Just another myblog.arts site
Author: Imani Jervier
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Week 3: 3D Modelling
Week 3 we covered Symmetry, Mirroring, Booleans, Faces, Normals, Welding, Clean up, Low/High Poly and looked at a few websites including Sketchfab for 3D models.
We also looked at Box Modelling and attempted to make a small tower.
I prefer using box modelling to soft modelling because I found the tools easier to use. I also made an archway that I just use to save time when doing booleans.
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Adding Cameras
I created a pathway using the 3 point circular arc tool and the attached a camera to it with the constraint tools. “Attach to motion path”.
Then I changed the render settings and rendered it into png files to edit into a video, however the software wasn’t saving the images after rendering so I just had to make a screen recording of my animation.
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Final Model
My final model was inspired by this drawing by Mc Escher’s optical illusion building. There was a lot of them to chose from but this one looked like the most manageable to recreate. It was still a big task and doesn’t look 100% accurate but I think it’s because the building’s proportions don’t work in a 3D software.
https://medium.com/carinas-projects/building-an-impossible-structure-in-virtual-reality-5d275814c898
Building an impossible structure in Virtual Reality.
A VR puzzle game where players could walk into an optical illusion.
- Squash and Stretch:
- Gives the illusion of weight and volume to a character as it moves.
- Useful in animating dialogue and doing facial expressions.
- Usually broader in a short style of picture and subtler in a feature.
- Used in all forms of character animation from a bouncing ball to the body weight of a person walking
- Most important element you will be required to master and will be used often.
2. Anticipation
- Prepares audience for a major action character is about to perform (eg starting to run, jump or change expression.)
- Backwards motion occurs before dancer forward leap action is executed. Backward motion is the anticipation.
- Comic effect can be done by not using anticipation after a series of gags that used anticipation.
- Almost all real action has major or minor anticipation (eg. pitcher’s wind-up or a golfers’ back swing)
- Feature animation is often less broad than short animation unless a scene requires it to develop a characters personality.
3. Staging
- Pose/action should clearly communicate to the audience the attitude, mood, reaction or idea of the character as it relates to the story
- Effective use of long, medium, or close up shots, as well as camera angles also helps in telling the story.
- Each sequence, scene and frame of film must relate to the overall story.
- Do not confuse the audience with too many actions at once.
- Use one action clearly stated to get the idea across, unless you are animating a scene that is to depict clutter and confusion.
- Staging directs audience’s attention to the story or idea being told.
- Background and animation should work together as a pictorial unit in a scene.
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Week 2: 3D Modelling
In this lesson we covered Sound, Rules/Laws, Technological Capabilities, Architecture, Fashion, Music, Political Structure, Biological/Familial, Structure, Metaphysical and Dimensions.
The references I was inspired by the most were:
- Sound
Notes on Blindness
Peter Middleton & James Spinney
2. Architecture
Avatar
James Cameron
3. Dimensions
Miegakure
Marc ten Bosch
They only stood out because those are the topics I am already interested in incorporating in my work.
We got assigned a task to try and 3D model 3 different types of chests all different difficulties.
Here is the link to the finished interactive film on Eevo.
Used a video we had already pre recorded from filming and then played around with effects. Zach already had a GoPro Reframe plug in which was free to download. This wrapped up the video into a 360° room format and made it really easy to create. Then we played around with other effects on after effects and used things like Gradient, Fractal and Turbulent Noise but ended up using a kaleidoscope effect instead. We used the turbulent noise for the floor and added time points and a hue effect to change the colour throughout the video. We also made sure to add a VR converter to the video and buttons so that it wouldn’t distort .
My virtual world avatar is a self-portrait and started off from a selfie I took. I was wondering what I would look like as a cartoon character, so I put my image through an app to cartoon myself. I then started to paint a version of myself in my sketchbook to experiment with the colours of my character.
The colours I chose were blues and greens and it ended up looking like the Earth. Sort of Mother Nature inspired but also had this alien feeling to it. I tend to think of their being higher beings or higher forces, so this character represents that as well; a representation of my higher self.
