Weekly summary

These are the finished results for my study.  However, as seen in the screen shot below I haven't been able to get the high poly bake right and the normal maps haven't been working. In the end I was able to get the normal map to work on the magazine drum for the model. But for the rest of the model, it didn't work. On the plus side, I understand PBR and how to create the maps for PBR.

This image are some Maya renders of the high poly sci-fi gun

These following two renders are of the low poly model with assign maps. However, in Maya I haven't been able to assign all of the maps to the model. I was only able to assign the albedo and normal maps to the model, as I don't know where the other two maps go in Maya. However, I imported the model in to UE4 and manage to assign all of the maps to the model.  This can been on the UE4 render sheet below 

Research for Essay

For my essay in year two, we have to write a 3000 word essay about creating coherent worlds. For this we have to look at how old forms of entertainment and where games have gain their influences which helped them create the worlds within them.

I am currently looking at Alice in Wonderland, for not only being one of my favorite stories but it's quite a fascinating book as it explores the imagination and plays with logic.

For instance, one of my favorite quotes from the book it heavily implies imagination is a powerful thing:

 “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Imagination is a rather important factor to games, either it be during the development for a game to the person whom is playing the game. To those whom play games will often find themselves lost within the game as it does fulfill the imagination of the player. Further more, games are often seen as a escape from reality (and for relaxation).  This goes in part to this quote from Alice in Wonderland. 

The idea of escaping reality to your own 'wonderland' can also been seen in the Tim Burton's adaptation of Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Alice finds herself in a world that is serious, finding herself in a dilemma and at risk of loosing herself, she then escapes to Wonderland. It's in wonderland, though she have to fight the Jabberwocky (like a gamer facing a boss fight in a game), she is in a familiar place she feels comfortable in. From this, she finds herself again and comes back to reality a stronger person for it.

From these, they remind me what someone would have to go through a game: finding themselves in a dilemma; go through missions or a long quest to fighting the final boss. 

But also these remind me of what someone would gain from playing a game: Needing to escape reality, lose themselves in a world that they are familiar with and then reemerging back into reality feeling themselves again and feel better for it.

Articles about games and escapism : 

http://gac.sagepub.com/content/5/4/335.short?rss=1&ssource=mfr

http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/28/4159254/jane-mcgonigal-video-game-escapism

Images from: aliceinwonderland.wikia.com

http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/alice-wonderland-story-first-told

Weekly summary

This week I realized I was being very ambitious to want to get two models down before the Christmas break. So I decided to stick with the browning.  However, from group crit I was suggested that I should make my browning more  sci-fi to fit into a BioWare (My dream studio I want to work for) game such as Mass Effect. So I done some iterations over my M2 browning renders and took to Facebook to ask people's opinion to which iteration looks best. Iteration 2 got the most positive feedback. I've also made a new mood board for sci-fi guns.

Also, we began to look at PBR which is a different and more current technique used in the games industry. Instead of using Normal, Defuse and Spec maps we now have to use:

Albedo maps: These have base colour that doesn't have no lighting information on it

Metal maps: These are maps are used to indicate if a model is metal or not. With this map you have to use either black or white to indicate metal or non metal materials

Normal: Same as before but use high poly model to get the normal map, instead of a hight map

Roughness: This indicate how smooth an object is and works in grey scale

This image below was the progress I made on M2 browning model before I change the direction of the model to a sci-fi heavy machine gun.


In addition to these, I've been looking at forums to look at how to  do roughness maps for my models.
I found a helpful forum post that helped me a lot for the roughness maps http://polycount.com/discussion/138413/how-to-create-roughness-map-in-photoshop

Weekly summary

This week we began our the second half of BA2a, and for the second half of this unit we are doing art test.
But before we start the art test we are doing studies to get us ready for the art tests.
For the studies and the art test I am going down the 3D specialism route. From this, in the workshops I began to look at high poly modeling.

This is different to what I am use to as for high poly modeling, you have to be able to drop a edge loop tool within the model and then once you've finished high poly modeling, smooth it and export it ready to be backed out as a normal map.

To begin with, I looked at 3D job roles within the industry and what they require. The studios I looked at are: BioWare, Zenimax, Ubisoft and Ready At Dawn.  Also, I started off with some mood boards of what I would like to create for studies.

My goal within the next three weeks (hopefully) is to create two models: A Victorian Horse carriage and a Browning heavy machine gun.


Here are some mood boards where I looked for influence for my mood board. I am going to start off working on the M2 browning. Also below these are some of my results from looking at 3D artist job descriptions: