NTU Multimeda

Live Client Brief - Building the house

2010-02-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

I have imported the plans sent into 3ds max to enable to accurately build the house to scale.

Using the plans in this way i can use the same techniques i learnt when working on the Bulwell Academy Project.

Live Client Brief - The Plans

2010-02-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Below is the house i shall be creating for my live client brief. I will have to build the house, and also add basic models to the exterior and interior.

Live Client Brief - The Client's Brief

2010-02-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

Problem needed to be solved by Multimedia and suggested solutions
Complete a detailed visualisation of a building (tba) using supplied architectural plans, cad drawings etc. A fly-through may also be required, this would require basic modelling relevant to any rooms indicated on plans.

Specific requirements for multimedia
Various renders, flythrough illustrating building layout

Live Client Brief - The Company

2010-02-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

The company who agreed to help with this project is S & B Construction based in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire. My contact within the company for this project is an office junior, Mr M. York, with whom I will liaise with throughout the duration of the project.

Tasks during a typical project include liaising with the client and measuring up the structure or landscape. Provisional drawings (elevations, sections, floor plans etc) and visualisations (renders of exterior, interior, fly-through etc) are then created and sent to the client for approval and local authorities for planning permission. Once received, any necessary amendments are made to the drawings; the construction team that has been organised shall then begin preparations for the job, the construction overseen by the original designer.

Live Client Brief - The Brief

2010-02-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

The live client brief is giving me a chance to work with a real client, developing a solution through the full life cycle of a project. The client choice should be relevant to the speciality that we wish to focus on.

This project requires a reciprocal relationship between student and client, where benefits from working together can be gained; the client receiving a useful piece of multimedia, and student gaining valuable experience working within a professional environment.

This module aims to help provide opportunities to demonstrate design and problem solving skills; this ultimately helping to consolidate multimedia knowledge. The module should also help to demonstrate awareness of the multimedia’s practitioner’s roles and responsibilities relevant to the industry.

PRP - Artifact 1

2010-02-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

The essay part of the PRP module is now complete, the next part to this project is to create six artefact's backing up my theories from my writing.

My first artifact is a simple survey, it can be found at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZHV5L5Q

Client Project - Final Visulisation

2010-02-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

My final design outcome for the simulated client brief.

Client Project - Storyboard (with draft renders) *Updated

2009-11-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

Original storyboard renders, but with draft renders of scenes added. *Updated with a draft render of location 2, the room.

PRP - Research

2009-11-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

Game level design
Edward Byrne

Book overview
As a level designer in the game industry you can determine exactly what the player sees, hears, and feels in the game. The reward of seeing your game on a store shelf or hearing people talk about one of your levels is an incredibly fulfilling experience. If this is a path you want to take, Game Level Design will show you the way.This book is about the fundamentals of level design: it teaches you common procedures for designing, drafting, and creating interactive environments for games. It explains what level design is, where it came from, and, most important, how to plan, design, and construct levels professionally for modern-day computer and video games. Throughout the book, practical explanations and demonstrations use the basic, advanced, and real-world techniques needed to create game levels for hit titles. It also uses historical examples, interviews with outstanding level designers, and a focus on professional level design, to teach game developers of all levels, from amateur ?mod? mappers to seasoned multi-title veterans, how to implement these techniques into your own projects. Although the content in the book uses many examples from popular genres, such as first-person shooters (FPS), action adventures, and real-time strategy (RTS) games, the approach is designed to teach level design as a genre- and platform-independent craft. All games need to take place in environments, and by extension, the rules of level design apply to all games to some degree, so with the skills and techniques you learn here, you?ll be ready for any level challenge.

