After just having this meeting my tutor he said for me to go look into painting into the height detail and seeing what affects this would have. My tutor recommend that I watch the video linked below.
This video helped me massively as it allowed to texture in great detail without changing the overall mesh.
I set my self a task for this week and that is that I need to go have a look a painting height into a model myself.
I am writing this at the end of the week once I have only done a basic texture of the model. The link below is a link to a sketchfab post where you can have a look round the model in detail whilst it reacts with the light.
To teach my self blender I decided to follow a in depth step by step tutorial that goes from setting up blender through to UV wrapping and exporting ready for texturing painting. This series of tutorials were created by my tutor Jon Holmes.
I followed the tutorials imitating what was seen in the video with small personal creativity allowing me to incorporate some of my own input.
I started out by creating the basic shape by scaling and extruding faces till I was happy. I then made sure that I bevelled out edges so that light will reflect off of these later on.
The next stage was that I started adding in some mid level detail to break up each face and add some difference in height. I made sure that I had applied the mirror modifier so that all of the detail I was carrying out was applied to each side.
I then began to add in extra details such as the rear supports and the bar stands. The addition of this brings interesting shapes to the model and makes it look more intriguing to look at.
Here are the some of the textures applied to the model. Considering this was my first model I would say I am very happy as I am still trying to teach my self the basics.
In second year we had a lectures where substance was demonstrated live. After seeing how it worked and how it was used I really wanted to learn how to use it but never got round till I started Level 3. Subsequently finding out that Algorithmic the company that made substance offered it for free to students meant that I had to include it into my level 3 proposal.
Substance Painter is the reference 3D Painting app with never before seen features and workflow improvements to make the creation of textures for 3D assets easier than ever. It is acknowledged as the most innovative and user-friendly Texture Painter out there. – Steam Store
Substance is texture painting software that utilises Physic Based Rendering (PBR) it is a huge development from the traditional way of texturing of 3D models. Creators used to have to unwrap each model by hand and then paint on to the now flat layer. This process was time consuming as you had to make sure you were painting on to the right area when it was re-wrapped. Substance skips this overcomes this by allowing users to paint onto the 3d model and updates the texture live to the unwrapped image. Another feature is that there is a quick and easy methods of baking out all the maps required for the model, e.g. normal map to distinguish height, ambient occlusion and thickness to tell light how to react with the surface of the model. It also allows you to change the quality that you will be rendering and working with. Another of the key features is that Substance painter features masks called smart masks. These masks allows user to quickly apply things like rust and dirt that follows real world physics due to the maps baked out. The creator can create a story with a model depending on how it is textured and then the different weathering effects.
Recently a few AAA games have been created using substance as their texturing programme. These games are Uncharted 4, Forza 6 and Black Ops 3. Alls these games feature physic based graphics that react to react to environment around then such as lighting, weather and the material properties themselves.
Uncharted 4Forza 6Black Ops 3
Substance painter is part of the future of 3D modelling as it completely redesigns the way models are textured and the possibilities this opens in video games and film. I am going to use 3D modelling as it will improve my production pipeline drastically due to it efficient processes.
Before I could start any modelling I had to find out which piece of software would be best for a complete novice would use. The common pieces of software used by industry creators are Blender, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3DS Max and Cinema 4D. I went through each piece of software and read reviews and looked at what each one had to offer.
Blender
I decided to look into Blender and what features it has. The first thing I discovered was that Blender is open source and is constantly updating itself, meaning that it will evolve as technology progresses. As it is open source it also allows downloadable plugins that enable users to complete new tasks using specific tools. Blender is also available for windows and mac so files will be read by both decreasing the likely hood of corruption in files. Finally after discussion with tutors they all said that for a beginner who is new to 3D modelling, Blender would be better as the Ui is more friendly to use and some of the features are automated making it a little bit more intuitive to start with.
Autodesk Maya / 3DS Max
I also looked into Autodesk’s two pieces of software Maya and 3DS Max these two pieces of software would normally have to be bought but there are both available for free download though Autodesk’s students login. Through continued research I found that the difference between Maya and 3DS Max is that Maya is for Apple and 3DS Max is for Windows. I asked my tutors about Maya and 3DS Max, they said that both pieces of software are aimed more towards industry professionals and individuals that have considerate experience.
