70AfqcLTLAwroDxWId3kQSSDWP4-uWUtYLPmfw9Wy04AxFtUhihhyphenhyphen4w0nuk6aQ1Re2aaa5R_maLFk/s1600/WosD_spec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZVvhgpA1YQwLE8NVQkI7tKD2fuWIUOQOSXRhdTSY8X9LA0daJkZEfyCW4z7iWr70AfqcLTLAwroDxWId3kQSSDWP4-uWUtYLPmfw9Wy04AxFtUhihhyphenhyphen4w0nuk6aQ1Re2aaa5R_maLFk/s1600/WosD_spec.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the channel from the Targa file. The lighter areas indicate where the mesh will be more shiney and reflective, I really tried to put a cartoony exaggeration on the reflectivity on metallic objects like the guns and ammo belt:</div>
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Notice in Unity I knocked back the main colour to a light grey and upped the specular colour to full white to further the strong highlights. The gun and ammo belt in frame here are clearly much more sharp and reflective than the matt body of the mech. Again though, we are working with large Targa files, so in terms of efficiency we will probably have to keep the amount of objects with specular shaders to a minimum. I suggested we have the mechs and copper pipes the player passes through as reflective objects, and maybe the wrecked vehicles.Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-37984554308991485072014-05-14T06:40:00.001-07:002014-05-14T06:40:38.239-07:00Transparency IssuesThe issue I hit with transparency within both Maya and Unity was that when applying a PNG or Targa to the entire mesh of say the 'WoSD,' was that the faces from the back of the mesh like the ammo canisters could be seen through the front faces:<br />
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Here the ladders above the left gun are a single plane that require transparency for the gaps in the steps. The simple solution seemed to be to apply a separate transparent texture to only the ladders, using a .jpg for the rest of the body. However, this presented a strange white aliasing problem. Some research on the Unity forums brought me to the understanding that where values are semi transparent, Unity works out the values in between are white, as if the image is sitting on a white backdrop: this video explains it well:</div>
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I followed the instructions, downloading the plugin that allowed for the solidify function. The results were successful. The problem however, was that I was using Targa files to enable Unity to read the attatched alpha file, while preserving the bleed created by solidifying the images. Targa files are quite large, and considering I had an entire Targa image for say a spider mech wheel, this was going to be a highly inefficient approach:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UV72vSRg2EhqS2jRD6fd8XeAFxVcpPSlSerpXfUxIP3HLPI1t9nZbC9VbNAWWYmdngu7ocXwdR2Mw4Q6-9xV1QH_JzL8y9cr6Fq026tWiKIxqX6sM3HUfO_5gFeuzfacq8-EJRw320Q/s1600/Solidify.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UV72vSRg2EhqS2jRD6fd8XeAFxVcpPSlSerpXfUxIP3HLPI1t9nZbC9VbNAWWYmdngu7ocXwdR2Mw4Q6-9xV1QH_JzL8y9cr6Fq026tWiKIxqX6sM3HUfO_5gFeuzfacq8-EJRw320Q/s1600/Solidify.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here is an example of the stain glass windows Targa file. As you can see there is a lot of wasted space on a file that is 16.9mb in size.</span></i></div>
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I had to find a more efficient way to include transparency into our game level. The first obvious approach to include all of the transparent game objects on one UV map. To do this I imported all of the FBX files with transparency into one scene, and arranged a new map with elements like wheels and vandalism:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ohdc9yeDmN7uEO61nhpX9wcbPmmIs3zUleuqpQunhVbJe5qn9AqsY1RZJe_Z1OLymbUGzxjEJMzOHJCa8JBXPgew-mjHt9Pi6lzjIWBMlVsopVos-Cb4ngLRUni_8EPdqzgmE2DJraM/s1600/White_Alias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ohdc9yeDmN7uEO61nhpX9wcbPmmIs3zUleuqpQunhVbJe5qn9AqsY1RZJe_Z1OLymbUGzxjEJMzOHJCa8JBXPgew-mjHt9Pi6lzjIWBMlVsopVos-Cb4ngLRUni_8EPdqzgmE2DJraM/s1600/White_Alias.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This shot highlights the white aliasing issue to the right. For some reason, where on my mac book the PNG created the same white alias, here on the university's computers the PNG to left works.</i></span></div>
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Despite the PNG working okay, I decided I still wanted to use the Targa file format. As I am using also semi transparency, and not just full transparency in the empty spaces, I like to have the alpha channel so I can tweak and control transparency levels with for example the Nighthawks' windows:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hyZIBuaya_jnNawSY7zce0OXEpqX7kTMrC2ki-pZwMygOY0tbaHOY3wetKBgvI1WHGp9y6YDhJmOMpvzZgilOZe_XbXBPbBHls6QuUlGmYDQZeSSjITKZ0hTgU5FMH_siyXEWQ0AnpY/s1600/Transparency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hyZIBuaya_jnNawSY7zce0OXEpqX7kTMrC2ki-pZwMygOY0tbaHOY3wetKBgvI1WHGp9y6YDhJmOMpvzZgilOZe_XbXBPbBHls6QuUlGmYDQZeSSjITKZ0hTgU5FMH_siyXEWQ0AnpY/s1600/Transparency.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>There is still unused space on the UV, but having all of the transparent faces on one map is much more efficient. I didn't have the solidify plugin on the university computers, so did a simple method of bleeding out the colours by hand using a soft brush.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTyhDWf1yMDFsB1iztP3wgm3LxU3CFD-7OO5Wrlqh_mtU70A2u6PDE-AkcyRpxJItEHXSYyLxPVR-3h4hh5V-hrLt0yDgziOklifExIly0psPkBVKO4FSzApYuk_8LDFFSwVXUUC8WmA/s1600/Transparency_alpha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTyhDWf1yMDFsB1iztP3wgm3LxU3CFD-7OO5Wrlqh_mtU70A2u6PDE-AkcyRpxJItEHXSYyLxPVR-3h4hh5V-hrLt0yDgziOklifExIly0psPkBVKO4FSzApYuk_8LDFFSwVXUUC8WmA/s1600/Transparency_alpha.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here is the alpha map. The white areas are fully visible, whereas the black areas cannot be seen. The grey areas are semitransparent. I have also just realised that I have missed the transparency and colour bleeding of the bottom stain glass window plane, something I will amend.</span></i></div>
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While I am on the subject of efficiently, Adam was in charge of UV unwrapping, and he sent me some really nice and efficient UVs. Occasionally however, I would unwrap simple block assets like walls and floors, and I feel I could have been much move efficient:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6Wsx0BunH8e_mGty9W5rVz0rp2TdotzSmgRxahyphenhyphen8lH1ZX6c6qOGf_XfvNgG03Dz8ugU1vBEjR40MT1J-L6LbqflAq352CidjgQVvPUtEj1nt3a6utLUb5gr8Tfcj_1DlDlqqrHnx6fw/s1600/Unefficient_uv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6Wsx0BunH8e_mGty9W5rVz0rp2TdotzSmgRxahyphenhyphen8lH1ZX6c6qOGf_XfvNgG03Dz8ugU1vBEjR40MT1J-L6LbqflAq352CidjgQVvPUtEj1nt3a6utLUb5gr8Tfcj_1DlDlqqrHnx6fw/s1600/Unefficient_uv.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></div>
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Again there is a lot of wasted space on this, and with simplicity of the designs, some of the faces could have shared the same planar projection. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3Y3urC1CYidPFvko_qj4NWYzJwXi1atwckXFxl_zGrCjOim2DN2-25QZtWOJO0QzwnNxqIkfHwtiqZqg1mhc7RARUj8zCpSTGAXeP7BY_QoxHx9UxFQtkuFoIKwSejNBpkxB6kZhsbY/s1600/Container_efficient.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3Y3urC1CYidPFvko_qj4NWYzJwXi1atwckXFxl_zGrCjOim2DN2-25QZtWOJO0QzwnNxqIkfHwtiqZqg1mhc7RARUj8zCpSTGAXeP7BY_QoxHx9UxFQtkuFoIKwSejNBpkxB6kZhsbY/s1600/Container_efficient.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was more efficient with this container UV, sharing the same projection for 3 of the 4 longer faces (apart from the one with the Nasti Moons emblem), and using using one projection for the square end faces.</div>
