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This week during class our groups presented their finished final products to the client. I felt that our group had worked fairly well and presented a very high quality of items. However some of our items needed to be revised before the final submission date on Friday and some of the items were still missing. I felt that final product was very true to the original scope. I really enjoyed this project and I learned a lot about lighting and rigging, some things I would improve on if I had to do this again it to make sure that as the group leader I make sure that I set due dates and make sure I stick firmly to them as I was too lenient which allowed some of our items to be late.

 Week 13

Describe and show visual examples of a creative showreel/s and 2 things you can emulate and why.

 Showreel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl9W9UBryKE

 A show reel is a video resume that employers can take a look at to see your previous works and see your skill, it is also used to show your style of animation and it will help the employers to decide if that is the style they are looking for.

This week in classes we discussed the animation industries, collectively we were asked why we wanted into the industry, what do you want to do and how will you get into the industry. We were then asked to find a job we could apply for now. I found an artist internship at half brick, which appealed to me because it would be combining two of my favourite passions playing games and animation. During this lesson I managed to light and animate my 3D model and it is now completed, the 3d environment has also had its fly through completed, matt however only just starting his UV unwrapping, I am worried he will not complete his character in time. I am endeavouring to help him when I can and I have told him that if he believes it is too difficult to send it to me and I will help.

 Week 12

Identify and Discuss two local companies/studios and the skills they are looking for when hiring new artists.

 Half brick studios:

This company is looking for game artists and inter artists, the skills that they are looking for examples of previous work for the game artist and for the intern artist they are looking for people who have knowledge in game asset creation, character creation, texture and colour, web design, branding and theming, knowledge of graphic and visual design principles and video editing skill are desirable. Not all these skills are requirements as this job is designed to help teach you how to do them as well. They state that the most important thing is to be fun professional and able to work with everyone at their company.

 Jumbla:

I was absent from classes this week, but used the lectures on campus online and communicated with the group to ensure the project continued and was moving smoothly. This week I learned about lighting, I learned specifically about 3 point lighting which is the lighting type that will be used for the 3D turnarounds. In 3 point lighting there are three main light hence the name three point lighting. The first is a key light it is the main light, the second is a fill light it’s used to brighten or colour the shadows and the rim light is used to separate an object from its background. The project is moving smoothly the environment is completed and 1 of the 2 characters has been modelled, rigged and ready to be animated and the second is well on its way to being completed.

 Week 11

Describe and show visual examples of Lighting and Rendering in a 3D Production pipeline.

 Lighting

Lighting artists have to think about lighting each individual scene, they also have to consider how they will bring all of the elements that have been created together. Lighting TD’s combine the latest versions of the animation, the effects, the camera moves, the shades and textures into the final scene and render out an updated version daily. They are required to establish direct and reflected lighting and shadows for each shot, ensuring that each shot fits the continuity of a sequence.

 Rendering

Is the process of generating an image from a 2D or 3D model by means of computer programs. The results of such models is called a rendering.

This week during classes we recapped all of the principals of animation as it is around this time that the characters should be getting to the stage where they are either nearly rigged or are rigged and ready to be animated. For me this true and our 3D environment is completed and is just being appropriately lit to recreate the same scene from the concept. Matt however is only just begun texturing he has assured me that he will get it done and I have  also outlined that if he needs help rigging or animating to tell me so I can help him.

Week 10

Week 10. Describe and show visual examples of biped and quadruped animations from animator show reels.

Biped animations : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBDfqecMu0c

Bipeds are simply creatures that can walk on two legs, so people are bipeds. bipeds are a very typical thing to be seen in animations a film as they are easier to create because reference footage to create biped animations are easier to find or even create if no footage can be found, the utilisation of motion capture can also be used for biped animation

Quadruped animations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfJnLogJj8c

As an animator it is key to have a clear and concise understanding of the workings of cinematography in animation, camera shot, angles and distances have just as much affect on the story as the animation itself. cinematography by definition is the art of camera work in film or in this case animation. for example a medium shot is when the object we are viewing is almost the entire height of the screen. there are many types of shots and movements in cinematography such as pan, zoom, long shot, close ups and point of view shots just to name a few.  these are utilizes to help make films and animation emphasis things within a scene. 

