The Waiting Room: Progress!

So, the props have been built (well most of them), placed into the scene and lighting has begun! This is just roughly placed in to get an idea of what the final image is going to look like and, more importantly, to check the maps are in working order. Especially for the wall which is the main texture center piece for the scene.

It began with adding in spotlights originating from the point lights modeled in the scene which isn't yet obvious as the lights themselves aren't lit. Also, the decay on the lights needs to be added and adjusted to create a more realistic light set up and also a lighting that won't wash out the floor or the potentially the characters when moving to the center of the shot. What else needs to be managed carefully is that the texture is not lost on the floor which should have the same amount of detailing as on the walls.

After adding decay and glow effect onto the lights, it is much more obvious to the viewer where the lights are originating from and the scene is no longer washed out. However, the floor detailing is still being lost. Therefore, the normal map needs to be changed to a displacement to key the detailing in the scene. In terms of props, a spare rig arm is to be added on the shelf on the left and pillows in the shape of the MAYA 2012 logo are to be added to the benches as well as the final textures to be added. The only major experiment now needed in terms of lighting is that the logos above the door need to light individually to display loading times of the rig into MAYA which will be sorted this week to start Will's project next week.

Inspiration: Martin Teichman

I came across Martin Teichman's work in Crisis 2 whilst researching cg examples of back alleys for Cloud's project. Although not necessarily a back alley, being a rooftop, the scene does have the style and feel of an alleyway. If you look at the Rooftops - Interiors 2011 work from Crisis 2 on his website (http://www.martinteichmann.com/), there are the following examples:

What is interesting is the repetition of windows which I have in my scene. However, they are not as obvious in Teichman's work because of the other props added into his scene. For example, the air vents or fire escapes.

Inspiration: Tim Spanjer

While looking for low poly environments and props and more importantly, the best techniques to create them, I came across this artists whose attention to detail really exited me.

A cg artist residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Tim Spanjer works mostly on game environments. Everyone should check out his website at:
http://timspanjer.com/

Here are just a few examples of his work:

Notice the added objects/bricks on the floor tiles to avoid the floor seeming flat.

I especially like the format of presentation of the work here showing the breakdown of the prop. 

Although I'm a long way off from finishing clouds project, this has given me inspiration and further understanding of the possible quality for the final outcome which is really exciting! So, thank you Mr Tim Spanjer!

The Waiting Room: Introduction

This project is a short film poking fun at the differences between the old and new rigs in MAYA. It is set in hardware storage as if the two rigs are waiting to be loaded by the MAYA user. Therefore, a strong look of futuristic/technology is needed. However, it is also at the request of the director for the scene to extremely minimalist avoiding any distraction from the characters and acting which creates the challenge of this project.

This is the brief layout agreed between me and Chaitan earlier in the year.

As you can see, there is one door, one light, two beds/benches, two shelves and then a sign on top of the door to display when the characters need to be loaded which isn't overly obvious in this render. In terms of modelling, Chaitan wants animation themed props. So this could included wooden mannequins, animation books and he's suggested a spare part for one of the rigs to place on the shelves. Op top of this, replacing the cylinders with chains to add extra detail to the scene. Other than this, all detail is to be added through texturing as shown in the pre-viz below:

Although this will serve as the main inspiration for the project, it has also been said that a brighter, sterilised, hospital feel would be more appropriate and maybe spotlights instead of one main light source to avoid shadows in the top corners of the scene.

Yesterday was spent creating the props as shown below:

The lighting has been changed to spot lights. All that remains now is to add the texture - which is todays job!

After that it is perfecting the lighting which may prove an issue with the spotlights, but time will tell!

You can see the progress from the director's point of view through Chaitan's blog at:
http://chaitan-joshi.blogspot.co.uk/

The Pursuit: Confirmed Shots

The shots have been confirmed and textures have been added so its becoming a very exciting time working on The Pursuit!
Here is a shot break down of how everything is looking so far:

SHOT ONE

The bin bags are yet to be Z Brushed, and the floor tile has been experimented with in terms of building extra detail into it, however, it is not at the level of detail required for this close up shot and therefore needs to have a displacement map added!

