Sunday, 10 October 2010
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
set blasters to stun
So with the group project out of the way ive been starting to work on my own personal art, again with the question what to do, and i thought modelling a gun would be a god start for this, afterall the vast majority of games involve guns so getting good at guns wouldnt be a bad start.
As i was researching into what kind of gun i could model i came across some leaked artwork from the new star wars battlefront game. With the recession still holding a firm grip on game companies wallets the company Free Radical, who have been working on star wars battlefront 3 made a load of redundancies lately. One of them being the game artist Richard Smith, who uploaded some of what he had been working on before he was cut loose. Obviously Lucasarts was quick to remove the images but not before they made their way all over the internet.
So i was looking at all this artwork and i was thinking well im into all this stuff like star wars, ive watched all the films and played all the games, and with artwork like this being released its obvious things like this are worked on as games. So why cant i use the 3d skills ive learnt so far and put it towards something im passionate about. I mean it not too stupid of a thought since this sort of thing DOES make it onto consoles. So without further question i had it, im making a gun from star wars.
After a while chipping away at it im almost there. yes it would be a lasser gun from star wars but to be honest its just pretty much a lee enfield rifle sawn up with a grenade launcher cup attached o the end. Im at 900 tris currently but since i havent got much left to do i reckon i could keep it at 1,000 tris by the end (hopefully ill get more detail into it with the never ending quest to learn mesh baking) anyhoo ill leave it at that
As i was researching into what kind of gun i could model i came across some leaked artwork from the new star wars battlefront game. With the recession still holding a firm grip on game companies wallets the company Free Radical, who have been working on star wars battlefront 3 made a load of redundancies lately. One of them being the game artist Richard Smith, who uploaded some of what he had been working on before he was cut loose. Obviously Lucasarts was quick to remove the images but not before they made their way all over the internet.
So i was looking at all this artwork and i was thinking well im into all this stuff like star wars, ive watched all the films and played all the games, and with artwork like this being released its obvious things like this are worked on as games. So why cant i use the 3d skills ive learnt so far and put it towards something im passionate about. I mean it not too stupid of a thought since this sort of thing DOES make it onto consoles. So without further question i had it, im making a gun from star wars.
After a while chipping away at it im almost there. yes it would be a lasser gun from star wars but to be honest its just pretty much a lee enfield rifle sawn up with a grenade launcher cup attached o the end. Im at 900 tris currently but since i havent got much left to do i reckon i could keep it at 1,000 tris by the end (hopefully ill get more detail into it with the never ending quest to learn mesh baking) anyhoo ill leave it at that
Whats Left
With the year almost over i thought id kind of look back and catalogue what ive learnt over the year and what needs to be learned still in order to be a good game artist. This is more of a list of what needs to be done to help me more than anything.
Most of what ive been doin over this year hasnt really involved fine tuning my skill in max and photoshop etc etc. But more in some shape or form learning new programs that are used within the industry. As people know there are shit loads of them from z brush to mudbox to mesh baking programs to shaders. And i thought if you want to get good you need more than one tool at your disposal, because even if your amazing at max if thats all you know how to do your still gonna have a lot of gaps in your ability to work.
So firstly the program ive been learning an using the most is Headus UV, a UV unwrapping program, and ill tell you now, that thing is a dream. For me there is 3 things to modelling any asset, the modelling, the unwrapping and the texturing. Modelling comes first, extruding, welding, combining objects to create the silluoette and shape of the object you want to make, seeing you have nothing and have it turn into someting on the screen. Texturing, taking the dull grey model and putting colour onto it, bringing it to life, seeing it become something that looks alive, completing it to see it become a complete finished model. But unwrapping is teadious, its the boring bridge between the 2 fun things about modelling, matching UV's, making them fit, organizing them, its just so dull, And the problem is it always has to be done. This is where Headus UV has been helping, firstly its by no means a program that 'does it for you' its a program that helps you and reduces the time it takes to unwrap something dramatically, less time on the boring stuf, more time on the fun stuff, and tweaks the issues that any game artist can make. I bloody love how much that program has helped and i shall be continuing to use it for quite some time now.
Xnormal is next on the list, Mesh baking, well....this has been one fuck up to the next for me, but in the end i think i got there, i must admit i havent learnt how to do it as well as i had hoped but the principle is there, i can do besic bakes so with practice over the summer i should get there.
Most of what ive been doin over this year hasnt really involved fine tuning my skill in max and photoshop etc etc. But more in some shape or form learning new programs that are used within the industry. As people know there are shit loads of them from z brush to mudbox to mesh baking programs to shaders. And i thought if you want to get good you need more than one tool at your disposal, because even if your amazing at max if thats all you know how to do your still gonna have a lot of gaps in your ability to work.
So firstly the program ive been learning an using the most is Headus UV, a UV unwrapping program, and ill tell you now, that thing is a dream. For me there is 3 things to modelling any asset, the modelling, the unwrapping and the texturing. Modelling comes first, extruding, welding, combining objects to create the silluoette and shape of the object you want to make, seeing you have nothing and have it turn into someting on the screen. Texturing, taking the dull grey model and putting colour onto it, bringing it to life, seeing it become something that looks alive, completing it to see it become a complete finished model. But unwrapping is teadious, its the boring bridge between the 2 fun things about modelling, matching UV's, making them fit, organizing them, its just so dull, And the problem is it always has to be done. This is where Headus UV has been helping, firstly its by no means a program that 'does it for you' its a program that helps you and reduces the time it takes to unwrap something dramatically, less time on the boring stuf, more time on the fun stuff, and tweaks the issues that any game artist can make. I bloody love how much that program has helped and i shall be continuing to use it for quite some time now.
