FDA BLOG

[fdajunkie]

Work for andrew final year project

When we started the project  we were placed into to groups of five, the first step was coming up with the idea. We started on the first day by coming up with a basic ideas for our level and our team name, the team took awhile to come up with a name and i think it took far to long wasting time which could have been used to fully have our idea perfected. We decided as a majority to do a sci-fi theme which included elements of fantasy as it would keep parties in the group happy. Our idea was a space station which had an eco dome center for the shipmates to visit is would cross sci-fi with old Victorian to form and zen like garden.

we decided to use the work method of scrum which started off great we all picked a task to do and this lead to people doing what they wanted to, at the beginning things were going great, we used an internet planning site called trello this allowed us to set up our scrum method which can be seen when we are not together. 

Now before we started the project we had to research plants, space, color schemes and art styles. This was done very fast as the idea was pretty fleshed out by the end of the first day. Tobias backed this up by building an art bible in Pinterest. This allowed us to get a good visual idea of what the level should be based around this worked better then we thought with all of us constantly modelling and concepting with Pinterest hand in hand. which can be seen by clicking on the link here http://gb.pinterest.com/tobiasrintoul/project-eco-dome/

First of all we gave the task of concept art work to Levi who knew most these pieces had to be done before the modelling could begin as we need something to work from as i knew from a few picture which we shared as a group what needed modelling i started straight on modelling without concept art as this was to build initial models. The models were approved by the group and got to stay, now back to the problem in this time period levi still hadn't done much concept art something that theoretically should have been done straight away. We addressed this problem by having team meetings frequently and discussing what need to be done in the end most models were built with free choice and were evaluated at the end of each day. 

Marisa was set with producing which was to help us plan out what to do next but also to set up our social media. The social media was done very sloppy as no of it was really updated and almost no effort was put into it the justification for by Marisa it that she wanted high polished work put on our social media to show but even with the level finished still nothing has really been added. This isnt all marisa fault alot of work was still in progress but even so this should have been added as an ongoing process almost like diary, maybe if this had been addressed ealier the problem would have been solved but we decided to focus more on the finishing the level rather then showing it off. We know it is important when i game project starts to have a following if you would like to see the work done on stand by studios the link to our Facebook page is here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Standby-Studios/620017688084608?ref=hl

Whilst using scrum we planned in segments what needed to have been started and finished by the end of each segment, and for a while we either kept on track or ahead but we i fell behind on the tree what had to be made, so i seeked outside help. I received tutoring in types of modelling, pelt unwrapping, zbrush and mudbox. I learned how to unwrap an organic model by using pelt wrapping which consisted of drawing out my seem lines first. Zbrush was used to turn my low poly tree into a high poly mesh which could me molded it an organic shape and then droped by using a ZRemesher and finally mudbox was used to add texture to the model for a normal map and was used to paint the tree i want to give credit to Levi who painted the bark texture on the the tree i went in after and applied some greens to make the tree look as though it was growing moss. 

Levi also helped with painting the texture for the leaves as this gave me time to do little adjustments to other models i had made. In the final two weeks we managed to have most models finished and polished up the next problem was seeing how things reacted in unity now Liam and Tobias worked at home and college to help fix bugs with the level such as particle effects, invisible walls that could be climbed on and windows that showed the parts of the level that shouldn't be seen.

i would say for my overall modelling i think it could have been done faster i had to learn a few new programmes which took a while to grasp i also had to learn how to unwrap a whole new way, taking these into consideration i still feel the process could have been done more efficient. In the end i modeled 3 trees each with their own style which the group could pick from we all picked the lower poly model in then end. The lamp and bench i modeled were done pretty much from the beginning although due to me piling UVWs on top of each other i was unable to an ambient occlusion something i should have took into consideration. The leaves i applied had a few problem which i wish i had solved i tried one method which was to detach the leaves and this solved some of the problem but i still had some problems with the alphas popping in and out, i now know i could have solved this problem by having custom shaders.

The end result of the level was more then surprising with all our draw back and delays we managed to pull off a very nice looking level. The level plays fine with very little to no bug there are working particle trigger effects which were planned from the beginning there is sound and overall the level is very visually pleasing. I most impressed with Liams and Tobias commitment to fixing the bugs work out of college to solve these problems given that Liam had to learn a whole new program with its own problems he has done very well he has exceeded my expectations in the area of unity and played a vital asset in the team.

I would say for myself i could have done more even thought the tree was a key aspect of the level i feel like i didn't put in the same amount of work as Tobias and Liam did i also modeled the lampposts and the benches and some reserve plant just encase some people didn't manage to do work they were assigned.

In the case of Levi and Marrisa i think Marris could have been more efficient she was always arriving late and leaving early and this sometimes left stranded on what to do next also her early modelling work was to high poly and the texture were very roughly done she did eventually change the textures but as for the models they still remain very high poly, and for things like Trello Tobias seem to take a lot of charge he took command when Marisa wasn't here if it wasn't for him i dont think this project would have worked as well. Levi was very delayed with the concept art most models had been modeled textured and unwrapped without even seeing any concept art we received alot concept art towards the end when the level was already ready to be put together. Levi made up for her delayed concept art with some beautiful textures for zones and some of the plants which were done to a hugh standard she even helped me by drawing the texture for the leaves and also painting the tree i also when in and added fine details to the tree after. 

