Arnold Shader Surface

I wanted to put this up because I really enjoyed this tutorial. The metal texture is a revelation and will really help me with my third year project.

Third Year Idea 'ESCAPE ZONE 3000'

"Blade Runner meets The Great Escape"

For my project I plan on creating a short animated film titled 'Escape Zone:3000' The film is set on a world run by technology, both new and old. I plan on doing this for the entirety of year three.

The story will revolve around a character who is a prisoner of this world due to the fact that he has contracted a a new 'disease'. His body is downgrading from his robot aesthetic to a half robot, half skin. Skin and all things human will be something alien to this world.

The title 'Escape Zone: 3000' relates to the segregated island that the main character is stuck on, ZONE 3000 is a place that homes prisoners and confines them to a single cell within towering skyscrapers, guarded 24/7.

The film will start with the prisoner outside of ZONE 3000, free from the confines of his cell and it will also end there. The animation will flashback to show his escape. The idea of everything being a dream, due to his new found consciousness as a part robot, part human-like creature is something I want to add as a type of visual subtext throughout and even hint at towards the end. I want everything that happens to him to be to good to be true, the guards just suddenly not being there, signs pointing exactly where he needs to go, all hinting at the idea of this being just something conjured up in his mind whilst alone in his cell.

Below are some scribbles and sketches of character/environments designs and some quick sketches of particular shots within the film. Also colour palettes.

The idea was inspired by a piece of music by Kyle Dixon which features in the Stranger Things soundtrack. Reason being is because the music begins slow and and ends slow which is something I aim to have within my film, within the middle of the animation I plan to have break out scene where the prisoner breaks loose and runs from rooftop to rooftop during his escape accompanied by an epic, synth soundtrack to portray an 80's-esque Sci-Fi mood. 

I have also created a new 'studio' blog to house all of my third year work which I have linked down below.

- Link to studio blog -

El Bandido Mutante - Animations

Jack Lumber

Summer Sketchbook

Baseball Team Character Designs

Lady Scribble

Scribble

CG Artists Toolkit and Film Review Submission 19/05/2017

Film reviews

World Animation - Mary and Max

World Animation - Spirited Away

World Animation - Sita Sings The Blues

World Animation - Waltz With Bashir

World Animation - Persepolis

World Animation - Ethel And Ernest

World Animation - The Secret Of Kells

World Animation - Kubo and The Two Strings

Maya Tutorials

Mental Ray Part 1: Samples and Quality Control

Mental Ray Part 2: Final gather

Mental Ray Part 3: Linear Work flow

Mental Ray Part 4: Physical Sun and Sky

Mental Ray Part 5: Portal Lights

Mental Ray Part 6: MIA Material X Shader

Mental Ray Part 7: High Dynamic Range (HDR) Lighting

Mental Ray Part 8: Displacement Maps

Mental Ray Part 9: Ambient Occlusion

Mental Ray Part 10: Motion Blur

Mental Ray Part 11: Mental Ray Proxies

Pipeline 1 : UV Layout
Pipeline 1: Skinning
Pipeline 1: Rigging
Pipeline 1: Facial Rigging Part 1-4
Pipeline 1: Facial Rigging Part 6-9
Pipeline 1: Facial Rigging Part 10-13
Pipeline 1: Texturing 1 and Turnarounds

Maya Tutorial // Pipeline 1 Texturing 1 and Turnarounds

Maya Tutorial // Pipeline 1 Facial Rigging Part 3 Part 10 - 13

Maya Tutorial // Lighting and Rendering 2 - Linear Work Flow

Maya Tutorial // Pipeline 1: Facial Rigging Part 2 Part 6-9

Maya Tutorial // Pipeline 1: Facial Rigging Part 1 - Part 1-4

Maya Tutorial // Pipeline 1 Rigging - Part 1-4

The more I do this process the more I enjoy it, as it is yet another step closer to bring a character to life.

ADAPTATION B Reflective Statement

Overall I feel that this project was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. The lows began with my struggle to cope with finding the idea I wanted to take forward and the frustration of not being able to progress with any work until i had found it.

Once I had got past this obstacle things were looking up, I love designing characters and have fun with creating new ideas, the challenge was taking my designs which are typically flat and illustrative and applying them into 3D software. This is what caused the most worry for me, as 3D hasn't always been my favourite thing to do BUT! I have never enjoyed working in Maya as much as I have in this project. As well as gaining confidence in the software I have learnt so much within it too. With the guidance of Alan I have created a rig that within it holds some complexity that has enabled me to bring life to my designs, something I always thought would be hard to do, which it was, but I did it. 

There is a part of me, like Phil said, that is left wanting more, which I know will happen. I want to continue with this character and idea and give it a new lease of life. My plan is to re-design and re-model the character which in turn would help to aid some of the problems that I found in Maya during the last few weeks. 

I am pleased with what I created, I feel my design work and presentation within my 'Making of' is some of the best I have done since the beginning of the course which pleases me because at times I have felt stuck with my 'style' but since gaining the new found confidence in Maya I feel that there is so much more I can now do to create a new animated world that amalgamates 2D and 3D techniques.

Adaptation B // 'El Bandido Mutante' Submission Post

Adaptation B // EL BANDIDO MUTANTE Character Intro

Adaptation B // Making of 'El Bandido Mutante'

Maya Tutorial // Pipeline 1 - Skinning Part 1-7

Adaptation B // FX Test

I decided to jump in to After effects and test out a little bit of FX for my final piece of animation to enhance the aesthetic. I'm pretty happy with it, but my plan is to make everything that is within the middle of the shot darker and having the scratches and grain to be white as opposed to black, also more than likely going to get rid of the line that covers the middle of the screen as I feel this would draw too much attention away from the character itself.

