For the final year Animation project I will be working with Charlotte and Zoe with the intention of producing a trailer for a video game. The initial idea and concept was something Charlotte had been thinking about over the summer months. At first it was to be a game level, however after some discussion we decided a game trailer was better suited as we are quite a small team and the time scale/complexity such as rigging characters and large scales of animation would be too greater challenge for the time we have to produce it. We have 3 people working on this project, Charlotte will be the main environment modeller, Zoe has put herself forward to be a character modeller and finally I will be focussing on the 2D side of things such as concept art, backgrounds, character design, texturing as well as some modelling when needed and time is available.
Myself and Charlotte was not keen on working on a short film, we much preferred the concept of a video game trailer, its different and we wanted to create something that complements the modelling/backgrounds, as well as building an element of suspense and leaving the audience wanting more. We hope to engage the audience and leave them wanting to engage in the game themselves - as if it was a real trailer on the market.
In regards to the style of the game, we decided to go with a dark, pirate adventure theme, with fantasy elements such as mythical creatures/monsters. The game is set on an abandoned pirate port, showing the aftermath of war and destruction between the townspeople and an invasion of evil humanoid sea creatures. The townspeople have either fled the island or been killed. The main plot of the trailer will show a lone female pirate returning to her former hometown after being forced to flee as a young child. Her family torn apart, her village destroyed, she only seeks one thing - revenge. The pirate wants answers and she's definitely about to get them as she goes deeper into the island on a journey of vengeance and explanation.
We are unsure at this moment in time weather to have the trailer narrated or just text creeping slowly in and out of various scenes through clouds/smoke telling the story.
Research into Video Game Trailers
After doing some research of current and previous games on the market I found quite a large number that fit the overall atmosphere and style we want to create within our game. The examples are all very different, varying from extremely high quality realism, to more basic standard games. Here are some examples of games that share the dark, pirate adventure them we hope to create.
Assassins Creed 4, Blag Flag
This is the trailer for Assassins Creed 4, as you can tell it is of an extreme professional level and considerably photo-realistic. It is a very high standard, however, it is simply reference to us, we really want to recreate the dark, edgy style the game possesses. Also we can never achieve something as hi-tech as this, I think it is important to have strong references so we can strive to produce something very high quality.
Risen 2, Dark Waters
Risen 2 is another dark, role playing game. This has greater fantasy-esque elements than the previous trailer such as mythical sea creatures and dark magic, which I hope to put forward in our own trailer. Again the modelling, animation and character modelling is to an extreme high standard.
Pirates of The Burning Sea
Pirates of The Burning Sea is a huge online multiplayer role playing game. As you can see it has the pirate theme, yet it lacks the darker edge we require for our own trailer. Although, it is still good to look at, as we now know exactly what we want our island to represent. Instead of pretty tropical island, we want something a lot more desolate and sinister, with strong post-war style.
Dungeons & Dragons
This is a game that Zoe recommended we research. The style of environment modelling is a lot more realistic in regards to our abilities if we work hard enough. We really liked the fantasy theme this game has too. If we create a trailer somewhat similar to this the group with be very happy indeed.
Island Research
Here are jut some references images I used when coming up with a rough concept sketch for the island. They are all quite similar in style, and have a painted effect like most games.
Below is my first rough concept sketch of the island, it is very rough as we just wanted to mark out the overall composition and layout of the island. We settled on a lagoon/bay layout for our island, with defence gates surrounding the small port. Further concept sketches will be a lot more detailed, this is just planning out various landmarks out at this stage. It is important our island has a decrepit, isolated feel to it, walls crumbling, village abandoned, the island ravaged by war and invasion.
I have also played around with another colour scheme and some fog in the below drawing.
Character Design
Lead Character - Lone Female Pirate
We knew we wanted a strong, independent female lead for the main character within the game. Here is the first initial design I came up with. My group was pleased with the design I came up with, however, Zoe asked me to redraw the character in a t-pose position so it would be more efficient when modelling.
Sea Creature- Main Enemy
Below is our main enemy within the video game. It is a humanoid creature, with sea-creature characteristics such as fins and tentacles. I wanted to design it with basic human features also so it was easier for Zoe to model when it comes to that stage.
T-Poses
Below are the T-poses I completed for Zoe.
Front and Side
Back and 3/4 pose
After presenting the finished T-Poses to Zoe she gave me some constructive criticism on a variety of aspects that needed to be changed and altered. Zoe liked the simplicity of the boots, and and the dreadlocks as they will be easier to model rather than individual hair strands, as well as the headband, as she will get a cleaner hair-line. She also thought the skin-tight clothes would work nicely with the modelling as it would just have to be textured. However, things she said would need to be altered included: starting the boots below the knee instead of above - making them more riggable. Making the sleeves of the top less floaty, making the modelling process less complicated, as well as making the profile of the face more refined, as Zoe said it was quite flat at the moment. Below is the rectified character t-pose with the adjustments I have made.
Tutorial
After seeing my tutor today just to check out if the character designs were acceptable, he advised a few changes. Although Neil liked the costume, props and overall feel, he suggested trying develop the character into a more "Caricature" type of style as well as simplifying it a lot more. The group was very open to change, as this is only an initial first design at the moment, there are many aspects to consider such as being fairly simple for Zoe to model, and what the character represents aesthetically.
When I was sketching up the character I was leaning more towards what I had learnt in life drawing drawing. Neil advised I mix that up a bit and try developing character through the use of shapes. Such as sharp triangular shapes for "villains" and softer, round shapes for a "good guy" or just someone more gentler and less intimidating. I really liked this concept and look forward to redrawing my character up using this interesting technique.