As a group as whole i think we had our ups and downs but by the end we all come together and managed to make a beautiful fully functioning level and for every negative there was a positive response. If you would like to play the level you can by clicking on this link https://65adcf87fd62a39bcdef919aec387a8845927f6d.googledrive.com/host/0B4SB-yEMJEfjRFVFazNVOUZxbEU/Standby%20Studios%20Environment%20Project.html

link to my show reel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzqk5PbhL5o&feature=youtu.be

[fdajunkie]

Work for mike final year project

I was set a group task of modelling a level we had complete freedom but came to the conclusion we should keep it small. We came up with a simple concept of space station eco dome being able to show organic plant life while having  cold hi-tech space ship around. the level was set in four sections this being infused with he elements fire,water,earth and wind.

I was the general artist which set me up to do 3D modelling unwrapping and texturing, i was set with the task of modelling the key piece of the scene this being the tree representing a life source which come from all these elements coming together to form the planet earth.

My tree had a budget of 10,000 tris but by the end i manged to make tree 5,650 tris with a few more tris this probably could have been made less most the tri count goes into the build up leaves.

In the end 3 different trees where modeled giving us a wider option of trees to select from 

I started by using a cylinder for my shape to start with i extruded segments to add height to my my tree.

i then move vertexs to give me cleaner shapes to extrude which resembled branches do this also allowed for an easier unwrap the same steps were taking to form roots as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkL-EJHg9ZI low poly mesh modelled

the next step was taking this low poly mesh and putting into z brush this allowed me to make the tree smooth and then i could add grooves giving the tree a more organic shape.

when re meshing in Zbrush your first have to import your object as tool then place it to zbrush once this is done you have to click the edit button at the top otherwise it paints it as 2d image and not a 3d model. whilst in z brush you have to sub devide 5 is the max this makes the model smoth but also increases the poly count into the thousands or even millions.

i then had to ZRemesh the the mesh as this makes lower the polys to a certain count i used 0.5 it also places all the polys in a correct alignment for unwrapping. 

this mesh was then placed in 3ds max where it was peel unwrapped i places all my peel lines in place and quick peeled as this allowed to form nicer shapes that sat with the uv unwrap without ant drop in texture quality or stretching. The unwrap was done on 1024x1024 map as it was the center point for the level and had to resemble that with its detail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki4ibiKxScY

This style of unwrapping is alot more efficient for organic objects and it would be nearly impossible to have a clean organic unwrap by selecting groups of mapping by hand. 

the final stage once i had the unwrap was to take the tree in to mudbox and add the finer details to the tree giving the bark a texture bump and also allowing the tree to be painted before being placed back in to 3ds max to be baked onto to the low poly tree as a normal map so the tree looked as of a tree with much higher poly count and with a finer texture which can be seen in the video link and image below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhhNNY5KtPY

The final tree baked now all that needed  leaves which were painted by the other general artist Levi.T then I applied them.

The final step was to create an ambient occlusion for the tree this means adding shadowing into areas to add further depth to the tree. This is my tree map before ambient occlusion.

This is the trees texture map  with with the ambient occlusion applied

final tree done with ambient occlusion and leaves applied can be seen here. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6HQoCmYWWc&feature=youtu.be

I modeled some low poly plants for the level the level these mainly used plains these added up to 400 tris i used alpha mapping to restrict the use of unnecessary polys. The Unwrap for these plants were done on a 512x512 map the plants weren't used in the level but were kept as spares just in case other in the group didn't manage to get their work done better safe then sorry. 

 UVW UNWRAP

Standard diffuse map 

now the alpha map here is l slightly messy and could have been tidied up, when and alpha is applied in in unity the alpha has to be applied in the alpha channel in photoshop which presents the alpha red in photoshop but saves out normally with the alpha applied to the diffuse map.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL1Yjrp_DIU

Finally i modeled a Victorian street lamp and a park bench this was all on a standard diffuse map a normal could have been added but wasn't needed it stayed to the hand painted style we chose. The UVW unwrap was done on 1024x 1024 map.

The bench and lamp show my synthetic modelling on the unwrap i have piled pieces of mapping to save texture space this can be seen clearly on the lamp. I have also applied a specular map to this by painting over the original texture and adding highlighted areas which iv done by adding a layer of grey when a light is shone on the material it is show on the material with a glare. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXXFgnMvQs4 finished lamp and bench can be seen here 

modular building is the process of mass producing a scenery or a group of assets. This method of texturing uses every part of the map. when building in 3d max you have to make sure your magnetic snaps is on and it is set to vertex snap. you move the pivot to the bottom right or left corner and this allows you to detach parts of the map and build up a scene. The pros to this type of building allows you build big scenery very fast the downfall it take some time to plan. Knowing you exact measurement before building is key.

Now on this map there is a problem where the door texture meets the garage texture they merge over an edge this means this wont snap properly with out taking a piece from either side. So when working in modular section have to meet up at edges this crucial to having the process run smoothly. 

[fdajunkie]

what is concept art

What is concept art?

  Concept art is used to show a visual representation of an idea to do with a subject, this is used within most industries such as movies, architecture, car design etc. But is one of the most crucial parts to any games design project. The reason why this process is so important is it defines what the game will be. Concept art is used to answer the major questions who, What When, Where and why? Developing an idea visually starts with basic sketches known as thumbnails, these are then refined to portray a final concept which will lead to the final visual representation of a character, level or object within the game. The system of how this works on a A to C process without the B(concept art) a game could never get to C, concept leads to the other crucial jobs within the games such as the modelling and animations of character the concepts will define how a player moves shown from posture it also leads to telling a characters backstory through the clothing worn or scaring on the character, this isn’t just used for characters though its used to show environments and how the visual should set a mood, scale, story and help the viewer to empathise with the seen whether it be bad or good for example.