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Also, with smaller assets like this one, perhaps I could have taken the UV snapshots at a smaller resolution. Generally I projected at 2048x2048, sometimes 1024x1024 for smaller assets. Perhaps I could have used even smaller resolution projections for the smaller less detailed assets to further efficiency.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-29204184557817475062014-05-14T05:14:00.004-07:002014-05-14T05:14:42.186-07:00Building TexturesAs mentioned earlier, the game level now takes place in a SOI city (Leeds) which has been overrun by Marauders. I wanted to nail down a general style for SOI architecture, so began by painting two generic buildings sent to me modelled and unwrapped by Adam:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37nIKMRcrjgEa-YmY4xDa1RLu-0qL1WNRJJ73doz0Eng66eGObDmg22sPjqlj8BHj9N5ANZASHUvwYNsy-sS7s1FRgFQImmGA8LISQ3K_nWcZULeWgjHDcjrTsQy6sJZVdGtitkReduM/s1600/SOI_grey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37nIKMRcrjgEa-YmY4xDa1RLu-0qL1WNRJJ73doz0Eng66eGObDmg22sPjqlj8BHj9N5ANZASHUvwYNsy-sS7s1FRgFQImmGA8LISQ3K_nWcZULeWgjHDcjrTsQy6sJZVdGtitkReduM/s1600/SOI_grey.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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We had already discussed that the Leeds Market building would be a good source of reference. It has an interesting old victorian feel, consisting of lots of iron arches and supports giving both an elegant yet industrial feel. We thought this style would suite the resourceful Sons of Iron quite well. I grabbed some images from google:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZZ7o3DKFVU5Ym1J8_HsD2w2rudRNCJD_uFgsLK1UkK6dH9EjZcrhS2e0Nt-T3rNeyE4ZEzsc3EP78XweUKeSDCzjJEb4_AmXvkpFaY8gLZhRQGTWS1qUfS-O73RKoYHXuZSKZXRCqCA/s1600/SOI_reference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZZ7o3DKFVU5Ym1J8_HsD2w2rudRNCJD_uFgsLK1UkK6dH9EjZcrhS2e0Nt-T3rNeyE4ZEzsc3EP78XweUKeSDCzjJEb4_AmXvkpFaY8gLZhRQGTWS1qUfS-O73RKoYHXuZSKZXRCqCA/s1600/SOI_reference.jpg" height="310" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see I have also included a brewery cask and a dramatic painting to bring in interesting and vibrant colours. I feel I went into quite some detail with these structures:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiQIGVWwouNHMjrZx5siwp08aKp-HwxiNauqkZNO2QVcxYU360vqgi7Vliu6ru6cnEJ9VEle4Bx8-onV_bQpt3cOeBevA1GFG-OI46EMXXqgDXXxaYobFg4dfEjDGG827qWZecjG4E8k/s1600/SOI_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiQIGVWwouNHMjrZx5siwp08aKp-HwxiNauqkZNO2QVcxYU360vqgi7Vliu6ru6cnEJ9VEle4Bx8-onV_bQpt3cOeBevA1GFG-OI46EMXXqgDXXxaYobFg4dfEjDGG827qWZecjG4E8k/s1600/SOI_detail.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></div>
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I included elements from the Leeds market hall, such as the blue supports and burgundy strip with gold decorations. This contrasting with the grimy weathered stone and dirty copper brewery casks bursting through, gives both elegant SOI and chaotic Marauder characteristics:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IGrago8_ALsyOtzClaqrVoYKAzKairWqCq__LslmerbXES3AEM1uDcECQK9i1bBF0j4i_9hDC5BYJ52s-dok2rT-nWe_a91cff58SAj8lgcfkdvigHNRQC10UiCrU9bZcCKVBRhO21g/s1600/SOI_detail_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IGrago8_ALsyOtzClaqrVoYKAzKairWqCq__LslmerbXES3AEM1uDcECQK9i1bBF0j4i_9hDC5BYJ52s-dok2rT-nWe_a91cff58SAj8lgcfkdvigHNRQC10UiCrU9bZcCKVBRhO21g/s1600/SOI_detail_02.jpg" height="292" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also created a dirty water stain effect around the brewery casks using a soft muddy brown brush, and then applying the smudge tool:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5JhVl5fFemG5RmHbxxpJSNl4Exmsi0rkSo9-a_ZzKmvezdsaAa1Wp1AeKaU4T9tql2fdo9UkrXBjaCut80ukVATe4C_k21WtIpgsQ0cvgw8x_hKkvh7B-y_IwRURnxv34l1FTFvbAlg/s1600/SOI_stain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5JhVl5fFemG5RmHbxxpJSNl4Exmsi0rkSo9-a_ZzKmvezdsaAa1Wp1AeKaU4T9tql2fdo9UkrXBjaCut80ukVATe4C_k21WtIpgsQ0cvgw8x_hKkvh7B-y_IwRURnxv34l1FTFvbAlg/s1600/SOI_stain.jpg" height="320" width="300" /></a></div>
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With this subject matter, there is a constant struggle between vibrancy and grittiness. The marauders are an unsanitary beer guzzling faction, laying waste to once beautiful architecture. Despite the grizzly setting of a war torn land and the bleak industrial North, we actually want the aesthetics of the game world to be bright and fun to look at, very much like the <i>'Borderlands'</i> game franchise. I actually feel that the strong blue iron girders and complimentary orange copper casks help maintain the balance and keep the style fun and vibrant. The details such as vomit coloured moss, dirty cracked stone and water stains gives us just enough to communicate bleak chaotic times without loosing the fun.</div>
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I believe also that the heavy black outlines help give an instant comic book effect, also making the forms seem more punchy and exaggerated:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitp5uurL3PdpNWq_Rm-CSp7iEXl3GTpzT6R6jlDpmP12kiujlm_nr-BZeNXAKYXK6_-P4U0PFoVmDEi2ojd25IQgpndSlpYj_r3_h2OjO3ACNm6oNYR_gQvzEozTBZN0_rrslot730toU/s1600/SOI_outlined.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitp5uurL3PdpNWq_Rm-CSp7iEXl3GTpzT6R6jlDpmP12kiujlm_nr-BZeNXAKYXK6_-P4U0PFoVmDEi2ojd25IQgpndSlpYj_r3_h2OjO3ACNm6oNYR_gQvzEozTBZN0_rrslot730toU/s1600/SOI_outlined.jpg" height="320" width="282" /></a></div>
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I also decided to build some modular image planes which I dubbed 'Vandalism' parts, to further the level of Marauder impact on the regal SOI architecture. I mixed the colours of both clans, the 'Crimson Teeth' (red) and 'Nasti Moons' (yellow). I also included a fence spike piece to have abruptly jutting out the walls:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFECy9X3zLtC7KBsOp2VnoOKMvEbgxH1teqZPrA8ikdpn2Q0_baAjzbWcTXpXjakArzqbXeQqqmFv7ZLIP_04Wws71sBCPwWAOQAjuRMdzoGkMRaEkEpWopGv1OyqS4Fzcbk5UXJqT1g/s1600/SOI_vandalism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFECy9X3zLtC7KBsOp2VnoOKMvEbgxH1teqZPrA8ikdpn2Q0_baAjzbWcTXpXjakArzqbXeQqqmFv7ZLIP_04Wws71sBCPwWAOQAjuRMdzoGkMRaEkEpWopGv1OyqS4Fzcbk5UXJqT1g/s1600/SOI_vandalism.jpg" height="320" width="316" /></a></div>
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On another note, there was come confusion regarding the roof of the tall building. The original model didn't contain a roof and was hollow at the top, presenting issues obviously with backface culling. For this reason I quickly added a spire roof, but it turned out that the tops of the taller buildings would not be visible. Based on the camera distance from the the player character on the test levels, I assumed the buildings would be in full view, but it turns out the scale will be upped and the camera moved closer, which in my opinion is better. The added roof did come in handy however for a rendered out shot I did of the textured and vandalised buildings I produced to be used as a promotional image:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT61puTxPkDj58q8whedwBvbTSsNdDbBhVG_bOUtrgdf2zClcuQh00-6NTJcCuPhgksuogUhmSfdlYQi54qI_jfEzi2ScGShzkei-bYzUVeyOF33g0ezSulPKjIII3Q6586KH8__If_6w/s1600/Andrew-Bailey_Template01_Image04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT61puTxPkDj58q8whedwBvbTSsNdDbBhVG_bOUtrgdf2zClcuQh00-6NTJcCuPhgksuogUhmSfdlYQi54qI_jfEzi2ScGShzkei-bYzUVeyOF33g0ezSulPKjIII3Q6586KH8__If_6w/s1600/Andrew-Bailey_Template01_Image04.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Backface culling was an issue when I turned on the backface culling shader in maya. For single planes like on the street lamps (which you will see in a moment) I duplicated the faces, reversed the normals and them combined them both.</div>
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With the the Sons of Iron being a religious faction, it was suggested that stain glass street lamp decorations could offer a splash of colour and interest:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_3zWw8RjBZdIf4hSNapp8M7t1fFRvpQsOzuLvL2cPlTyLtu1FXHF4DPOiKPomaJXY3Bevw8dw7cqUjSppxdg9CbtSfg5vRN5ubF_W6g_7ddo2twkCIr_cAHblkxVtrEY0GtoLoC0cTk/s1600/Stain_glass_ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_3zWw8RjBZdIf4hSNapp8M7t1fFRvpQsOzuLvL2cPlTyLtu1FXHF4DPOiKPomaJXY3Bevw8dw7cqUjSppxdg9CbtSfg5vRN5ubF_W6g_7ddo2twkCIr_cAHblkxVtrEY0GtoLoC0cTk/s1600/Stain_glass_ref.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Reference</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk_3wzLuadBeKj-doI-pIoTNXY4w1RxND93vtqu4RvOvtcpIT2o8CHtp1WT71TCgLBd_qbSM7LEovGDdSWBf73beoh1fA30O649WmrtluxfB8TPA9jL0q20B880VHMY7mZYsyfzTkizc/s1600/Stain_glass_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk_3wzLuadBeKj-doI-pIoTNXY4w1RxND93vtqu4RvOvtcpIT2o8CHtp1WT71TCgLBd_qbSM7LEovGDdSWBf73beoh1fA30O649WmrtluxfB8TPA9jL0q20B880VHMY7mZYsyfzTkizc/s1600/Stain_glass_2.jpg" height="320" width="311" /></a></div>
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With the street lamp decorations, I went for an industrial/ agricultural feel, as if the SOI faction are celebrating their technological advancements. I could have had the stain glass plates cracked and damage by the marauders, but I didn't want to loose the vibrancy and vividness of the designs.</div>
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After completion of these standard SOI buildings, I could efficiently apply the same style to others copying over the layers and using the clone stamp tool:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUgNA8epUo1aPivQVpzsnBx0daqtfg4wQ8MA76wcT-vS9gEvAFqljGRHSeZtR8JtbAvg6NhByFqFghGXmbQPmuK8BIY3AwAi4YBm6AU2y8MB_cVyS8wi-g-dCLydp4uFp2q9GyO762IA/s1600/Gaping_Goose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUgNA8epUo1aPivQVpzsnBx0daqtfg4wQ8MA76wcT-vS9gEvAFqljGRHSeZtR8JtbAvg6NhByFqFghGXmbQPmuK8BIY3AwAi4YBm6AU2y8MB_cVyS8wi-g-dCLydp4uFp2q9GyO762IA/s1600/Gaping_Goose.jpg" height="320" width="287" /></a></div>
