Final Animation

Evaluation

I was required to create a robot using my own ideas and creativity. I was told to render a still image of the robot with textures applied, and I was told to animate the robot in some sort of scenario, with textures applied. I was also told prior to research a range of different robots from either games or movies, and take inspiration from these to create my own robot. As well as this, I was told to research different artists involved in games design, and learn about them as I take inspiration from their creations and apply them to my own. I experimented with a range of different robotic shapes in Photoshop, and took me quite a while before I was happy with a basic shape. Before this, however, I had to create a page of robot silhouettes to get a basic idea of the shape of my robot. I eventually created a shape that I was happy with and developed it from there. I also experimented with different texture ideas in Photoshop, and found some interesting results. However, I was unable to create a realistic, high-resolution texture so that I could apply it to my robot, so instead, I found a copyright free image online and applied that to my model until I can learn more tools and techniques to create HD textures in Photoshop.

I spent a lot of time in Photoshop drawing out a basic sketch of my robot. After many hours and many layers created, I drew a neat looking robot with shadows and bold toning. I then developed this idea on Maya to create a basic 3D shape of the robot. To do this, I moved the vertexes around from a cube and extruded specific parts outwards to make it fit the drawing perfectly. What initiated an idea for me was taking inspiration from other 3D artist’s work. After looking at many popular 3D designers on Artstation, I decided to take a few of their ideas into account and adapt them into my own model. My ideas developed by learning new techniques every week. For example, the first week I lacked a ton of knowledge on Maya, but after learning new tools and techniques from my tutors, I effectively created a fully working robot with extreme realistic detail.

I think my final piece was very successful because the model that I initially was designing and experimenting with already had a lot of potential to become something very neat and realistic, and after experimenting around with the 3D model that I created in Maya, I created detail in the head, arms, torso and legs very well. Ultimately, my final piece was incredibly successful. The methods that I learned and used during the development of my project will definitely be adapted in future projects. I now know how to model, texture, render and the basics of animation after eight weeks of development and ideas.

Digital Mapping

What is a diffuse/colour map?

A Diffuse map is the most common kind of texture map. It identifies the colour and pattern of the object. Mapping the diffuse colour is like painting an image on the surface of the object.

What is a specular map?

Specular maps are the maps you use to define a surface's shininess and highlight colour. The higher the value of a pixel (from black to white), the shinier the surface will appear in-game.

What is a normal map?

Normal mapping is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps dents, which adds detail onto the object, without using more polygons.

What other kinds of texture mapping are there?

Opacity map

An opacity map makes the object transparent and cut-out effects from grayscale images. The black part will get cut out; the white part will be fully displayed; the grey values determine the object’s level of transparency.

Glow map

This technique allows users to control the glow shape of an object, as well as the colour and strength. Glow maps will blend with your original diffuse maps, so the lighter the glow colour, the stronger the glow effect.

Reflection map

Reflection map is also referred to as environment map. The image map is projected onto a 3D surface to represent a reflection of the environment.

What is PBR Rendering?

Physically based rendering (PBR) refers to the concept of using realistic shading/lighting models along with measured surface values to accurately represent real-world materials.

History of Digital Modelling

1950s

• Ben Laposky uses an oscilloscope to show waveforms which were photographed as artwork.
• Mr Potato Head is invented, which later starred in the first Toy Story film.

1960s

• William Fetter invents the term computer graphics for his human factors cockpit drawings.
• Graphical User Interface (GUI) developed by Xerox.
• Full colour interactive flight simulator is created for NASA by Rod Rougelet.

1970s

• Bui-Toung Phong introduces Phong Shading.
• Larry Cuba creates a Death Star simulation for Star Wars using Grass.
• James Blinn introduced bump mapping.

1980s

• Disney released Tron, the first biggest computer graphics film.
• Autodesk introduced the first PC-based CAD (computer-aided design) software.
• Lucasfilm produced Willow, a movie that popularises morphing.
• VGA (Video Graphics Array) is invented by IBM.
• Adobe Illustrator is born.
• Photoshop is released to Adobe.

1990s

• The Lawnmower Man is released, a 3D effects film.
• Jurassic Park and Toy Story is released.
• DreamWorks is founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
• Star Wars Episode One – The Phantom Menace is released, using 66 digital characters composited with live action.