PRP - Research

2009-11-11T17:40:00.000-08:00

Representations of the city in video games
Bobby Schweizer

Abstract
In 1960, urban studies author Kevin Lynch recognized that “moving elements in a city, and in particular the people and their activities, are as important as the stationary physical parts.” Three-dimensional video game cities are neither static environments nor stationary views; rather, they are experienced through movement, action, and play. Our experiences of new places are not developed at a glance. Instead, they are cultivated through use over time. This research strives to characterize the means by which video game players experience and understand the space of the game city during the course of play.
This work utilizes games that take place in constructed versions of New York City as a case study. By focusing on the ways players navigate spaces, we can understand how they construct spatial awareness and how this space is transformed into a meaningful place of play. In order to come to this understanding, this study asks a series of questions: How are these spaces arranged? How does the player move through the space and how does the game teach spatial navigation? What actions are performed in the space and how is gameplay adapted for the city? How does the creation of narrative environments contribute to a player’s identification with the space? These questions are examined within a framework of urban, cultural, and game studies. I examine techniques that are employed by video game city designers to help players navigate space and make it meaningful. Additionally, this research poses areas for future expansion and experimentation with game cities.

PRP Research

2009-11-11T17:32:00.000-08:00

Game Graphics Beyond Realism: Then, Now, and Tomorrow
Maic Masuch and Niklas Röber

Abstract
Photorealism is one of the most quoted aspects of nowadays games. However, realistic game graphics is not the only style desirable. This paper surveys the many graphical styles used in past and current games, analyzes graphical aspects of computer games and discuss the use of realism with respect to game graphics. We show several examples and make references to current research, encouraging game developers to experiment with alternative, more artistic rendering styles, such as non-photorealistic rendering.

PRP - Research

2009-11-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

Situationists and Architechture
Peter Wollen
http://www.newleftreview.org/?page=article&view=2315

This is not a conventional scholarly essay. Instead I want to discuss a number of topics addressed by the Situationists, making a kind of collage of commentaries on what seem to me to be key elements of their thought in relation to architecture and the city—which were, indeed, centrally important issues for them. These elements are as follows: 1, the minaret; 2, the gypsy camp; 3, dérive; 4, Mad King Ludwig; 5, the Postman Cheval; 6, the Merzbau; 7, Le Corbusier; 8, Paris; 9, psychogeography; 10, Love on the Left Bank;11, white bicycles; 12, détournement; 13, the Cavern of Anti-Matter; 14, New Babylon; 15, Watts; 16, the Architecture of Despair; 17, Vienna’s Place—and finally: 18, Albisola.

Client Project - Storyboard (with draft renders)

2009-11-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

Original storyboard renders, but with draft renders of scenes added.

Client Project - Location 3 - The City

2009-11-11T17:01:00.000-08:00

Renders of location 3, a city. Again due to the fact this scene is relatively brief i have keep the environment simple and generic.
(Still need to add and animate information 'flying around')

Client Project - Location 2 - The Bedroom

2009-11-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

Some more renders of the next location of the advert, a generic plain bedroom. Due to modelling time constraints (and the fact each location appears for around 4/5secs) i had to keep everything in the room simple.

Client Project - Time Management

2009-11-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

To help with the time management for this project, i have made a gnatt chart. Due to the workload this year i feel that this chart will help me keep a track of outstanding work and my deadlines.

Client Project - Location 1 - The Cinema

2009-11-11T16:08:00.001-08:00

A few renders from the opening scene of my advert (the cinema, see storyboard)

Client Project - The Laptop

2009-11-11T15:59:00.001-08:00

A quick render to show the laptop that will be appearing in most of my locations. I have added materials to it and also placed an image of someone using a p2p download programme.

PRP - Research

2009-11-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

A Software Architecture for Games
Michael Doherty

Abstract
This paper describes a general architecture for real-time game software. The architecture is designed to maximize reusability in both single player and networked multiplayer modes. The architecture separates generic components from game-specific components by positioning the object system to minimize coupling. As a result, the architecture is easily adapted to a clientserver configuration for multiplayer modes. In addition to presenting the general architecture, that architecture is used as a framework in which to discuss several design options and the tradeoffs between them. In particular, we will discuss how the choice between an object-centric and a component-centric object system affects the design of other components of the game software. In addition, issues related to the synchronization of object systems for networked multiplayer modes are discussed.

