Month: February 2018

 

I used the photo inside the tunnel from my location scouting to create this concept art. The idea in my head was some form of post-apocalyptic barricade built out of scraps. With this, I hope to play around with lighting to achieve a glow and god rays coming through the planks. The inspiration I took was more for how the design should look. The wooden planks image was too close together and needed “scrap” look so I added cracks between as if there wasn’t enough wood for the full tunnel, the barbed wire and stop sign was just to make sure the look of them was correct.

 

Using the industrial, run down photos as a reference. I started to draft up ideas for what i wanted to model and track in.

 

 

Originally I wanted to design some form of robot and began to draw up concepts for them I took inspiration from Titanfall and S.L.A.I but as i began to sketch out the designs I relalised  the amount of work needed to create a robot that not only look the part i wanted it to play but also one that would look like it would work. I then decided to change to the idea of a crash landed drop pod.

 

I created 3 quick sketches of some form of drop pod.

The first was a collection of floating stones with a gem in the middle, while relatively simple to model, would require some animation and particle effects.

The second was a sci-fi drop pod inspired by Titanfall and Half life’s drop pods. modelling will be more simple and would allow for a lot less confusion as to what it is, and how it got there in the narrative.

The third was a similar narrative to the second but of a more sleek and alien design.

I decided to colour them to get more of an idea of which I would prefer. I decided for the sake of texturing the second would be the most appealing to look at and most visually interesting too. However, after feedback, all 3 could still be plausible.

 

Update 25th Feb:

After receiving feedback, the middle drop pod was the favourite so I added it to my location scouting photo. While a good track and model are my focus, the extra effects would be good for the aesthetic of the shot and narrative.

I took a day trip around Lincoln to scout some potential locations for footage to use. With all of these images I will take one to use for concept art for my designs.

Railway Bridge next to Lincoln Bowl.

This location is a small tunnel under a railway line, the location is easy to get to with very little risk to myself other than potential tripping hazards. The debris and contrasting brick work should allow for reliable tracking markers. If I were to film here I would need to go when the sun is just about the highest in the sky to allow for some light to spill into the tunnel, as visible from the images the sun was low enough to cause a white out on my phone which may also occur on the camera I use too. Shadows from walking with the camera can also be spotted. Due to the lighting difference exposure to a white outside will allow me to completely replace the background just by keying out the white.

Just outside the abandoned industrial yard on Firth Road.

 

I intended to use this location last year, however the camera I had brought did not work with the equipment I had so produced unusable footage due to the level of blur an low 1080p quality rather than 4k which is needed to define the contrast on the gravel, booking the correct equipment should avoid this issue this year.

–

The last place I need is a place to location scout will be for the object tracking, but that will require an idea for an object first before I find a suitable place for it.

I decided to re-cover everything I’ve already learnt in Maya. Although this youtubers design is incredibly simple, it is more the methods of creation he uses to make the model that I can take note on and apply to my own modelling process.

This is my primary method of re-learning hard surface modelling. Within this 2 part tutorial, he covers basic shapes and how to utilise the tools within Maya to get the edges you want after applying a subdivided surface to the model. More than likely everything taught within this tutorial will apply to my modelling in the future.

For this project I want to create 3 shots that will be tracked and have 3D geometry added.

Each shot will have their own individual narrative as to challenge myself to create a model that will fit into a scene that has a reason for being there instead of just showing off technological skills. This will also be for my own sake to help me get more engaged into my own work.

1st shot:

3D model will be a separate entity within the environment. slight movement panning across the scene.

2nd shot:

3D model will be an extension onto the environment, such as a pipes, air conditioning units, struts added onto a building. shot will most likely follow a character as the environment passes by

3rd shot:

3D model will be tracked to another moving object within the scene. Show a character interacting with it to prove quality of the track.