Character Research
To help me explore character design further I decided to do some research on character design. I began by looking at some of my favourite villains, and tried to understand the concept of portraying them through various shapes. As you can see below they all seem to be made up up of triangular shapes, and have long, very sharp limbs, this makes them appear a lot more menacing.
Below are some character references on softer, more appealing characters. They are made up of more rounded, circular shapes making them appear a lot more likeable and softer in appearance.
For our own character I want a mixture of both aspects. The pirate is not a villain, however, she is not entirely innocent either. She has a strong, determined edge and a fierce attitude. I want to create a strong independent female, that still possesses some sort of femininity and sex appeal. I think a mixture of these things make her appealing and suit her character well.
Character Design
Here are some quick body sketches I put together after the character design research. I have evolved the character into more of a caricature, enhancing features such as the length of her legs and size of her hips. She looks altogether more solid and strong, although I have kept her waist think and her beasts on the larger scale to keep her sex appeal and femininity.
In regards to the characters face, below are some possible designs, I have been working on. I will put them to the group to see what one they think we should go with then do a more refined character turnaround. I took Neils advice into account and have gone with a more caricature sense of style. I have also drew her quite sharp and angled, to fit her strong, independent attitude. However I have gave her big, round eyes - a softer feature as she is not entirely a villain.
Here is also some links my group forwarded to me, I found them to be a great help in regards to tips when it comes to character modelling.
http://www.creativebloq.com/how-create-character-models-games-18-top-tips-9113050
http://dragonsofelanthia.com/character-development.asp
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105772
Storyboard
After making copious amounts of notes and sketches, this is the first concept we put together for the storyboard. After discussing ideas, we set out various scenes, camera angles etc. This is what Charlotte come up with, obviously it needs work, but at least we have some ideas and concepts set out on paper now. Our tutor will give us some feedback on the overall storyline and concept so we can refine it further.
After a tutorial with our tutor, we have refined the storyboard further, taking various bits out as well as adding bits on. We all agreed the dialog sounded too cheesy, at this stage we are not sure whether to refine it or simply have a narrator instead. After reworking ideas, discussion, sending documents back and forth this is the storyboard Charlotte sent over to me to be finalised. Here is also a word document I sent to Charlotte to help develop the board further.
Revised text suggestion
1 – Pan from foggy night sky to the island, setting the overall scene.
2- Striking silhouette of a pirate aboard a ship, looking through a telescope.
3- View from the pirate’s telescope, fish eye lens gradually zooming into view, fog slowly creeps out the way to reveal the desolate, island.
4- Goes to black screen then slowly a scrawling font creeps onto the screen. “Once a war ravaged between land and sea.” Then subtly fades.
5- Camera slowly pans into the island further, allowing the audience to get a good overall view of the setting.
6 - Camera stops at the very end of the decrepit wooden jetty and gives the audience the first view of the abandoned village.
7- Pirate boot slams down over the camera onto the jetty.
8- Camera slowly pans up to reveal the pirate. Below shot to make her seem more menacing and serious.
9- Pirate makes a determined march down the jetty towards the village. Audience sees the back of her slowly disappear into the shadows, as she gets further away.
10- Back to the black screen, font fades in “The island left ravaged. War and destruction everywhere”
11- Pans slowly around the abandoned village, in ruins. The audience then get a chance to see the town in more detail, they see just how bad the destruction is within the island.
12- “But a lone pirate has returned… Her family torn apart, her village destroyed, she seeks only one thing..
13- Revenge.
14 – Pirate stands at the edge of the opening of the jungle/forest. Camera behind her looking in the murky, overgrown foliage. Gradually fades out.
15- Scene fades in to reveal the inside of a cave, surrounded by vast mounds of gold and treasure, as well as in half buried golden ship.
16- Pirate walks into the shot.
17- A cluster of swords appear pointed at her back.
18- Want to be part of the Adventure?
Final Storyboard
Animatic
Below is the link to the groups animatic that Charlotte put together, it shows the basic outline of what will be doing on during the trailer.
Revised Character
After showing the group my character design head concepts, we all agreed we favoured the bottom middle design, Here is a sketch I have been working on, following Neils guidance I have added a few tweaks to the character to make her feel more like a caricature and overall more appealing. I have enhanced the size of her hips and length of her legs to portray her sense of independence and strength. Although, I have kept her breasts big and her waist small to keep her strong feminine appeal. I have also made her hair shorter, as I feel it keeps with her tom-boy personality and pirate lifestyle, as well as suiting her face shape more and overall making it easier for Zoe to model. I took Neils advice with the character and tried to mix things up a bit, things are no longer in exact proportions, for instance the large muscular legs contrast nicely with her stick thin arms. I think this makes the character flow a lot more and generally more appealing as she now how flaws we can relate to. I have also played with this contrast technique in relation to her sharp, triangular face, hair and nose, however I have then softened her subtly with her large doe eyes and round, plump lips, making all the difference.
Character History
Here is a small briefing of the characters history/description. I felt it was important as it gives us a greater insight and overall understanding of the main character as well as making us connect and understand her more. It will also be useful to Zoe when it comes to modelling the character as it describes her in a greater detail and gives her more personality.
Mood Boards
Town Concept Research.
I have also begun working on some concepts for the pirate port within the island. Here is a collection of images I have been looking at to get inspiration from. Focussing on aspects such as architecture as well as the overall style and feel of the town.