Adaptation B // Completed Rig

Adaptation B // The Truck Driver // Objects and Final Design

Adaptation B // Wireframe/Texture Render

World Animation // 'Kubo and The Two Strings' (2016)

Fig.1 'Kubo and The Two Strings' (Poster)

'Kubo and The Two Strings' (2016) Dir. Travis Knight, is animation studio, Laika's, fourth feature length, stop-motion film. It follows the story of Kubo, a young boy who wields a powerful, three-stringed instrument know as a shamishen which enables him to control origami to tell stories. 

Fig.2 Film Still

Laika are a studio that dwell on the small details of a film, whether that's a blade of grass blowing in the wind or a leaf falling from a tree, everything that is seen on screen has been hand-made and crafted to perfection. The animation itself is second to none, everything feels so real because in a way, it is, the characters aren't created in a computer they're real which brings a new lease of life to the film. It's strange because computer animation feels like the way forward but you can't help but feel that stop-motion feels more honest, the way in which the characters move feels more real and compelling. 

As well as stop motion animation and hand-made sets, the film also welcomes the use of new technologies to help advance the movie. some special effects are added to particular characters and backgrounds are sometimes added in with the help of green screens. The combination of the two is welcomed to create a marvellous and beautiful visual experience.

Fig.3 Film Still

What makes 'Kubo and The Two Strings' such a magical animation is in the opinion of this review, not the compelling story or the success it gained at the box office, but the time and effort that went in to actually creating it. It was worked on by hardworking and dedicated animators, writers, craftsmen and women who spent hours piecing together each element of both the world of Kubo and it's story. The narrative is exciting and a new, it's a breath of fresh air to see something original in the cinema as opposed to another sequel or remake. 'Kubo and The Two Strings' is a joy to watch.

Illustrations

Figure. 1 'Kubo and The Two Strings' (2016) [Poster] At:http://cdn.film-book.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/kubo-and-the-two-strings-movie-banner-01-600x350.jpg Accessed on: 9/04/2017

Figure. 2 [Film Still] At: https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/doLGeAn_gKdc3Cnnfx4UdvJHr-k=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6929447/KUBO_sunset_laika_focus.0.jpg Accessed on: 09/04/2017

Figure.3 [Film Still] At: http://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/kubo_and_the_two_strings.jpg Accessed on: 09/04/2017

Adaptation B // UV's and Name Change

The UV's are now done. At the same time I have decided to change the name of the episode [As shown above]. 

World Animation // 'The Secret Of Kells' (2009)

Fig.1 'The Secret of Kells' Poster

Directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey 'The Secret of Kells' (2009) is an animated which is rooted with Irish themes. The movie follows the adventure of Brendan, the protagonist throughout the film. The film is based on 'The Book of Kells' a gospel book in latin which contains the four gospels of the new testament.

Fig.2 Film Still

From the opening sequence of the film the audience is greeted with vibrant, and mystical animations, the backgrounds are full of detailed set pieces layered upon one another to create a world that is so vast yet in a way so small. 

The character design is wonderful, each character stands out and they all have their own personalities which are enhanced by there shapes, sizes and colours. 

The film feels like a graphic novel come to life. Each shot is crafted so well that you want to pause the film to admire what is on screen. The overall style is reminiscent of Nina Paley's 'Sita Sings The Blues' (2008) which works as if each part of the scene is on the same plane whilst also giving various amounts of depth.

Fig.3 Film Still

In conclusion, 'The Secret of Kells' is a well animated movie that cherishes its Celtic/Irish heritage from start to finish. It welcomes people to a world they have never seen or heard of before, telling stories of their heritage.

The animation is natural and full of life, green being the colour that flows throughout the story.

Overall the film is great fun to watch, for the design work alone, it's definitely a film that the whole family could watch.

Bibliography:

Figure.1 'The Secret of Kells' (2009) [Poster] At:http://www.newvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/NNVG229021-F.jpg Accessed on: 03/04/2017

Figure.2 [Film Still] At:http://medias.unifrance.org/medias/86/143/36694/format_page/brendan-and-the-secret-of-kells.jpg Accessed on:03/04/2017

Figure.3 [Film Still] At:http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/the_secret_of_kells_movie_image-7.jpg Accessed on: 03/04/2017

@Alan - Adaptation B // El Mutante Model Mesh Refinement

Adaptation B // Truck Driver Development

Adaptation B // Truck driver Development

@ALAN Adaptation B // Model Mesh

I feel like there is some tidying up to do with this model, I am also unsure how to go about modelling the poncho/serape that is meant to drape over the shoulders of the character so any dynamic way that could be done any feedback would be appreciated.

Maya Tutorial // Mental Ray Part 8: Displacement Maps

Maya Tutorial // Mental Ray Part 11: Mental Ray Proxies

Maya Tutorial // Mental Ray Part 10: Motion Blur

Maya Tutorial // Mental Ray Part 9: Ambient Occlusion

Maya Tutorial // Mental Ray Part 7: High Dynamic Range (HDR) Lighting

Adaptation B // El Mutante Modelling Progress

Maya Tutorial // Mental Ray Part 6: MIA Material X Shader

Adaptation B // El Mutante Ortho

Adaptation B // Truck Driver Development

Adaptation B // Pitch Presentation

Adaptation B - Ring Leader Sketches

As spoken about in a previous post the idea of a ring leader being the narrator of each episode is something I have gone forward with. I have come up with the idea of a long distance, redneck, truck driver being the 'ring leader'. Not a typical ring leader of a circus, more so the idea of a travelling circus, the driver and his truck. The characters that are in each episode would be make-shift puppets that he creates from stories he has heard on is travels, which he then performs at truck stops.