PRP - Research

2009-11-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

A Survey of 3D Interaction Techniques
Chris Hand
Department of Computer Science
De Montfort University
The Gateway
Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
cph@dmu.ac.uk

Abstract
Recent gains in the performance of 3D graphics hardware and rendering systems have not been matched by a corresponding improvement in our knowledge of how to interact with the virtual environments we create; therefore there is a need to examine these further if we are to improve the overall quality of our interactive 3D systems. This paper examines some of the interaction techniques which have been developed for object manipulation, navigation and application control in 3D virtual environments. The use of both mouse-based techniques and 3D input devices is considered, along with the role of feedback and some aspects of tools and widgets.

Keywords: 3D interaction; object manipulation; navigation; feedback; virtual environments

PRP - Research

2009-11-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Game Engines: Tools for Landscape Visualization and Planning?
Adrian HERWIG and Philip PAAR

Summary
The fast growing market of computer games forces the development of constantly improved software and increasingly powerful hardware. Meanwhile many of the computer games can simulate virtual environments, e.g. synthetic landscapes, extremely close-toreality in real-time on PCs or game consoles. This rapid development in computer game technology is almost unnoticed by the users of professional CAD-, GIS-, and illustration software. While many of these games are objectionable because they glorify mindless violence, landscape planners should have an eye on these developments because some components of the software may be useful for their purposes. Can these low-priced tools be applied for landscape architects and planners, e.g. to support collaborative landscape planning?
The authors discuss options and limitations of game technology for landscape visualization, and present a preliminary example within a collaborative landscape planning process.

Client Project - Storyboard Animation

2009-11-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

A quick animation of the below storyboard to help show the 'general flow' of the advert.

Client Project - Storyboard #3

2009-11-11T15:32:00.001-08:00

Frame 13-14
The ending frames in my advert will continue on from the previous frame. However the flow of information will cease. With interference type effects I will slowly make the information disperse, cutting the viewer away from the wealth of information available to them online. I will then fade this into a tag line underlining the laws of file sharing in a concise manner. Although this message may not be totally obvious to viewers I believe that by using a subtle message more viewers would be affected than if clichéd police sirens and prison cells were used. I believe that in today’s internet society the thought of losing the internet, cutting people off from a vital part of their life, may make some viewers rethink their downloading habits.

Client Project - Storyboard #2

2009-11-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

Frame 7-8
During frames 7-8 the environment changes to a flat based in a city. With the camera panning out from a wireless router, the viewer is again reminded of the internet’s importance. The computer shown in frame 8 is now downloading the same file as is currently being uploaded (see frames 1-3), again highlighting the flow of information.
Frame 9
Panning up and out from the previous scene the essence of frame nine is the same of that during frame six, highlighting the flow of information across the internet. Unlike last times black vortex, this scene will show the information flying around the city in which the flat was located.
Frame 10-11
Focusing on one of the ‘flying covers’; the camera zooms in, showing a different location in frames 10-11. This location being a generic city coffee shop. This location contains an I-phone, again downloading; highlighting how file sharing is not only restricted to computers at home or work, but is also available on other equipment whilst ‘on the move’.
Frame 12
Frame twelve again is similar to six and nine although this scene takes the camera pan out a step further, rising from the city previously,

Client Project - Storyboard #1

2009-11-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

Frames 1-3
The opening sequence of my advert will begin at a cinema; the camera will zoom out to show a video camera recording a ‘new’ film. This camera will be linked to the provided laptop model, showing the file being uploaded. This scene, although brief, is vital as it the birth of most shared files, making it the starting block for the peer to peer sharing system.
Frame 4-5
Once the original source of the file is established, the camera will zoom out to show the laptop uploading the file to the internet, allowing viewers to witness the act of sharing it with other users. The advert will then focus on the wireless internet attachment. I feel that showing the connectivity involved with peer to peer is important, as people may not realise the global spread of information they are accessing.
Frame 6
This frame I try and show the flow of information over the internet. I intend to demonstrate this by showing DVD covers, CD covers and other new media flying ‘randomly’ through and around a dark ‘vortex’. This will show how information on the internet is shared, with multiple files being uploaded and downloaded simultaneously from many different sources.