Xnormal is next on the list, Mesh baking, well....this has been one fuck up to the next for me, but in the end i think i got there, i must admit i havent learnt how to do it as well as i had hoped but the principle is there, i can do besic bakes so with practice over the summer i should get there.
As for overall work this year i do feel i fell into the infamous second year stoop. i havent produced as much work or learnt as much as i had hoped, and i only have myself to blame for that. But one good thing has came out of this, and that would be quite a difference in 2d work. Last year i will completely admit i was totally scared of 2s work, id never drawn anything properlly before so the thoughbt of picking up a pencil or using a graphics tablet bewildered me, and as a result i avoided it like the plague. But this year i decided that no matter how crap my work would be i would stick through it and get some 2d digital painting done, and im glad i did. After all the crap i finally started producing some hald decent digital painting, my only regret is that i did all this sooner.
So with this ill leave you with a comparison of how my 2d has improved over the past year
group project
So with the group project almost over with i thought it would be the best time for some reflection on it and how i think it went for me and what i learned.
So for starters throughout this whole thing my job within the group was one of the 'asset guys'. My job was to produce asset after asset needed for the scene and pass them up the pipeline to be textured and put into unreal. This consisted of things from major assets like stairways to trinkets like buckets and bins. I think this was a good experience for me as it gave me insight into how its done in the industry because of the fact the working envirionment i was under wasnt too far off the industry, small groups of assets with short deadlines. a toilet to be modelled, 1 day, 2 urinals, 2 days, the main stairs, 5 days, more realistic, very short deadlines unlike others like a bin, 4 weeks.
It was also insight into how the industry pipeline probably works. With my job being to make assets the majority of what i modelled wasnt textured by me. It was mearly modelled, UV unwrapped and then passed up to the pipeline to people whose job it was to texture the assets passed onto them. So in order for the pipeline to work correctly i had to make sure my assets were efficiently modelled so that anyone who took them wouldnt have to worry about importing or exporting issues, and the unwrapping had to be done properly so that the other person wouldn't get confused or have to unwrap the whole thing again themself. This sort of workflow and dependancy on each other to get their job done right and on time so it wouldnt give other people a hard time was the key to keeping our ship afloat so to speak, and was quite a difficult task sometimes.
This i think showed how important teamwork and keeping to the pipeline is, because like every person trying to do a group project for the first time it had cock ups. Like i was assigned the task of modelling the stairs and handing it up the pipeline, which was done a day late by me. So when it came to passing it on the person i was supposed to give it to they were supposed to do it the day before so they had moved onto other assets, meaning me putting the stairs on their list messed up their workflow. This meant in order to not mess up their workflow i took the stairs off their hands by taking it back to unwrap myself, which then meant my lateness had both disrupted someone elses workflow and given me more work to do. This was a but of a bummer but it showed how important it is to keep with the teams program.
so all of this has helped me even if just a little see into how it will probably have to be done when were all not at uni and all have proper jobs. As for the unreal stuff, i admit i havent learnt that much of unreal and im finding it dissappointing because it is definately something you need to leanr to get good at the inudstry. I mean all games use engines, evey one of them, so to know how to us an engine is as impornt as it can get i think. So over summer i reckon ill be fiddling about with unreal in my own time to get my skills up on that one. But apart from that i think it went well, ive sort of went bak to basics and learnt how o quickly and effectively model all the small assets that are needed to complete a room and make it look whole. So with that ill leave it......
So for starters throughout this whole thing my job within the group was one of the 'asset guys'. My job was to produce asset after asset needed for the scene and pass them up the pipeline to be textured and put into unreal. This consisted of things from major assets like stairways to trinkets like buckets and bins. I think this was a good experience for me as it gave me insight into how its done in the industry because of the fact the working envirionment i was under wasnt too far off the industry, small groups of assets with short deadlines. a toilet to be modelled, 1 day, 2 urinals, 2 days, the main stairs, 5 days, more realistic, very short deadlines unlike others like a bin, 4 weeks.
It was also insight into how the industry pipeline probably works. With my job being to make assets the majority of what i modelled wasnt textured by me. It was mearly modelled, UV unwrapped and then passed up to the pipeline to people whose job it was to texture the assets passed onto them. So in order for the pipeline to work correctly i had to make sure my assets were efficiently modelled so that anyone who took them wouldnt have to worry about importing or exporting issues, and the unwrapping had to be done properly so that the other person wouldn't get confused or have to unwrap the whole thing again themself. This sort of workflow and dependancy on each other to get their job done right and on time so it wouldnt give other people a hard time was the key to keeping our ship afloat so to speak, and was quite a difficult task sometimes.
This i think showed how important teamwork and keeping to the pipeline is, because like every person trying to do a group project for the first time it had cock ups. Like i was assigned the task of modelling the stairs and handing it up the pipeline, which was done a day late by me. So when it came to passing it on the person i was supposed to give it to they were supposed to do it the day before so they had moved onto other assets, meaning me putting the stairs on their list messed up their workflow. This meant in order to not mess up their workflow i took the stairs off their hands by taking it back to unwrap myself, which then meant my lateness had both disrupted someone elses workflow and given me more work to do. This was a but of a bummer but it showed how important it is to keep with the teams program.
so all of this has helped me even if just a little see into how it will probably have to be done when were all not at uni and all have proper jobs. As for the unreal stuff, i admit i havent learnt that much of unreal and im finding it dissappointing because it is definately something you need to leanr to get good at the inudstry. I mean all games use engines, evey one of them, so to know how to us an engine is as impornt as it can get i think. So over summer i reckon ill be fiddling about with unreal in my own time to get my skills up on that one. But apart from that i think it went well, ive sort of went bak to basics and learnt how o quickly and effectively model all the small assets that are needed to complete a room and make it look whole. So with that ill leave it......