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For this pub building I tried a slightly more traditional victorian style with the blue decorative trims, more like the 'Victorian Street' environment concept piece I produced during the R&D phase.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBt463f46dTK8MFxNikJDJu1OX7DY-O5YpEDbTU4_hHBXC9tXWP0J12kNaWVFCYfhax43SO6EP_zZkBZzf9aRFYbcYVXDxn9fPfW-qwvHebKZpK0w7jtx3VMFE5smxAt3JlSAVQ9NW-UU/s1600/SOI_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBt463f46dTK8MFxNikJDJu1OX7DY-O5YpEDbTU4_hHBXC9tXWP0J12kNaWVFCYfhax43SO6EP_zZkBZzf9aRFYbcYVXDxn9fPfW-qwvHebKZpK0w7jtx3VMFE5smxAt3JlSAVQ9NW-UU/s1600/SOI_large.jpg" height="272" width="320" /></a></div>
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Notice here that I brought back some subtle art deco elements with the door and decorative small blocky structure directly above the door. It's fun how I am able to combine all these different architectural elements to try and create a unique aesthetic style for the SOI. I think the key with the SOI, being a conservative yet technologically advanced faction, is to try and achieve a new meets old look. The art deco seems suave and classy, against the old industrial iron girders.</div>
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That is not to say that we followed this set style for every piece. Adam sent me a building that he had dubbed 'Nighthawks' bar, along with the painting that inspired it:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwAasdtwOhz0MwYdDijyxcAnAVMZkzuy282Jr6MOSW1HfAE51kNKZA9bH76UK99tdpIYbvDTXp03-eMBYWWtNB0Naq4MMehXUOV6wC2wDcY5P3QLORrXTi_Vh4LFGP97zFPcE7FMD18s/s1600/Nighthawks_ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwAasdtwOhz0MwYdDijyxcAnAVMZkzuy282Jr6MOSW1HfAE51kNKZA9bH76UK99tdpIYbvDTXp03-eMBYWWtNB0Naq4MMehXUOV6wC2wDcY5P3QLORrXTi_Vh4LFGP97zFPcE7FMD18s/s1600/Nighthawks_ref.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
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I liked the mood of the pice, and thought the oranges might match some of the brewery elements, along with the greeny blue theme we already have, so I used these colours:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEE-eo8TkYFl9OyvOpvWi5AcawFuRvMUXcQLO0hLRViWRelBAbP9hGT5EPOr4qD0BzZtwLctzopTxiqXciY1WjXdM6-hzxRF_Bt3qIrpXLc42wdsYsYwG8WKw4ayHx57q8iRxEUFHcuw/s1600/nighthawks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEE-eo8TkYFl9OyvOpvWi5AcawFuRvMUXcQLO0hLRViWRelBAbP9hGT5EPOr4qD0BzZtwLctzopTxiqXciY1WjXdM6-hzxRF_Bt3qIrpXLc42wdsYsYwG8WKw4ayHx57q8iRxEUFHcuw/s1600/nighthawks.jpg" height="306" width="320" /></a></div>
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I painted the font by hand, using reference:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CdPp9iZz4PnRPySQIB9uqFb86QQZa9u6sEqrnBm045-TCFjSww1YyK7kYANlKI6oJhBcPkDGQhRVuZJdks93_n6V71OAQui4P1Ysun7GGWBVaZk7zr-LUAyHUchTaYEEj9o_-1rCUh0/s1600/Deco_font_ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CdPp9iZz4PnRPySQIB9uqFb86QQZa9u6sEqrnBm045-TCFjSww1YyK7kYANlKI6oJhBcPkDGQhRVuZJdks93_n6V71OAQui4P1Ysun7GGWBVaZk7zr-LUAyHUchTaYEEj9o_-1rCUh0/s1600/Deco_font_ref.jpg" /></a></div>
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The petrol station below is titled 'Conch' as a humorous play on oil company 'Shell':</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hah-V3niVWRO8le0CpDnqLgPkZCTJcl4TSL-68pZ3BJy6lOPdGAD3K2zB7Sb6TrsB7Abg8mpJy6PuAIBItKVvZojZo4eNt0pp0b5Z3DUohAIu9ZjfHbU_Aqywa49llnu_BDqneqhPFk/s1600/Conch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hah-V3niVWRO8le0CpDnqLgPkZCTJcl4TSL-68pZ3BJy6lOPdGAD3K2zB7Sb6TrsB7Abg8mpJy6PuAIBItKVvZojZo4eNt0pp0b5Z3DUohAIu9ZjfHbU_Aqywa49llnu_BDqneqhPFk/s1600/Conch.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Notice how I used phototexture with the brick, taken from Tim's reference photographs taken at the Canal in Leeds. I introduced more phototextures later on, for reasons of both efficiency and also a more dynamic less flat style.</div>
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On another note, when rigging the Mechs, it was important that I maintained good practice (naming the conrols and joints conventionally, Locking off controls with the limit attributes function to prevent the rig from breaking...) so that I could pass the rigs on to Rhys for animation. With me being the sole texture artist, my approach was much looser. I used lots of unnamed layers, organised only in rough folders:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupvMhRY9f7HRr2tQualeFKPNZBwpRSGXCre0XDameymfE4zca7PkUAeMOYjFxvCz7vdQQYzoPmDs7sJbdiSRUL4jO54BvtsNXY2AE-sPFKEFLrLV4m2KboJgLwWMta12CMaY4X516xo8/s1600/Layers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupvMhRY9f7HRr2tQualeFKPNZBwpRSGXCre0XDameymfE4zca7PkUAeMOYjFxvCz7vdQQYzoPmDs7sJbdiSRUL4jO54BvtsNXY2AE-sPFKEFLrLV4m2KboJgLwWMta12CMaY4X516xo8/s1600/Layers.jpg" height="400" width="128" /></a></div>
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This was I okay for me, but I remember hearing artist Titus Lunter speaking about how he once did a job where an experienced artist who was new to digital art passed on a file convoluted with many tiny layers, and Titus spent half the time organise the work before he could paint over anything or make tweaks. This is definitely something to consider if ever I am producing images that could potentially be passed on to other artists.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-48595991802015437722014-05-12T03:06:00.003-07:002014-05-12T03:06:27.004-07:00Rigging Issues with the Spider MechOn top of the main WoSD, I was also assigned with the task of rigging and texturing Adam's spider mech model. The original concept came from a painting produced by Adam in the R&D phase. With the deadline creeping up, we have accepted the strong likelihood that we will only be able to complete one playable level. The Spider Mech model was created early on, and Adam had the idea of including it as a SOI machine highjacked by the Marauders. This way the SOI lore is still present within the Marauder game level. The stolen Spider Mechs are owned by the 'Nasti Moon' clan, who adopt a yellow colour scheme:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaF7V-AkUXgMmryDU_Gyw2nXSyhiHVwxkq5GtkbnyRDYSMHKr2qisNTX0Hug8HRUzRDnBB3wuO89SMHQkgC2y-DJjKyszd6bNry4Rws5kXcNZFfpTf92ncBGHpuf0T7BAQ_a__sViwvw/s1600/spider_UV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaF7V-AkUXgMmryDU_Gyw2nXSyhiHVwxkq5GtkbnyRDYSMHKr2qisNTX0Hug8HRUzRDnBB3wuO89SMHQkgC2y-DJjKyszd6bNry4Rws5kXcNZFfpTf92ncBGHpuf0T7BAQ_a__sViwvw/s1600/spider_UV.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is a conscious decision whenever a Marauder clan emblem is drawn to do it loosely freehand. It gives this quickly painted on look fitting the Marauder's chaotic character traits. The Marauder Spider Mech includes also a wooden beer cask, fitting with a new narrative where the Marauders have turned the city into a giant make shift brewery. On this barrel you see the Nasti Moon's clan emblem.</div>
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The rig itself for the spider mech was fairly straight forward, using single Ik handles with the standard three joint humanlike legs:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYPf12q2Z3FALI0SkIyu9H9cYcdCyIo2YyxFB5Uk_ScikCWhDsMHCrGIZXG7uxhUUvDJU6RmMii31854Ak_RBdb5j0ZVShBwIZ6-KUFTqBNWQyFKMrSSg6Y7mu_cuw7dT1tjUEliF6XA/s1600/Spider_simple_rig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYPf12q2Z3FALI0SkIyu9H9cYcdCyIo2YyxFB5Uk_ScikCWhDsMHCrGIZXG7uxhUUvDJU6RmMii31854Ak_RBdb5j0ZVShBwIZ6-KUFTqBNWQyFKMrSSg6Y7mu_cuw7dT1tjUEliF6XA/s1600/Spider_simple_rig.jpg" height="241" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hit trouble when painting out the influence of the legs on the body of the spider mech. I quickly discovered that I needed to physically hide the legs as to not paint out the influence on them when trying to get to the body. I had the leg meshes on a separate hidden layer originally. The major issue however was that Maya kept crashing when painting out the influence. I researched the issue online and made some attempts to put less strain on Maya when painting the mesh. Firstly I went into the preferences and deactivated the undo feature so that Maya was no longer trying to remember 50 stages while using the 'paint skin weights' tool. Secondly, I toggled off the 'construction history' feature:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q5A19fCbAgiw4AYaLE0LVJwHTwtCEj3NIdZeLPV0Duaxbikqp8ghz9SE_-MZoXBE9UT0tDeECAvBF-V0zSSSgg1gtLw3LdCqC8_4dPvWOB4R2dpfRkIE9ixKaCvXGjYAkJL6G_EHc6I/s1600/Construction_history.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q5A19fCbAgiw4AYaLE0LVJwHTwtCEj3NIdZeLPV0Duaxbikqp8ghz9SE_-MZoXBE9UT0tDeECAvBF-V0zSSSgg1gtLw3LdCqC8_4dPvWOB4R2dpfRkIE9ixKaCvXGjYAkJL6G_EHc6I/s1600/Construction_history.jpg" height="281" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately this didn't resolve the issue, and I kept getting error messages. The only solution was to reduce the size of the brush and paint carefully, trying not to influence too many vertices at once, and to save very regularly. On reflection, we are working with very simple low poly models, so the weight painting shouldn't have really caused problems. Speaking with tutor Matt, he explained how others had reported similar struggles when weight painting in the Maya 2014, and that could be accredited to a bug. Unfortunately this glitch made the process much more drawn out than it had to be, causing me to have to boot up Maya and reload the scene repeatedly after a crash.</div>