Building Concepts
Here are a couple of my own building design concepts I have designed, taking inspiration from photographs of typical tudor houses as well as collecting other examples of concept art and 3D models.
Town Concept Art
Below is the first rough sketch I have came up with. As you can see I am keeping to the decrepit style. This is the front of the small port which contains a few homes, shops and archway which leads into the main heart of the village, a small square of shops, homes, a tavern and possibly a brothel or weapon shop, a once picturesque water fountain will be in the centre, as well as some gallows towards the edge of town.
Below is a finished concept piece I have put together based on the rough sketch above. I have kept to the overgrown, abandoned, decrepit style we want to achieve in regards to the style of the game. I have also stuck to the main mood/colour scheme we want to use for the game, we are aiming for gloomy moonlight with purple tones and eerie fog,
Below is another concept sketch of the second part of the town. This shows the main heart of the town, with an overgrown water fountain in the centre. The town will have a small square of tudor style buildings varying from taverns, brothels, shops and houses.
Birds Eye View
Here is a rough birds eye view of the town, showing where exact buildings are going to be located within the town. This will be easier for Charlotte when it comes to modelling. I have also included a snapshot of Charlottes modelling so far she based around my concept art, the town is starting to take shape nicely.
Island Map
I have also put together a quick map of the island layout, the names are only temporary so far, I am to discuss final names with the group the next time we get together. The map style layout/diagram is clearer for the group to pin point where every key point on the island is once it comes to modelling, I think it will be a great help. I also plan to do a birds eye view for greater clarity.
I also found this useful link this evening, taking about silhouettes being really important when it comes to game concept and environmental design. It is definitely something I will take into consideration.
Research on Texturing for Games
As we get closer to reaching the final stages of the pre production brief, I have begun researching the basic fundamentals when it comes to texturing in game design - as this is the process I will be doing when it comes to the production stage within the project. Below are some links I found to be useful.
http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/the_top_ten_tips_of_texturing - Some tips that will be very useful when it comes to the process of texturing.
http://www.fuelyourcreativity.com/a-beginners-guide-to-using-textures-in-photoshop/ - I found this really useful as it lists a wide range of textures websites, which will definitely come in useful when it gets to that stage.
In regards to the style of texturing we want to keep it quite stylised, however we would like some sense of realism. A game we all agreed on in regards to style of texturing is "Fable III" If we could produce texturing that resembles anything close to the game we would be incredibly pleased. Below is the trailer for the game.
Weapon Design
After doing some research on traditional pirate weaponry, here is the weapon design sheet I have developed. I feel it will be helpful when it comes to the stage of modelling. I think it also gives our game a strong sense of stylisation and character.
Prop Design
To go along with the weapon design I have also drafted a prop design sheet. This includes key props that will feature throughout the trailer, obviously there is a great deal more, however this is a nice starting point. I have included all the pirate related props we want to include, as well as digging up an old wishing well which I modelled in Maya previously. I think it will be a nice addition to the old worldly pirate village.
Revised Character Design
After speaking to another tutor regarding the character I came up with, she advised I make the pirate more muscular looking - as she will be fighting enemies and swinging very heavy swords around. I took her advice and began yet another stage of developing and refining the character to make her more adaptable to the game. Below are some rough sketches, simply testing out different body structures in various poses. I have gone with a strong, muscular, amazonian looking figure. She looks strong and independent, plus looks like she can hold her own. However I think this type of character could be perceived as too domineering and lacks the femininity we desire as she might just be a bit too muscular.
Artist Research
To develop the character further and help inspire me I have carried out some artist research. One of my favourite artists in relation to character design is J-Scott Campbell, an american comic book artist. He has worked on many notable comic book covers, in particular "The Amazing Spiderman." He has also done a lot of concept art for the video game industry. I like the way he draws the female form in a curvaceous, exaggerated style, enhancing certain features yet keeping the strong muscular tone and posture. Each and every one has a strong silhouette- crucial for character design. Here are some of my favourite examples of his work.that represent the independent, strong heroine vibe we are trying to create.
Character Development
I also had a drawing session with a friend who studies fine art, she told me the importance of posing, this will help my character not to look so flat and also illustrates her personality and role within the game. I can safely safe she now looks perfectly capable of wielding a heavy cutlass and defending herself.
I have kept her muscly, yet it all the right places. I am happy with this character as I think I have taken a small piece of advice from everyone such as various tutors, friends and most importantly my group. I feel she reflects a headstrong, athletic woman, but still has the sex appeal and femininity we wanted to keep within the character. Here is the final stages of the concept sketch.
After many sketches I finally came up with a strong pose I was happy with and most importantly done the character justice. Now I have the drawing digitally, I can begin to focus on fleshing her out and building up the concept image. I will also do a few colour tests and share it with the group to see what aspects they prefer such as hair colour and costuming colour schemes. Small things such as these can have a big impact and overall feel of the character.
Character Turnaround
Here is the first rough character turnaround for the finalised character. I will put it forward to the group to check everything is acceptable, then at long last it will be time to begin modelling her. It has been quite a long and tedious process modelling his character. I have had many different obstacles and differences of opinions when creating her. However, I feel I have listened to each bit of feedback I have received, taken it on board and adapted her to suit all parties - as well as myself. My tutor told me the importance of liking your own character design, and I think I can finally say I am pleased with the end result. Although time consuming at times, it was definitely worth tweaking and evolving her to suit the feel of the game and overall appeal.