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
BMW
So to start this off i thought id go on about my futile attempt to do my first ever mesh bake with a pair of binoculars.
My first ever attempt to mesh bake pretty much went tits up due to the fact my models ended up being a bit dodgy, but it has had its benefits. Ive learnt to mesh bake in the process but in future can only do it successfully if i have good efficient models to do it with. So with that my binocular mesh baking project reached its limit.
the past few days ive been entertaining myself with the BMW brief, and I feel this has really helped me get work done.
This is because apart from the obvious work of the group project where ive been given specific tasks to do when im trying to do my own work in my own time ive ended up sitting down infront of the computer and going right lets model something, but then drawing a blank. Unless you actually sit down with an idea of what you want to specifically model already drilled into your head i find it quite difficult to just model something. I mean in terms of modeling assets for games there literally isnt anything that you cant model, so i end up not knowing what the hell to do. So BMW brief has helped me a lot because it means BMW has put the idea in my head for me, im going to model a car.
Plus this brief is for an opportunity to go to munich and work for BMW themselves for a while, which could be a great experience, and has kind of motivated me into getting it done. im pretty skeptical about doing anything like actually sending my model to them, im just really using their brief as a reason to get a car modelled, but you never know
My WIP in goin half decent at the moment, ive got the car in at 3,00ish tris currently, but the wheels are at 1,000 each at the moment due to me goin and putting a bit extra detail into making the alloys, so thats where most the polys are. Hopefully ill get it done in the not too distant future to have finished models to post up here
My first ever attempt to mesh bake pretty much went tits up due to the fact my models ended up being a bit dodgy, but it has had its benefits. Ive learnt to mesh bake in the process but in future can only do it successfully if i have good efficient models to do it with. So with that my binocular mesh baking project reached its limit.
the past few days ive been entertaining myself with the BMW brief, and I feel this has really helped me get work done.
This is because apart from the obvious work of the group project where ive been given specific tasks to do when im trying to do my own work in my own time ive ended up sitting down infront of the computer and going right lets model something, but then drawing a blank. Unless you actually sit down with an idea of what you want to specifically model already drilled into your head i find it quite difficult to just model something. I mean in terms of modeling assets for games there literally isnt anything that you cant model, so i end up not knowing what the hell to do. So BMW brief has helped me a lot because it means BMW has put the idea in my head for me, im going to model a car.
Plus this brief is for an opportunity to go to munich and work for BMW themselves for a while, which could be a great experience, and has kind of motivated me into getting it done. im pretty skeptical about doing anything like actually sending my model to them, im just really using their brief as a reason to get a car modelled, but you never know
My WIP in goin half decent at the moment, ive got the car in at 3,00ish tris currently, but the wheels are at 1,000 each at the moment due to me goin and putting a bit extra detail into making the alloys, so thats where most the polys are. Hopefully ill get it done in the not too distant future to have finished models to post up here
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Trash
Again with the tutorials, and this time i got one that helped me show how to render and present my 3d work a bit more professionally for the sakes of portfolios and what not. With it being internet tutorials im learning all this from and some of my work getting better from it and some just failing im starting to believe tutorials arent the law of the land and that some out there are genuinely good and help you and others are just shit in all honesty. But for the most part this one was actually good. So i used it to present my bin, and im happy with the result, so more where this came from i guess.
Mesh Baking Failure
OK so as part of second year stuff ive started learning a few extra things in max, one of them being mesh baking. Mesh baking is where u can 'bake' the detail of a high poly object onto a low poly object so it creates the illusion of that low poly object having better detail and a higher tri count than it actually does have. So i got my hands on a rather useful tutorial on how to do this, and first off to do this you need a low poly model of what you want the detail baked onto and the high poly model containing all the detail. This in fact i learned is the longest part, mesh baking itself takes next to no time, modelling the to things is what takes all the time in this. So after all this i had my 2 models, and you can see the diference between the high and the loe quite clearly.
So from here i started following the tutorial up to rendering the normal map which is where it all went wrong, and this pissed me off cus i dont know where ive went wrong. All the normals where either bearly visible or extremely pixelated and in the wrong place. I guess experience at this is defenitely what is needed to make this work and look good
So after all this yeah im back to the drawing board, hopefully Ill be back on here soon with a (finally) successfully done and working baked pair of binoculars
So from here i started following the tutorial up to rendering the normal map which is where it all went wrong, and this pissed me off cus i dont know where ive went wrong. All the normals where either bearly visible or extremely pixelated and in the wrong place. I guess experience at this is defenitely what is needed to make this work and look good
So after all this yeah im back to the drawing board, hopefully Ill be back on here soon with a (finally) successfully done and working baked pair of binoculars
Monday, 11 January 2010
2D & 3D
Again even more stuff up for better quality images. But ive got some 2D up this time. See unlike last year ive started to enjoy/ get half decent (i think) at digital painting. Last year i was completely useless at it to the point where i just didnt even try to do it. But this year ive decided to stick to it no matter what and ive ended up getting some half decent things out of it finally. My 3D is still slowly improving althought im still not happy with what im getting with characters, my head really doesnt look like me, and with me having thoughts about goin into chareacter modelling i need to improve. Time to get some more character and head modelling done me thinks.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Just 3D
Before the presentation just some renders of my finished environment and vehicle, finally finished texturing them so here they are. My character and some 2D are still to come.