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Matt also noticed an issue with the weight painting of the legs:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FEEI0Ss3JgeGqJSJ08YbOpswpzP2Gz23E4vTyx19YNf8jPTf0o7PRcl6NwJiMn7IOGDzPp5KFtKlKDWN_XHjXWaUeSzbwaA-PJ0LLoIUmPJrJtPzQtWOAHgs9j-qTI44mktBsDcpBzg/s1600/Spider_leg_bend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FEEI0Ss3JgeGqJSJ08YbOpswpzP2Gz23E4vTyx19YNf8jPTf0o7PRcl6NwJiMn7IOGDzPp5KFtKlKDWN_XHjXWaUeSzbwaA-PJ0LLoIUmPJrJtPzQtWOAHgs9j-qTI44mktBsDcpBzg/s1600/Spider_leg_bend.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></div>
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Notice how the influence from the knee joint is causing the end of the first leg mesh to bend up. I realised that I needed influence running down the leg mesh from the leg joint, and same with knee mesh and knee joint, as shown below:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmyRk1Vp3oDT9a5scJUT1Hp4jXjnneHGeba4Kk1U3g-FW8_qRJlgVOSG8sbtSsLAMbUZysYt6YUBwS_3a2N_kTzipMoDvGAce15EzvfA8A5MBz4ivJaK6LV_zNAgMibqPuekz_gvJP7s/s1600/Spider_better_influence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmyRk1Vp3oDT9a5scJUT1Hp4jXjnneHGeba4Kk1U3g-FW8_qRJlgVOSG8sbtSsLAMbUZysYt6YUBwS_3a2N_kTzipMoDvGAce15EzvfA8A5MBz4ivJaK6LV_zNAgMibqPuekz_gvJP7s/s1600/Spider_better_influence.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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The gradient mode also shows blue influence on other legs, and there was also some unwanted influence affecting the front of the body and the wheels. Rhys offered to complete the weightpainting before resuming his role as animator. This is where good practice and naming conventions were important with the rig enabling Rhys to navigate around the model and work efficiently. </div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-43128217669126999992014-05-09T05:41:00.003-07:002014-05-09T05:41:50.439-07:00Texturing and Rigging the WoSDNow we are in to the building phase, we have begun nailing down a pipeline for efficient workflow. Tim and Adam have been doing most of the asset modelling, Adam has bee unwrapping the UVs, Rhys has been animating, Tim has been building and coding in Unity with support from Adam and I have been given the role of texture painting, and so far some of the rigging. We thought that by having one artist on the textures, we would be able to maintain a consistent style. We have also opted to carry the outlined comic effect used for the wrecked whippet which we weren't 100% sure of. We feel it makes the game look more distinctive and visually interesting.<br />
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With the 'Weapon of SASS Destruction' being such a key asset, we had a clear concept so there wasn't too much need for experimentation at this stage. I simply had to clean up and paint the textures from the turnaround I had created earlier. Painting textures offers interesting challenges. Obviously the shadows are determined by lights placed in the game engine, so I had to not include any hard shadow, without the textures looking flat. Obviously there are other ways to achieve the illusion of depth and texture such as bump mapping, but our game isn't ultra realistic, so we won't be relying too much on that.</div>
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One of the greatest challenges at this phase came with the rigging of the WoSD. I essentially only needed the legs rigging with a single joint to control the upper half of the Mech:</div>
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I hit trouble when weight painting the influence, as the heels of the mech seemed to peel off the ground, and the foot would loose volume when I moved the foot controls:</div>
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I couldn't figure out why the influence was so off. My methods became unorthodox, using distant joints to pull on vertexes like for example: If the knees were distorting, I'd try and resist it by bringing influence from the toe joints. I also toyed with the idea of bringing in a heel joint to help keep the volume of the foot, but tutor Matt a shored me I could achieve what I was after using weight paint influence. When looking at the rig, the first thing Matt noticed was that I hadn't been using IK joints correctly. Using a standard human leg as an example, an IK (Inverse Kinematic) joint should run from thigh (leg joint) to the ankle joint. I had 3 IKs in the dog leg style rig, running from the leg to knee, knee to calf, and calf to ankle. The Iks however should have been running from Leg to calf and knee to ankle. It turned out however, that Maya has a spring IK, which is designed for things like spider legs. One spring Ik running straight from the leg to ankle joint worked out all the joints in between nicely.</div>
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The strange folding and distorting of the knees was still an issue at this point. It turned out that because the model was so low poly, there was no blending between joints. I simply added in some edge loops around the joints to help the knees maintain form. With the IK handles and mesh sorted, I could now revert back to weight painting sensibly. I used the gradient view to ensure there was no unwanted influence.</div>
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I presented Rhys with a conventionally named locked off rig:</div>
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I feel I am really beginning to understand weight painting. I got rather tied up with a flawed rig, but demons aside the process of determining influence on vertices from joints is fairly simple. On a personal note, perhaps I could have named my scenes numerically (01,02...) as it got confusing at points:</div>
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As far as following naming conventions however, I feel I kept quite an organised and mostly orthodox workflow, naming my joints clearly and working out an appropriate hierarchy.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-20411046041529587942014-04-28T14:31:00.001-07:002014-04-28T14:31:49.999-07:00Sparth on SpitpaintNicolas Bouvier, nickname 'Sparth,' is a French concept artist/ artistic director who has worked on franchises such as 'Asassin's Creed' and 'Halo.' I am a fan of his work, particularly his science fiction environments. There are lots of artists that rely heavily on phototextures to communicate realism and detail. When I see Sparth's work I think 'broad strokes.' Instead of intricate detail, he depicts vast environments using strong bold forms:<br />
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There's definitely something stylistically unique with Sparth's work. There is a level of looseness and simplicity, yet overall his environment seem vast and dense. His colours are warm and vibrant, contrary to much of the bleak washed out environments we see for franchises like 'Call of Duty.' I find Sparth's approach uplifting and visually pleasing. I was very excited to find that Sparth also posts in the 'Spitpaint' group:</div>
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It's great to see such talented and established artists posting in this open online community.Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-45588582783343739472014-04-28T14:06:00.001-07:002014-04-28T14:06:39.707-07:00Random StudiesOne of the biggest flaws we see in digital art painted by beginners (like myself), is a lack of understanding of what is being painting, and a constant application of general unconsidered brushstrokes. Professional artists spent time producing studies so that various materials and surfaces in their work look dynamic and believable:<br />
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It was interesting to consider how light both passes through and at the same time reflects on this glass surface. We see strong reflections to the left, with subtle light bounce, and faint speculars projected to the right of the glass. There are also areas of strong contrasting light and dark, hinting reflections from other surfaces around the glass tumbler.</div>