SHOT TWO

I love the angle that Cloud (director) has chosen for this shot helping to add to the chaos of a chase scene!
In terms of the modelling, I just need to add textures to the garage style door and yet again those pesky bin bags. I think some props should be added to the foreground also to help add depth to the scene and give the illusion of a larger environment.

SHOT THREE

Here and throughout the scenes, lighting is an issue. So just to illiterate, its roughly placed in - don't judge me!
In terms of texture, this archway is not working, I've tried a painted, treated brick approach but I think that raw brick is going to be more appropriate here, after all, who paints archways in alleys? I think a remodel with displacement may also be more effective rather than Boolean difference used on a low poly model here.

SHOT FOUR

Here the main focus of the shot is the floor tiles, greater proving the need for added detail - especially as the modelled in detail shown in shot one can't even be seen here! This shot would also be enhanced with added lighting from the streetlights, so that definitely needs to be chased up with the director! Maybe some planes of torn down posters or flyers to break up the scene?

SHOT FIVE
[Still under construction / being decided by director]

SHOT SIX

TOO DARK. But this shot contains a close up of the double door so extra detail needs to be added - maybe graffiti?
Again, this floor tile needs displacement. This keeps getting repeated as I don't intend to displace tiles that don't necessarily need it and it will ramp up render times for no need. Only close up shots of the floor will be displaced, otherwise a normal map will be left to work its magic.

SHOT SEVEN
[Still under construction / being decided by director]

SHOT EIGHT

Bin bags. Steps in foreground. Delivery Cage. Garage like door. ALL NEEDS TEXTURING! And progress is being made, however, with working on a different project now it will have to be placed on the back burner for the rest of the week. Other than stating the obvious, the archway edges need to be beveled to avoid those sharp cg angles and maybe try making the edges uneven to show added wear and tear. Also, more on the floor tiles: paper? fag ends? Definitely something!

SHOT NINE

LOVE the shadow from the balcony window and think the bin bag in the delivery cage is going to work well too, once the alpha maps are placed on the cage walls to portray the wire mesh. 

SHOT TEN

One of these buildings needs to be retextured, as there is too much red brick here to be a realistic scene. Since starting this project, I can't help studying buildings as a walk around. Why do they look new/old? How are they decorated? How many windows or doors do they each have? In terms of window and door amounts, this scene works, but the variation of brick etc in one street is not portrayed in this environment and hence needs looking into.

SHOT ELEVEN

Shadow again working well! Thinking more props would be advantageous in this shot though - if only a small bin cast to the side of the pathway.

SHOT TWELVE

A step up into the door way maybe? Also, when looking at this archway, it needs an archway or something to show it is being supported. After researching through the internet and my walking ponders, no archway is made through brick and cement alone - it needs a structure to keep it in place. Other than that, add streetlights to ensure this can be seen as an archway - but as previously stated, that is a bridge to cross later!

SHOT THIRTEEN

The infamous "shot 13" doesn't actually require that much work, a displacement placed on the floor tile, some props on the floor to show people have walked these streets every day and maybe some graffiti on the wall considering it takes up so much of a large percentage of the shot.

SHOT FOURTEEN
[Still under construction / being decided by director]

SHOT FIFTEEN
[Still under construction / being decided by director]

SHOT SIXTEEN
[Still under construction / being decided by director]

SHOT SEVENTEEN
[Still under construction / being decided by director]

SHOT EIGHTEEN

Arial view. Which means roofing. This needs to be added to avoid the buildings seeming to grow continuously off screen! Laundry needs to be added to the lines as well and synced into the window pane rather than disappearing into the brick wall. 

SHOT NINETEEN

For some reason, these streetlights have gone weird. One is not lit and the other is burning out! What is interesting about this though, is that through lack of props on the floor, the attention of the viewer is forced to the middle of the screen in the empty space which works well! Therefore, limited props need to be added here. Also, a roof needs to be placed onto the top of the left building. 