PRP (Personal Research Project) - Topic Submission Form

2009-11-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

From a perspective of architectural visualisation, influenced and restricted by real locations; how is the gaming experience altered?

The goal for my personal research project is to look at the use of architecture within games. I want to look at how architecture can influence and determine the overall game play.
To do this I will learn how 3D visualisation of architecture has evolved and how it can be used in today’s society. This will include techniques, social etiquette's and responsibilities.
To answer my question I also feel that I will have to research gaming technologies, such as game engines and design programmes. By doing this I will be able to achieve a further understanding of the limitations and possibilities of these technologies.
I will also research into the actual game play, looking at how players use the environment to their advantage and basic rules within the level building process. I believe that I could use current examples of games using architecture to add to the game, e.g. “Resistance” (PS3), where levels are based on real locations such as London and Nottingham.
I will also look at how architecture works within the level as well as the overall design itself, how it relates into the way in which games are played within the confines of modern technology, and also how today’s famous attractions are creatively edited to achieve a game level that is recognisable upon the surface yet still have an unknown element.
Another area would be to look at Photorealism, both within the gaming world and architectural visualisation. This would then lead onto looking into realism in games, looking further than just graphical realism will help me discover if realism plays an important part within the gaming experience.
Another area of interest may be to research and learn more about psycho geography, with more knowledge of this area I feel I could use its rules and techniques to help evaluate existing levels and also plan new, exciting and innovative levels.
By researching the use of architecture in gaming levels and the visualisation techniques behind them, I believe that I would be in a suitable position to begin designing a level design or architectural visualisation, unique from any specific style, using techniques that would possibly make the design usable in more than one type of medium.

Client Project - Simulated Brief - Research

2009-11-11T15:13:00.001-08:00

Stumbled upon this when researching, thought it put forward a different idea from an artist's perspective.

Duffy: 'Illegal downloading is a good thing'
http://www.nme.com/news/duffy/38499

"Duffy has suggested that she supports illegal downloading - as she believes it will ultimately inspire fans to buy more music.

In contrast to the recent agreement between the Government, music industry and Internet service providers to send warning letters to people who download music illegitimately, this year's biggest selling artist so far says she is comfortable with fans listening to her music for free.

"Well, I mean, it can go two ways – there are pros and cons to everything," she told Shortlist. "Some people think it creates illegal access, but I think the big wheel is round, y'know? I think it's got more positives because it basically gives people access, what's the harm in that?..."

Client Project - Simulated Brief - Research

2009-11-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

You Make The Movies
Film industry's anti-piracy campaign gets friendly
http://www.youmakethemovies.co.uk

"For years, cinema goers and DVD buyers were repeatedly lectured via the medium of the pre-roll video: downloading movies was stealing, like pinching a handbag or a car. It bordered on offensive, since it was mostly only paying customers who were ever forced to sit through them.

Thankfully, the Industry Trust for Intellectual Property Awareness -- owners of the delightful domain PiracyIsACrime.com -- has funded some considerably nicer please-don't-steal-our-stuff cinema ads. Ditching the anti-piracy stance, they exist under the guise of thanking you, the paying customer, for enjoying the film industry with your money and not your bandwidth..."

Client Project - Simulated Brief

2009-11-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

"Digital Piracy
'Pirate Bay', the file sharing company was recently taken to court. Peer-to-Peer software popularises file sharing with digital information being stored whole but transferred in packets from and to multiple sources.
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multi-media (audio, video), documents, or electronic books
This activity has become a popular way for users to distribute music, games and video and today’s broadband speeds have helped to accelerate this activity. When this information is copyright protected this activity is illegal unless the provider owns the copyright permission to copy and distribute this digital work.
Currently legislating bodies developing ways to prevent this illegal activity and one aim is to ensure that everyone knows that this activity is illegal, why and what consequences they face if they do share files without copyright permission."

