CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Development Week 3

CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Development 

Week 3

2/25/18

This week was the last for work on the high-poly version of the crate.  It was a big task bringing every individual panel together, then further bringing them together as the cube shape.  The first part went over well, each of the four unique panels turning out alright.  The hard part was preparing and combining each panel on the corresponding side of the box.  Vertices needed to be lined up properly and polygons enlarged or condensed depending on what transition of the edge or corner took place.  Overall, it was a matter of time and effort put into putting it all together.  The benefits and risks of this method sort of evened out at this point.  

CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Development Week 2

CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Development 

Week 2

2/19/18

This week I focused on bringing all separate components of the box model at the time to a decent level of quality.  The side panels are each shaping up well, mainly remaining flat aside from a few extrusions.  The individual modules that fit inside and out of the crate are so far coming along well, not presenting many problems as far as holding their shape with beveling and fencing.  No big trouble thus far, aside from having to decide what method is best for forming the geometry between primitive and subdivision states.  The biggest issue so far is keeping proper measurements throughout every individual part, so that they fit together correctly later on.  Mirroring the finished quarters or halves of certain parts has worked out fairly well, and has certainly been a help to this process overall.

These will be the inner panels for three sides.  The left will go on opposing ends left and right, while the right will be used as the bottom panel.

These are the base models that were mirrored into the previous pictured panels.  The two halves of a button to the left will be integrated onto corresponding ends of each panel as further texturing.

These inner modules will be combined in mesh and bridges outward to fill the corresponding frame.  Beveling process is being undergone at the moment, and finalization will be necessary before the proposed combination and bridging.

This vent face will be used as the top panel.  Fairly simple beveling and mirroring, but there is room for improvement later on.  If more details come along, this shape is open to change.

These are the main outer frames that will be used for almost every side of the box.  These will soon be duplicated and combined with the corresponding inner panel; then they will be stitched together to give this crate and actual cubic shape.

I want to keep all the components separate just a little longer to allow for any last minute tweaks that could be dealt with easier as they are now.  The next step is formatting everything into an actual cube box form.

CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Development Week 1

CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Development 

Week 1

2/12/18

In the beginning process of this project, I started out by creating primitives and formatting the most basic shapes that will become the main components.  Among the most definitive aspects of the concepts I chose for this sci-fi crate are the main frame borders, the various notches and bordering panels, and the other differently shaped parts that will ultimately fit together as a cube.  Starting up this modeling process, nothing is quite shaped out completely.  Most primitives were carved out and molded to fit the description in the basic form.  Later down the line, as more essential parts come along, hopefully all parts will progress in quality together, so that in the end they come together cohesive and properly.

So far, I have worked off of planes, expanding out and adding or taking away polygons to get the shapes necessary.  The notches will be multiplied and connected as needed, and eventually will form the inner frames that will be bordered.  The line of three frames will also be multiplied and lined up to become the outermost shape of the box.  The raised panel with dips is inspired by the second reference, with belts overlapping on the outside.  The other panel with an inner square will become the base for the vent which can either go on the top or bottom of the crate, depending on final outcome.  The idea is to have this all come together like a modular, with each side being equally detailed, and fitting as one whole.

CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Concept

CAGD 330 Sci-Fi Crate Concept

2/4/2018

Potential references/concepts for the Sci-Fi Crate project.

This first one I found appealing because of the indentations and potential inlets that could be altered and multiplied.  The outer edge that holds the entire model also has small details that indicate the box has plenty of interlocking parts.  This model is simple enough to grasp in concept, and has enough detail that differentiates each side. While the base modeling for each side may be the same, each individual side from any point of view has it's own modifications.

The appeal of this second box is the various differences in depth on each side.  The individually modeled parts work as one, but at the same time, it can be seen how one area is elevated or depressed.  There are levels that indicate gaps, breaking the monotony of a smooth surface throughout.  This would require a lot of beveling and coordinating opposite ends of the model.

This model has a more complex prompt, with each side not necessarily being a copy of just one or two.  This would require a fair amount of work and attention on each section.  With that said, parts of this model could be integrated with another model to make things easier, or more balanced.

Alternates/Add-ons:

Based off of a Rubik's cube, this shape could work as a crate, and contains a fair amount of detail.  However, this model could be too simple, as a lot of the detailing is the same, and boils down to duplicating just a few sections.  This model would also work as an add-on for another model, or vice-versa.

Models with curves could prove problematic for a project like this.  However, taking simple aspects from these shapes could help when put onto a simpler box model.  The indentation of corners for "inner" face representation of the dice works for a solid object, but maybe not for a crate of sorts.  The runes of the cubes could be a nice touch, but are quite simple and would need much more detailing.

CAGD 545 Animated Short Week 1-6

CAGD 545 Animated Short 

Rough Llama
Jan 26-Mar 2

Week 1-2

This new project started out with the basics of formatting a story and getting a group together.  For this animation, our group consists of six members, and will be called Rough Llama.  For the first couple of weeks, the main goal is to get a solid story set.  So far, we have an idea aiming for a comedic thriller.  This idea has the main character scared and on the run through a creepy location only to be surprised by a funny twist in the end.  The next step after brainstorming is to start storyboarding, and get an idea for how much modeling and assets will be needed.
Week 2 focused on prepping the initial story and getting ready for storyboards and setting up scenes.  So far, our story is pretty solid and has good potential for a final outcome.  We focused on what we need in terms of character models and scene location models.  Groundwork was set for both modeling and animating, which has gotten off to a good start.  We decided on potential rigs for the main characters, and hopefully they will serve the scene well when it comes to animating.  What matters most for this will be clear and concise gestures and expressions, since we are not using dialogue.  After this, the next step is finalizing the story with storyboards, beginning modeling of locations and items, and settling on character models to use.

Week 3-4

The next step in this project was formatting storyboards to get  a good base representation for what we are going for.  We set up the basis for shot numbers and the most important points for positioning cameras and characters.  In the meantime, I mainly got associated with the rigs we are very likely going to use.  The Camera Girl and Laughing Man rigs from the David O'Rielly pack are the main characters.  So far, I have gotten fairly warmed up to using the rigs, testing walk cycles and other motions.  There will definitely be some challenges in making sure they act as proposed and convey actions and expressions well in the actual animated shots.  Some points of potential issue are the skirt, camera, and heads.
The following week I personally focused on test scenes and trial runs of what the final product might look like.  I tried out animating part of the hallway scene, and so far things look good.  We are still getting down the final edit for the overall story, so there is still work to be done all around.  The assets are coming along nicely, so it won't be long before official animation scenes will get underway.

Week 5-6

Leading up to the first group project presentation, our group was still focusing on finalizing storyboards and setting things up.  Assets are well on their way, and in the coming weeks the scenes will be full enough to begin animation within them.  I personally continued work on test shots, taking reference from the storyboards and various movements and gestures.  Hopefully this practice with the rigs will pay off when animating the actual scenes.
Week 6 was the week of our first presentations.  In this first display of our project, we went over the work we've done so far, across storyboards, modeling, and animation.  Overall, there were good critiques and plenty of things to move forward with as things get more dialed in for the final product.