Character Silhouettes
Another key component of character, weapon and environmental design in games is the importance of a strong silhouette. After doing some research on various websites, I found this statement to ring very true:
"Silhouette design is a great way to make your designs to have strong shape, memorable visual appeal and to stand out from the rest."
Key Factors that make silhouettes such important parts of the character/prop/environment design process are the following:
- Strong Shapes
- Memorable
- Recognisable
- Quick read from a distance
- Pops out from the rest
- Appealing
- Original
- Unique
Here are some of my own silhouettes using the character for our game trailer. I think the silhouettes are
pretty strong and appealing, plus you can defiantly recognise who it is thanks to her individual characteristics, such as her choppy dreadlocks and long muscular leg contrasting with the tiny waist. I have exaggerated the character slightly to give her a stronger, more contrasting look.
Feedback Tutorial
Today I had a tutorial with one of my tutors just going over the final design to check the character was okay to go ahead with the modelling. My tutor suggested two main things, simplifying the character and working on the anatomy. My tutor drew over my character to prove key points such as proportion and simplifying the design. Although, I agreed with him and have changed the necessary suggestions such as anatomy, at the same time I did not want to completely change the overall look and feel of the character. If she become too cartoon-esque she would not fit into the somewhat realistic/stylised game correctly.
Below is a more refined version of the turnaround, the lines have been cleaned up, the proportions corrected and parts of her simplified. The original side view of the characters head was too far back, I have now made that atomically correct. Also I have simplified her arms as suggested, making them simple cylinder shapes, in comparison to the musclier former version. It will be easier for the modeller, any muscle I can always add in later when I do the texturing. I also made the belt buckle slightly larger as a nice focal point.
Further building and environment concepts
Firstly I have begun with a more refined version of the previous birds eye view sketch. This one will be clearer for Charlotte to base the modelling on. It is a lot clearer, neater and overall more detailed and defined.
Building Silhouettes
As I have mentioned before, Silhouettes in game concept art is very important. It allows you to test dynamic and different styles when designing aspects such as props, characters and buildings. As it is block colour it allows us to see the buildings in a clear, strong and defined style. I feel it has made my designs more striking and intricate - something I maybe couldn't have achieved as well if I were to design the concepts using basic sketches. I have also added a link I found to be extremely useful when going through this process.
http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/game_environments_design/silhouette-environment-design-basics.php
Building Concept Sketches
Although it is not necessary to individually draw each and every building as a lot of them will be a similar tudor/medieval style. It is however important to draw key distinctive buildings that have significant importance and are in the camera focal point. I have previously provided Charlotte with two building concept drawings, which we will be using in the town. Below are some other major buildings I believe to be of key significance within the environment.
Houses/Shops around the town.
The last week, hasn't been too productive due to personal issues, however, today I decided it was time to get back on track and finish the last remaining bits of the pre-production. There is a number of things still left to do such as;
- Finish off key building concepts within village.
- Concept drawing/plan of Sea Creature temple/place of worship.
- Concept sketch of abandoned pirate ship.
I think these are the only remaining things left to complete, I will however confer with my team to see if they would like me to produce or refine anything else that will be relevant to the pre-production.
Pirate Ship Development.
At the eerie and desolate port/marina of the pirate village will be an abandoned pirate ship. A very large prop, which gives a clear sense of direction and sets/enhances the scene well. We want the ship to look quite eerie, overgrown and quite domineering within the port. I have based the overall design on some photographs I have taken on one of my own traditional ship models. Obviously this is just a base, starting point, aspects of the ship are sure to change, and be more stylised to our own work.
Side View of Ship
Front/Close up of Ship
On Deck of Ship
Here is another closer concept focussing on the rear end of the ship in more detail. I gather the perspective and line work isn't great, it is however a concept and gives an overall feel of the ship and where certain aspects will be.
Temple Ruins/Jungle Concept Art
Over the last week, I have been working on some concept art that represents the sea creatures ancient temple ruins in the depth of the jungle. I think this is a pretty good representation of what we hope to achieve on our environment. It is quite eerie and creepy, yet still has a fantasy edge to it. As this is just an experiment, I think I will add some more purple tones and possibly make it a little darker when it comes to the final texturing and fleshing out of the scene.
Texturing
After discussing things with Charlotte, we agreed that all the pre-production process is now complete. I can now begin the texturing process. As Charlotte has been modelling over the pre-production period, I certainly have plenty to be getting on with for the time being.
Today I began texturing the first few models, as they are not important objects that will dominant the scene I have used basic stone textures then reworked them with various brushes in photoshop, this allows them to blend easier, look less flat and also more detailed. I have added shadows, as well as some damp/moss like stains to add that abandoned, eerie desolated feel we want to create. Below is the large drain found within the harbour and the stone steps to the right of the harbour, as well as the steps on the jetty.
When it comes to texturing the main buildings and elements the audience will see up close I will obviously paint them with greater intricate detail. I have also taken into consideration that the scene will be lit by moonlight/late sunset, this will work greatly in my favour when it comes to texturing, it means I can save some time and cut a few corners as the audience will not being able to see certain textures in great detail.
Further Texturing
This evening I began texturing more models. I started on one of the houses in the town harbour front, again it is not in main view point, only a distant building on the edge of the village. Again, I have added some shadows and moss stains to bring the texture to life further. For a texture we wont see for a long amount of time in great detail, I think it has came out fairly well.