SHOT TWENTY

This is a focused shot of the building which needs a roof in shot nineteen. I purposely made this a one story building so it can act as a storage unit for the network of industry back alleys. Also, it offers the viewers a chance to see the sky! This is a star exr found from a star map from NASA. However, it is not light enough to be obvious and therefore needs work!

SHOT TWENTY ONE

This was a happy accident found when importing Cloud's shots into my scene. However, we both in agreement that it looks awesome and should definitely remain in the short film. This does mean that a high level of texture is required on the barbed wire especially, along with the wood work of the window frame. In terms of the scene, props added in the background should push the depth of the scene and create interesting results, so a small bin or even a delivery cage should be added to test out this theory.

SHOT TWENTY TWO

Firstly, a prop needs to be added over the spill floor tile texture to give the spill purpose. Otherwise it looks like it has been slapped on the floor. Props wise, bin bags near the archway in the corner? It seems a legitimate place for workers to dump trash before a morning pick up as it leaves a pathway through the alley. The fact that the delivery cage is so close to the camera means that the alpha map may have to be replaced with polys - only time will tell...

SHOT TWENTY THREE

This is the scene where the character jumps over the dumpster (free running style) to escape the chasing creature. Therefore, little should be added to this to avoid attention being taken from the action. However, greater brick variation is urgently needed - especially with the buildings in the background being textured the same!

SHOT TWENTY FOUR

I love this shot! Here the camera is to the side of the dumpster the main character is set to jump over which should provide really interesting results in terms of cinematography. It does mean however, that the amount of props in this area need to be minimal to avoid filling the little space left by the dumpster and wall. The normal map is working very well on the building though! 

SHOT TWENTY FIVE

Here shows the landing roll of the character after he has scaled the dumpster which the animal follows quickly in pursuit. Props of torn paper and fag ends should be placed in here and maybe ivy etc on buildings? Though whether the placement of ivy in an industry alley is appropriate needs to be chased up with the director first. Also, a step is needed to that door!

SHOT TWENTY SIX

Here is the first time the audience is shown the courtyard (which needs populating urgently!) The floor tile for some reason is not level at the entrance of the courtyard which needs to be fixed. Also, the texture of the archway in the courtyard shouldn't be textured with brick, but a varying texture - similar to the issue of shot three.

SHOT TWENTY SEVEN

Greater look into the courtyard, so dumpsters, bins, delivery cages etc all need to be duplicated into this area. It should help as well that in my understanding, this area is to not be as well lit leaving only highlights of the props and less obvious negative space.

SHOT TWENTY EIGHT

Finally entered the courtyard here to show doors and window which should help with the population of the scene. Placing props in the foreground of this shot will help push the depth back giving the sense of not only a bigger courtyard but also, a greater distance away from these doors and windows, meaning a greater distance away from potential help in this chase. 

SHOT TWENTY NINE

Will begin here with the floor tiles in this shot need displacement! Also, perhaps adding a laundry line above the dumpster will help keep the focus down and also add greater depth. Other than that, props at the foreground of the shot potentially, but this runs risk of distracting from the animation and story of the film. 

SHOT THIRTY
[Still under construction / being decided by director]

SHOT THIRTY ONE

This floor tile needs sorting! Or  a prop added to give this spill purpose... Also, added streetlights onto the archway at the back to give a source of light to the scene. All this light needs to be dimmed greatly, and then maybe lights on in the windows behind, although this instantly rids of the idea of isolation - directors call!

SHOT THIRTY TWO

Floor tile needs displacement, and fixing so that there isn't a black line in the scene. Other than that, piping could be added to help add props to the foreground to again push the depth. Especially as once characters are added to this scene, little of the courtyard is going to be visible adding less depth to the scene. 

SHOT THIRTY THREE

This shot it quite difficult to judge due to lack of lighting, but what is immediately obviously is the harsh cg angle between the wall and floor which needs to be filled. Therefore, bin bags, torn paper or even a drain on the floor tile need to be added here. 

