I am happy with what I have achieved over the three milestones, attempting to learn as much as I can and experimented with as many aspects of UE4. With each milestone I tried to do more than was expected for my own personal benefit, I always liked to broaden my knowledge and create something I couldnât have done before starting the milestone. I look forward to learning even more and focusing on VFX in the next assignment.
1. Reflection of what you have achieved in Milestone 1A through to 1C
I was confident in my basic understanding of UE4 from the past semester however render passes were relatively new knowledge for me, therefore this was an area of research. I had some issues with compositing in AE, knowing what passes to use and for what purpose. After completing this milestone I was confident in my understanding of the depth pass and examples of implementation, achieving a dusty effect in the background. However I still need to research and gain an understanding of other render passes and their uses.
This milestone was the most frustrating of the three with almost every aspect of the pipeline causing an issue that took a considerable amount of time to resolve. I found most of these were due to using a Mac but luckily I also had a PC that I used for the MAYA animations. I really enjoyed using the ART plugin and found it very powerful for quickly creating and animating customised proxy characters. I would have liked to further explore the joint modules, however I was glad I could achieve the ponytail in UE4, realistically reacting to the movement of the character. After resolving the issues I found the whole pipeline pretty quick as I am quite confident with animating and using sequencer/camera in UE4.
I really learnt a lot about using UE4 cascade particle system during this milestone and was impressed at how easy it was to achieve visually interesting VFX. Finding I had some more time due to fixing the issues in my pipeline in the previous milestone I was able to experiment with sparks, dust particles, dust clouds and mesh emitters. This new basic knowledge of particles will help me for the assessment 2 where I plan on focusing on VFX. I was also pleased with the style of animation created, âbreakingâ the rig and creating smear frames in order to create a snappy animation.
2. Examination of what new knowledge you have developed, and what knowledge you need to further develop in the pipeline of an animated shot
Starting the semester I had a strong basic knowledge of UE4 and a some extra knowledge about blueprints, but had never worked with animation, sequencer, render passes or cascade. The render passes were relatively knew knowledge, I never knew all the possibilities and how to effectively use the passes in post production (After Effects). This is an area I need to further develop my knowledge, both in the understanding of render passes and compositing in AE. I found the animation and sequencer easy to use as it was similar to other programs I was familiar with. I am glad that I took some extra time to learn and experiment with particles and cascade in UE4 and I feel confident in advancing this knowledge. VFX is an area I am interested in developing further and using this time as an opportunity to experiment will be beneficial when starting the next assignment.
3. Identification of your selected specialist stream for Assignment 2, including your areas of priority, chosen task and personal objectives
VFX is an area I would like to further expand my knowledge. However I would like to also combine some animation as this is the field I want to enter in the industry. But I chose not to focus on this as I feel like I have done a lot of animation over the past year and would like to use this opportunity to broaden my skills. As I would also like to include animation my personal objective is to have an animated character interact with a real world environment/people and including some VFX like dust/water in the scene.Â
4. Identification of one industry job/role OR one inspirational artist/studio relevant to your chosen stream and explanation of why
Compositor and Layout artists are examples of industry job roles relevant to the VFX stream. A compositor is responsible for combining all elements (background plates, special effects etc) and creating the final image. Compositors work at the very end of a production pipeline whereas Layout artists work a lot earlier in the process, responsible for interpreting 2D and 3D storyboards to block out the scenes and stage every shot. This particular role interested me as I have had a lot of previous experience with 3D modelling and animation and this VFX role would utilise this prior knowledge and interest.
I am inspired by the work of Iloura, an Australian based animation and visual effects studio. Particularly their work on one of my favourite films, Mad Max: Fury Road. This is what inspired me to choose and further explore the VFX stream. Research of the process showed areas of modelling and animation, combining my previous knowledge and confidence of modelling and animating and adding a new step/skill of VFX.
5. Identification of the knowledge and skills required for your selected stream, and a written understanding of these skills / responsibilities in your own words
VFX artists are responsible for interpreting and recreating effects like explosion, fire, smoke, debris etc often working at the very end of the production process. It also involves combining and constructing all the 2D and 3D elements seamlessly into the final shot as a compositor to complement the project style and maintain continuity. Thus an understanding of the process of 3D animation and ability to create well composed shots is important in this role.
It is imperative that VFX artist work and communicate well within a team environment, often working closely with render wranglers and lighters. Therefore, a technical understanding of physics (light, gravity and how objects interact with each other) is another important area of knowledge for VFX artist, in order to achieve realistic results. It is also important that one has a level of self-motivation and responsibility, able to independently complete projects and problem solve within strict time frames.
6. Identification of your current knowledge and skills in this stream as per #4, and what will need to be developed throughout the semester
My current knowledge of VFX is very limited, this is why I chose to focus on this stream for assignment 2. I believe I have a basic-intermediate knowledge of other areas (modelling, animation) as they were more of a focus for other units. However, VFX is never something I got a chance to focus on and it has always been an area of interest. Thatâs why I am using the opportunity of assignment 2 to explore and expand my knowledge to broaden my career perspectives. Throughout the semester I will need to develop my understanding of compositing in AE and render passes. Also looking at that physics of VFX and how to realistically create them in UE4 then composite into a scene in AE.Â
My knowledge of VFX and compositing in After Effects is fairly limited, therefore this Lynda tutorial will provide an understanding of the process and how they are implemented
After Effects CC 2017: VFX Essential Training:Â https://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-tutorials/After-Effects-CC-2017-VFX-Essential-Training/504061-2.html?srchtrk=index%3a20%0alinktypeid%3a2%0aq%3aVFX%0apage%3a1%0as%3arelevance%0asa%3atrue%0aproducttypeid%3a2
This Youtube playlist focuses on aspects of UE4 cascade particle systems and the different effects that can be created. I have only watch a couple during the last milestone that gave me a basic understanding of the system.
Introduction to Cascade:Â https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZlv_N0_O1gYDLyB3LVfjYIcbBe8NqR8t
Itâs important to know the aspects of the VFX pipeline and the order in which certain steps are done to ensure my own own pipeline is correct and efficient. This is particularly important when working with a team.Â
VFX pipeline: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-an-average-vfx-pipeline-works/
As discovered in research of industry roles and knowledge, an understanding of cinematography and lighting is important for VFX artists when compositing scenes.
Lighting the Environment (UE4):Â https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/LightingAndShadows/
Cinematography techniques:Â https://www.oma.on.ca/en/contestpages/resources/free-report-cinematography.pdf
