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.
Once I had met up with my personal tutor we began to talk through my proposal in detail and started to refine it down to a more specific and achievable goal. We discussed various aspects of my current proposal and how i could tweak aspects to make my proposal more specific and clear.
The First Area was that I should focus on either asset creation for film or asset creation for video games. This is because there are different methods for working with 3D modelling depending one which option. I looked into what the actual difference between these two are. I found that film requires a a highly detailer model which is often only viewed from one side. In addition to this when it comes to the texturing side assets for film normally require a photorealistic texture that matches the filmed footage.
However, assets for video games allow for the creator to have a lot more freedom down to the constraints that popular movie narratives still have to this day. Whereas video game stories can take on many different genres and sub genres as well as making new ones. e.g. The Final Fantasy video game series. It is these genres that give way to the many design style’s featured in these games. Which as well give the creator once again that greater freedom to express in his/her own work.
I came to a conclusion that I was going to focus on the video game aspect as I feel that I can show my creativity and develop my own style that my models will follow.
Another Key change that was discussed in my tutor meeting was how I was going to Submit my work. In my proposal I didn’t really cover how I was going to submit my work. My tutor suggested two sites for me to check out and these were Sketchfab and Art Station. These sites specialise in the presentation of finished 3D assets.
Sketchfab focuses on individuals being able to look around the model in 3D in a physic based render (PBR) with light reacting in real time on the model. It also has an option to display the wire frame as well. Where as Art Station is more aimed at presenting work as a series of images using HD renders. Art Station also features a tab that regularly post job offers.
I feel that for my final submission I will upload work to both these sites as I feel the combination of them both will give a good starting point to begin with. Sketchfab will be good to show the technical side of my models where as Art station would be good to uploads stills of my model to show off particular aspects in HD. Both websites features a comment section so that people using the site can leave feedback which can be used to reflect on my work.
Finally the last thing that was discussed in the meeting was that I need to have a genre in mind when it comes to creating my assets. The reasoning behind this is that I need a focus and a consistent link between my models. After considering a few genres I settled with sci-fi as once again there is greater flexibility when creating models as im not limited by realistic boundaries.
I will use these bit’s of feedback in my updated proposal.
When I was tasked with putting together a proposal for this years work in digital media. I made sure i wanted to set something that I hadn’t done before and also that I enjoyed. After some research I settled on digital creation either through special effects or 3D modelling. This then developed into 3D modelling and texturing as it was a skill i had attempted but never really learnt. I saw this opportunity to add a new set of skills to my repertoire. I had wanted to teach my self 3D modelling for a while now and saw this project as a good chance to do this. In addition to this I saw a video shared on Facebook about how pixar creates all their movies it shows footage of artists creating the assets. This inspired me to look further into digital 3D modelling as it looked like something I would want to do myself.
For This year I intend to start a yearlong project which will have a clear sub goal to achieve by the end of this semester. My idea is to look into how 3D Modelling can be used in the creation of CGI shorts films. As I am relatively new to 3D modelling and Texturing. I plan to split the year into two distinct phases. The first one being improving and honing my skills to create a show reel which highlights everything I will have learnt this semester. Then the second semester’s goal is to create a short animated short which uses the skills I learnt in the first semester. I plan on the 3d animated short being cinematic and to a polished standard. Which will be achieved through the use of Unreal engine and other software such as Substance Painter and Designer. After hearing that Sport Science students have access to a form of motion capture suite which they use to record and then analyse exercise I would be interested in seeing if I could utilise this for capturing movement which could then be imported into my own work.
The basic ideas for the second semester project consist of an individual with the ability to travel through time / space, each time visiting a completely different environment allowing me to show the diversity of my skills. For example, one place may be a dense overgrown forest and then next a futuristic city. The narrative will build as the year progresses and my skills develop.
Describe the intended audience:
I feel that the intended audience for this would be an individual of either gender that has a strong interest into 3D Modelling, Video Games, Motion capture and that for the development of new technology. A secondary intended audience could be companies viewing my work for the purpose of job applications / work experience.
How will this project extend your creative and technical skills?
This project will extend my creative skill set 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)
The main process of my work will be split into two phases, skill development resulting in a show reel and then creation of a polished piece.
In the first phase there will be smaller stages. Starting with in-depth research into each technical areas and then varied experiments of each technical skill resulting in lots of data and information to formulate my ideas and creative input into the next semesters work.
This brings me on to my next phase in the second semester. I will start by sketches ideas of character and doing mock tests of environment and story arc’s. These sketches will be the building blocks that my storyboards will be based on. I will then put these storyboards to a selection of individuals in the form of a focus group. Which will ultimately input my final piece.
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.
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