Brushes
Today Zoe sent me some photoshop brushes. They are the brushes of Emrah Elmasli, a concept artist and illustrator. There is an incredibly large range of various brushes that will definitely come to good use throughout the process of texturing. Helping each other out, sending links and other useful things is definitely the key to a group that works well, communication is a major part of that. This was one of the issues we received during feedback, I feel we are really trying to take that into consideration and strengthen the team.
Texturing the Jetty
I am now beginning to start to texture the jetty which is situated in the harbour. As I've gone along through the process of texturing, I have begun saving relevant and useful textures that I think might be repeated or fit well into the trailer - as well as saving painting experiments and photos I think would work well for a texture. I find it really useful, to build up a small collection library of textures, as many are repeated or fit into the look of the final piece. For the jetty, I will base it with a simple wood texture, I will then work into it further, adding cracks, dirt, veins and moss - overall making it look more authentic and decrepit. This is the jetty so far with the UV map Charlotte provided. The texture will then be duplicated, rotated, and altered slightly all the way along the jetty to finalise it. So far I think it's looking pretty good, I am pleased with the results. It will really look complete once the lighting and shadows are added, I am looking forward to seeing it all come together, it's amazing how much a simple texture can bring a model to life, as apposed to a basic lambert shader.
Work Schedule
After discussing things with our tutor today, we discovered we are a little behind. Although it's only a week or so, its important we catch up as this could prove crucial in the final stages, when it comes to editing and post production aspects. Me and Charlotte discussed a work plan and have agreed to go into uni every day this week and possibly start meeting on the odd saturday or sunday to make sure we really keep on track and catch up to where we should be.
Further Texturing: The village
Today whilst at uni, I began working my way further around the town. Now the jetty and other small objects are done in that area, I am starting to work deeper into the village. I am beginning on the houses and main models around the harbour front. Today I textured some steps to one of the houses and also completed the main tower archway, along with the stone wall and wooden door. Here is how the door came out. I achieved this rustic wooden effect by starting off with a basic texture, reworking into it by adding grooves and ridges, then added some dark moss staining and dirt. I then finished with a handle and tudor door hinges. I finalised it by adding some nuts and bolts, as well as some shadows and highlights. Overall, I am quite happy with how it came out and believe it will be a nice addiction to the backdrop of the town.
Below is also the first house I have finished texturing. I'm quite pleased with how it has turned out, it definitely fits the decrepit, eerie feel of the town, keeping with the tudor style.
Catching Up
As I have mentioned above, Charlotte and myself have really been trying to catch up with the work schedule as we were a little behind in comparison with the rest of the group. So far, we have been into uni everyday and really putting in the hours in a bid o catch up, slowly but surely we are getting there. It's not until you begin the next stage of production you realise how long some things can actually take, texturing is definitely one of them! It is a long, tedious process but a key part in getting to the next level. It also gives everything a more refined and complete look, slowly aiding us to bring our scenes together.
Whilst at uni today I began texturing my biggest and most detailed house so far. Although it doesn't look too complex, so far I have only been texturing small props and basic square shaped houses, so for now it is the next step onto more detailed and elaborate textures. This house has more perspectives and angles to work with, as well as aspects such as water wheels and balconies to consider. I am looking forward to the challenge. Here is the UV map I will be working with, and below is what I have completed so far. Surprisingly, this has taken over three hours alone and it is no where near complete. Once you analyse the map and work out where every things place is, as well as test it on the model a lot of time has already passed. I particularly found the roof difficult to do due to the angle and wooden panels aligning. Looking back, I could have used a simpler texture, although I really like the depth this one gives the model as well as the hearty medieval character it brings. I will continue to work on this texture tomorrow morning.
First Hand Images
As a vast amount of my time is consumed with texturing lately, I have began to notice everyday and organic textures all around me even more so in everyday life. I thought it would be a good idea to take some of my own photos and add them to my texture folder as they will surely come in useful with all the stone and wooden houses within the town. I like these 3 in particular, as they show a distressed, decaying look we want to portray in the village. I really like the first one, it has a great sense of depth and a fantastic rough texture that will bring the model to life, making it appear less flat. I also like the small amount of moss creeping through. Along with my painting on top of these textures, I feel they can really do the models justice.
Texturing Problems
Over the last few days, I have been texturing the manor house. This has taken quite a bit longer than I first anticipated, as I have run into a couple of minor problems. At first the UV map did not fit the model, after consulting with Charlotte, we got that sorted. The next obstacle was some distortion on the roof and chimney pipes. I have replaced the pipes with a simple maya colour texture in blinn. I think this suits the model better anyway as they would be made of metal in a realistic world. As for the roof, I tried every angle, size and technique possible, however, I simply could not get rid of the distortion. Again, I discussed this with Charlotte, and after some fiddling around with the UV maps and model she sent the model back to me resolved. After a few hiccups I am happy with the Manor House.
The last of the props
Texturing the Tavern
Final day texturing
As today is the final day before our personal texturing deadline, I have been working on the remaining two textures left; the village square floor and harbour floor. Although they do not look like much, they did take quite a length of time due to their scale. I based the overall look on the game series "Fable" I started with a worn medieval looking brick texture finished nicely with some mud and grass, creeping around the edges. As this will be in close and continuous view I decided to add a bump map to give the brickwork more refined detail and give the grass a little more life and texture.