Visualisation brief
Visualise a peer-to-peer network of 5 or more locations, all linked to each other. Each location must consist of an environment/location within which is situated the 3D model provided (a laptop).
Feel free to elaborate each environment or location and think laterally about peer2peer networks (i-phone, mobile laptop etc) may work in the future.
Research every aspect of the subject both visual and information and think about the optimum way to get the information across (presume your audience is an alien)

Provide a 20 second advert that can be used to support a public information campaign, illustrating and explaining how a peer-to-peer works. A brief outline of your design thinking and evidence of your research will also be necessary.

Deconstructing real world environments - Roots Hall

2009-05-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

I made a little video showing my reference images, a small fly-through and the final images.

Here it is.

Deconstructing real world environments - Roots Hall

2009-05-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the final renders for this visualisation brief.

Roots Hall in all its glory!

Deconstructing real world environments - Roots Hall

2009-05-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a render that has more detail, one has been edited in photoshop.
Currently i still need to add in the seats and figure out a way to render it without is running out of memory.

Deconstructing real world environments - Roots Hall

2009-05-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some renders from the stadium so far, Ive made some textures like the advertising boards, but most textures still need to be added.

Deconstructing real world environments - Roots Hall

2009-05-20T11:58:00.001-07:00

A quick concept idea i did to give me an idea of how to go about creating the stadium. Although only very rough it did help solve a few early issues i had when planning.

Deconstructing real world environments - Roots Hall

2009-05-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

After looking at the brief i have decided to attempt to recreate Roots Hall Stadium, home of the mighty Southend United FC.

Here are some examples of the references shots taken...

Deconstructing real world environments

2009-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

We were given this brief just before easter, until a little while ago i hadn't really had a hard look at it.

"During the easter break you are to photography an exterior building from multiple angles with view to recreating it within 3D..."

"The objective will be to recreate the building/space in photorealisitc detail, matching lighting, perspective, textures etc.

Visualisation Project 2 - Final Flythroughs

2009-05-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my final fly-through, one is the edited version and the other the raw.

RAW

EDITED

Visualisation Project 2 - Final HD Images

2009-05-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Trenches are now finished, i had to edit it done quite a bit due to there not being enough memory to render, but i still think the correct feel is there to match the poem.

Visualisation Project 2 - A few more trench items

2009-04-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Some renders of a few more items modelled for my WW1 trench, including grenades, logs and barbwire.
The barbwire doesn't quite align correctly, so i may have to adjust it if it doesn't fit in my final scene.

Visualisation Project 2 - Building the environment cntd..

2009-04-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

A few more renders of my WW1 environment, this time with features such as sandbags added.
I am thinking that some of the trees and also the farmhouse should be edited to make it seem like it has been hit by a shell blast.

Visualisation Project 2 - Building the environment

2009-04-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am now starting to build my final environment. Uploaded are a few images so far, i still need to add in features such as sandbags, barbed wire etc..

I am still undecided whether to include fog or use the lighting to create the right atmosphere.

Flying the flag...

2009-04-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

Not sure if it will be suitable for my environment, but i have created a flying flag animation using the gravity and wind features in 3ds max.

Visualisation Project 2 - Concept Ideas

2009-04-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

During the walk through of my environment i plan to have several things happening. I plan to use particle flow to create things such as rain, shell explosions.
Using this feature i have been able to create a few explosions. However i am not sure as to the best way to texture these explosions (as can been seen in the videos below).
This is the type of style i am looking for.

My attempts...

A very poor attempt at texturing the explosion.

If anyone knows any way to texture this, or has any tutorials please let me know :)

Visualisation Project 2 - Concept Ideas

2009-04-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

I am currently experimenting with different height maps to create an environment similar to that of a WW1 trench.

I have uploaded a few concept ideas, these include a simple trench, and also creators, which will be used when creating 'no mans land'.
There is also an image of a few items i have created for the environment (sandbags, tress etc...)