History of Digital Animation

1824 - Peter Roget introduces his paper titled 'The Persistence of Vision With Regard to Moving Objects' to the British Royal Society.
1831 - Dr. Joseph Antoine and Dr. Simon Rittrer create a machine called a phenakitstoscope.
1872 - Eadweard Muybridge gathers photographs of animals in motion.
1887 - Thomas Edison begins researching  work into motion pictures.
1889 - Thomas Edison announces his creation of the kinetoscope which distended a 15m length of film in around 13 seconds.
1892 - Emile Renynaud introduces the Theatre Optique in the Musee Grevin, which displays an animation of images painted on long strips of celluloid.
1895 - Louis and Augustine Lumiere distributed a patent for a device called a cinematograph efficient enough to project moving pictures.
1896 - Thomas Armat designed the vitascope which projected Thomas Edison’s films. This machine had a massive impact on all projectors afterwards.
1908 - Emile Cohl produces Phantasmagoria which was the first film depicting white figures on a black background.
1919 - Pat Sullivan creates the American cartoon Felix the Cat.
1923 - Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio is founded by Walt and Roy Disney.
1945 - Harry Smith produces an animation by drawing directly onto film.
1964 - Ken Knowlton begins developing computer techniques for producing animated movies.
1982 - Tron is produced, a movie with computer generated premises.
1988 - Willow uses morphing in live-action film.
1993 - Jurassic Park is produced, using CG for realistic living creatures.
1995 - Toy Story is created, the first full-length 3D CG feature film.

Visual Art Movements and Practices (Graffiti)

Graffiti is widely used and drawn in suburban areas of cities, scrawled across thousands of walls in attempt to either send a message or express their art in a fun and unique way. Although the most common graffiti is called a ‘tag’ which is literally just the artist’s name in a unique style, street art can sometimes be a large image with no actual meaning. Even sometimes there can be a story in the street art which only a few people may pick up. Despite authorities calling this form of art vandalism, Graffiti is one of the most beautiful, common pieces of art in the 21st century.

The most well-known names that appear in Graffiti art include the likes of Banksy and Shepard Fairey. Banksy is most known for his award-winning documentary titled ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ which highlights Banksy’s unique sense of artistic vision and self-referential style. Shepard Fairey is, founder of the company OBEY, is well known for his Obama Hope Poster and his Andre the Giant Obey Poster, although he has moved on from this and focused his career on fashion.

Due to its unnatural behaviour on historical landmarks, global organisations are trying to combat the system of graffiti in its tracks altogether, to keep the earth at its best and to prevent it from being ‘vandalised’ by graffiti artists or street artists. Although, graffiti is now recognised as a matter of study in universities in attempt to spark a revolution and a street-art uprising.

Texture Mapping

This is my UV map for my whole of my final robot. I have applied a texture to each part of the robot.

Myself as an Artist

As an artist/designer I am influenced by artists such as Yun Ling and Ji Ruan. I am inspired by mysterious themed pieces of art; art that features vast cultures. I mainly work in Maya and Photoshop, as these two key programmes are vital to create my robot for my project. As an artist/designer, I use various techniques and methods such as bold colours and tone; for example, when creating a Photoshop piece, my work is not complete without some sort of tone or shadow on the object or its surroundings. I prefer to work around my peers as they can constantly give me feedback and help on my work, specifically around my tutors as they have more knowledge than me on programmes such as Maya and Photoshop.

The purpose of my work is to create robot concepts as part of my Mechanical Marvel project. It’s also to create professional pieces of work and to show the progress of my knowledge in programmes such as Maya and Photoshop. I like to see how well I’ve done in learning about software and the tools/techniques involved. I am most proud of the professionalism of my robot; the shapes have been very neatly constructed using Maya and the textures have been very neatly applied to the surface of the robot. The use of colour is also a factor as I’ve been consistent with my use of chosen colours; I’ve constantly stuck with the same three colours.

I’d like my work to develop by learning new tools and techniques in programmes such a Maya. I’d like to learn how to texture better, animate better and model better. Personally, I think the style of realism resembles my work the most, as I’ve used high resolution textures and created natural looking objects.

Maya Model

This is the final rendered version of my robot in Maya, I've rendered the images in 1920x1080 in Maya including the textures on the model itself. I've also created a lighting effect on the robot in the second frame.