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I produced this quick candle study during a power cut. The melting wax is semi-transparent, allowing the strong candle light to pass through it giving a glow effect. Also, as this was a decorative Christmas table centrepiece, the silver tinsel at the base of the candles gives strong sharp contrasting reflections. I like the chiaroscuro feel with this study, emphasising the areas which are being lit by the candles.</div>
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With this study, I wanted to render a chrome ball, taking the surface from the top reference image, whilst reflecting the scene below. I captured the reflectivity of the surface to some extend, and used the smudge tool to try and show the warming of the reflections around the spherical surface and near the form lines. I didn't quite get the contrast right here. The chrome sphere almost feels washed out and dusty, as if it doesn't have its full reflective quality. I later found this video by professional artist Scott Robertson:</div>
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The biggest mistake I made when rendering my chrome surface, was lightening the values from the scene where in fact they should be a value step darker. Interestingly, when rendering chrome in an environment, Scott talks about not being afraid to loose edges, as chrome acts very similar to a mirror, so against the sky a chrome surface would likely very nearly be lost.</div>
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I plan to do more of these surface studies. I grabbed this example from the 'LevelUp' community from an artist who's Facebook profile name is 'Soy Sauce.'</div>
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I like how they are presented as simple forms, focus being on the rendering of the materials, and there are some interesting choices for study, such as the leather sphere with stitching. </div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-75748139402406408372014-04-07T08:23:00.001-07:002014-04-07T08:23:49.892-07:00Level Up! SessionsThere is a new online community currently posting weekly videos hosted by polish artists Wojtek Fus and Darek Zabrocki, along with Jonas De Ro. Each video is hosted as a live stream, inviting a guest artist from the industry. On this particular session, concept artist Titus Lunter was invited along to share his processes and produced two original pieces using different approaches:<br />
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Lunter shared his recognisable approach of 'photobashing,' an approach that seems to be growing ever more popular in the industry as it speeds up workflow and achieves more photorealistic and detailed results. Lunter also speaks about, composition, colour and how some briefs offer freedom and room for experimentation whereas some are more strict and require planning.<br />
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Where I found the session really helpful was with the overpaints. As Lunter paints and discusses his work flow. The hosts encourage viewers to send in some of their paintings for critique and adjustments. Below is a painting that was sent in with a strong edge light effect:<br />
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Darek painted over this piece, deciding to use the same colour palette but make the painting 'cleaner,' and to make the strangely broken mountain the background a complete object:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPWHmWGunoTFc2xZHDwZ4ABd2l6u1_Xit3tuCWoIGXizSAXxE-bCKOhImN7QG7m-QgG7jkg5JUzRPR43dEiJo1V3qpMoSFq7rGEs8nXpCdZ-Jjy4KiJs350vfsC-J8vlBawNasGtowL0/s1600/Darek_paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPWHmWGunoTFc2xZHDwZ4ABd2l6u1_Xit3tuCWoIGXizSAXxE-bCKOhImN7QG7m-QgG7jkg5JUzRPR43dEiJo1V3qpMoSFq7rGEs8nXpCdZ-Jjy4KiJs350vfsC-J8vlBawNasGtowL0/s1600/Darek_paint.jpg" height="220" width="400" /></a></div>
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One main criticism with the original painting was with the hard edge light and the way that the light source is seemingly bouncing directly upwards away from the viewers eyes. In reality, the light we see is that which is bouncing towards our eyes, so any specular appears slightly inside the edge that disappears away from our sight. This quick diagram Darek drew explains this well:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkoKTsthuzDgdBrqk_fJ_15ELdaD3WAl39oby7Ol6wlM0X1_KrJ2VmJY9pmpm-Z4UdFL7bSj826TZ7ON5Oi0xrzURmZ5xiNzqiul9AjZlLx0427OIEWJ0IBGUxh67Rxiitz2l3pP2XQk/s1600/Darek_light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkoKTsthuzDgdBrqk_fJ_15ELdaD3WAl39oby7Ol6wlM0X1_KrJ2VmJY9pmpm-Z4UdFL7bSj826TZ7ON5Oi0xrzURmZ5xiNzqiul9AjZlLx0427OIEWJ0IBGUxh67Rxiitz2l3pP2XQk/s1600/Darek_light.jpg" height="186" width="320" /></a></div>
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Again, it always impresses me the level of general knowledge industry professionals have of the world around us, here how light bounces off of objects. It is also important to understand how light acts differently when reflecting off of different materials. The sharp white specular highlights on the rocks from the original painting makes them appear damp and moist, whereas if they were dry the highlights would cover bolder forms and be more saturated. Some materials are much more reflective that others, so will more likely reflect values from their surroundings, where other materials appear to soak up light so have softer more neutral monochromatic highlights like for example cloth. Artists achieve such an understanding through studies and careful consideration when working, thinking hard about the surrounding environment and the materials and surfaces within it.</div>
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Perhaps in the near future I could send in one of my pieces for critique from industry professionals and the online art community.<br />
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Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-42679734058300082622014-04-01T08:04:00.001-07:002014-04-01T08:04:22.991-07:00Cintiq 13 HD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sWd4abDKqFUXvVoshW2kQ9-Ie9tsqapc4lc7OsADN_ai8bf4q8xviBvsfNa4OtIyZYvPx3HTc-eyjTfgiU8Op40T_7VskSbWuFKnfCqgh4Me4Ssh5e6dieokByoON7gZq-4-sFjy_tQ/s1600/wacom-cintiq-13HD-img1-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sWd4abDKqFUXvVoshW2kQ9-Ie9tsqapc4lc7OsADN_ai8bf4q8xviBvsfNa4OtIyZYvPx3HTc-eyjTfgiU8Op40T_7VskSbWuFKnfCqgh4Me4Ssh5e6dieokByoON7gZq-4-sFjy_tQ/s1600/wacom-cintiq-13HD-img1-l.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I recently purchased a 'Wacom Cintiq 13 HD'. I originally considered an 'Intuos' (standard graphics tablet setup), but was fascinated by the idea of having a tablet/ monitor, creating a feeling much like painting on a canvas. I did consider a higher priced 24" Cintiq, which in turn offered more accurate colours, but opted for the more affordable option. I have noticed that when I drag paintings off of my Cintiq onto my Mac screen, the colours need adjusting as the levels are usually blown out and slightly harsh. This is because the colours on the Cintiq monitor appear slightly washed out, meaning you find yourself compensating by exaggerating the saturation, shadows and highlights.<br />
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I find the perhaps the greatest advantage the Cintiq offers, is simply the fact that the external monitor gives you two screens to work with. This means you can keep all of your painting windows on the Cintiq screen, and any reference images on the computer screen. This eliminates screen clutter and the constant need to juggle windows around.<br />
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The experience of drawing directly onto an image itself is okay, although I don't find it to be highly advantageous. Perhaps it speeds up the process of line art, but as far as painting concept art in general, I don't find using a standard tablet too difficult in comparison. I often find myself plugging in my 'Bamboo' and cracking on with painting instead of clearing a large space and setting up my full work station. Perhaps this is simply laziness. On another note however, I do find there is something more organic feeling about the standard bamboo tablet. The surface is slightly rough, making it feel more satisfying as the pen passes over it. The Cintiq monitor however feels very smooth like drawing on glass, reminding more of interacting with a Nintendo DS or touch screen phone with a stylus. This isn't a massive issue, as it doesn't affect the outcome of the paintings, just a personal note on feel.<br />
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Focusing on some of the hardware, the stand supplied seems quite flimsy, and I often find that if I rest on the corners of the monitor, the plastic fold out stand slides and collapses in. On a positive note, the Stylus is far superior to the one that came with the Wacom Bamboo. It comes with its own compact case complete with replaceable coloured rings for customisation, and nibs to replace the ones that gradually become worn down.<br />