Visualisation Project 2 - The Poem

2009-04-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

The poem i am thinking of using is called: Anthem for Doomed Youth by WILFRED OWEN.

"What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries for them; no prayers nor bells,
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, -
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds."

Visualisation Project 2

2009-04-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Design and visualise a virtual space based on one of the following:
1. An interior or exterior space described in a novel, play or poem
2. An industry that you think will benefit by using 3D visualisation
3. An imaginary virtual space that is designed by you.

For this project, i have decided that i will look at poetry from World War 1. Some of the poems written during this war were full of feeling and i believe that i will be able to use the poems to create a piece of works that emits the feeling of the chosen poet.

I will also look at any diary entries or quotations.
I am going to try and avoid researching this project too deeply, so i can use the poem to its full extent, making use of the descriptions within.

Bulwell - Final Draft

2009-04-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

The bulwell architects have now come in and seen every ones work, this has led to more changes to be made. They are also sending over some more visuals and plans with more detail...which would have been nice to have earlier, but better late than never!

I have nearly completed the section now, with only the material for the new railings needed, and also some touching up on the railings where sections join.

I have made a rough fly though to give everyone an idea of how its looking.

Bulwell - Second Draft

2009-04-02T09:46:00.001-07:00

With all the changes made its time for the architects to come in and view every ones work. Here are a few renders of what I'll be showing them.

Bulwell - First Draft

2009-04-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

here is the first draft of the walkway, without the canopies added.

The next image contains the first set of changes to be made. These are changes made by simon, so naturally i am expecting more changes once the architect have seen the file.

changes made...

Bulwell - First draft

2009-04-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ive uploaded the first draft of the walkways for the bulwell academy brief. These will obv have to have changed made once the simon and the architects have had a look.
Some of the elements were a little unclear on the plans so i had to guesstimate using the sketch visuals.

Bulwell Academy

2009-04-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Bulwell Academy Visualisation Project

The ‘live’ brief is to produce an animated flythrough sequence to be used by the academy as a promotional item in both DVD and web delivery format. The sequence/s will illustrate not only the site exterior layout but also at least 1 key interior space per block.

For this project, our group have been given the outer walkways, which includes any stairs, railings, supports etc...

More information about Bulwell can be found at www.bulwellacademy.co.uk

The New Briefs

2009-04-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Right, about time i uploaded the new briefs and started updating my blog with my work so far.

Here are the briefs for the time being..

Visualisation Project 2 - Design and visualise a virtual space based on one of the following:
1. An interior or exterior space described in a novel, play or poem
2. An industry that you think will benefit by using 3D visualisation
3. An imaginary virtual space that is designed by you.

Games Project 2 - To design, build and refine a playable Unreal based level.

Animation Project 2 - Design, build and animate at least 2 characters that would sit at the core of an animated character franchise.

Gona be another busy one!

more particle effects

2009-04-02T09:10:00.001-07:00

this time a simple tutorial to attempting to recreate the 'sky of arrows', similar to the scene in the movie '300'.

More particle flow water...using blobmesh

2009-01-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here is an attempt to create running water similar to that from a tap; again, this was made by playing around with particle flow, this time using the blobmesh setting. I put in a UDeflector on the plane to try and create a 'splash' like effect. Quite pleased with how it turned out.

Next step will be to try and add a puddle, or a bucket slowly filling...

water with particle flow

2009-01-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

here are a couple more videos of results with playing about with particle flow to make water, flowing water etc...

Simple rain

Quick, simple waterfall

more particle flow stuff...

2009-01-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

a nice effect with text, thought this could maybe used for an intro/credits of an animation etc...would be a little more interesting than flat 2d text.

Going to have a little play around to see what else i can make.

Testing the effects..

2009-01-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

just a little quick scene put together to test the recent particle flow effects ive made.

Not sure why, maybe it was the slowish computer but this was an absolute beast to render!

Particle flow tests

2009-01-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

Been having a play around with the particle flow features in 3ds max over the xmas holiday. Pretty cool stuff...i reckon you could make some interesting stuff with it. Heres some of the stuff ive made so far...