World of Work

Triple A Studios

• Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator
• Adobe After Effects
• Adobe Flash for UI, animations, etc.
• Z-Brush
• 3D's Max
• Maya
• Mudbox
• Sketchbook
• GameWare
• HumanIK
• ScaleForm
• Visual Studio
• SVN (Tortoise SVN)
• AlienBrain
• Perforce
• Pro Tools
• Logic Pro X
• In House Bug Testing Tool similar to Bugzilla
• Basecamp
• KinHR
• In house SCRUM manager

Independent Games Studios (Similar programmes to Triple A Studios)

• Adobe Photoshop/ Illustrator
• Adobe After Effects
• Adobe Flash for UI, animations, etc.
• Z-Brush
• 3D's Max
• Maya
• Mudbox
• Sketchbook
• GameWare
• HumanIK
• ScaleForm
• Visual Studio
• SVN (Tortosie SVN)
• Perforce
• AlienBrain
• Pro Tools
• Logic Pro
• In House Bug Testing Tool (similar to Bugzilla)
• Basecamp
• KinHR
• In house SCRUM manager.

· 
 
Concept Artists

• Adobe Photoshop CC
• Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2015
• Clip Studio Paint
• Corel Painter 2015
• Made with Mischief
• ArtRage 4
• Krita
• Pixarra’s Twisted Brush Pro Studio
• Black Ink
• Artweaver 5
• GNU Image Manipulation Program
• PostWorkshop 3
• Paint Tool SAI
• SpeedyPainter
• My Paint 0.9.x

At the beginning of the project, I started creating basic shapes in Maya, such as set of stairs, to learn the basics of the software. I used the Multi-cut tool on a rectangle to create 3 lines (cuts) in the shape. I then extruded the bottom two faces outwards, and then the bottom face. In total it took me around 10 minutes to make, as I was learning different tools in Maya at the time.

Symbolism of animals in art

Artists frequently use animals as subject matter in their art. Through time animals have appeared in paintings, sculptures, and prints. Animals are also symbolic. Many cultures through the ages have regarded specific animals as representing gods, power, the supernatural, and in the cases of Native Americans, used in names.

On this page you will find a compilation of animals and what they represent to their specific cultures through time. These animal symbols have been collected from sources on the internet. Some of the sources cannot be verified as being completely accurate.

Animals and their symbolism

The Dove is portrayed as white and gentle, sweet and loving. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christian iconography. The dove is commonly seen in Christian art with Mary as a symbol of care, devotion, purity and peace.

Crocodiles are portrayed with good fortune; however they can indicate danger in some way. They are interpreted as cautions, as well as highlighting your intuition, your spiritual insights, and the spiritual steps you need to take in the forthcoming future.

The butterfly is one of the most emblematic animals symbolizing personal transformation. If you see the butterfly as your spirit animal, pay attention to the areas in your life or personality that are in need of philosophical change or transformation. 

The monkey is a symbol meaning fun, activity, charm and an energetic nature. It is one of the signs of the Chinese Zodiac which shows a person who has many friends. It is a sign of natural curiosity, but can show self-indulgence and rebellion. 

Textured Experimental Maya Model

I began learning how to texture on Maya, so I looked around for metallic textures and came across one perfect for the model I was experimenting with. I applied the texture to the model and turned out better than expected, as the knife looks worn out and scratched. 

Initial Model Experiments

For my initial model experiment, I decided to create something simple, such as a knife. I went through creating 3D shapes over the 2D plane image and moved the vertexes into the correct and neat position. I then went over and creased all edges that I thought needed sharpening, to give it more of a sharp knife look.

Project Plan

The project plan was created as a guideline for myself as I worked through each piece of work.

Observational Drawings

For my observational drawings, I decided to draw a mechanism that resembled a robotic part as I thought it would help me in creating my robot. The first drawing is two gears combined together - this would be used for an arm or a leg.

Artist Interpretation

This piece of work was recreated by me from a piece of Yun Ling's work. Personally, I recreated the shape and realism of the person very well. I sketched the whole image in Photoshop with the original image to help me.

2D Artist

3D Artist

Creature Artist

Animation Artist

Silhouettes

At first I created a basic robot shape using the brush tool in Photoshop, and used the lasso tool to sharpen the shape and create damage onto the metal. The top six silhouettes are of the same robot in different positions; he's standing still, aiming his gun, running, using tools, crouching and climbing a ladder. The bottom five silhouettes had me thinking of something similar, but in a way, different. I went for the same torso, head and arms, but replaced the legs with a wheel. I also made the gun protrude from the arm instead of making it a part of the arm itself.

Personally, I prefer the top layer of silhouettes, mainly because it looks more professional and neater to create in Maya. To make the set of silhouettes clean and professional, I added a shadow effect onto each silhouette, as well as a metallic background, to fit the theme of metal and robots.