The image above shows the scale of the man in comparison with what’s looks to be some type of turtle lizard combination, we can see there is some sort of city, town or relic on its back setting theme of this world being mystic, unreal and in grand scale, from this image we can start to form a story in our minds helping to push the games concept art it a finished workable game asset.

    Who uses concept art

Well any known industry which uses art for it basis to build something from nothing uses the processes of concept art, this helps work to be shown to piers to help them progress to finish processes in later stages of game design. There are three different types of concept artist this is character design, object design and environment design. The character design artist has to start with pulmonary sketches this usually involved designing many different types of character builds faces and clothing which will all effect how a player feel empathy for the character.

   These sketches here are known as thumbnails a method of drawing quick easy sketches that can help develop a mood and shape of a character, from the term mood I mean what we presume about the character. Developing a mood for the character helps to show if a character is good, evil, and likable or dislikeable this can be either done in line work, solid black silhouettes or a mix of both. These different styles of thumb nailing each have their own benefits, the book The skillful huntsman (author Iain McCaig publisher design studio press) tells us why?

“When interior detail is omitted, you need to focus more on making the outer shape interesting and unique. It frees your mind and pen to create things that you would not do when building from the inside out.”

The ability to define a character without even drawing a face by just indicating posture shape and personality will lead to a better visually pleasing character, I believe this style of thumbnail to be the strongest in defining ability and talent of a concept artist.

  The technique used in the above thumbnails uses part silhouettes and lines but use this in a way called lost line. The skillfull huntsman talked about this technique “Lost line technique is the use of negative space to indicate the continuation of a line or edge”.  The benefit of this thumbnail technique will help you to develop unique shapes for clothing and placement on a character.

Thumb nailing is the starting point for any concept art for a character in the games industry as it helps with presenting an idea to a client, which bring us to another part of being a concept artist as concept artist you usually work freelance as this helps to obtain more work with each movement to a new company there is a whole new skill set to learn. Every games company will have their own unique art style that a concept artist will have to learn to work with, every artist has their own style but as concept artist you will have to be flexible with the styles you draw with. As a concept artist you will always know there is someone better so you are constantly trying to improve your skills by learning new technique taking life drawing classes and drawing every day.

Life drawing to a concept artist is crucial as it develops a further understanding of human anatomy and structure knowing how a body would bend or fold depending on an angle is crucial for concept art when showing  for shortening in a subject or the shape of how a body would sit when positioned with a piece.

The environment artist uses the same method building from a thumbnail but the use within the  thumbnail tends to differ as of recently games tend to be hyper realistic, which means using photos helps to build basic layouts having the tools of Photoshop images can be built up to form a composition then drawn upon. This technique helps save a lot of time if the image drawn turns out to be the final concept. When doing level design perspective shows environmental size in comparison with characters and objects.

The final type of concept artist is an object art this artist designs everything that would be in a seen or be used such weapons barrels boxes. This artist works around the other two artist as they need to know objects in comparison with character build and the environment as these objects have to suit the scale of the game.

The image above show for shorting of the arm as this is closer in perspective view it seems bigger whereas the other arm seems further away as it is further away. The stance of the character describe his movement and the personality of the character we can see he seems angry aggressive and bad something that can only be shown by combining anatomy, posture and emotions shown by facial expressions.

This leads to another skillset of concept artist perspective tone shadow lighting and composition. Knowing perspective help define size and emotional standing of piece the chef  above makes us feel small as the perspective makes it seem as though we are looking up at the character.

    Whereas this image of batman make us seem have like god like view like we watching this character developing a mood is done better when showing a clear view of perspective. 

Bibliography

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=concept+character&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QKb0UrPhFKem0QX1o4DQAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=981#q=the+skillful+huntsman+thumbnails&spell=1&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=cRz5YUK1xGkPoM%253A%3BFdI3Hg4bA50uSM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-xxeRnxwVBYs%252FTXbZVW24CgI%252FAAAAAAAABL4%252FE1Goj_4KedU%252Fs1600%252FSkillfulHuntsman_96CMYK-72.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcharacterdesignnotes.blogspot.com%252F2011%252F03%252Fuse-of-silhouettes-in-concept-design.html%3B1600%3B800 – concept art thumnails image 1

  https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=concept+character&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QKb0UrPhFKem0QX1o4DQAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=981#q=the+skillful+huntsman+thumbnails&spell=1&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=U0nny2Mdk3JF7M%253A%3B31z7MuSHLeXsDM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F_vJmKlI18NV4%252FSt76Tb7mDZI%252FAAAAAAAAAG4%252FS1-sNZoJkR0%252Fs320%252Ftheskillfulhuntsman0014kh7.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffinalmajorprojectresearch.blogspot.com%252F2009_10_01_archive.html%3B320%3B315 – concept art thumbnail image 2

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=concept+character&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QKb0UrPhFKem0QX1o4DQAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=981#q=live%20drawing&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=3RTRZERuG3FSbM%253A%3B07cpYwEqWgmg9M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblog.hakwerk.com%252Fimages%252Flivedrawing1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblog.hakwerk.com%252Findex.php%253Fcategory%253D6%3B780%3B519 chef

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=concept+character&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QKb0UrPhFKem0QX1o4DQAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=981#q=concept%20art%20looking%20down&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=WqSSk2dXsY8f7M%253A%3BWp47xmBJhzCHIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bleedingcool.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F03%252Farkham-a5-570x255.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bleedingcool.com%252Fforums%252Fdc-comics-films-tv%252F37658-batman-arkham-city-concept-art.html%3B570%3B255 batman 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=concept+character&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QKb0UrPhFKem0QX1o4DQAQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=981#q=concept%20art&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=ahkbdbYV31YZLM%253A%3BPT69RSMdqbIL1M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thebuzzmedia.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2009%252F01%252Fhalo-3-odst-concept-art-city-night-wreckage.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thebuzzmedia.com%252Fhalo-3-odst-concept-art-released%252F%3B1920%3B1128 halo

[fdajunkie]

light,tones and shadows

light and shadow within an image is crucial to creating depth within a image this us allow to set distances and sizes of object within an art piece. Shadow it also you to create 3-D effects as seen with perspective to enhance a 3-D perspective drawing shadow and lighting is crucial. 

Good use of shadow and lighting highlights tones withing an image tone helps to create a realization of how soft or hard something is this is easier defines by calling it a way to define textures with in an image.

The image above shows how we use lighting and shadow to form a 3-d image knowing where the shadow will project off and how dark each side of an object should be from a lighting source helps an image stand our on paper.

Now take this image above takes a step further by adding shadows and lighting it adds depth to the image but knowing how to layer tones and there strengths defines the difference in textures. The creature seems to be made of a hard material this is shown my by sharp hard lighting giving a cold hard metallic look, where ass the women has softer tones defining softer the sponginess of human flesh. This is how how a true master of shadow tone and lighting can take a image from a flat image to a piece that is eye catching and almost push itself of the page.

Bibliography

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=julie+bell+steele&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=SuH0UpjzDci70QXdhoDwCQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=1019#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=768ntwWLkn1e7M%253A%3B7U6p1rpTLW_SpM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fflora_greywolf.tripod.com%252Fbell%252Fsteel-beast.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fflora_greywolf.tripod.com%252Fbell%252Fsteel-beast.html%3B777%3B768julie bell tones and texture

https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1097&bih=559&tbm=isch&oq=drawing+a+box+&gs_l=img.3..0i24l10.5204.8785.0.8935.14.14.0.0.0.0.178.1699.3j11.14.0.crnk_timecombined...0...1.1.34.img..0.14.1692.GtGzb-TrzFk&q=drawing%20a%20box#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=TQbfH0mn63YxyM%253A%3Bch5Ku13RvVnZLM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dianewrightfineart.com%252Ftutorial-rocks%252F1-box.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dianewrightfineart.com%252Fdrawing-rocks-1.htm%3B474%3B357 - basic shadow and lighting 

[fdajunkie]

Color theory

Color theory is used with all concept art this helps make any art piece look visually pleasing, a good grasp of color theory can be the difference between a piece leaving an impact with a viewer or lose attention completely. There are 4 types of color this starts of with primary colors primary colors are red yellow and blue with these three colors nearly any color can be formed the only colors that cannot be formed are are black white and grey, which brings us to another section of color theory black is the absence of color and white is all colors in one. black brown whit and grey are also colors that will compliment any color. Secondary colors are formed by either mixing a primary color with a secondary color or mixing two secondary colors.

The other form of basic color theory is knowing complimentary colors these help with setting the right composition of an image. Complimentary colors can be seen on a color wheel by seeing the opposite color on the wheel, what this mean is these two colors will suit each other when seen by a viewer. 

Game concept art uses colour theory to make images that stand  heres an image that use the complimentary colors.

using blue and yellow the image has a composition that fits with the Fibonacci spiral. when using color images tend to use alot of one color and then add a hint of its complimentary color this allows the image to feel visually pleasing. the bright vibrant tones help to make this image feel as though its sci- fi themed with it bright neon toned lights.  the hints of orange/ yellow gives the image a sense of life with everything else seeming cold and lifeless your eye is instantly brought to this color as it is welcoming. using harsh bold lines to form hard surface allows to of the same color just different tones to form a solid surface this can be seen on the spaceship being made up of mainly blue and whites.

the color pallet here is yellows oranges and browns this all compliments the image as brown compliments every color. The bright tone makes this city or town seem alive, you barley notice the darker areas as your eye is drawn to this bright areas.

bibliography

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=treasure+planet&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=wOr0UtuqLon8ywOpj4HoBA&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=1019#q=concept%20art&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=OUqAZqoZIjkwDM%253A%3BhB1A3Rst8V0vsM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimages5.fanpop.com%252Fimage%252Fphotos%252F30800000%252FAssassin-s-Creed-Revelations-Concept-Art-assassins-creed-30814034-960-531.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.fanpop.com%252Fclubs%252Fassassins-creed%252Fimages%252F30814034%252Ftitle%252Fassassins-creed-revelations-concept-art-fanart%3B960%3B531 city

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=color+theory+complementary+colors&num=30&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=VOzzUsfXMM7W7Qap14CQDg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1097&bih=559#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=_ukSIhYcN5DMRM%253A%3BfZZwysW-vKB1QM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwillkempartschool.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F08%252Fcolourwheel01.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwillkempartschool.com%252Fbeginners-colour-mixing-acrylic-paint%252F%3B774%3B750 colour wheel 2

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=what+are+tertiary+colors&num=30&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oOvzUoOZFdHX7AaX0oDIBA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1097&bih=559#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=lEdJBPyOZaxFYM%253A%3BnYRPxJY-xK6B0M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.web-designers-directory.org%252Fimages%252Farticles%252Fcolortypes.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.web-designers-directory.org%252Farticles%252Fcolor-theory-in-web-designs-9.html%3B400%3B384 - color wheel 1 

[fdajunkie]

Perspective its all about getting to the point

Perspective is a way of showing depth within an image take fore example a square,just a simple square. when we use perspective there has to be a horizon line when using one and two pint the the perspective points sit on this line. when using three point one of these points will go past the horizon line.

Then add one point of perspective 

This shows depth in one direction but what if we could add more and the answer to that is we can with two point perspective.

This is good but we can go even further with three point perspective.

square-https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=SQUARE&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8PrPUr6IHZKVhQfM9oCwBA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=1018#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=q7JH_EmG3jB6-M%253A%3BwoZgM1RtkYNmWM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbestclipartblog.com%252Fclipart-pics%252Fsquare-clip-art-6.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbestclipartblog.com%252F22-square-clip-art.html%252Fsquare-clip-art-6%3B697%3B700

one point perspective-https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=SQUARE&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8PrPUr6IHZKVhQfM9oCwBA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=1018#es_sm=122&espv=210&q=SQUARE+one+point+perspective&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=68BCqy4BNbmz0M%253A%3BhWmWDY3Y-vJlTM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fz.about.com%252Fd%252Fdrawsketch%252F1%252F0%252F3%252FO%252Fperpsective3vanish.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmrscgariepy.weebly.com%252Fuploads%252F1%252F0%252F6%252F2%252F1062445%252F1pointperspectivepowerpoint.pptx%3B800%3B800

[fdajunkie]

Composition and all that jazz

There are many simple rules to the composition of displaying something visually this goes from simple photography to to detailed pieces of art. The composition of a piece is the lay out and placing of objects within a piece leading the viewer to a better visual of the piece that's makes it more interesting. This give us a greater appreciation to art knowing nothing is by chance but defined to its finest details, it seem as though art can be defined as an equation composition+well drawn work = a master piece. These rules can also be used together this wont necessary improve your piece but it can help you define an image better.  

These techniques date back thousand of years and still hold to true to this day these rules are the golden ratio - 1:1.618., rule of thirds, diagonal rule, s-line, the triangle,the frame.

THE GOLDEN RATIO

The ancients Greeks used this method and is was seen as perfection as it was known to have divine proportions, this is a rectangle that has sides which are approximately 1:1.618.

The use of these proportions divides the image into section which forms a spiral that you follow with your eyes forming balanced image and a strong focal point. The rectangle rotates 90 degrees and that how the spiral is formed.

Rule of thirds

This rule is is derived from the golden ration which places a nine faced grid of equal proportions over the top of an image and creates four power points in the center, the lines that these points are placed are the main focal points of the image. The main focal point  of the image doesn't always have to be directly on the intersections of the power lines, but close placing to far to the side of these lines will throw of the composition so the placement i key.

Diagonal line

 The diagonal line in a image imposes that there is movement with the image or a strong sense of depth a viewer follow the diagonal line with there eyes subconsciously. 

S-line

The s-line rule works similar to the diagonal line as it also another way to make the viewer follow the direction of the image, as it states in the name this line is s shaped. 

The triangle

The triangle is the placement of three key focal points within an image this can be suttle or obvious but, this allows the viewer to look from one object to another as key focal points. 

The frame

The frame rule place a frame round and object look straight at the key focal point this can be very obvious or suttle and it great for placing depth and story to an image.

When using composition one must keep the what going on around the image in mind to much clutter will throw of the composition always plan focal points and avoid overdoing and coursing confusion. 

links

rule of thirds-https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rule+of+triangle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=2N3PUpGaNJKqhAeswYCgCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=978#q=rule+of+thirds&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=An0icxhYw_n6rM%253A%3B3LsdOmOumGA7TM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalphotographylive.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F09%252FRule-Of-Thirds-Example.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalphotographylive.com%252Frule-of-thirds%252F%3B424%3B283

golden spiral-https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rule+of+triangle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=2N3PUpGaNJKqhAeswYCgCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=978#q=golden+spiral&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=0eSXo1OU-UXtlM%3A%3B9wMkav9151jKRM%3B0eSXo1OU-UXtlM%3A&imgrc=0eSXo1OU-UXtlM%253A%3Bnl791tzLoiscaM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.maryrobinsonphotography.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F10%252F29489-Golden_Spiral_1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.maryrobinsonphotography.com%252Fsome-give-back-tutorials%252Farticles%252Fcomposition%3B800%3B531

diagonal line-https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rule+of+triangle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=2N3PUpGaNJKqhAeswYCgCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=978#q=diagonal+line+rule&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=EthfVsgHNHSw_M%3A%3BOi2nMtA9vBPwMM%3BEthfVsgHNHSw_M%3A&imgrc=EthfVsgHNHSw_M%253A%3BALuu7kNIuw9XEM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fphotoinf.com%252FGeneral%252FKODAK%252FphotoProgramCompBig38.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fphotoinf.com%252FGeneral%252FKODAK%252Fguidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_lines.html%3B430%3B287

s-rule- https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rule+of+triangle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=2N3PUpGaNJKqhAeswYCgCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=978#q=s%20line%20composition&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=VNetpJQNto3a8M%3A%3B_3Zq0CS7mYgplM%3BVNetpJQNto3a8M%3A&imgrc=VNetpJQNto3a8M%253A%3B4NN1b8jm1AuIUM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.beautiful-landscape.com%252FNew%25252520Site.data%252FCompositionCD%252FC_S-Curve_photo%25252Bline.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.beautiful-landscape.com%252FArticles-CD-Composition-Mastery.html%3B387%3B300

frame rule-https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rule+of+triangle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=2N3PUpGaNJKqhAeswYCgCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=978#q=frame+composition&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=7vkcBe1yJvA4fM%253A%3BnAppzOCDZKpw7M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.exposureguide.com%252Fimages%252Fcomposition-tips%252Fcomposition-tips-4e.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.exposureguide.com%252Ftop-10-composition-tips.htm%3B800%3B533

triangle-https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rule+of+triangle&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=2N3PUpGaNJKqhAeswYCgCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=978#q=triangle+composition&spell=1&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=tMcGyZiXPB4XhM%253A%3BTz6QAwsiqXh8ZM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthedigitalphotocoach.com%252Fimages%252F2011%252F2011-10%252FRaphaelMadonna.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthedigitalphotocoach.com%252Fblog%252F2011%252F10%252F17%252Fgeometry-pro-photographers-composition-secret-no-15%252F%3B466%3B599

[fdajunkie]

Times are a changing

We live in a world where video games have gone from being a small garage industry to a full blown industrious enterprise, this industry was mainly controlled by men for men but, in recent year times have began to change with a rise in female gamer's there has also been a rise the amount of women working in the industry.

According to the website female first the female adult gamer makes up 30% of the gaming population which dominates the male 17 and below age bracket which is an unexpected minuscule number of only 17%. The daily male backs up these stats by having a survey done by the entertainment software association which state that 45% of gamer's today are female this is from a studied performed by Peter D. Hart.  This is nearly half and the number keeps on growing but, as more female gamer's begin to play games this also increase the turmoil towards female gamer's online.

As the industry has grown so has the women designers within it there are some very influential women soaring to the top of developers in the industry. One of these women being Natalia Luckyanova is the founder of Imangi studios the creators of temple run having over 170 million downloads it has also spawned a sequel. 

This is a well know fact that females lead a high expectation in games we also seem to see are females depicted as a attractive and sexy hideous there seem to be no middle ground, unlike the vast male counter part character within games. I believe that females are made attractive in games as we aim to like attractiveness as human beans so if there is a character that has been written into a story to be liked they tend to be visually pleasing where as bad characters tend to be hideous which can be seen in games such as Gruntilda from Banjo Kazooi, who has warts and green skin things we would relate to ugliness and dirty all aiming for us to dislike the character, and Mileena from the Mortal Kombat series even though she appears to be attractive as you take a closer look you can see she has hideous monster teeth as she is evil this aims for us to dislike her. Dr. murray Feungold wrote a paper on how we judge people on their physical form and this determines if we are more likely to like or dislike someone, someone who seems to be more attractive and athletic is easier liked then someone who is over weight and unattractive but we also judge on traits of a personality from stances facial expressions and and choices they make as a person.

This can also change depending on the person and the life they have lead being brought up to see something as wrong can completely change the view on the subject we see. If you were a young women brought up in a household of feminists you could see the depiction of women in two way either to revealing or empowering,  this can lead to the judgment of women being over sexulised and can disgust or it could lead to a strong female antagonist who can be strong lethal just the same as a man but also remain sexy.

http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2133754/Move-boys-Studies-women-hardcore-gamers.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/11/report-nearly-half-gamers-are-women/?page=all

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/games/female-gamers-286252.html

http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2013.pdf

http://www.forbes.com/sites/women2/2013/03/29/12-women-in-gaming-to-watch-entrepreneurs-edition/

http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/entertainment/x201790920/Dr-Murray-Feingold-Judging-people-by-their-physical-appearance [physical appearance effecting likability of someone. 

[fdajunkie]

Dumpster modelling

I was set the task to model a dumpster using photos for reference, the dumster had to be photo realistic, so i had to took take photos for textures then photo manipulate them to give them a grimy street look. This task took planning having a limit of only 650 tris i had to pick a dumpster design that wouldn't require to many tris but also would still resemble and maintain the look of a dumpster. So first of all i decided instead of having a dumpster with wheel i would create a dumpster with beams as this would significantly reduce the the tri count.

I used reference images from a dumpster within my college.

FRONT

SIDE

BACK

I started off with basic modelling techniques starting off with a box and slowly moving on from there i worked on smaller details that could be added through a texture.

I unwrapped my dumpster and applied the texture map the next line of images will show the finished model without the texture then with the texture, i will also be showing three maps a bump map which helps the object have more depth a normal map which is like an upgraded bump map and a baked diffuse map that applies pre-rendered shadows and also the texture unwrap.

MODEL WITHOUT TEXTURE

MODEL WITH TEXTURE

TEXTURE UNWRAP 

BUMP MAP

NORMAL MAP

  I found this task very fun and i loved the creative freedom to create what we thought suited a realistic dumpster. The task took a lot of time and next i would like to blog each section of modelling showing my ups and downs, but overall i pleased with the outcome. I also think that the texture could have been improved by adding rust and drips this would have added a more defining factor to the dumpster, a specular map would have added to give the bin an improved texture these minor thing would have progressed the dumpster just a little bit further. The baked shadows on the model also went wrong so i corrected them slightly with the placing certain objects to cover up mistakes with more time i would have gone back and placed the objects correctly and re-baked them.