Monday, 21 December 2009
Time Management
Time management....So, to start this one off i found it a shock that i have 40 hours unaccounted for a week, which as said by people is like a full working week, so in terms of time management i have a lot of room to talk about. But where does all that time go? because its not like its 40 hours i cant physically remember or account for, there hours are still there, its just whats being done with them. This have made me think that it isnt about using up every hour of everyday, but rather just about knowing what is going on with that time and what your doing with it
So with that in mind i though it'd be best to explain what i do with my time in terms of work. Me, like a few other people are blessed (or rather cursed) with having dodgy sleeping patterns due to multiple reasons. I would use what precious hours of daylight months like November and December had to do the necessary things like food shopping and sleeping, then during the night when all was quiet i would crack on with work. For pretty much all of the first term this was in fact my working pattern. But was this really for the best, I mean doing the tasks like food shopping during the day when you can get away with distractions and doing work at night when all is quiet so distractions are a bit more rare seems to be for the best? In heinsight i think it actually wasnt, and this needs fixing. Working at such a time might provide no distractions but working in the place i do might provide temptation, my room contains the internet, TV, games consoles which means work can still be slowed down. I thought it was at first, i mean it was my preffered working environment, your room at 4am has no distractions, your phone sure isnt going to ring with any phone calls or texts because everyone is asleep, and everyone else snoozing means going out and socializing isnt on the table either. But Ive come to realize that you cant really plan every minute of the day, unexpected things happen, phone calls, people unexpectedly popping round to your flat, even friends and family going into hospital so there are moments when it all goes out the window. Which comes to the fact it doesnt matter what time of day it is, weather its night or day, weather its your fault or not, you can still end up wasting time.
This is why time management is so important, because after you have your events that are unexpected the rest of the time is yours to control, and it needs to be looked after., and it needs to be looked after for that one key word...deadlines. The clues kind of in the name, you have to manage your time so you can get things done on time! So Ive been looking into what time management is and how to do it. To be honest it mainly just about organization, something as simple as knowing what you've got to do with your time and getting it done, not sitting around your workspace going ermmmm soooo whats next? Sort it out, write a list, Ive started keeping post it notes everywhere so when i sit down i have something in my face telling me whats next and when it has to be done for.
So when is your best time to work? I looked into this and i read that...... In terms of time management, you are at your most efficient the day before you start your annual leave. Your time management and efficiency on this day is probably awesome. If you really want to, you can be that well-organized every day. In my opinion that's because you are making sure it gets done ( but not at the cost of quality of course) so u can finish off and go enjoy yourself, nights out, watching a film etc etc. But i do think this can work if you put it down into simple forms. Everyone is a fan of some kind of TV series for example, if the new episode is out, make sure you get the days work done before you allow yourself to watch it, that way you'll enjoy it more and feel satisfied because its like the treat you get for keeping on top of your work. So in this simple for, i think it could be right.
But still looking at things like having certains times while working to have your 'own' time such as films, you have to remember it has to be balanced. All play and no work has bad effects, and vice versa. I mean there is only a certain amount of hours in the day, but there is things you can do to get more time out of it. less nights out for example, just even one night out less a week. Like its not the end all but it does helps. When work needs to be done socialising is one hell of a distraction, but it doesnt mean you have to spend your time at uni being boring and sad. Instead of saying “no” learn to say “later”. You'll enjoy it more without that black cloud hanging over your head of an upcoming review
Some more looking into time research i found the Chinese adage of the longest journey starting with a single step has a couple of meanings: First, you launch the project! Second, by starting, you may realize that there are some things you have not planned for in your process. Details of an assignment are not always evident until you begin the assignment. Personally i find this quite true, more so when it comes to 3D. Even if you know the project is to make a character you still find find issues in terms of making it...How do i make it? where do i start? Again this is organisation, but more so just developing and knowing your own work ethics is the best way to fix this. Personally i strip model heads, so if i need to make one i know that im going to start by doing the eyes, blending that into a cheeks, then into a mouth etc etc so from day one i know where to take it. I think that just having your own work ethics and knowing what they are can get you to work more efficiently, and more importantly, get the work started. Because i think thats quite an important part too, actually getting the work started and getting on with it. I find it best to not sit around wondering how to make it look like how i want it and rather just starting it,make a cylinder, start to divide it, make a box, anything to get the work flowing so the ideas can come with it. But this can something border no planning which can also have it downsides, so again, more time management issues for me. To be fixed.
So in conclusion i do feel last term my time was far from managed and with the seriousness of how important actually managing your time is i think im going to keep it all in mind and make sure that next term is goin to be a whole different story
So with that in mind i though it'd be best to explain what i do with my time in terms of work. Me, like a few other people are blessed (or rather cursed) with having dodgy sleeping patterns due to multiple reasons. I would use what precious hours of daylight months like November and December had to do the necessary things like food shopping and sleeping, then during the night when all was quiet i would crack on with work. For pretty much all of the first term this was in fact my working pattern. But was this really for the best, I mean doing the tasks like food shopping during the day when you can get away with distractions and doing work at night when all is quiet so distractions are a bit more rare seems to be for the best? In heinsight i think it actually wasnt, and this needs fixing. Working at such a time might provide no distractions but working in the place i do might provide temptation, my room contains the internet, TV, games consoles which means work can still be slowed down. I thought it was at first, i mean it was my preffered working environment, your room at 4am has no distractions, your phone sure isnt going to ring with any phone calls or texts because everyone is asleep, and everyone else snoozing means going out and socializing isnt on the table either. But Ive come to realize that you cant really plan every minute of the day, unexpected things happen, phone calls, people unexpectedly popping round to your flat, even friends and family going into hospital so there are moments when it all goes out the window. Which comes to the fact it doesnt matter what time of day it is, weather its night or day, weather its your fault or not, you can still end up wasting time.
