Supervisor Meeting

Our concept and story have started to take some shape now. In a meeting,with Sharon,we discussed our story idea and what animation art style that we might like to pursue. Initially,we had planned for 3D Characters on 2D Backgrounds. However, I was introduced to 'pocoyo' art style where there is no background. I found this quite interesting and time-saving as we have to prepare animatics of two films. 

Lilly is directing the first film and for my research I am directing the second. However, all four of us our currently having a go at the storyboard our style. I am the Production Manager. I am new to this. I find scheduling everything on google Calender easier.However, I intend to make one on Excel too.

We all are now concentrating on Concept Art and Moodboard for the Animation Art style. Also,we plan to have a rough animatics ready by next Supervisor Meeting. 

With the Going Live and Reflection on Module Assessment there is already a lot to do. Let's see how effectively we use this time.

Team Project

As I really wanted to start something for the Team Project I started Modelling a Kitchen that might me used in our film or just in the Animatics. Currently it stands thus-

Reflection on Practice

Some exercises in Sharon's first lesson actually made me aware of some of my strengths and weaknesses. I usually do a lot of reflecting in my personal life but that lesson made me stop and think whether I was doing it the correct way or was I just over thinking and calling it reflection. It made me think whether the thought itself was worth reflecting or not.

First,she asked to think how we really reflect on our practice. For me its usually trial and error method- just clicking various options and then going with the best permutation and combination that brings about the desired result. Sometimes, this doesn't work either. So,I just put it in the back of my mind and keep thinking- bringing it to the forefront only when something close to what I need might be available. 

One of the exercises that really clicked with me was talking with some other individual in my brain and what would they reply in turn to my ideas. I think this exercise helped me to ascertain things that I already knew about my project or some weakness that I knew of it but was too afraid to say it to myself out loud. Now, i believe, I might be able to focus on it and do what needs to be done.

Then,there was this other exercise where she asked us to use a methodology of 4 R's- namely, Recall,Relive, Reinterpret and Respond. During this exercise, we were asked to Recall a moment in the past semester that might have been a 'Eureka Moment' or 'Nothings working Moment'. Then,Relive what we felt at that moment- how we could we Reinterpret that situation and now what should be our Respond to it. I found this exercise to turn some of my negative moments to positive ones as it made me realise that I can cope or help is almost always available around me. 

Compositing

The rendering of the shoes took a lot of time. I hit batch render several times but except the Beauty Pass of all the render layers, all the other passes were pitch black. Two days of trying any permutation and combination that Maya or my peers could offer, I was contemplating of just submitting the file with the Master Beauty only.

Then,Rebecca helped me out in this. She said that she was having the same problem and when she changed her file format from Open Exr to Tiff,it worked. On the first try,my laptop gave up. I had been overworking it for quite some days. Then,even after several tries it just wouldn't render the files. I transferred all the files to our Studio's Computer and then tried rendering again. This time the light settings had some problem. Maya couldn't detect the spotlights that I had set up in the scene. I set up the light again.

Finally,it rendered,this afternoon! Here are some of the passes and final compositing in Photoshop.

Ambient Occlusion

 

Direct Light

Diffuse

Specular 

Master Beauty

Final Compositing

The Shoe

Since,there was little time it was easier and faster to composite how Kieran had showed in one of his compositing class.I am still unfamiliar to Nuke keys and nodes. So, as Kieran said Photoshop can still do the trick, I used it.

Polygon_Lighting and Render

Using raytrace shadows, mental ray and ambient occlusion I created the shoe below.It does not look realistic at the moment. Some tweaking of attributes here and there will hopefully bring about the desired effect.

A Basic Render

Ambient Occlusion

Merged the two images in photoshop. 

Polygon _texturing

Texturing just in Maya became quite difficult and time consuming. Jin had adviced to use a different software called UV Layout. At first,it seemed confusing but after a little help from here and there, things started to fall in place. Some of the UV maps that I used to complete my shoe.

Side-portion of the shoe

Pocket

Whenever I tried the photo-shopped texture on the mesh, the brand name would always be its mirror image. So,I had to flip it on the texture map so that it appeared the right way.

Sole

The sole of the shoe was done using Maya UV Texture only. It took a lot of time but I got there at the end.

Research Poster

When Jeanette mentioned a Research Poster in the class, instantly, I had the thought of a Hollywood style film poster announcing the release of our short animation film. However, even after much thinking and group meetings we were unable to decide on a story until very recently. It was impossible to make a film poster without any character that might have been in the story. The theme of the film had not been decided either.

Finally,I planned, to make a kind of 3D Poster. As I have mostly been associated with 3D Animation,I thought why not stick a cut out from a second print on top of the first with a thick double sided tape which will elevate some parts of it giving it a 3D look. Then, I researched for related articles and approaches of the psychological theory. I came across quite some interesting facts that I have mentioned in the poster. I even found some excellent photos that portray the evolution of story-telling and even its structure. At last, came the time to assemble all this material.

After a class with Phil,I thought Indesign is not all that difficult. However,it was the unfamiliarity with Mac machines that made the whole experience difficult. After using Mac for a whole day my hands got used to its shift,control and command keys and then in the evening while texturing on my laptop,I kept trying to find the command key. The situation was quite hilarious until I noticed how little time I had till the submissions deadline. 

Posters are ready for printing. All might go according to my plans if I have enough time on my hands.