[fdajunkie]

Alpha mapping part 2

The alpha tree used photographic images and hand painted textures the alpha map can be seen on the leaves.

I found the tree hard to alpha map as i was only working with one leaf so i had to scale it to different sizes so it would appear as though they were all completely different leaves. The photos taken for the texture were also manipulated in photoshop to give them more depth and shadowing.

If i was to improve this model i would have used a larger variety of leaves although it isn't that that noticeable the same leaf is used and a variety of different styled leaves in shape of color could have given the model a better design, also a seam can be seen on the bark of the tree i should have blended this in better as when see closely it can be seen easily.

[fdajunkie]

Alpha mapping

The alpha map task, i had to create a model with some kind of alpha mapping on an alpha map allows parts of the map to become transparent this helps to have lower poly models ideal for games. I built two models one was a fence.

The white on the map remain visible while every thing blacked out become transparent, the alpha map can be seen on the barb wire of the fence. The fence also had its on complication having to flip the barb wire part of the fence so it would remain visible from both front and back viewing points.

If i was to correct anything on the model it would probably how much room i gave the wooden stump ends on the texture map as there not seen too much i should have gave the stumps the most room as they have a definable texture.

[fdajunkie]

delorean this task was to edit a project model that had errors on the model and to correct them then to to edit the model 

This task gave use creative freedom to get the best looking model with a limits of 700 polys. This task became tedious having to change very slight point of the texture so it would scale and fit to the model correctly, i found building upon the model fun as this is from one of my favorite movies i chose the third film as my inspiration to model from.

This task was based mainly round unwrapping the process of unwrapping requires you to produce a template for your texture to be placed on to. This process takes a long time and will define in the end what the texture looks like on a model, when unwrapping before a texture is applied squares appear on the model the aim is to have have all these checkered squares as equal as possible to prevent stretching of a texture.

If a unwrap has not been done before a texture is placed on to the model it causes major problem the texture will have no idea where to be applied so it causes the textures to be placed randomly as seen on image above in the bottom left hand corner. In the top left hand corner the model can be seen with the unwrap corrected and the texture correctly applied.

The texture applied to the model is good but if i could go back i would make sure non of the texture was stretched and ever detailed was placed correctly if the models are further examined there are some errors in the texture placement minor but still with more time could have been corrected, also apply the further details to the model within the tri count i would have probably gone into less detail as this used far more tris then needed. The importance of a tri count within a model is key as this defines how well the game will run to high a tri count and this can lead to bugs and crashes within the games keeping a balance between model and texture is key, as my tutors always say. "its 30% modelling and 70% texture".  and the meaning behind this is that a beautiful model can be ruined by a terrible texture but a terrible model can be saved by a beautiful textures, so the aim is to get the best of both worlds and have a beautiful model with a beautiful texture leading to the perfect balance.

[fdajunkie]

BLAST FROM THE PAST PART 2

Power ups

Nazi zombies leaves you straight forward goals earn points kill zombies but, as waves get harder you need more bang for your buck; so the way it deals with this is giving you points to earn and spend on upgraded weapons, perks that boost your characters abilities and doors to open up to new locations. The Legend of Zelda(Nintendo 1996) gave you the ability to kill enemies earn coins and buy new and improved equipment and keys to hidden areas. Nazi zombies also has bonus power ups that can appear after killing zombies these are random and will give you bonus traits for a short amount of time with ability to kill enemies in one hit or to fix all the broken windows. Super Mario bros (Nintendo 1995) also gave the ability to pick up powers ups which would grant the ability to shoot fire balls at your enemies double in size and increase health similar to the "Juggernog" perk in Nazi zombies.

  Visuals

Nazi zombies has most of it levels set it grimy run down building such as mental hospitals and factories. The games first few levels have historical bases placing them in world war two in Germany and Japan linking back to where Nazi were placed during the war. Games that similar basis like this is Wolfenstein  3D (Apogee software 1992) which had you facing nazi in a dark dingy run down castle. Wolfenstein used historical relevance unlike games such as Doom and Quake what were purely fictional rather then factual.

Conclusion

Looking through all the past references I can see that every feature in Nazi zombies has been influenced or can be back tracked to previous games, from the components that hardly noticeable like a point system from pong or the ability to buy upgrades seen in the game Legend of Zelda. Even the visuals have influence from classic horror films like Night of the living dead and classic zombie design zombie look from resident evil. It defines the new era of game if we want to make a game that works, play well and is enjoyable we need to look at classic games that defined gaming to the standard of what it is today. Nazi zombies has developed its game play further in later Call of Duties and has added features such a storyline that is told secrets can still be found but, i believe this is an aspect of the new Cod zombies has started to ruin the game as what made it fun is non of these aspects were forced on you in the original mode. This is also found in most of the previous titles giving the choice to pick up power ups or learn about the story. My final point is there are no games like the classics and putting the classic mechanics into a game will help produce a decent a game.

Bibliography

The first two links show Zombie Zombie and Zombi two of the first games ever made and show the introduction of the zombie to game and also some simple mechanics used in games today.The third link to George a Romero 

http://classicgames.about.com/od/computergames/p/ZombieZombie.htm

http://www.nintendojo.com/features/editorials/the-zombi-game-you-never-knew-existed

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001681/

[fdajunkie]

Blast from the past PART 1

I have been giving the task of picking a game from the last five years and back tracking it's key features back to games from the 70's and 80's; the eras that games began defining new genres and unique evolution's within their game play.

