Summary of project:
Currently my project is a character set in a post-apocalyptic landscape, for this project I will be using 3D as a tool for illustration. I will be producing a single, high resolution image - involving heavy detail of 3D objects using the software package ZBrush. In conjunction with this I will be using Maya, to involve a number of technical processes. However, I still will have strong artistic input on my image, ensuring my initial vision is projected accurately into this illustration.
For this project I plan to go for a realistic style, to achieve this I'll be using advanced lighting techniques I have researched, such as Global illumination. Modeling of the character and the detail presented on him is what I will concentrate on. There will not be any textures as this is merely a modeling task. I'll prioritise my character over the environment, putting a majority of my time and effort into it as it will be the main focal point.
The illustrations main influence is from the recent television series and game 'Defiance'. The game is a great resource for myself, the content is unique and has a similar style to what I want to achieve. I've been looking at some of the 3D artists work on Polycount.com, it's been helpful for me in this project and the preparation involved.
Inspiration for project:
For the project I've decided to go ahead with a post-apocalyptic theme, seen in the likes of games like Fallout 3 & RAGE. This means I will make most of the objects in the scene appear grimy and weathered down. I plan to make it seem like this character is set upon a baron wasteland, you'll get the impression that it is a hostile landscape by the offensive appearance I plan for my character.Much of the influence for the image will come from games set in a similar genre, specifically 'Defiance'. Furthermore I've been looking at character artists to give inspiration for mood and intricate details- like the one you see on the left by Sebastian Schoellhammer. The atmospheric lighting and realistic shading, particular emphasis on the skin shader, is something I want to try and achieve.
Intended production plan:
For the production phase of I will be using Maya for the base modelling, setting up the scene, lighting and other various tweaks. Arnold will be used for the rendering process. ZBrush will be used for the fine details on the character such as skin pores, it will also be used for rendering out displacement maps to transfer from ZBrush to Maya. Mari will also be introduced into my pipeline which is a learning curve in itself for me, I will be using this for 3D texture. Finally, Photoshop will be used for some texture tweaks and compositing the render passes in the final stages.
Timeplan:
Week 1
Characters Design
3D Modelling
Week 2
Finished Character Modelling
Environment Modelling
Week 3
UV Unwrapping
Week 4
Shading
Week 5
Lighting
Week 6
Rendering
Week 7
Post-production
Preparation of evaluation:
For my evaluation I will ask myself questions like: What could I improve on? What am I pleased with? What would you do differently? What would you change in your production pipleline? I'd also get feedback from someone doing a similar subject area, therefore I would get relevant feedback. I could also post it in online forums such as cgsociety.org, this means I can get feedback from people internationally.
IDEA GENERATION
After figuring out what I want to to do for my final major project, which is a 3D still image used as an illustration. But this was only ideas coming from myself and it is always helpful to get a different set of eyes view on things which may end up making the piece of art better. I found it was important to ask others for their opinion and I shall do so thought my stages of work.
I interview a number of friends in my class and furthermore family at home, this gave me a broad insight into view of others at a variety of age groups. The main objective was to really see if they thought my idea was a good idea and if it should be changed at all, here is what I asked each of them:
What is your favorite genre out of the following:
- Steampunk
- Post-Apocalyptic
- Dark/Horror
As a weapon, which would be more unique:
- Pickaxe
- Sword
- Hammer
Do you typically expect a character in a situation like this to appear heroic?
- Yes
- No
The results I got from the questionnaire were vital in moving forward with the decision of what I wanted to do and ideally, a majority liked my initial idea the best which led me to move on forward, but I did gather some helpful suggestions which I shall implement into my final piece.
To further my choices I decided to make my own mind map just to visually see what possibilities I had, it definitely opened my eyes to things and many more ideas started springing into my head. I put the mind map into six sections: assets, weather, character, environment, weapon, style. This would give me a strong insight into every aspect of the image, you can see the mind map below.
Having this mind map made my life easier when it came to choosing the smaller details of my image. It allowed me to move forward and confirm the ideas in my head, which meant I could go ahead and sketch out a quick concept for my character, I felt this is the only thing I would need to sketch as it is the main focal point of the scene.
Sketching is an important part for my development on my final major project, it allowed me to put all the ideas and inspiration down on paper and have something to go by when it comes to actually 3D modeling it, I could not do it without it. Much of the inspiration came from films and games I had seen and specifically games like 'RAGE' and 'Defiance'.
My sketch incorporates a civilian look mixed with a military type appearance, I think this is something you would commonly see in a post apocalyptic environment. My skills do not lye with drawing so I am please with what I have produced and will be using this a concept when it comes to modelling. The next stage would be to take it into Photoshop to play around with tone and colour.
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