This is why time management is so important, because after you have your events that are unexpected the rest of the time is yours to control, and it needs to be looked after., and it needs to be looked after for that one key word...deadlines. The clues kind of in the name, you have to manage your time so you can get things done on time! So Ive been looking into what time management is and how to do it. To be honest it mainly just about organization, something as simple as knowing what you've got to do with your time and getting it done, not sitting around your workspace going ermmmm soooo whats next? Sort it out, write a list, Ive started keeping post it notes everywhere so when i sit down i have something in my face telling me whats next and when it has to be done for.
So when is your best time to work? I looked into this and i read that...... In terms of time management, you are at your most efficient the day before you start your annual leave. Your time management and efficiency on this day is probably awesome. If you really want to, you can be that well-organized every day. In my opinion that's because you are making sure it gets done ( but not at the cost of quality of course) so u can finish off and go enjoy yourself, nights out, watching a film etc etc. But i do think this can work if you put it down into simple forms. Everyone is a fan of some kind of TV series for example, if the new episode is out, make sure you get the days work done before you allow yourself to watch it, that way you'll enjoy it more and feel satisfied because its like the treat you get for keeping on top of your work. So in this simple for, i think it could be right.
But still looking at things like having certains times while working to have your 'own' time such as films, you have to remember it has to be balanced. All play and no work has bad effects, and vice versa. I mean there is only a certain amount of hours in the day, but there is things you can do to get more time out of it. less nights out for example, just even one night out less a week. Like its not the end all but it does helps. When work needs to be done socialising is one hell of a distraction, but it doesnt mean you have to spend your time at uni being boring and sad. Instead of saying “no” learn to say “later”. You'll enjoy it more without that black cloud hanging over your head of an upcoming review
Some more looking into time research i found the Chinese adage of the longest journey starting with a single step has a couple of meanings: First, you launch the project! Second, by starting, you may realize that there are some things you have not planned for in your process. Details of an assignment are not always evident until you begin the assignment. Personally i find this quite true, more so when it comes to 3D. Even if you know the project is to make a character you still find find issues in terms of making it...How do i make it? where do i start? Again this is organisation, but more so just developing and knowing your own work ethics is the best way to fix this. Personally i strip model heads, so if i need to make one i know that im going to start by doing the eyes, blending that into a cheeks, then into a mouth etc etc so from day one i know where to take it. I think that just having your own work ethics and knowing what they are can get you to work more efficiently, and more importantly, get the work started. Because i think thats quite an important part too, actually getting the work started and getting on with it. I find it best to not sit around wondering how to make it look like how i want it and rather just starting it,make a cylinder, start to divide it, make a box, anything to get the work flowing so the ideas can come with it. But this can something border no planning which can also have it downsides, so again, more time management issues for me. To be fixed.
So in conclusion i do feel last term my time was far from managed and with the seriousness of how important actually managing your time is i think im going to keep it all in mind and make sure that next term is goin to be a whole different story
2nd to 3d
I remember people saying that second years is just a buffer between 2nd year and 3rd, much like a film, the only reason its there is to prepare you for the 3rd one. But i was thinking in order to prepare you for 3rd year there is actually quite a lot to do. For example if you have recently aspired to be something like a next gen character artist then its going to have to show in your portfolio, which means your 3rd year fmp will probably be along the lines of character designing. But in order to be good at a character artist you need to get certain skills up to scratch, character modelling, texturing, zbrush if you want next gen, rigging, topology and so on. and if you plan on doin this for a 3rd year fmp that means u have the space of second year to not only learn it all but to get good at it, and that to me sounds like a lot of work.
This has got me a tad worried about how much work is actually involved in 2nd year as all this practice has to get done in such a short space so you can utilise it and be ready to put it into practice in your 3rd year. Because lets face it, if you want to be something like a character artist and dont know the basics about topology and alpha maps by your 3rd year your a bit fucked. This kinda gives me the idea of stress much? its made me realise how serious and how much work this course is if you truely are driving towards being good in the industry. Which considering the second year is the year where there is a slump at work, i mean with all this in mind shouldnt it be the other way round? with second year being the year out of the 3 where you work the most so you can be prepared for the final hurdle? im finding this worrying. So ill keep this one short and sweet and all im saying is second term a lot more has to be done...beacuse if you want to be good at this second year is important isnt it?
This has got me a tad worried about how much work is actually involved in 2nd year as all this practice has to get done in such a short space so you can utilise it and be ready to put it into practice in your 3rd year. Because lets face it, if you want to be something like a character artist and dont know the basics about topology and alpha maps by your 3rd year your a bit fucked. This kinda gives me the idea of stress much? its made me realise how serious and how much work this course is if you truely are driving towards being good in the industry. Which considering the second year is the year where there is a slump at work, i mean with all this in mind shouldnt it be the other way round? with second year being the year out of the 3 where you work the most so you can be prepared for the final hurdle? im finding this worrying. So ill keep this one short and sweet and all im saying is second term a lot more has to be done...beacuse if you want to be good at this second year is important isnt it?
