Week 4 21-02-08:

Week 4 21-02-08:

After some thought I have come up with a more or less finalised idea for my final piece. Below is the title block:

This was a fairly simple effect to produce which is created in the final rendering. This Lens effect tool can be assign to specific objects. In this case they have been assigned to spline with very high self illumination. This gives the impression that they are glowing.

I have also produced the working storyboard for this project. Although I fully expect this Idea to evolve over the course of this module, This is the 'working script':

The central theme of the piece is escapism. the central protagonist will be stuck working on his computer. after looking at a poster he will then drive to the beach and meet his friends:

Although this is a fairly simple plot I think there are several parts to it and this should allow me to display a few different techniques. If I style it correctly, I also feel I should be able to appeal to my target audience.

Week 3 20-02-08

A Little Taster...

I'm Currently experiementing with the 'style' of my final piece and what I think will look good. Key to this will be the appearance of the people in the scene. Below is an example of some of the initial skecthes I have put together that may suggest the type of look I want to acheive. the aim is to create characters that are relatively simple yet are full of character:

Week 3 15-02-08

Week 3 15-02-08:



This lesson we continued to experiment with 3DS Max. Specifically we looked at working with cameras and lighting. using these techniques I was able to produce the below results.

This was produced using a using a spotlight positioned behind the wall pointed towards the candle. this causes the light through the window and casting shadow. This by itself would actually cause the room to be very gloomy with only a shaft of light pouring in through the window. to counteract this, I have positioned an omni light in the room. the onmi light is then set to be dimer than the spot light. I am pretty pleased with the results of this test but I do think there is roof to improve this. It is possible to make light bounce off the wall to help create really efficient lighting. However this is a much more time consuming process.

The panning effect was created by animating a target camera. the target camera allows you to move a camera in the key frames but continue to focus on the same object. This is a tool that I intend to use in my final piece.

I have also been given some thought to my final piece and have a strong idea of what I want the final piece to be. I am still working on the details and story boarding but below is an example of one of the source images intend to use:

This image gave me a strong idea of what I want to produce. Using it as a starting point, I was able to produce a style board to illustrate how I want my final piece to look and feel:

This board shows a number of images that I have influenced the direction I wish to proceed in. It features images that I feel would appeal to my target audience. I want my animation to be aimed at younger people as these represent the fut re market of the British seaside. I want to try and promote the same kind of vibe that is present at resorts like New quay. Many of the images taken are from mediums that focus on this audience such as video games and album covers. I have also included image from some of my favourite artists such as Humberto Ramos and Sean Galloway. I have also included some of my own imagery.

Week 2: 07-02-08

Week 2: 07-02-08

This week we started to look at the basics of animation. Above is my attempt at a simple bouncing ball. The technique I used for this is Key frame animation. Like many 3D packages, Studio Max uses a time line that allows you to work on individual frames. by using the Auto key you can ache vie movement of objects. If you position an object in one key and then move it in another, Max will create the animation in between those two points.

In order to get realistic animations you need to need to give a lot of consideration to way the object would move in the real world. because I am animating a ball I have rotated it through the animation to give the impression that it is rolling. Another really important tool is the curve editor. this allows to adjust the position of an object and the speed that it moves. in the case of a ball rather than moving from one key to another at a constant speed, it can slow as the energy of each bounce fades.

I have also started to try and finalize my ideas on what I want to produce. Starting with the mood board I created during Week 1, I have begun to raise specific questions to try and pin down what I want to create.

Week 1: 01-02-08

Week 1: 01-02-08:

We started off by refreshing are skills with modelling in max. The ability to model successfully model objects in 3D Max is vital in producing high quality pieces. The above image is of a banana and was produced by creating a simple rectangle converted and shaped as a editable poly. I then applied bend and mesh smooth modifiers.

In my experience one of the best ways to make a model more realistic is by applying depth. I have done this in the above image by using the material editor. By going in the the map sub menu you can apply reflection and bump maps to add texture.

Looking at the brief, I feel this is a good opportunity to come up with a high quality animations. I already have some thoughts on how to proceed and how to utilise them in 3D max. the test will be if I have the ability to realise them in 3D max. Below is the initial mood board I have produced to try and get a feel for the project:

Week 1: 31st January 2008

The object of this course is to build upon are existing 3D modelling skills. Will will also be starting to look at animation. the Program we will be using is 3D studio max.

As well as maintaining a blog of our progress through this module we will be producing a final animated piece aimed at promoting the British seaside as a tourist attraction.

Having never produced a blog before, I am relly excited by this new way of documenting my progress. I hope that it will not only provide me with a way of recording the devlopment of my final piece but also show how my skills with 3DS have improved.

I'm really looking forward to this module and am keen to develop my existing 3Ds max skills.