Additional Work
Now all the textures are complete, Charlotte has begun rendering the scenes with the textures I have been sending over. We can leave the scenes to render over the weekend so we can get cracking with the editing starting from monday. Charlotte also sent me another couple of files to texture over the weekend that will be placed in the final scene. As you can see, I have placed a bump map over the gold treasure for a more realistic look and to really pick out individual pieces amongst the gold.
Rendering
As the rendering is now in progress, I began work on a title page that will advertise the game at the end of the trailer. Using some example of the groups models and texturing, i came up with a couple of compositions. Although the first one shows off the modelling, texturing and painting, as well as overall feel of the game nicely, it may be a little too plain. However, the second with the ship, the audience can tell what the game will consist of and really sets the scene. We decided the second poster was more appropriate and pleasing to the eye.
Some final scenes
Below are some quick snaps of some of the finalised scenes, textured and rendered. As we are now into the editing process, everything is now coming together and looking more solid and final. Me and Charlotte have been in the studio the past few days editing. We have been making changes, slowing up, fading out and basically polishing off the final trailer. It's quite an exciting aspect being this close to the finishing line after all this hard work.
The Village Square
Below is my first rough sketch of the ship. As I have mentioned above, this is subjected to change. I will run it by the group and see if they are happy with the style etc, then develop it further and in greater detail.
Here is another closer concept focussing on the rear end of the ship in more detail. I gather the perspective and line work isn't great, it is however a concept and gives an overall feel of the ship and where certain aspects will be.
Extended Map
Now everything in the main village is complete, I decided to extend the map a little further across the island to the ancient temple ruins. These will be situated on the mountains, submerged in the forest/jungle. I have included the village map/birds eye view also, so you can see how it flows/continues on from the town.
Temple Ruins/Jungle Concept Art
Over the last week, I have been working on some concept art that represents the sea creatures ancient temple ruins in the depth of the jungle. I think this is a pretty good representation of what we hope to achieve on our environment. It is quite eerie and creepy, yet still has a fantasy edge to it. As this is just an experiment, I think I will add some more purple tones and possibly make it a little darker when it comes to the final texturing and fleshing out of the scene.
Texturing
After discussing things with Charlotte, we agreed that all the pre-production process is now complete. I can now begin the texturing process. As Charlotte has been modelling over the pre-production period, I certainly have plenty to be getting on with for the time being.
Today I began texturing the first few models, as they are not important objects that will dominant the scene I have used basic stone textures then reworked them with various brushes in photoshop, this allows them to blend easier, look less flat and also more detailed. I have added shadows, as well as some damp/moss like stains to add that abandoned, eerie desolated feel we want to create. Below is the large drain found within the harbour and the stone steps to the right of the harbour, as well as the steps on the jetty.
Drain
Steps
Jetty Steps
Further Texturing
This evening I began texturing more models. I started on one of the houses in the town harbour front, again it is not in main view point, only a distant building on the edge of the village. Again, I have added some shadows and moss stains to bring the texture to life further. For a texture we wont see for a long amount of time in great detail, I think it has came out fairly well.
Brushes
Today Zoe sent me some photoshop brushes. They are the brushes of Emrah Elmasli, a concept artist and illustrator. There is an incredibly large range of various brushes that will definitely come to good use throughout the process of texturing. Helping each other out, sending links and other useful things is definitely the key to a group that works well, communication is a major part of that. This was one of the issues we received during feedback, I feel we are really trying to take that into consideration and strengthen the team.
Texturing the Jetty
I am now beginning to start to texture the jetty which is situated in the harbour. As I've gone along through the process of texturing, I have begun saving relevant and useful textures that I think might be repeated or fit well into the trailer - as well as saving painting experiments and photos I think would work well for a texture. I find it really useful, to build up a small collection library of textures, as many are repeated or fit into the look of the final piece. For the jetty, I will base it with a simple wood texture, I will then work into it further, adding cracks, dirt, veins and moss - overall making it look more authentic and decrepit. This is the jetty so far with the UV map Charlotte provided. The texture will then be duplicated, rotated, and altered slightly all the way along the jetty to finalise it. So far I think it's looking pretty good, I am pleased with the results. It will really look complete once the lighting and shadows are added, I am looking forward to seeing it all come together, it's amazing how much a simple texture can bring a model to life, as apposed to a basic lambert shader.
Work Schedule
After discussing things with our tutor today, we discovered we are a little behind. Although it's only a week or so, its important we catch up as this could prove crucial in the final stages, when it comes to editing and post production aspects. Me and Charlotte discussed a work plan and have agreed to go into uni every day this week and possibly start meeting on the odd saturday or sunday to make sure we really keep on track and catch up to where we should be.
Further Texturing: The village
Today whilst at uni, I began working my way further around the town. Now the jetty and other small objects are done in that area, I am starting to work deeper into the village. I am beginning on the houses and main models around the harbour front. Today I textured some steps to one of the houses and also completed the main tower archway, along with the stone wall and wooden door. Here is how the door came out. I achieved this rustic wooden effect by starting off with a basic texture, reworking into it by adding grooves and ridges, then added some dark moss staining and dirt. I then finished with a handle and tudor door hinges. I finalised it by adding some nuts and bolts, as well as some shadows and highlights. Overall, I am quite happy with how it came out and believe it will be a nice addiction to the backdrop of the town.
Catching Up
As I have mentioned above, Charlotte and myself have really been trying to catch up with the work schedule as we were a little behind in comparison with the rest of the group. So far, we have been into uni everyday and really putting in the hours in a bid o catch up, slowly but surely we are getting there. It's not until you begin the next stage of production you realise how long some things can actually take, texturing is definitely one of them! It is a long, tedious process but a key part in getting to the next level. It also gives everything a more refined and complete look, slowly aiding us to bring our scenes together.