SHOT THIRTY FOUR

This shot alone forces the need of populating this section of the scene. It also portrays the failing nature of the spilling floor tile which, as previously stated, needs to be covered with props or edited. Also, the harsh angle of the building corners need to be beveled. 

SHOT THIRTY FIVE

This is the final shot of the scene and therefore needs to be powerful! So in this scene all angles need to be beveled where necessary, graffiti added to textures to add more interest, displacement added to the floor tiles where needed in previous shots, and props added to give a last full impact shot to end the film.

So, textures need to be added, and adapted. Displacement maps are definitely needed in this environment as are more props. All in all, I'll be course's honorary hermit for the next few weeks!

This week, however, I move on to Chaitan's project of "The Waiting Room" creating another environment though with this a more minimalist approach is required as explained in my post tomorrow bringing everything up to date with that project so far!

The Pursuit: Walls and Floor

Instead of grabbing textures from the good old Google, I decided to try and make these textures from scratch with the help of "Game Environments and Props" by Michael McKinley (2010). The technique involves creating the texture high-poly-brick by high-poly-brick and then baking that information onto a place. This way, I can have complete control over paving patterns for the floor tile as well as deterioration/ wear and tear of the bricks for the building. The diffuse, normal and AO maps were created and modified in Photoshop to enhance them further. What worked especially well was creating a normal map through Crazy Bump of an existing photograph of brick and then layering this over the normal map created in Maya to give extra detail to the grain of the brick and stone. I then placed the final normal map back into Crazy Bump to help modify and control the intensity before arriving at a finished product.

In terms of the diffuse, the original black and white image created in Maya was layered with the AO map to add definition to the detail before layers of tarmac, stone and cracks were placed on to add realism.

Looking at the texture placed into the scene, the normal map reacts well to the added point light from a distance, but whether or not a displacement map is needed will depend on the decided shots from the director which is expected shortly!

Inspiration: PIXAR

I wanted to begin this blog with the studio that have inspired me most. As cliché as it sounds, as, everyone loves Pixar - they are the first. They had the vision and inspiration to create the luxo lamp short in 1986 and then the determination to not sit on success but push further still. From creating worlds in cars, underwater or floating away in a house lifted by balloons, Pixar push the boundaries of technology to achieve the best visuals and story-telling possible. This is shown through their award success including 27 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and eleven Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, UP, Toy Story 3 and Brave were all Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature.

So in terms of whats on paper, PIXAR tick all the obvious. But what inspires me the most from this company is the work, more specifically the detail of the environments. For example, the mountain terrain of cars is made of millions of triangles with scenes taking over 3 months to render! Because their films are so varied, so are their environments. From camcording the garden outside the studio to visualise the world from ants point of view in Bugs Life to endless visits to aquariums for Finding Nemo. Research is flawless and the results are mind-blowing!

For example:

Throughout all of the scenes,the colour schemes match the feel and style of the narrative and is something I need to be constantly aware of with The Pursuit!

Backed-up Pursuit

Since I have already started modelling alleyway props and composing them into a scene, I guess it makes sense to put up a post bringing everyone up to speed! So far, the majority of the props have been built so streetlights, delivery cages, fire escapes, dumpsters, windows, doors and bin bags- the trick now is to make the alley look lived in. The director says as if it is an alley between the back of shops.

Having looked online, specifically photographs, it seems that it doesn't require a lot in terms of props in order to make the scene look full. For example:

However, when researching CG examples, it seems a lot more props are needed in order to ensure the scene looks full.

Ignoring the fact that the models are still low poly and as of yet to be textured, I began to place in the props to see where the environment stands compared to the photographic and cg example.

So far, the detail is placed on the upper levels of each building through fire escapes, streetlights and other props which potentially could provide some "happy accidents" in terms of lighting but more definitely needs to be added on the ground level - or at the very least, the extreme 90 degree angles beveled or erased in some form. Therefore, the next step is to start adding textures and to the walls and floor to see how this effects the scene and if, with texture and lighting (even if crudely placed in for now) extra props are still needed.