Resources:

http://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/cinematography/

This week our project was well on its way with the draft character concepts completed we can now have the focus set primarily on the 3D aspect while I have already begun to create the first of the two 3D characters, Matt has been tasked with creating, rigging and doing the turntable and walk cycle for the second character. Breeze has been tasked with creating the 3D environment, she is confident she can do it without any help but was told to contact either Matt or myself if it became too much so that we could help create any smaller pieces or just help to design the overall environment. This week during class we learned about rigging which is quite interesting in the fact that there are many way in which an object can be rigged for example using basic circles and squares to control the movement of an object. We also learned about look constraint so an object can be bound to a shape or a dummy and it will then follow the dummy creating the illusion of eyes.

 Week 9 question

Describe and show visual examples of Character and Vehicle Rigging in 3D production.

 Character rigging

 Rigging characters can be done a number of ways but the most common is the use of bones, bones are placed within a model so that the animator can effectively move joints, external controls must set to bones and often the bone need to be set into a hierarchy. Adding weight is also important as it helps determine how the object will deform, this helps create more realistic animation.

 Vehicle rigging

Vehicle rigging is very different as the rigging is focused on the pivoting for the wheels and how the wheel overall behaves.

This week the group and I had our second and third meetings, during the meeting we discussed where everyone was up to I regards to the task distributed last week. At this point I had completed the treatment, the primary characters and my secondary character, breeze had completed her environment concepts, but matt was still doing his character concept, I gave him an extra week to complete it while breeze and I moved onto the 3D assets. This meeting however was conducted after a meeting with the client who looked at our current completed works and gave feedback to enable us to improve and show what stage the project was at.

 Week 8 Question

Describe and show visual examples of typical 3D Modelling & Animation Project Stages.

 Pre-Production

The initial phase of the animation pipe line is preproduction, it begins with the main concept which is then turned into a full story. Once the story has been set in stone the script, shot sequence and camera angles can be worked on.

Story Boarding

The storyboard helps to cement the development of the storyline and is a key stage of the animation process. It consists of drawings in a comic strip layout. It is mainly used to help visualise the animation and communicate ideas clearly. It helps detail the scene and any changes in the animation and is often accompanied by note to help describe what is going on in the scene such as camera movements. Storyboard are very effective in group environments as the provide a visual reminder of the plan which can be referred to throughout the project.

Layouts

Once the story boards have been approved, they are sent to the layout department. This department works very closely with the director to design the locations and costumes. After this they can begin to stage the scenes, this is done by showing the various characters in numerous positions throughout the course of each shot.

Model Sheets

Model sheets are drawn groups of pictures that display the various possible expressions that a character can make and all of the possible poses that they may use. These drawings are created to maintain the characters detail and to help keep the character design uniform while other animators are working on them across several shots. During this the character designs are finalized so that when production begins the model sheets can be sent to the modelling department so they can create the final character models.

Animatics

In order to give a better understanding of motion and timing of the complex animation sequences and visual effect heavy scenes, the pre- visualization department within the visual effects studio creates very simple mock-ups called animatics shortly after the production of the story board. This helps the director plan how they will go about staging the sequences as well as how visual effects will be integrated into the final shot.

Production

After the storyboard has been completed and approved the project enters the production phase. This is where the actual work starts, using the guidelines established during pre-production. Some key elements are the layout, modelling, texturing, lighting, rigging and finally animation.

Now that the storyboard has been approved the project enters the production phase. It's here that the actual work can start, based on the guidelines established during preproduction. Some major parts are layout, modelling, texturing, lighting, rigging and animation.

Layout

Using lo-res models or blocks of geometry in the place of the final set and characters, the layout artist is responsible for creating a rough animation to the animators as a guide. What they create is essentially a 3D version of the storyboard. During this stage the camera move, depth of field and the composition of the models is approved by the director. Its then the modelling departments responsibility to deliver these approved sets, props, and character models in the final layout stages.

