Studio CG Modelling/Animation Project

[WP Rayner]

Completed more work on the City set for Melvin to add a little more drama to the image. Slightly different camera angle, changes to the lighting (street lights have been added) and increased the fog level slightly. There will likely be some more changes when animating the opening sequence camera movement through the scene.



Going to leave this for now and return to remodelling, rigging and texturing the main character for animation.

[Bill Gill]

Definitely has a foggy mysterious/gloomy look.I know zero about all of this. Is the actual process you do to create a background scene similar to "painting" with digital paint/illustration software, or are there many other steps?

[WP Rayner]

Definitely has a foggy mysterious/gloomy look.I know zero about all of this. Is the actual process you do to create a background scene similar to "painting" with digital paint/illustration software, or are there many other steps?

Thanks Bill, that's the effect I'm after, a cold, impersonal, and oppressive urban environment. This environment is actually a large 3D CG model, not a flat painted backdrop. The environment can be animated as well, typically lighting changes as time progresses, and as such is actually a character in its own right. The camera can track through the environment as can the main and supporting characters.

[finescalerr]

It needs a half-empty jar of chickenfat in the foreground. No urban scene is complete without one. -- Russ

[WP Rayner]

It needs a half-empty jar of chickenfat in the foreground. No urban scene is complete without one. -- Russ

Actually, if it were Fresno, it would need to be a dirty diaper!

[WP Rayner]

This is latest concept study for the opening city set for "Melvin." I changed the camera angle and lighting to add depth, changed out some of the materials and textures... much happier with the overall feel now. There is still a lot of litter to add plus more material development, however the scene has become so render intensive, it won't work efficiently in an animation. So, I'm investigating PBR materials and Unreal Engine/Studio as an alternative workflow. Unreal https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/what-is-unreal-engine-4 is one of the primary gaming engines and it is now being used in animation and visualization.

[Ray Dunakin]

Wow! I love the lighting, very moody.

[WP Rayner]

Wow! I love the lighting, very moody.

Thanks Ray... it's getting there, much closer to what I have in mind. This is now essentially a concept "sketch" of what I'm trying to create. Due to this scene's complexity and lengthy render time, it's unsuited to use in the actual animation, hence the change in my workflow to Unreal Engine. The learning curve is fairly steep and, though the underlying concepts and principles are the same, it is forcing me to rethink and change many of the CG practices and procedures I've been using for years.

[Lawton Maner]

I think it needs rows of overflowing rubbish bins and some rats.

[WP Rayner]

I think it needs rows of overflowing rubbish bins and some rats.

It does indeed Lawton, lots more rubbish and litter, oil drum with burning rubbish, broken windows and perhaps a flickering neon sign or two (bar/poolroom, massage parlor, that sort of thing). Those are all details I'll address in Unreal.

[finescalerr]

And it needs a bright yellow Wienermobile. -- Russ

[Lawton Maner]

And, a couple of people of questionable morals doing activities which civilization considers disgusting.  One of them should be a politician.

[Dave Fischer]

Paul-- I seem to have stumbled into a Bermuda Triangle and have resurfaced here in October... How's progress on Melvin's animation? Things were sure looking good last-- um, JULY! I have gone back to teaching graphic design and have referred one of my students, whose main interest is in digital film, to this FSRR site to see what you are doing. How about an update?   DF

[WP Rayner]

Thanks for checking in Dave. I've been lost in some form of a work/life Bermuda Triangle as well for the past few months. At this point I don't have any tangible updates on the Melvin project as I've had to dedicate the computers to finishing up a couple other studio projects. One is a watch product animation which has just started rendering and will probably monopolize the animation PC for about two months. Here is link of the early "clay" pre-viz version of the animation. https://vimeo.com/249843553

I began re-topologizing the Melvin model and realized there were some design elements that I was unhappy with, so have returned to the traditional sketchbook to refine the concept... good way to keep the juices flowing while the computer's tied up with the tedious process of rendering. I've also started experimenting with Unreal Engine thinking it might speed up the process of animating Melvin... as yet, the learning curve is still quite steep but it is very useful at creating environments incorporating forms from traditional 3D modelling apps.

[Dave Fischer]

Paul-- WOW! The watch animation is fascinating (but the screws just pop in... I know, I know-- sorry! Just a twinge of OCD.) Love it in the simplified color, very sculptural and graphically clean. Will it be rendered as metal in the end? Truly an outstanding piece of work-- I appreciate your dedication and skill. Thanks for showing it!   DF