Tuesday 31 January 2012

Model of Reflective Writing

In anticipation of our assignment for reflective practice this semester we were asked to create our own model of for reflective writing. Below is my current response. Less of a mind map more of a post-it arrangement it is based on both the Gibbs and the Atkins-Murphy model, information on which can be found at the useful websites below. . .

http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/cms/resources/uploads/File/Reflective%20Writing.pdf
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/education/reflective-writing/4.xml
http://www.arts.ac.uk/cetl/visual-directions/flash/reflective/flash_reflective_textversion.htm
http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Reflection




Playblast Maps


Version 1.0 of the Uv Maps is complete. I have had fun doing it but really have no idea if its correct, I suspect it probably needs to be changed so watch this space. Excuse the playblast, Maya on my laptop was being temperamental...





Saturday 28 January 2012

Gothic Edinburgh For Lucy - Variation 02

Next ones will be more townhouse/ tenements but a little bit of Baronial is always fine. Also I've spent some time setting up my line-weights/ CAD layers now which is a big but useful job and make it far easier and quicker to draw in the future. 



CAD Drawings For Fraser

Im in a collaborative CAD mode. First attempt at a series of what will eventually be six drawings for Fraser Murdoch to be used within his fourth year graduation animation My City. Its into the final months for them so good luck! To check out Fraser's project so far please go here: http://mycitydoj.blogspot.com/ 






Friday 27 January 2012

Gothic Edinburgh For Lucy - Building Variation 01

Lucy Tiere a part time animator in my class has asked me to draw some CAD drawings for potential use as turnarounds for her film which will be modelled in Maya. Based on a more gothic version of Edinburgh the first plan is to make about 7 variations of different buildings whose features can be mixed and matched creating the illusion of more buildings. Lucy backgrounds are ultimately in black and white and will eventually be textured via Maya UV maps in a gothicy-watercolour way. This is my first attempt at drawing one on CAD so hopefully it will be of some use......



Tuesday 24 January 2012

UV Map Plan Of Action

After watching and then doing many tutorials on digital tutors today on UV mapping I've tried to work out a logical series of commands for mapping Waverley. Below is my initial notes and plan of action. One on textures will follow soon. I have to say I do enjoy UV mapping its time-consuming and often tricky but logical. Roll on texturing...


Thursday 19 January 2012

Script 2.0








Storyboard 2.0



Animatics and Mill Visits



New animatic. Still very rough around the edges but the feel for it is there. Some of the 3d shots were taken quickly in order to get them ready for presenting to the mill this morning but overall it feels like it is coming together slowly.

Presenting to members of the mill this morning was exciting, got some really useful feedback regarding which shots were the strongest/ weakest and advice on how to use textures and lighting to give the film a stronger feel. Really starting to get excited about this project and can't wait to begin the texture process...

Animatic 2.0 on Vimeo link here. 


Pointers from The Mill:

- Pare camera moves back, keep it simple
- After the train or curves shot go for the big reveal
- Strongest shot is the one looking through the window, Weakest is the initial pan up.
- Adding a balustrade or high level walkways and moving the camera to a high corner will help to achieve the sense of scale/ depth I'm looking for with regards to the Internal Shot
- Keep materials real and simple, use photographs as much as possible
- Consider carefully which rendering program to use, eg. Mental Ray or Vray will assist the rendering and lighting process a great deal for it seems light and texture should drive the project.

I wholeheartedly agree. 

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Inside The Belly Of The Beast

Internal model has been modelled out loosely. There will be twelve more units added to each side along the length of it, copied from the four which have been modelled but the model needs to be checked first before I go ahead copying corrupt geometry. Can't wait to get a camera moving through it when its done, plus once the train has been modelled the whole shot will be much more dynamic.


As the Futurists never built anything nor even sketch how their architectural visions would appear from the inside I had to draw on other sources: namely Richard Rogers Llyods Building London , The Museo d'Orsay Paris and the Trucco's Fiat Lingotto Factory. The results are a nostalgic take on modernism which I feel tie in with the external appearance,form and scale of the external train station itself.


This current, basic model was created in Maya built up from 2D CAD drawings I designed based on the above references and the current external elevations...
















Thursday 12 January 2012

Test Photo-Animatic

This is the first animatic I created updated with the parts of the photo-storyboard and basic camera movements taken from the Maya model. The timing and the static-ness of some of the shots need to be improved as well as an improved sense of narrative throughout the piece. This will be worked on in the next few days with the intention of coming closer to a final storyboard by the start of next week..



Photo Storyboard

I'm in the process of updating the animatic with the Maya model and working out how to make the animatic more dynamic, show off the building details more and what kind of colours/ atmosphere will be used in the final piece. Below is the start of the photo storyboard which will be integrated into the next animatic produced.







Site Textures

With the model completed, its time for the UV and texturing elements to begin. As some basic research/ starter point for colours I have been taking photo samples of the materials present on the actual site itself.


Wednesday 11 January 2012

Waverley Turnaround 1.0


Basic Turnaround of the Maya model as it currently stands...

Monday 9 January 2012

Poster Test

For this last quick advertising exercise I dropped the model into an existing one advertising Edinburgh from the 1920s. The original is first, and my basic one is second. 


Sunday 8 January 2012

Sorry Ruairi

This one was a very quick graphic design exercise and is a ridiculously blantent rip off of another poster which my architect friend Ruairi directed to look at by artist and graphic designer Michael Scwab. But in my defense it was fun, incredibly quick and I was using it to test out the  font and effects for potential use in the title sequence. In that respect I think it has been successful however Ruairi's comment that it made him sick a little in his mouth a little is entirely justified...



Indecisiveness


I've been looking at 1920s and 1930s travel posters for colour and compositional inspirations for potential use as part of the title sequence or as promotional postcards/ posters . This is my first attempt, its not there yet so there are several variations for you all to choose from, a compromise between them will work so let me know which ones are working for you. I aim to get 3 or so done over the next week for fun, research and experimentation...