Whilst at uni today I began texturing my biggest and most detailed house so far. Although it doesn't look too complex, so far I have only been texturing small props and basic square shaped houses, so for now it is the next step onto more detailed and elaborate textures. This house has more perspectives and angles to work with, as well as aspects such as water wheels and balconies to consider. I am looking forward to the challenge. Here is the UV map I will be working with, and below is what I have completed so far. Surprisingly, this has taken over three hours alone and it is no where near complete. Once you analyse the map and work out where every things place is, as well as test it on the model a lot of time has already passed. I particularly found the roof difficult to do due to the angle and wooden panels aligning. Looking back, I could have used a simpler texture, although I really like the depth this one gives the model as well as the hearty medieval character it brings. I will continue to work on this texture tomorrow morning.
Continuing the house texture..
Today I have been working from home continuing on this house texture, I have began reworking it, and going over it with my own painting to add further texture, depth and character.
The character
This week Zoe sent us the final character she has been modelling. Although it has a few changes to the original character design and concept art initially did, I feel it now flows and works much better - particularly being a 3D model. She will fit nicely into our environment. Below is the final character model in various views. Its a good feeling to see the work start to all come together and a character we designed, adapted and worked over again and again finally be modelled into 3D form by Zoe, she has really come to life, Zoe has done a great job.
Front
3/4
Side
Back
Close up
Now I have the final character model, it is now time to texture her. Although I am finding it difficult to fit this in at the moment due to the environment texturing as well as dissertation work. I am aiming to get done what I can this weekend, and then begin texturing her next week. We will be using Z Brush to texture the model, I have never used this software for texturing before, so I imagine it will be even more time consuming and challenging for myself. However, I have emailed my tutor to see if he can go through a few things with me regarding Z Brush, we have arranged a tutorial for next week. It is important that we keep to strict deadlines now, we do not want to get too behind again and the final deadline is slowly looming. Charlotte also sent me a few photos of a textured model with some lighting and an experiment with fog/mist within the scene. Although the texture is still unfinished, we both agreed it's looking pretty good, once the lighting is properly completed as well as the texture, it will really finalise it. I also like the fog experiment she tested out. It will add that creepy, desolate feel we are craving for, once the lighting and textures are complete it will look very convincing and take on the spooky vibe we are trying to create. Below are the images.
Church Texture
Over the last couple of days I have been working on the church texture. It is quite a main feature within the main town square, so it will be fairly visible and quite dominant object in the scene. Below is the final texture mapped onto the model. It's a combination of my own painting, and some ready made textures worked over. I am quite pleased with how it's come out, however at the moment it is looking quite murky and dark. Although we want aspects of this dark gloom, we also want to do the model and texture alike justice. Once the lighting is set up, I feel it will really bring the building to life. I may also assign a bump map to it to gain greater realism and character to the building.
Texturing updates
Not a lot has changed since the last blog update, apart from some additional texturing.
I am gradually getting through all of the models Charlotte continues to upload onto our shared folder. Below is the latest model I have completed texturing. It is one of the main houses within the town.
As a vast amount of my time is consumed with texturing lately, I have began to notice everyday and organic textures all around me even more so in everyday life. I thought it would be a good idea to take some of my own photos and add them to my texture folder as they will surely come in useful with all the stone and wooden houses within the town. I like these 3 in particular, as they show a distressed, decaying look we want to portray in the village. I really like the first one, it has a great sense of depth and a fantastic rough texture that will bring the model to life, making it appear less flat. I also like the small amount of moss creeping through. Along with my painting on top of these textures, I feel they can really do the models justice.
Texturing Problems
Over the last few days, I have been texturing the manor house. This has taken quite a bit longer than I first anticipated, as I have run into a couple of minor problems. At first the UV map did not fit the model, after consulting with Charlotte, we got that sorted. The next obstacle was some distortion on the roof and chimney pipes. I have replaced the pipes with a simple maya colour texture in blinn. I think this suits the model better anyway as they would be made of metal in a realistic world. As for the roof, I tried every angle, size and technique possible, however, I simply could not get rid of the distortion. Again, I discussed this with Charlotte, and after some fiddling around with the UV maps and model she sent the model back to me resolved. After a few hiccups I am happy with the Manor House.
The Manor House
A small Tavern I also textured this week.
Deadline Update
As the deadline is drawing closer, I am really starting to feeling under pressure with the texturing, my dissertation and the character texturing. I was initially meant to be texturing the character a few weeks ago, but Charlotte has added quite a few models to the shared folder that still need texturing since then. As I was finally beginning to feel as if we were getting on top of things, I realise there are still quite a few things that need completing in relation to texturing the town. I'm in two minds of what needs the most attention at the moment, as I don't want to neglect texturing the town, the character however is an important part of that. I will discuss this with my tutor and see what he feels best to prioritise at the moment.
Prop Texturing
I had a break from texturing today to focus on my dissertation, but here are some props I completed when I had some spare time in the evening. I really like the worn out, mossy look they have to them and feel they will make a nice addition to the town. Props are equally as important in a game environment - or any environment for that matter, they will add character and a sense of realism to the town.
I continued to work through the prop folder whilst at uni today. Today I worked on the treasure chest, it was a fairly arduous process, aligning the planks of wood and studs found within the iron frame, as well as painting the skull, which did take up a lot of time but I am finally satisfied with the outcome.