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I haven't really tapped into to the express keys just yet, although they could improve my workflow significantly.<br />
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The key advantage that outweighs the small gripes has to be the dual monitor capabilities. Particularly for larger projects where I will be working with large amounts of reference materials. On the issue of time and set up, perhaps if I had a permanent workstation instead of having to constantly pack and unpack the Cintiq tablet would defeat the tediousness of setting up the monitor and encourage me to work with the duel screen setup more often. When looking at studio diaries, concept artists are often seen using Cintiq monitors, meaning they must have an advantage over the standard Intuos setup. Perhaps with more time and experimentation, I will reap the full benefits of working with a tablet display.Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-30221346075764810552014-04-01T06:49:00.003-07:002014-04-01T06:49:25.367-07:00It's Art February Awards'It's Art' is an online community that offers inspiration for CG Artists. This includes 2D concept art, and there are many instances where 'It's Art' is involved with the online art community. One strong example is it's involvement with the 'Daily Spitpaint' group, where at the end of each month the administrators pick a selection of their favoutrite 30 minute speed paints.<br />
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I decided to submit one of my pieces into the monthly 'It's Art February Awards.' These awards are new, and are to be held every month. There is no subject, and participants are allowed to submit any original artwork that has been created in the current month. I chose to submit a personal piece I had created depicting a mysterious shipping vessel in the middle of an Ice cave titled "Frostbite."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHBOWNJFET1BIhW05KFHIKrdpL-QJSWVUSKZWSn1ZnboK28m-56Xgpd4XfmEyvn86nabge4q8p802UPRS3wt2nkaadRwIoOCQS0HXpStixKY4kHXj98A4mtfsGH8oIphfOvFK43EN1vI/s1600/Snow_ship_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHBOWNJFET1BIhW05KFHIKrdpL-QJSWVUSKZWSn1ZnboK28m-56Xgpd4XfmEyvn86nabge4q8p802UPRS3wt2nkaadRwIoOCQS0HXpStixKY4kHXj98A4mtfsGH8oIphfOvFK43EN1vI/s1600/Snow_ship_2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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My original plan for this submission was to create a selection of diverse environment thumbs, collecting random referense material to help with the mood:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHr04B_mpBpOO1bp_jZwz1kV_F_Rdf1uzC6Y3r0xh45yP9Wo_kGeWMCqebAXydzcSV3A4aI7p8UcX99qhjPszf4oib79Cc7VfLAQ4tvLXW3ez-K3t21pRe4C_8MfL3xJVhDsjOPi5OUM/s1600/Reference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHr04B_mpBpOO1bp_jZwz1kV_F_Rdf1uzC6Y3r0xh45yP9Wo_kGeWMCqebAXydzcSV3A4aI7p8UcX99qhjPszf4oib79Cc7VfLAQ4tvLXW3ez-K3t21pRe4C_8MfL3xJVhDsjOPi5OUM/s1600/Reference.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I knew I wanted a stranded cargo ship, but wasn't sure where exactly the scene would be set. Admittedly, I immediately got carried away and when with the chilling ice cave setting. below is the process:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqrmVseu8UrzaBKU2MkAoDUJ8MWUhWHgq_ZUcSo3GvekEhrr7ht1LjDkGxnGx6FptgRBATBGLSNAMoavKWI0eBGXzj1-JI7OBM2Rzw4QGwgdK42QcS7SH63kQBV0TjFsoS-DMm2pRTc0/s1600/Snow_ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqrmVseu8UrzaBKU2MkAoDUJ8MWUhWHgq_ZUcSo3GvekEhrr7ht1LjDkGxnGx6FptgRBATBGLSNAMoavKWI0eBGXzj1-JI7OBM2Rzw4QGwgdK42QcS7SH63kQBV0TjFsoS-DMm2pRTc0/s1600/Snow_ship.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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I started very loose with a monochrome blue feel.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JDhQbHoVxWXDW95_xognRYqk6SAwSyyGWAsbOlyy3HuJpnx8DfSfaM6ZAO_rrF4sf9k25_UjkOSzE-18AS6GHcoZgvOb5u24WdfHD2O7o5evEdrni8sxN7HXWuUmldDX19TsJAXzU9g/s1600/Snow_ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JDhQbHoVxWXDW95_xognRYqk6SAwSyyGWAsbOlyy3HuJpnx8DfSfaM6ZAO_rrF4sf9k25_UjkOSzE-18AS6GHcoZgvOb5u24WdfHD2O7o5evEdrni8sxN7HXWuUmldDX19TsJAXzU9g/s1600/Snow_ship.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Instead of bringing in a warm complementary orange, I opted for a cooler brownish red to maintain to chilling feel, yet offer some contrast with the very cool blues.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhes116CezSdYtJjr3Wlkxuk9NweztcZII366Cp4TOrBy6_DKktsDq6AjVy3BaeiQZf1XZ-n46r05qGw_hEPREZPG3ZOfYhsN8CV8qIeXS4mTPfY9PL_L3SWVZRQ-pFW5Q1YIhUl86hQu4/s1600/Snow_ship2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhes116CezSdYtJjr3Wlkxuk9NweztcZII366Cp4TOrBy6_DKktsDq6AjVy3BaeiQZf1XZ-n46r05qGw_hEPREZPG3ZOfYhsN8CV8qIeXS4mTPfY9PL_L3SWVZRQ-pFW5Q1YIhUl86hQu4/s1600/Snow_ship2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here I am beginning to render in details like the damaged hull and covered shipping crates on the deck. I feel this is an area I have improved on massively this year. Notice how I quickly captured the bold shapes and values that make up the composition before rendering out the intricate parts. This means that I am working much more fast and efficiently.</div>
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With the final rendering, I painted in areas of orange. The warmness and heightened saturation help draw the eyes into interesting parts of the composition. The explorers in orange snow coats create a sense of scale as they descend down a worn in path. This trail draws into the damaged hull, where an orange light burns hinting that someone has taken shelter in the ship. It follows a rule that there are areas of the painting that spark the viewers imagination and suggest activity. Are the explorers returning to the shelter of the ship where their friends have built a fire, or have they just stumbled across the ship and are preparing to make contact with whoever has inhabited the wreckage?</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My work successfully submitted for consideration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In the end my piece received what I feel was a respectable 6 votes.</span></div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-7258616814903927862014-03-26T16:13:00.000-07:002014-03-26T16:13:16.332-07:00Moving Forward after 'R&D'Now we have reached the end of our research and development point, I have been reflecting on moving forward with the project, and how we may need to approach things slightly differently with the building phase.<br />
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To this point, there has been lots of focus on production pieces and developing the unique IP. I think the first significant shift in my work will come with the more technical aspects such as Mech turnarounds, paintovers and UV textures. We have already started visiting this with the initial assets and WOSD turnaround, but I think a key area we are lacking in is environments that show the game space. Rhys began blocking in Unity and playing around with the camera, so I think the next important stage will be to produce paintovers that give a sense of how the level will look for the player. I have created lots of eye level environment concepts, whereas the player will have more of a birds eye view looking down, meaning rooftops will be a big focus aesthetically.<br />
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Another aspect we will need to consider, is creating an efficient pipeline. I will be producing most of if not all of the Mech turnarounds, and painting the textures. This may leave me with some time to model minor assets, but the turnarounds and textures take time, so I will likely be focusing in those areas. Adam is a fast and confident 3D artist, and also has experience efficiently unwrapping UVs. Tim and Rhys also have experience particularly with hard surface models and in Unity from previous projects, so will likely be working on the environments. Tim and Adam are both sharing coding duties. Although these are not strict binding roles, hopefully it should give us some sense of efficient workflow.<br />