Beethoven vs. solid snake
So in the blue corner we have Beethoven, and in the red corner we have solid snake. Why am i putting these two together? because in the video games industry Beethoven (or at least his musical style) is still kicking arse.
See i found a youtube video that recently made me realise that me along with the majority of the gaming community unknowingly loves Beethoven (or at least his musical style). If you dont believe me then hear me out. Like most other gamers i frequently fall in love with game soundtracks and love listening to game OST's, and i think everyone else does too. I mean how many people dont know how to hum the tetris theme tune? good, or sometimes catchy soundtracks stick and are enjoyed. But its recently hit me that the best and most memorable soundtracks come from classical orchestras. This also applies to film aswell.
This has hit me as quite a wierd dilemma because video games as we know are always pushing the boundaries to find the newest technology and keep the ball rolling forward. But if a game or film is in need of a cracking soundtrack they dont really go to the newest music scene. You dont hear any x factor winners or black eyed peas in video games, they always take a step back to classical orchestral sounds. This combination of the new and the old i do quite like. Most good soundtracks were created with classical orchestras. So an industry always looking into the future and pushing ahead is still relying on a thousand year old medium to give them the good stuff and i find this rather wierd.
I mean look at Star Wars, done by John Williams and the London symphony orchestra. The Call of Duty games still relies on a good old bugle and even Metal Gear Solid, one of the best gaming soundtracks of all time uses Harry Gregson-Williams and the eminence symphony orchestra. And that orchestra was etsablished over 50 years ago, its like gamings grandad doing the soundtracks and yet its still pushing boundaries in the industry. So next time you hear your favourite soundtrack just think that its probably a 500 year old orchestra kicking arse with it.
Ill leave u with the link i was on about earlier to show u what i mean, just watching this video will be able to sum up and explain everything im trying to better than i can, and its pretty awesome too.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfKA4b5SFq4
See i found a youtube video that recently made me realise that me along with the majority of the gaming community unknowingly loves Beethoven (or at least his musical style). If you dont believe me then hear me out. Like most other gamers i frequently fall in love with game soundtracks and love listening to game OST's, and i think everyone else does too. I mean how many people dont know how to hum the tetris theme tune? good, or sometimes catchy soundtracks stick and are enjoyed. But its recently hit me that the best and most memorable soundtracks come from classical orchestras. This also applies to film aswell.
This has hit me as quite a wierd dilemma because video games as we know are always pushing the boundaries to find the newest technology and keep the ball rolling forward. But if a game or film is in need of a cracking soundtrack they dont really go to the newest music scene. You dont hear any x factor winners or black eyed peas in video games, they always take a step back to classical orchestral sounds. This combination of the new and the old i do quite like. Most good soundtracks were created with classical orchestras. So an industry always looking into the future and pushing ahead is still relying on a thousand year old medium to give them the good stuff and i find this rather wierd.
I mean look at Star Wars, done by John Williams and the London symphony orchestra. The Call of Duty games still relies on a good old bugle and even Metal Gear Solid, one of the best gaming soundtracks of all time uses Harry Gregson-Williams and the eminence symphony orchestra. And that orchestra was etsablished over 50 years ago, its like gamings grandad doing the soundtracks and yet its still pushing boundaries in the industry. So next time you hear your favourite soundtrack just think that its probably a 500 year old orchestra kicking arse with it.
Ill leave u with the link i was on about earlier to show u what i mean, just watching this video will be able to sum up and explain everything im trying to better than i can, and its pretty awesome too.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfKA4b5SFq4
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Quick 3D Work
just posting a larger image of 3D work so far so people who are looking at it on facebook can get a better look
Friday, 17 July 2009
Bit 'o' Work
yeah erm i aint posted anything in ages so av decided to get me work up on here aswell as facebook, been cracking on with bits and bobs over summer, av been doin the summer projects but at the same time just modelling random crap to get me skills up, got some pics up of the horse almost finished for me jousting project and a violin which i randomly deiced to model, ill be back when their both finished so enjoy!
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Where I Want To Go, Apart From The Pub
Ive been asked the question where do you want to be in 5 years so many times now, and over the past 3 years theres been so many different answers to go with it. But the thing is im really open minded about that subject. At college i stopped on for another year to do a foundation in fine art because i didnt want my portfolio to just contain graphic design. I wasnt prepared to dedicate myself to just one thing so early in life, and here at uni i still kind of feel the same way. I stayed really open minded about what i wanted to aspire to while still thinking about what im passionate about, at first i thought illustration might be a good route because i love music and doing something like creating album artwork could be a good start. But it wasnt until i was casually flicking through prospectus' at college that i first layed eyes on this course. Ive played games for god knows how long and my parents always bug me at home for how i dont have enough storage space for them resulting in my floor being littered with game cases and controllers, so i thought following that route could be it aswell, id love to sit and play a game with my friends and then when the last boss appears on screen i could casually point and go yeah i made that. so here i am.
But thing is all the passion aside, when it comes down to experience in whats nessecary to be a game artist i didnt really have that much. When i first joined the course i didnt have experience with any of the modules. Essays i had done (and despised) but blogs no, and in terms of drawing sitting in a park with no more then a sketchbook and a pencil was even new to me, and i remember before uni started i downloaded 3ds max and gave it a go but the second it opened it just baffled me. I knew i wasnt going to suddenly and magically become some shit hot artist so my target for the year wasnt to create awesome artwork and models because it was all new to me and i knew i had to learn it all first, so i simply wanted to keep up with the learning curve.
