During one of my tutorial sessions, my tutor introduced a feature of Blender where you can add animations and effects to the 3D model you are working on. The following footage is a time-lapse of my experiments when using this function.
Towards the end of this tutorial, we were encouraged to play around with the rigid body options and see where we got. I decided to set myself the task of creating a flag, however, I did not have enough knowledge about the modifier to problem solve my way to a final project. Had I had time, I would have liked to have brought this up with my tutor during the session, but for now, I intend to follow online advice and experiment during my modelling process.
Whilst experimenting with Blender, I discovered a difficulty when beginning to model. One thing I had not yet tackled was creating something irregular, such as natural rock. My creature will be blending into multiple environments, so it seems only appropriate to have their material be earth-like.
To tackle this, I took advice from the following tutorials on how to create a low-poly rock in Blender. Doing this helped me to randomise things I have modelled a bit more, making them seem less uniform.
Here is a time lapse of my experiments.
This tutorial introduced me to the idea of using the sculpt tool to create detail in the rocks that didn’t look uniform. When modelling in Blender, it is quite hard to be tempted away from using modifiers such as the Boolean and Subdividers to make things uniform, however because my creature is going to be made out of all natural materials, it is interesting to work with a tool in blender that gives me that freedom.
Not only did the above outcome lead to a more in-depth knowledge of the sculpt tool, but I was also shown how to use the material node option in blender to create realistic textures and surfaces to my models. Whilst this was done on smaller and what would most likely be a more random background asset, I had not before seen this function in too much detail. Whilst I do intend to use Substance painter, I may be encouraged to dive deeper into what blender has to offer in the texturing of my project.
Sources:
Alexandrov, G. (2017). Sculpting stone in Blender with Dynamic Topology. Available at: https://youtu.be/sl5EvG4x-bM [Accessed 13 Nov. 2017].
Geek, CG. (2017). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=xRDFMYfsIcU [Accessed 13 Nov. 2017].
The main aim of this project is for it to eventually be part of a showreel that will be used to attract the attention of people seeking CG generalists for their line of work. The project will show how quickly and willingly I can learn to work within a software, as well as broadcast the range of skills I have within the engine I decide to work with.
When looking into the job description of a CG generalist, the requirements not only included software knowledge, but he ability to work with supervisors and problem solve within VFX tasks. They also expect generalists to work well and even thrive under tight deadlines.
My media project for semester 1 will help to fulfil these requirements by presenting the following:
Working under guidance. Throughout this project I will be consulting tutors and online tutorials in order to problem solve and move across an efficient timeline.
Deliver work within expected timelines. As this project has a short time period 3 months between initial ideas and a final output, the quality of my work will prove to potential employers my ability to do so.
Problem solving. As part of my development process I will be discussing and addressing any problems that I have found during the creation of my project. These will be backed up by research and reasoning behind how and why I chose to solve a specific problem a specific way.
The ability and willingness to learn new pipelines. My development process will document learning processes I encounter, and comparisons between softwares will prove I have learnt basic functions within other softwares to come to the best conclusion possible.
Strong sense of composition, lighting and colour. The final output will showcase my ability to consider these elements within a project, and show the intended my ability.
The ability to work in a variety of areas such as 3D modeling, texturing, animation, lighting and rendering. Again, my final output will prove my ability to work in each of these areas.
Sources:
Prime Focus World. (2017). VANCOUVER – 3D Generalist. [online] Available at: http://www.primefocusworld.com/vancouver-3d-generalist/ [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].
JobScore. (2017). CG 3D Generalist job at ITEC Entertainment in Orlando, FL. [online] Available at: https://careers.jobscore.com/careers/itecentertainment/jobs/cg-3d-generalist-bukk8gUN8r56hZeMg-44q7?jpid=d36IKCUN8r57yOeMg-44q7&name=Indeed&sid=69 [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].