Fire Effect

Lightning type effect

Quick explosion test

Simple box explosion

The Virtual Set - Completed at last!

2008-12-30T11:31:00.001-08:00

Here it is! The final video of my virtual set. Had to make some small adjustments to early versions, like with my animation, as autodesk was running out of memory and rendering times were crazy.

I tried to make secondary objects simpler in a hope to reduce rendering times, but it didn't really make much difference.

Simply put this was an absolute 'mere to render!
Enjoy!

The Virtual Set - Completion

2008-12-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

At last my virtual set is complete. The rooms have been filled, and it is all ready for the walk through.

The board game

2008-12-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

Just so you all know i haven't forgotten about this project! Here is the final version of my board game. It is an American football based game where the players chose different types of plays, throw challenge flags, be penalized and be the first to collect the items available.

I would have liked to make the play calling a little more advanced, but im not sure how i could have done this and still made the game appealing to people who may not necessarily know the rules of football in and out.

The Virtual Set - A few items

2008-12-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

Now my set is pretty much complete, i have been working on creating small non essential items to place around the environment to help 'bring it to life'.

Still got issues....

2008-12-30T10:57:00.001-08:00

One idea to cut the rendering time is to take away most of the textures. If i keep the animation very simple, ie mainly white, not too many shadows etc.. i should hopefully be able to cut rendering times.

Here's is the intro idea done in this style. It could work, but we shall see..

Little Problems

2008-12-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

Right ive been playing about with different pieces for my board game animation, but have come up against some problems. Not huge problems, but ones that mean i am having to change the way in which i work. Firstly the characters i originally wanted to use are far too complicated. Autodesk seems to be running out of memory and rendering times when it does work are far too long.

Back to the drawing board ive gone, and i have made similar sort of pieces but this time they are alot more simple and should make rendering more simple.

Rendering is still an issue(this frame taking around 30secs), maybe its the pen and ink material??? i shall have a play around with it and try and figure out a way to reduce the time it takes to render.

The animated board game

2008-12-30T10:36:00.001-08:00

I knew the dice i made a while ago might come in handy. I have had a play around and made a small video of a dice roll. This might be a nice little intro into my board game animation.

The Virtual Set - The rooms

2008-12-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

Since most of the outer part of my set has been built. I made a rough room plan, to help when it came to erecting the rooms in 3ds max. I made this plan and then imported it into max on a plane as a guide.

From here i made all the rooms and corridors and am now ready to start creating items to place in and around the set.

The Virtual Set - Intro Draft

2008-12-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

Having completed part of my set, i am playing around with different camera movements, to see what works, what looks good etc..

Here is a rough movement i want for the intro to my walkthrough.

The Virtual Set - The exit

2008-12-30T10:24:00.001-08:00

Here are some images of the exit tunnel.

The Virtual Set - getting there...

2008-12-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

I seem to be getting into the building of my set, and as my first wall is completed the rest of the outside of the building shouldn't take to long to complete. I have been thinking about different entrances into the set, and have built to tunnels, one entering and one exiting the building.

This is where the player would start at finish.

These images are of the entrance tunnel

The Virtual Set - Taking shape

2008-12-30T10:11:00.001-08:00

The set has now got a wall! Its taken a long time to build but its slowly getting there.

its a marathon not a sprint!

The Virtual Set - the start

2008-12-30T09:51:00.000-08:00

I am sticking with the sci fi genre, and also with the in outer space theme, but i have decided not to use to the lava idea, im not really convinced about how it looks and how i would work it in. My aim now is to create an 'old, disused space centre' on a rocky, deserted planted.

I have completed more concept drawings, and have started to create my final environment on 3ds max.
It isn't much, but this is where i am so far

Pen and ink material

2008-12-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

I have started to have a play with the pen and ink feature in 3ds max. I had a little play with this last summer, but after finding the video below i have been thinking about how i could make my animation a little different by altering the way it looks.
It could work...but then again it could go tits up and go horrible wrong. Only time will tell i guess.