Since ive been hear ive learnt a lot though which has gave me ideas into what i might want to be. My digital painting still sucks big style so i need to put more time into that. But the 3d work is something ive kind of clicked with, i know im not the best modeller yet and my character project shows that but once again i have to walk before i can run. Since being here ive downloaded about 4GB of tutorials for 3ds max showing me how to do everything from modeling a super high poly head to a low poly rubber ducky...seriously, i have a tutorial on how to model a rubber ducky, and personally i enjoy doing the 3d work. Theres nothing better than sitting in your nice warm room at 1AM with a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other cracking one with some editable polys, i fucking love it. Like i said im still very open minded about where to go from uni but something 3d wise wouldnt be too bad for me i think.
For reflection i do know ive came along way from merely 6 months ago when the likes of a target weld on max got me confused and drawing the canal was bewildering. My first ever attempt on max i simply sat there making lots of teapots being amused like a simple child and now here i am having to hand in a 2,000 poly character, and thats just 6 months. so my ultimate goal from next 2 years is just to quite simply get better at what im doing, and well see where it gets me by the third year with any luck.
But thing is all the passion aside, when it comes down to experience in whats nessecary to be a game artist i didnt really have that much. When i first joined the course i didnt have experience with any of the modules. Essays i had done (and despised) but blogs no, and in terms of drawing sitting in a park with no more then a sketchbook and a pencil was even new to me, and i remember before uni started i downloaded 3ds max and gave it a go but the second it opened it just baffled me. I knew i wasnt going to suddenly and magically become some shit hot artist so my target for the year wasnt to create awesome artwork and models because it was all new to me and i knew i had to learn it all first, so i simply wanted to keep up with the learning curve.
Since ive been hear ive learnt a lot though which has gave me ideas into what i might want to be. My digital painting still sucks big style so i need to put more time into that. But the 3d work is something ive kind of clicked with, i know im not the best modeller yet and my character project shows that but once again i have to walk before i can run. Since being here ive downloaded about 4GB of tutorials for 3ds max showing me how to do everything from modeling a super high poly head to a low poly rubber ducky...seriously, i have a tutorial on how to model a rubber ducky, and personally i enjoy doing the 3d work. Theres nothing better than sitting in your nice warm room at 1AM with a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other cracking one with some editable polys, i fucking love it. Like i said im still very open minded about where to go from uni but something 3d wise wouldnt be too bad for me i think.
For reflection i do know ive came along way from merely 6 months ago when the likes of a target weld on max got me confused and drawing the canal was bewildering. My first ever attempt on max i simply sat there making lots of teapots being amused like a simple child and now here i am having to hand in a 2,000 poly character, and thats just 6 months. so my ultimate goal from next 2 years is just to quite simply get better at what im doing, and well see where it gets me by the third year with any luck.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Creativity Part Two
And so we take a second look at that wonderful word creativity. My last creativity blog just tried to define what it is so its time for a new discussion point. After goin on about what creativity is i started looking at how it gets used and is required within the creative industry, and especially that of video games.
The words creativity and original do not go hand in hand in this day and age. Nearly every game is basically the same, I mean when was the last time you played something that wasnt an FPS or RPG, when was the last time you played something that didnt involve guns and shooting people or futuristic environments? not to say that no one is creative and is just instead stealing each others ideas but you get the point. So where is creativity's place in game if its not about making something original and new?
Well most of the time games are about setting the bar, with the same ideas as their predecessors being used but looked at in different perspectives and used in different ways to up that bar. Better storytelling, better graphics etc etc, a story isnt original but creating one that can better the previous requires creativity, and that where it can come in for the games industry. That and games can sometime act as inspiration for bigger and better ideas, adding new storylines and characters, weaving in new plots, this is someone using creativity and finding imaginative ways to add to and already exsisting idea in order to improve on it. Once again, creativity in the games industry involves setting the bar.
So to get involved with the creative industry what do you need to do? Well i remember Mike once said about how many a people will model ninja soldiers or whatever with the aspiration of being the next Tekken artist and so on, and send them to companies. Like the majority of them they will be put in the 'filing cabinet' AKA the bin, but someone who models their pet dog will probably get person sitting down and looking at it.
This is beacuse when it comes to creativity what companies and game are looking for isnt originality because originality is a spin off of predecessing ideas, but more the uncommon and imaginative. Imagination is whats needed to fuel games, afterall ever game out there is someones brain child right? In terms of what ive said theres loads of games with ninjas and all that in them but things like dogs and cats arent really used in games (except for NPC's and Nintendogs for the DS) so to model something like that doesnt show you abilities to model a good looking but generic ninja warrior but your imagination to go for whats uncommon and can be seen as creative and original, and i think this what kind of creativeness the games industry is after.
The words creativity and original do not go hand in hand in this day and age. Nearly every game is basically the same, I mean when was the last time you played something that wasnt an FPS or RPG, when was the last time you played something that didnt involve guns and shooting people or futuristic environments? not to say that no one is creative and is just instead stealing each others ideas but you get the point. So where is creativity's place in game if its not about making something original and new?
Well most of the time games are about setting the bar, with the same ideas as their predecessors being used but looked at in different perspectives and used in different ways to up that bar. Better storytelling, better graphics etc etc, a story isnt original but creating one that can better the previous requires creativity, and that where it can come in for the games industry. That and games can sometime act as inspiration for bigger and better ideas, adding new storylines and characters, weaving in new plots, this is someone using creativity and finding imaginative ways to add to and already exsisting idea in order to improve on it. Once again, creativity in the games industry involves setting the bar.