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Ultimately, I will be happy as long as 90% of my focus is on painting textures and creating concept art, that is considering Adam is happy modelling and texturing for the majority. We did both come into the project with concept art as our key skill, and I do not want to hijack all of the Photoshop aspects moving forward. I feel that now creating an effective pipeline should be our key focus if we hope to create 2 rich playable environments.Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-20704013644418637012014-03-26T10:54:00.000-07:002014-03-26T10:54:16.849-07:00Early Texture Test: The WippetRecently Adam designed and modelled a wrecked vintage car as an asset for our street level environment:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHdcsoh34z1NfqmAdOxSYfx1sbPsyc2le9NcNygzMhGZs1lHGxTMxSVyefkQjS1OtXPc2IsbWG-fYuKRRHZ5fCz6v_PfnV6bmHRiaUOKbGLokJ587N7zG9v3vg2uupvpxaqo3Go5ypoQ/s1600/ENVIRONMENT_CAR_ROADSTER_POSTER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHdcsoh34z1NfqmAdOxSYfx1sbPsyc2le9NcNygzMhGZs1lHGxTMxSVyefkQjS1OtXPc2IsbWG-fYuKRRHZ5fCz6v_PfnV6bmHRiaUOKbGLokJ587N7zG9v3vg2uupvpxaqo3Go5ypoQ/s1600/ENVIRONMENT_CAR_ROADSTER_POSTER.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a></div>
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As you can see, Adam has been considering efficient UV mapping, dropping in a grid texture and trying to achieve nice even squares using planar projections. The resolution of the hood however was inconsistent with the car body. Also, discussing efficiency within the game engine with Matt, it was brought to our attention that instead of having everything everything separate like the car doors, seats etc... it would be much more efficient to have everything on the map. This meant everything needed to be unwrapped before he textures could be painted, a role which I took on while Adam got to work unwrapping the WOSD:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWu_EDSgpKwvMLo5VjvkqGroLnol296rEnMqRx2DNNf9Hlb_AQXltCMsAKjUCctyvXNYXVjV9-8l0u076MD8cSwWk4fXqZz4NZ_4M07AIngDhyphenhyphen_7PDTqbXwu6m6-JbjzDzQz_JXf6XCm4/s1600/Efficient_Wipped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWu_EDSgpKwvMLo5VjvkqGroLnol296rEnMqRx2DNNf9Hlb_AQXltCMsAKjUCctyvXNYXVjV9-8l0u076MD8cSwWk4fXqZz4NZ_4M07AIngDhyphenhyphen_7PDTqbXwu6m6-JbjzDzQz_JXf6XCm4/s1600/Efficient_Wipped.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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I thoroughly unwrapped most of the elements, although for the smaller assets like the headlights, wheels and engine in the hood, I simply picked a plane that showed the most predominant faces, object selected and planar projected from the camera view. This is quite a small asset, and I didn't want to clutter the UV map with tiny unwrapped assets that the player wont see in detail. Any subtle stretching is either on parts with low detail textures anyway, or out of the general view of the player:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggSRA4gYNhiI8r9W8LUa4LBQcp9AW8heZNh3tOQyjd6KWAjp8yAMeKw7WdgMOHQgiOtfKQixoPRZfR13tclR5Utv0WF3jsPf-1QZOfU4ylUXXxKVPkRC4jD51SPEPgMfJf5s47bHtvcw/s1600/outUV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggSRA4gYNhiI8r9W8LUa4LBQcp9AW8heZNh3tOQyjd6KWAjp8yAMeKw7WdgMOHQgiOtfKQixoPRZfR13tclR5Utv0WF3jsPf-1QZOfU4ylUXXxKVPkRC4jD51SPEPgMfJf5s47bHtvcw/s1600/outUV.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I grabbed some reference for colour and style:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYAw-yLA0Ph3Gzas4PhBSQDQyMhmhFW4KSAdaTg7aUYPLuwk_SMwMFgshcE2uIQNRJErkr50btA_hsNdNNxG50C4VSrcYSst6kjBbrogcaZseAQGdHRjTgSze6iVyp3MOuITsLdrRIks/s1600/Rusty_vibrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYAw-yLA0Ph3Gzas4PhBSQDQyMhmhFW4KSAdaTg7aUYPLuwk_SMwMFgshcE2uIQNRJErkr50btA_hsNdNNxG50C4VSrcYSst6kjBbrogcaZseAQGdHRjTgSze6iVyp3MOuITsLdrRIks/s1600/Rusty_vibrant.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
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My aim was to create a rusting yet vibrant feel, inspired particularly by the blown out oranges in the top right image:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTiKdAf0x-khoEGH_cYFDXGtCbx1Wl-6UFSQPhvvnw1eP_TN0LPsHeCH7e4FWq-iSUtFy1NUKg734Dofh7rOmUenOhjZMlZx-jzEYsiwDJ-JZKyU6V9OTfiVcBV9qkHDSXHlWB4cWZdw/s1600/Whippet_masks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTiKdAf0x-khoEGH_cYFDXGtCbx1Wl-6UFSQPhvvnw1eP_TN0LPsHeCH7e4FWq-iSUtFy1NUKg734Dofh7rOmUenOhjZMlZx-jzEYsiwDJ-JZKyU6V9OTfiVcBV9qkHDSXHlWB4cWZdw/s1600/Whippet_masks.jpg" height="353" width="400" /></a></div>
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I created a layer mask that masked out everything external to the UV outlines and worked loosely with a blend of rust phototextures and custom brushes. For the chipped paint effect I added a mask using a particular texture brush to give the illusion the paint has been scraped away. I was originally going to paint out the details, but decided to experiment first with the 'Backwater Gospel' outlined look:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilbtOghhQEDL4H5R4BYdZXD3MhL7Qrm7pr4trTJB2n2oaOGa5K0C4GenMiKHzlAkV1E8D1faufMLmitstgm_Ty1P2i7F3SZ8bZGEI2MSOg4jUO0OXjho6TeB6rA4poSeFx2ghiR_IjUU/s1600/Whippet_UV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilbtOghhQEDL4H5R4BYdZXD3MhL7Qrm7pr4trTJB2n2oaOGa5K0C4GenMiKHzlAkV1E8D1faufMLmitstgm_Ty1P2i7F3SZ8bZGEI2MSOg4jUO0OXjho6TeB6rA4poSeFx2ghiR_IjUU/s1600/Whippet_UV.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3-l3WtwZl7uXv7tKkGlSL00ZIf5taMqHzxQsI2U4Csv6odifcBY2ZpDlK2A5GQXutPKliMhNTwrT8r1mbHoguS8hD7arUkXoiLGa9lxB_ZVDnr-6HQAaOwq0baQ_XnkhhWmQTYo3hYM/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-25+at+21.24.06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3-l3WtwZl7uXv7tKkGlSL00ZIf5taMqHzxQsI2U4Csv6odifcBY2ZpDlK2A5GQXutPKliMhNTwrT8r1mbHoguS8hD7arUkXoiLGa9lxB_ZVDnr-6HQAaOwq0baQ_XnkhhWmQTYo3hYM/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-25+at+21.24.06.png" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This final image showing the engine in the hood of the Whippet, gives a good example of how a small asset doesn't require intricate detail, so can be simply planar projected and assigned a basic texture.</span></div>
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I have shared the stylised outlined approach to the group, and it was met with fairly positive response, although the final style of the game may still be subject to change.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-63990946309953464632014-03-26T09:39:00.001-07:002014-03-26T09:39:27.637-07:00The Weapon of SASS Destruction TurnaroundPerhaps one of the intricate and considered processes I have been involved with thus far, has been the technical drawings for the protagonist's playable Mech (WOSD). We had a discussion on the style of the Northern Resistance Mechs. Referring back to the Design Specs written by Tim, the Resistance, although embodying an aesthetic military image, actually use re-serviced agricultural Mechs. To this point I had been considering the Mechs more as walking British tanks, and we wanted to go back to a vintage truck approach. We actually began this discussion on 'Skype' where we shared images:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPFfBNNt_q9qXFhohbq0lN7UAYY7Wwu-gxJ76cpVirFverh0Kvlwlk5R1xAMird14cCTHTdEEyhsOQ0_Or3l53rynhh-oH99WbepOn-gQppD0arrmdp7cJSZFhYH6D2rvxGP9dLGBxpo/s1600/57+chev+truck+grill+bare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPFfBNNt_q9qXFhohbq0lN7UAYY7Wwu-gxJ76cpVirFverh0Kvlwlk5R1xAMird14cCTHTdEEyhsOQ0_Or3l53rynhh-oH99WbepOn-gQppD0arrmdp7cJSZFhYH6D2rvxGP9dLGBxpo/s1600/57+chev+truck+grill+bare.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOkkdFx-16OUoClqjj9mGMl5CooiC6_7OyGTL8v1Zd3JK656C_dqBC2-OJrAIgmOkJkTbervxWg3ZLdlkMhx_4Vy7EuVOFZzEhBe7wzn7TpzzDytUlV_FavCvSrch5YBSHrrIFhyMe6s/s1600/Katyusha.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOkkdFx-16OUoClqjj9mGMl5CooiC6_7OyGTL8v1Zd3JK656C_dqBC2-OJrAIgmOkJkTbervxWg3ZLdlkMhx_4Vy7EuVOFZzEhBe7wzn7TpzzDytUlV_FavCvSrch5YBSHrrIFhyMe6s/s1600/Katyusha.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa8LyA6yG7Wk9w1XYsTXsiNvxAKXfEGoNSZAXcSpWDltG7-jzSEDsRp5HTpW9FWNlVtSNseyCbYzZWL3_g1pCzJzD0uuJ95zu5OXBsVBoMdRSNtXrxgILUHlc5GnKwFWqkvc3iqaAqSY/s1600/HUD492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa8LyA6yG7Wk9w1XYsTXsiNvxAKXfEGoNSZAXcSpWDltG7-jzSEDsRp5HTpW9FWNlVtSNseyCbYzZWL3_g1pCzJzD0uuJ95zu5OXBsVBoMdRSNtXrxgILUHlc5GnKwFWqkvc3iqaAqSY/s1600/HUD492.jpg" height="187" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf7fNce02CcSNPQxQpWutZfMsgb018OU70wpdzpbIlWqa7n-h6VETCFXSDt19xE4AXT9HVBddYEj_Xjy1bMdjI-lyl6bqVTKKXU2cDMnidD557ULwwwv_EEHFoHVxKqTrofFgsT440X8/s1600/cropTRUCK+PHOTOS+NZ+SEPT+08+177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf7fNce02CcSNPQxQpWutZfMsgb018OU70wpdzpbIlWqa7n-h6VETCFXSDt19xE4AXT9HVBddYEj_Xjy1bMdjI-lyl6bqVTKKXU2cDMnidD557ULwwwv_EEHFoHVxKqTrofFgsT440X8/s1600/cropTRUCK+PHOTOS+NZ+SEPT+08+177.jpg" height="155" width="200" /></a></div>