Verdict
After detailed consideration I have decided on using Blender as my chosen 3D modelling software. This is because Ive heard from lots of Individual Professional and academic that Blender would be the best piece of software to begin with. In addition to this my tutor has advised me some plugins for blender that will help me as well. I will now begin following detailed tutorials to help me teach my self Blender.
Following the research I carried out and with all the tweaks and changes I typed up my proposal again taking into consideration everything I discussed in my meeting and individual research. here is the updated Proposal.
What is the intended idea/concept of the project?
After refining my original proposal, I was able to come to the conclusion that for my semester A assessment, I decided on creating an online portfolio uploaded to three sites. These three sites are Sketchfab, Art Station and Gumroad.
I carried out some research into the timescales it takes to create game engine assets and the results I came back helped form what my output for this semester will be most users on Sketch fab and Art Station released a polished asset every couple of months or so. Based upon these results I plan on producing 3 high quality HD assets I can use next semester on my animated short. These assets produced will be mainly props and smaller assets. The general theme following my output will be along the sci-fi genre as I feel it lets me be more creative and experimental with my work. I will use these Gum-road as a means to bring everything together in a professionally presented package.
Describe the intended audience:
The intended audience/platform for my portfolio is to be uploaded to are two different sites. These sites are Sketchfab and Art Station. The reasoning behind these are after researching into the difference in portfolios for Video game and Film assets. Film show reels didn’t fully showcase my intended outcome as you only are able to see the asset in one scenario. Whereas as uploading my assets to sites such as Sketchfab and Art Station suits my requirements for showcasing video game assets. This is because Sketchfab allows for full 3D rotatable viewing of model’s that interact with dynamic lighting, in addition to this it allows features a view mesh tool to show how the model is made up. Art Station also allows me to upload stills of my assets alongside the various maps associated with the model all presented in a professional standard. Something both these sites have is an active community which will allow me to receive feedback that will benefit the quality of my work. Finally, when it comes to uploading my work Sketchfab and Art Studio both have plug ins for Substance Painter that allow for easy publishing.
How will this project extend your creative and technical skills?
This project will extend my creative skillset dramatically as starting this process my technical ability is limited in this field of digital media. However, I plan to change this by the end of the year. I plan to learn these skills through the 3D masterclass I am attending and I also plan to watch a lot of online tutorials that will take me through all the processes I plan on using. I plan to become proficient in Blender, Unreal Engine, Substance Painter and Substance Designer. In addition to what I mentioned earlier about Sports Sciences having a motion capture suite, if I am able to use this I would very much like to learn how to apply motion data to 3D assets for use in my own work.
I want to learn how PBR can effect model texturing and the benefits of using a game engine for instantaneous rendering can affect my work.
Outline how the practical work will be carried out and the time-scales involved for each task. (If working in a group, please also indicate the division of labour):
As mentioned earlier I carried out research into the timescales industry professionals follow and I discovered the they would upload a new model every couple of months for the level of work I plan on producing. As I am new to 3D modelling and asset creation I have extended this process to allow to be realistic on how long it will take as I learn the skills required.
What other work (by animators, designers, film-makers, writers, digital media producers, etc.) is relevant to your project? (This work may either be relevant for its conceptual, inspirational or technical similarity):
I have been influence by a few pieces of work and individual’s. One of the pieces that influenced me the most was the demo trailer for called ‘Infiltrator’ the reason this stood out so much was that it was made and filmed in unreal engine. It is pieces of work like this that inspired me to go down this channel of digital media.
Another piece of work produced that inspired me was how a game called Hell blade was also made in unreal engine uses motion capture to provide data for 3d models to follow allowing for a more realistic product. Continuing on with motion capture I was particularly interested in Andy Serkis’s work with Ninja theory where he worked with them to motion capture his movements for video games.
On top of these influences I have been following a series of tutorials for game asset creation from start to finish using blender all the way through to Substance Painter. These tutorials are created by The Curious Engine.
Lastly I had a look into a popular video game series called Uncharted. This is because the most recent game Uncharted 4 used Substance Painter for the visuals of the game. As the uncharted game series only runs on Sony’s PlayStation it shows the true power substance painter holds if a games console can have something so visually stunning if used on a high end PC.