This character also has a third eye which is another spiritual symbol I have incorporated. The third eye is one of the main chakra points in the body and are all represented by a specific colouration. The colour for this chakra is indigo blue and deep purple. Although I didn’t use purple on this character I could do in the future. All of this is following on from my earlier project at my last uni.
So far, I have four characters drawn and painted and it is beginning to turn into a series. Only one is finished which is the reason I used it for this artefact. Eventually I want to turn each one into an AR filter; have a series of characters for the Chakra colours and make them into actual avatars that can be used on VR platforms.
I also have an Instagram page called ItSlife which I’m hoping to turn into its own brand which incorporates these alien characters. The page already has its own aesthetic going so when making my AR artefact I always wanted to make it useable for this platform. In a way it’s like my own personal mascot.
https://www.instagram.com/ar/893707545400921/
Above is the link to my Instagram filter ^^^
There has been a development in my work style and approach since coming from my previous course. I feel as though I now have a more defined art style and know which direction, I am going in. Digital art really suits the type of things I want to create, and I feel completely immersed in this entire world now. There have been so many new mediums I have been exposed to which have given me ideas on how to use them in my practice when they were never even a possibility before; an example being holograms, something out of a film now becoming something I could potentially create.
I have already been acquiring knowledge from previous work and projects where I have had to do background research into different concepts, looking at various other artists for inspiration and the history behind the works. I also think that the blog has been a good place to keep any research or ideas as you can just dump things down and refer to them later. Another way I developed my knowledge is through understanding all the new processes and practices. Seeing how the skills from one medium are easily transferable to another. It has been nice getting to use equipment I have not used before and interesting learning new terminology about the subject.
Putting my thoughts together using things like mood boards has been useful for visualising final outcomes. It has also been beneficial to be in a small group on this course because it makes it easier to participate during group discussions, it was also helpful to present and see other people present work as it helped to articulate my thoughts and take inspiration from my classmates. Feedback from everyone is always useful to get so you can then tailor your project to suit your audience further.
During these first few weeks I discovered a range of other mixed media I was not aware of before the course, for example things like XR and Holoportation. I am still interested in looking at VR as a tool for art therapy or using the art to create a space that is therapeutic; through some research I found things already like virtual rage rooms etc. However, I think that the overall look and feel could be done in a more artistic way which might improve the overall benefit of the apps. Watching a lot of tutorials on YouTube has been quite easy to use and convenient to use when I have gotten stuck on part of my project. I have been watching videos on how to use maya mainly.as I found that the most technical to learn.
I have had a few challenges so far and these included using the new software and equipment, getting more familiar with using a headset and quite a few other things. One thing I am still trying to get used to is navigating a 3D space; still being confused by the directions of the different axis. I understand how to use all the new tools I have been shown during classes, but I am still struggling to remember the location of the tools, so it is making the process while I am creating take slightly longer than it needs to. Lastly, I am still not used to independent study; it can be good at times but, because the course is so new, having all this time to try and navigate the course we can get overwhelmed.
I have been recording the process using screenshots of all my external work and documenting stages of some of my modelling processes or screenshots of the final piece. Most of my work I plan beforehand in my sketchbook because it is the fastest way to get all my thoughts out. The challenges I faced impacted my choices by making me find my own way of wrapping my head around the subject. Having to adapt the tools I was comfortable using to make what I needed but this would make the process longer. I could be a lot better at tracking the process, but I am hoping that with practice it should just come naturally.
I would say there are areas for improvement, but I do not want it to become an immense pressure because it is only my first semester. I need to adapt to this university’s learning style first and get fully comfortable in this unfamiliar environment. My organisation and time management needs work as this is something I am constantly identifying as an issue; this will come more once I get, better at eliminating distractions; become more consistent with documenting the process; taking more notes and better planning. Using the blog more frequently is also something that needs work, but this will come slowly the more I get used to this method of working. The narrative in my work could also be improved because most of the time I just make what is in my head without considering how it relates.
https://www.instagram.com/ar/893707545400921/
link to filter ^^^