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I begin by throwing down some fast loose silhouettes:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3wdhyxKAI8ujn-zT6sHwV8W4kh_B7AZb7L-XUn9ZmU_WK8YikD8fllFoaayFdmmDKSFiB2nmWqe4IfrRYYuFBVtIrCUScLBirBc2pvYeG5jNpFahDVcJu9KNrzHO8ra1N37uHpVb-ks/s1600/Weapon_of_sass_thumbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3wdhyxKAI8ujn-zT6sHwV8W4kh_B7AZb7L-XUn9ZmU_WK8YikD8fllFoaayFdmmDKSFiB2nmWqe4IfrRYYuFBVtIrCUScLBirBc2pvYeG5jNpFahDVcJu9KNrzHO8ra1N37uHpVb-ks/s1600/Weapon_of_sass_thumbs.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was agreed that the second from the left on the bottom row was the strongest design. One of the most notable features with the new design approach is the large grills and headlamps, something very vintage car inspired. I took the chosen design into Photoshop and made some tweaks. Firstly, with the legs virtually on the sides of the cockpit, the upper body wouldn't be able to move independently, so I raised the body. I also moved the guns to the sides of the cockpit. To speed up the initial design process, I laid down photos on top of the silhouette to achieve fast detail. Bellow shows the stages of the initial WOSD design:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz82eLnwVwzNhlO4KpdQFg6EngKF41DwcrcgeqftcLGI4EPslRWi8l6rePr4zIv1zdwXQzsp1B6Ps0G1ucckTKKPzQd98WZMarO5ZpIUKxBnfPG5p5H8Zj9fxu_uDyh65nlsIEvq3BBdg/s1600/Weapon_of_Sass_photo_notes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz82eLnwVwzNhlO4KpdQFg6EngKF41DwcrcgeqftcLGI4EPslRWi8l6rePr4zIv1zdwXQzsp1B6Ps0G1ucckTKKPzQd98WZMarO5ZpIUKxBnfPG5p5H8Zj9fxu_uDyh65nlsIEvq3BBdg/s1600/Weapon_of_Sass_photo_notes.jpg" height="243" width="640" /></a></div>
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The team felt the fist design was too narrow, so I simply adjusted the scale. Tim also suggested I add a smokestack and lengthen the guns. Secondly, we decided to more the fans to the back of the design, and raise the guns to be more level with the headlights. Finally, we doubled up on the smokestacks and added ammo belts running in to ammo boxes mounted on the Mech's rear. Notice also the Manchester county flag personal to protagonist Rachel Chadwick who is form the city originally, utilising this idea of customisation toward the Mechs. Below is the reference used for the turrets:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCp7ctoDkMlg54gevFRjzm3ib0L85xSAM7U8Qu4ZS3aQ5wRu5Q2WC26iSXJmyQ7Nqccx2zc5uSAuuO8zuS_4UO6K9182N9wDsgCzxBd6QgBKxejAKFALUh2ewxF-o_0i_LWinS2-vlM5g/s1600/246625_md-Heavy+Bolter+marine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCp7ctoDkMlg54gevFRjzm3ib0L85xSAM7U8Qu4ZS3aQ5wRu5Q2WC26iSXJmyQ7Nqccx2zc5uSAuuO8zuS_4UO6K9182N9wDsgCzxBd6QgBKxejAKFALUh2ewxF-o_0i_LWinS2-vlM5g/s1600/246625_md-Heavy+Bolter+marine.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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With the general design of the WOSD captured, I began creating a technical turnaround, measuring everything to scale using the guides in Photoshop:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9C2rxxMuOrtnh4Rhd7LoBr0CCsOjH9BiRXaJCeIsPFVbfPFHEucBMoC_LnWufAoKaM3HI7RlLhaXkPAymGF0dYqU-lwl-IA4l_j_H4Ljfqa8kpM1TqKbf_rjVoRjkpJwXL1PIYnAiV8/s1600/WOSD_guides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9C2rxxMuOrtnh4Rhd7LoBr0CCsOjH9BiRXaJCeIsPFVbfPFHEucBMoC_LnWufAoKaM3HI7RlLhaXkPAymGF0dYqU-lwl-IA4l_j_H4Ljfqa8kpM1TqKbf_rjVoRjkpJwXL1PIYnAiV8/s1600/WOSD_guides.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the quirks of our IP, is the inclusion of male pinup models, an idea thought up by Tim and favoured by the female characters. This allows us to turn gender convention on its head. For Rachel Chadwick's pin-up, I wanted to create something bizarre and with a Northern tinge. So I applied a bearded bitter drinker to a classic Bettie Page pose. I went with the Martini glass burlesque routine, with the Martini glass swapped out for a classic pint pot:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJInzJe8Io_7DPBmN2f3XXSIJOiB6eqTpAWyM0fRyQndbA1ZFGTv1yEusSAa6JiYODtL3KazxQYNB-743Cu7UUIFq2V88IuLrZZ7bWXwVUQdmEqhBcnlrIYTAXuFzHHcgAeDER_eN7lU/s1600/Pint_pinup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJInzJe8Io_7DPBmN2f3XXSIJOiB6eqTpAWyM0fRyQndbA1ZFGTv1yEusSAa6JiYODtL3KazxQYNB-743Cu7UUIFq2V88IuLrZZ7bWXwVUQdmEqhBcnlrIYTAXuFzHHcgAeDER_eN7lU/s1600/Pint_pinup.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also replaced the stirrer with a pick axe, as a shout to Northern mining culture. This design was then applied to the final turnaround:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJtdZFsYsXFxoO1GyA7vCEZoUdOAdKzDzExXxw55r8Q8egm2fafKx7u4Yh7u2tXVTSPTmp23ZPjLMTXf5jBWtDN2W7pe8GFFXcBhiQfT4wq8iVbsnP63Yx44mJn-3Lb_kel2ZaspTxYg/s1600/Weapon_of_sass_turnaround_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJtdZFsYsXFxoO1GyA7vCEZoUdOAdKzDzExXxw55r8Q8egm2fafKx7u4Yh7u2tXVTSPTmp23ZPjLMTXf5jBWtDN2W7pe8GFFXcBhiQfT4wq8iVbsnP63Yx44mJn-3Lb_kel2ZaspTxYg/s1600/Weapon_of_sass_turnaround_2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Working on the technical turnaround was a great experience. I have been focused on working fast and loose as of later, but this is a process that just cannot be rushed. I had to tediously make sure everything was lined up to make the modelling further down the pipeline as problem free as possible. Because of this different more intricate approach, I felt this piece could feature in my portfolio to show versatility. For this reason I tried to present it well, including the initial photo thumbnail, the turnarounds and a separate render of the pinup logo. I also overlaid a previous environment piece to add a little bit of noise to the backdrop, making it look less flat and the turnaround pop.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868068882536662616.post-7405449755675747942014-03-26T08:08:00.001-07:002014-03-26T08:08:35.359-07:00Streamline LocomotivesLinking back to the art deco influence in our Northern game world, in a previous environment piece I rendered a chrome Streamlined Locomotive (train). As we are now beginning to think about scenery assets, I wanted to elaborate on the design:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTfv6RBcwIDT5nY1jRZ-qrDB8afWYR-nYLAoKKLIf_bD5mPGlORV4E6QaaRo_NHvEI5wQxzCVZPdysMIdcJwvoR_awvs22l__q2zm8VvzDnK1XPehegTj0196wMGgA5oR4FNZ2QsRFIw/s1600/NYCCommodoreVanderbilt-b.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTfv6RBcwIDT5nY1jRZ-qrDB8afWYR-nYLAoKKLIf_bD5mPGlORV4E6QaaRo_NHvEI5wQxzCVZPdysMIdcJwvoR_awvs22l__q2zm8VvzDnK1XPehegTj0196wMGgA5oR4FNZ2QsRFIw/s1600/NYCCommodoreVanderbilt-b.jpeg" height="194" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bnFdpbeqzT3gWW0bGNDeBB-0hODDva-t0GWwMw9viHAmaAYRKlKimdrah_YO5iQIWmWX3i0xZW2yNKkg2GWrgSMiFghlEGqurrOinADJOwPuW3JI_OV4VMpsbcRGDB-M-aBZN4f5loQ/s1600/up2906-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bnFdpbeqzT3gWW0bGNDeBB-0hODDva-t0GWwMw9viHAmaAYRKlKimdrah_YO5iQIWmWX3i0xZW2yNKkg2GWrgSMiFghlEGqurrOinADJOwPuW3JI_OV4VMpsbcRGDB-M-aBZN4f5loQ/s1600/up2906-b.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfXs53j0KbGpSD9jCup0Ghs8dhYOPAk_6kXtpw-hITVdE9jAqtjlGjCSgonOdUtX_5osQ2X3l809YavMeLFl3Fy53EwRpi7LmEiUk45KDCEDERPzQ7t0tUJ3hnD6D9RogpoSN3N7xgw0/s1600/6229_Duchess_of_Hamilton_at_the_National_Railway_Museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfXs53j0KbGpSD9jCup0Ghs8dhYOPAk_6kXtpw-hITVdE9jAqtjlGjCSgonOdUtX_5osQ2X3l809YavMeLFl3Fy53EwRpi7LmEiUk45KDCEDERPzQ7t0tUJ3hnD6D9RogpoSN3N7xgw0/s1600/6229_Duchess_of_Hamilton_at_the_National_Railway_Museum.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
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I feel that these art deco inspired trains contain strong industrial yet elegant forms. They are slick and create little air resistance:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXlvmHdJj-8yrqf9eqk5qpRL8eK9yC6Acs4Cz4oay9IzQo_NHGIxDglAeEuXWRwt2vJj0oUmASUP9W-E5B_uABWwkjmfEZkSmmBd6luAu7GkzOA82rlnuAPhVXFIYNimNP3M8oxUn7Hs/s1600/Streamline_locomotive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXlvmHdJj-8yrqf9eqk5qpRL8eK9yC6Acs4Cz4oay9IzQo_NHGIxDglAeEuXWRwt2vJj0oUmASUP9W-E5B_uABWwkjmfEZkSmmBd6luAu7GkzOA82rlnuAPhVXFIYNimNP3M8oxUn7Hs/s1600/Streamline_locomotive.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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I personally like the first design (top left). I firstly like the colours. The cool green with hot orange oranges and reds cutting through, reminiscent of smelting iron and steel in the industrial north. Also I feel it has one the stronger art deco designs, with chic form lines and strong arcs. I dislike the top right design, despite it being the general favourite of the group. I feel it is too clunky and overly complex, loosing its purpose of being fast and streamline. Instead it feels like a generic steam train. I like the glossy rendered material of the bottom left design, but feel the soft blue finish of the final design isn't vibrant enough for the mood we hope to achieve with our world's aesthetics.</div>
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I will likely produce a turnaround for one, perhaps even two of these designs for the team to model.</div>
Andy Bailey DFGAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02580918985261040697noreply@blogger.com0