Lighting Effects
Once I had completed the texturing the chest, I thought I would try out various lighting effects. Although they are only quick rough tests, it is interesting to try out some styles of different lighting. Below I tried out a very dim orange type of lighting such as an oil lamp or distant candle. I think the warm glow compliments the woody natural texture well. I then tried a natural moonlit type of lighting, using blue and purple tones. This compliments the metal part of the model better, however I'm not sure how well the wood looks. Although I do like how this could almost be a night time water reflection, this is quite befitting as this model will be placed on the end of the jetty above a moonlit sea.
The last of the props
I continued to work through the prop folder today whilst at uni. I managed to complete the wishing well that will be outside a house or shop in the town square. As a lot of bricks are crumbled and skewed, it has somewhat distorted the uv map a little. Because the bricks are not straight, the texture does not wrap smoothly - making a few of the bricks look a little distorted. As we still have so much to do at this stage, this is not a huge deal, as well as the scene being lit by dim street lanterns and moonlight. However if I have some spare time at the end of the project I will resolve this. Apart from this minor issue, I am overall happy with how the well and bucket are portrayed.
After a few days off for the easter break, today I got back to work, mainly focussing on the texturing of the tavern. I used one of my own textures which I had previously photographed for the stone wall and painted the tavern sign. It will certainly make a nice addition to the village.
Tavern sign
The Apothecary & Blacksmiths
Todays work consisted of texturing the medieval apothecary and Blacksmiths. Below are the finished products, some nice inclusion to the village.
The Apothecary
The Blacksmiths
Time Schedule
As it really approaching crunch time now, I am texturing at a very constant pace, it is important I get all the texturing completed so we can start rendering the scenes out as soon as possible, giving us enough time to edit the production - as well as rectify any problems should we encounter them. Here are some textures I worked on over the weekend.
Village House
Village House
Bridge
Water Fountain
Texture Troubles
Today whilst texturing this large town house I ran into a little trouble with the UV maps. As I was texturing the house, it seemed the UV maps were not matching up as it should. I discussed this with Charlotte, my team member and she edited the maps a further two times, yet there is still a few issues, mainly the 2 chimneys. As we try to get to the root of this problem, here is the house so far. If we cannot resolve the issue, we will simply put some brown stone maya textures on the chimneys. The dim lighting will let us get away with this due to long distance and low visibility.
Last of the Houses
As time to the deadline is drawing ever closer, I'm working day and night to get these textures completed, giving us enough time to edit and render. Below are two remaining houses I had left to complete.
Texturing the Character
As most of the houses are now textured, apart from a few props such as the gallows and ship it is now time to texture the character. I would have liked to do this a lot sooner, however due to the timescale and workload it was not possible. I textured the character in photoshop as apposed to Z Brush as I would not have the time to learn a new software at this stage, although I would have liked to explore a new software, time is not on the groups side right now. Below is the outcome, I am quite pleased with how she turned out, although I would have liked to texture the hair in more intricate detail for more realism, these were not on the uv map, due to the intense time schedule. Overall, I am happy with how I have painted and textured the character, particularly the corset and facial contouring, giving her a delicate bone structure. Although they are not vast details, small additions such as these really make the difference is bringing the character to life.
Pirate Ship
I am now fairly up to date with all the texturing, leaving myself a few days before the groups personal deadline is when all the texturing should be complete. Today I have been going through our shared online file meticulously picking out anything that needs working on and some additional props that still need doing. Today I worked on the large abandoned pirate ship that will be situated in the harbour area.
As today is the final day before our personal texturing deadline, I have been working on the remaining two textures left; the village square floor and harbour floor. Although they do not look like much, they did take quite a length of time due to their scale. I based the overall look on the game series "Fable" I started with a worn medieval looking brick texture finished nicely with some mud and grass, creeping around the edges. As this will be in close and continuous view I decided to add a bump map to give the brickwork more refined detail and give the grass a little more life and texture.
Additional Work
Now all the textures are complete, Charlotte has begun rendering the scenes with the textures I have been sending over. We can leave the scenes to render over the weekend so we can get cracking with the editing starting from monday. Charlotte also sent me another couple of files to texture over the weekend that will be placed in the final scene. As you can see, I have placed a bump map over the gold treasure for a more realistic look and to really pick out individual pieces amongst the gold.
Rendering
As the rendering is now in progress, I began work on a title page that will advertise the game at the end of the trailer. Using some example of the groups models and texturing, i came up with a couple of compositions. Although the first one shows off the modelling, texturing and painting, as well as overall feel of the game nicely, it may be a little too plain. However, the second with the ship, the audience can tell what the game will consist of and really sets the scene. We decided the second poster was more appropriate and pleasing to the eye.
Some final scenes
Below are some quick snaps of some of the finalised scenes, textured and rendered. As we are now into the editing process, everything is now coming together and looking more solid and final. Me and Charlotte have been in the studio the past few days editing. We have been making changes, slowing up, fading out and basically polishing off the final trailer. It's quite an exciting aspect being this close to the finishing line after all this hard work.
The Ship approaching the Island
Birds-Eye View of the Ship
Fight Scene aboard the Ship
Final Trailer
At last we have finally finished the trailer. It feels amazing to be handed in and completed after a year of hard work. I feel we have achieved exactly what we set out to do. Although not as extravagant as we first planned, we had to take into consideration the timescale and there being only 2 of us in the group. However, we are both very happy with the final outcome. Below is the link to our game trailer.
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