So to get involved with the creative industry what do you need to do? Well i remember Mike once said about how many a people will model ninja soldiers or whatever with the aspiration of being the next Tekken artist and so on, and send them to companies. Like the majority of them they will be put in the 'filing cabinet' AKA the bin, but someone who models their pet dog will probably get person sitting down and looking at it.
This is beacuse when it comes to creativity what companies and game are looking for isnt originality because originality is a spin off of predecessing ideas, but more the uncommon and imaginative. Imagination is whats needed to fuel games, afterall ever game out there is someones brain child right? In terms of what ive said theres loads of games with ninjas and all that in them but things like dogs and cats arent really used in games (except for NPC's and Nintendogs for the DS) so to model something like that doesnt show you abilities to model a good looking but generic ninja warrior but your imagination to go for whats uncommon and can be seen as creative and original, and i think this what kind of creativeness the games industry is after.
Friday, 20 March 2009
Life Changing or Career Building?
When i was at college i was given a lecture on how you can basically fail college and still get into university with unconditional offers based on your portfolio. It was about how your skills and abilities can sometimes over rule qualifications and that if you are good at what you do, and have a shit hot portfolio to prove it, you dont really need qualifications to say your good, your work does it for you. But with some game companies wanting the exact opposite it comes down to which one gets you places in life, the grades of the highly trained programmer or the creative individuals portfolio?
Im my opinion i think the portfolio is the more important of the two, the biggest example to back me up here is this. Your at a job interview and the person sat next to you after the same job has left uni with the exact same grades as you but theres only one job available...bam...thats grades getting you the job go out the window because yous are both even, the only way to win this one is with your portfolio.
Im a strong believer in the portfolio because of the fact its personal to you, unlike grades which can be as identical as the person next to you portfolios are different. I left college with a final grade of MMM, which is the same grade as like....about 10,000 other students? But i bet none of them had my portfolio and vice versa. Their completely unique to you and show your work and your work only. They can be tweaked to show off your strong points and they can be used to give the employers what they want, bonus points to you. Company vary as much as the weather does these days, which each company making completely different kind of games to one another. So having a portfolio containing the kind of work they do in it will help twist their arm more than a grade ever will i think. So if you want to work for microsoft on the next gears of war, dont go putting your my little pony models models in your portfolio.
But specializing in one area to satisfy someone can be a bit dangerous. Specializing in one area can leave you weak in another, while getting good at everything can turn you into the handy man of gaming...good at everything, but not brilliant at one thing, and the word mediocre doesnt seem to get you anywhere in this industry. Also ive heard of universities having 'house styles' where all the students come out with the same kind of stuff in their portfolios. So do universities need to teach it all and give it all to students?
Which leads to the question how can education meet these opposing views and yet provide a valid and fulfilling experience to students? Well when it comes to the good experience university living provides that anyways, afterall getting drunk and pursuing women becomes second nature in this kind of habitat, and who doesnt enjoy that? So its what can students learn from education that should be the question.
Well I think its down to the student really to specialize and learn about what they are passionate about and seek in life. Uni cant 'teach it all' to a student so its up to them to develop the style that suits them so they can get a job they want. Uni is a stepping stone to teach them their A,B,C's in 3ds max and visual design etc etc, Giving the students the tools that they need to get the job done. The rest is just motivation and passion on the students behalf.
Im my opinion i think the portfolio is the more important of the two, the biggest example to back me up here is this. Your at a job interview and the person sat next to you after the same job has left uni with the exact same grades as you but theres only one job available...bam...thats grades getting you the job go out the window because yous are both even, the only way to win this one is with your portfolio.
Im a strong believer in the portfolio because of the fact its personal to you, unlike grades which can be as identical as the person next to you portfolios are different. I left college with a final grade of MMM, which is the same grade as like....about 10,000 other students? But i bet none of them had my portfolio and vice versa. Their completely unique to you and show your work and your work only. They can be tweaked to show off your strong points and they can be used to give the employers what they want, bonus points to you. Company vary as much as the weather does these days, which each company making completely different kind of games to one another. So having a portfolio containing the kind of work they do in it will help twist their arm more than a grade ever will i think. So if you want to work for microsoft on the next gears of war, dont go putting your my little pony models models in your portfolio.
But specializing in one area to satisfy someone can be a bit dangerous. Specializing in one area can leave you weak in another, while getting good at everything can turn you into the handy man of gaming...good at everything, but not brilliant at one thing, and the word mediocre doesnt seem to get you anywhere in this industry. Also ive heard of universities having 'house styles' where all the students come out with the same kind of stuff in their portfolios. So do universities need to teach it all and give it all to students?
Which leads to the question how can education meet these opposing views and yet provide a valid and fulfilling experience to students? Well when it comes to the good experience university living provides that anyways, afterall getting drunk and pursuing women becomes second nature in this kind of habitat, and who doesnt enjoy that? So its what can students learn from education that should be the question.
Well I think its down to the student really to specialize and learn about what they are passionate about and seek in life. Uni cant 'teach it all' to a student so its up to them to develop the style that suits them so they can get a job they want. Uni is a stepping stone to teach them their A,B,C's in 3ds max and visual design etc etc, Giving the students the tools that they need to get the job done. The rest is just motivation and passion on the students behalf.
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