I have chosen Call of duty zombies (Activision 2008) which is a standalone mode within the Call of duty games. This mode also known as Nazi zombies places you within a map where you must fend off countless waves of zombies, dogs and genetic mutants.

Nazi zombies key game mechanics:survival,FPS(first person shooter),Hidden story lines,Easter eggs,multi player,horror,zombies,leader boards,co-op, point counter and hordes.

GAME MECHANICS

Knowing this I can go back to games from as early as the 70’s where some these mechanics have been used with the game Pong released in 1972 (Atari) the game used elements of a point system, multiplayer, level progression and leader boards. All these mechanics were in their basic foundation but, still used within the COD Nazi zombie mode; such as level progression with each round Nazi zombies becomes increasingly harder , Pong speeds and gets faster as more time is spent playing. Nazi zombies uses an offline and online leader board to keep track of the highest round met with the highest points gained this same method is derived from pong with its simple competitive mechanics the better player would receive a higher score at the end leader boards. Pong also developed what we see as competitive multiplayer with it being able to be played 2 players but also trying to reach a higher score than a friend. Unlike zombies though this wasn’t place on an overall leader board it was more of a mental note. Also the game used sound to indicate accomplishment or death this is something taken for granted but greatly used in all modern games; from the simple opening of doors to firing your weapon and hearing the bullet either making contact or ricocheting of an object or enemy.

The FPS elements comes from the games such as Doom (id 1993) and Quake (id 1996) placing the viewpoint from the eyes of a player rather than seeing the whole player. Doom and Quake also show how much ammo is being carried on their HUD'S this has also been adapted into the Nazi zombie HUD, Doom takes this a step further by showing indication of what weapon is selected and on what slot. This can also be seen on the Nazi zombie HUD as a D pad icon which shows your secondary weaponry and any items being carried.

  The viewpoint of the mode makes the game a frenzy to play as you cant see behind yourself without looking yourself leaving constantly exposed to the enemies around you this also develops the horror element with the game mode. Nazi zombies has you making constant choices which could lead to a better strategy or you untimely doom, Nazi zombies still has the ability to deliver a story which can be found within each map as hidden pick ups such as radios pictures voice recording to be heard this develops the experience to being replayble to discover what might have been missed from the first time around. games such as the Uninvited(Mindscape 1986) give the player the choice do find hidden clues and dark secrets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsOwfcKvSV0

The projector can be activated by picking up film reels which show images of characters and locations of the story one of many hidden Easter eggs to the story of Nazi zombies.

Nazi zombie’s plays as a single player or co-op player experience this has you fighting alongside a friend or a online counterpart, but leads to you always aiming to be better than friends or teammates. This is probably the most crucial aspect to Nazi zombies. This mechanic date back to the game Asteroids (1979 Atari) a space game that had you fending off asteroids from destroying your ship, this also lead to a point system so players could know who the better player was in the end.

Origin of the zombie

The zombie, now this is the biggest aspect of the game; zombies were introduce to games in the early 80's in such games as Zombie Zombie (1994 Quicksilva) and Zombi(1986 Ubisoft) these are not like the zombies we know from Nazi zombies but it was where the idea was initialized into a game concept. Zombie Zombie had unique way of dealing with zombies instead of using gun you were chased and had to jump of walls and buildings, which would lead to zombie’s splatting on the floor when followed. Nazi Zombi shares the same traits of being able to lead zombies into deadly traps such as Tesla fences and spike traps. Zombie used the mechanics of survival and choices key aspects that make Nazi zombies it choosing to open a door or move to a new location even picking the right weapon all add to you survival rate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bua3ZBwqJPk

Zombies inspire a lot of games today you can even say there’s enough zombie games to be a genre. The biggest inspiration for theses game are from two movies Night of the Living Dead (1968 George a Romero) and Dawn of the dead (1978 George a Romero) created by George a Romero these horror master pieces depict what a zombie is now. These have been such an inspiration that Nazi zombies create a map where George himself is a bad guy walking around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_15cQbbxsQ

Resident evil (1996 Capcom) used the mechanic of making one zombie a huge threat due to technological draw backs, due to this a lot of game after used the same effect but as technology got better games started to develop bigger groups of zombies now referred to as a horde. This is seen in games such as Dead rising (2006 Capcom) and Left 4 dead (2008 Valve) which instead of making one zombie a threat it mate groups the true enemy this also developed the zombies as we know it into canon fodder, as you play Nazi zombie you realize this works the same single zombies are easy target but, hordes pose a bigger threat and usually lead to your death.

[fdajunkie]

Short burst continued

 Week two we were set the task to model a barrel and crate so, I decide as i know how to model that I would model and texture 4 different types. This task went from one week to the next as textures had to be hand painted in Photoshop. I made and textured an oil drum a crate a cardboard box and a wooden barrel. I found this task easier than most other tasks i have to admit to myself that the texture on the oil drum could have done to better quality but for now it identifiable as the object it is modeled after, I also enjoyed this task as i created some texture i have never tried before such cardboard and tape seen on the cardboard box model down below.

[fdajunkie]

last 5 weeks in 1 short burst

The first week we went over basic modelling skills, as I already knew all these skills; I was given a separate task to model a helicopter. I used a futuristic design, some how the design of the helicopter seemed to form the shape of a shark.

[fdajunkie]

THE LAST 5 WEEKS OF COLLEGE LIFE

So after the last five weeks, i started a FDA games art course where I take part in 3D modelling animation digital art and traditional art.