 Modelling

Modellers are split into two departments, organic modellers tend to have a sculpture background and specialise in building the characters and other freeform surfaces, hard surface modellers however use a more industrial design or architectural background, and as such they tend to model vehicles, weapons, props and buildings. Modellers turn the 2D concept art into high detailed and topologically sound 3D models. A technical animator and enveloper then put a skeleton in the model and develop the skin of the model. The model may be handed back to the modeller who will sculpt facial expressions and specific muscle tension and jiggle shapes if required. Once the model has been approved it is then sent to the rigging and texturing departments, who complete the final stages in preparing the models for animation and rendering.

Texturing

Creating a texture from scratch or through an existing image, texture artist are responsible for creating shaders and creating textures as per the scene requirement. Working in tandem with the surfacing and shading departments, textures are created to match the approved concept art which was delivered by the art department. Textures are created in the form of maps which are assigned to a model.

 Lighting

Lighting artists have to think about lighting each individual scene, they also have to consider how they will bring all of the elements that have been created together. Lighting TD’s combine the latest versions of the animation, the effects, the camera moves, the shades and textures into the final scene and render out an updated version daily. They are required to establish direct and reflected lighting and shadows for each shot, ensuring that each shot fits the continuity of a sequence.

Rigging

Rigging is the process of adding bones to a character or defining the movement of a mechanical object. A character TD will make test animations that will show how the creature or character will appear when deformed into different poses, based on the results on these tests corrective adjustments can be made. The rigging department is also involved in developing cloth simulation.

Animation

In modern production companies, the practice of meticulously planning a characters performance frame by frame is applied in 3D graphics using the same basic principles that were first developed for 2d animation. Motion capture can be used at a studio to digitize the motion of real actors, a great deal of time will be spent cleaning up the motion capture performance. The effects team produce elements such as smoke, dust, water and explosions however development on these aspects doesn’t begin until the final animation along with its lighting has been approved.

Post-Production

Post-production is the third and final step in film creation, it refers to the tasks which must be completed after the filming or shooting ends. This includes the editing of raw footage to cut scenes together, inserting transitions, working with voice and sound actors and dubbing. The three main phases are compositing, sound editing and video editing.

Compositing

The compositing department brings together all of the 3D elements produce by the previous departments to create the final rendered image ready for film. General compositing tasks include rendering the different passes created by the lighting department to create the final shot, paint fixes and rotoscoping as well as composing the effects elements and colour grading

 Sound Editing

This department is responsible for selecting and assembling the sounds in preparation for the final sound mix, ensuring lip sync and adding all of the sound effects required for the final film

Video Editing

This week I was absent due to medical reasons, the group was issued tasks to complete I was given the task of revising the treatment, doing the final primary character designs and doing a draft secondary character.  Matt was given the second secondary character and breeze was tasked with creating the final environment concepts. The dates for completion of these tasks was given out. I had already finished the revised treatment and I was working on completing the primary characters by the end of the week to ensure that the project can stay on track. After these where completed I plan to have the secondary character completed as well but as a main priority I intend to ensure that the primary characters are completed to an acceptable if not high standard.

 Week 7 question

Find and link to the blog of a practitioner who has contributed to a piece of work that inspires you. Show examples of their work and describe the details of their role on the project.

 http://www.bucklewis.com/animation/robots/gallery.html

This week our group had its first meeting and we discussed colour pallets for the characters and environments, this had become a main focus for our meeting because the item that was talked about in class was colour. Thanks to the lecture I had been given a better understanding of colour and how it can effectively be used to help the audience feel a certain way for example yellow can make you feel joyful but it can also make you feel cautious. I also learned about making harmony with colour, so choose a dominant colour and pick accents. We discussed that we wanted the smaller character to be more of a joyful, bright character so we picked colours such as yellow to match, with buster however we wanted him to be much darker as he was meant to oppress Sal and protect him.

 Week 6 question

Find an inspiring Image or Screenshot, create a Colour Swatch and discuss Why the colours work/or don’t work.

 Colour swatch and image