Here is the characters shown earlier but textured with pen and ink. I quite like the way it looks, but the rendering times seem to be quite long. This one frame taking just under 40seconds.

Youtube gems

2008-12-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

Came across this video while on bored on youtube. Really like how the animation looks. I may experiment with different materials, features to try and achieve something similar to use with my design ideas.

Character Concepts

2008-12-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

I have now started to work on ideas for the character's (pieces) for the board game. I have sketched several ideas out roughly, and have now moved onto 3ds max to try and create some decent looking characters. I tried to also use some of the methods learnt in previous seminars.

Here is an example of one of the better outcomes...

For these characters i have created a simple plastic type material. At the moment this is how the majority of my board game will be textured.

Animated Board Game

2008-12-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

After initial research of board games, i have decide that i want my board game to be similar to mousetrap. I want to keep it similar by having little traps, and obstacles that the player will have to avoid - such as big crushing hammers, rolling balls (similar to the scene from Indiana Jones) etc.. However my board game would be a simple race to the finish, with the pieces following along a path, rather than a square as in mousetrap.

I am also thinking of trying 2 incorporate to different levels, where if one player avoids an obstacle, the other player chances of doing the same are reduced.

Not the best example...

Concept Ideas

2008-12-29T10:21:00.001-08:00

Was thinking about where and how i could place my board game set in its environment. This idea would place the building on a rock/planet, surrounded by a lava type liquid.

This a quick video, of the basic idea up and running. Not sure that i like it, so i will have another think about the overall scene and what would/wouldn't work.

Close up shot of the lava 'moving'.

Concept Art

2008-12-29T09:22:00.001-08:00

Using the concept drawings, i moved onto 3ds max and used them to create some basic rooms, using sourced textures, and very simple shapes. These helped give me an idea of whether the room would work/fit in etc..

I also have started to play around with the lighting, seeing how using lighting in different ways helps to create different atmospheres.

Concept Drawings (i)

2008-12-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Using the genre specific research, i have quickly sketched out some concept ideas for rooms and buildings. I will continue to sketch out quick ideas as i research further, by doing this i will hopefully be able to create a better idea of how my virtual set will look like.

Themed Research

2008-12-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Since i have got my theme for my virtual set, a good place to start my next stage of research will be to look at films and games in the sci fi genre.

Looking at these films/games will hopefully give me more ideas and inspiration to create some concept drawings of items and architecture that fits in with the genre.

The main research points will be star wars, blade runner and also the game doom.

Virtual Set - The theme

2008-12-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

After looking at board games, i worked on deciding a theme, and setting for the visualization brief, creating a virtual set.

This is an example of one of the brainstorms i have made, during the research so far. This brainstorm shows ideas and options for my virtual set theme.

Research Begins....

2008-12-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

Becuase all of the projects, i have begin my research by looking into board games past and present.

I will look at all the elments, the gameplay, the rules and game play systems.
By looking at the different types of game, coming up with design ideas should be a little easier.

The new briefs

2008-11-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Though id put up the three creative briefs we have been given this term, so when i upload my research/design work you know what I'm talking about.

Kick ass not so very board game (a)
Design,build and animate a model of a complex and entertaining board game.

Kick ass not so very board game (b)
Design and model a virtual set suitable for a board game. Use your creative and inventive skills to produce a space that is imaginative, fun, exciting and reveals possibilities for various types of movement.

Board Game 101
To devise, design and refine an original Game System to be used in a Board game.

Looks like it will be a busy term...but hopefully a fun one!

Toy Train

2008-11-22T09:56:00.001-08:00

Model of a toy train..and then the model placed in a 'real-world' environment.

Boris making cutbacks on the underground... :S

Dice...???

2008-11-22T09:40:00.001-08:00

Little bit random..but i found a tutorial online for modeling some dice using the 'edit poly' mode. Also learnt how to create multi/sub object materials.

Mechanical Arm

2008-11-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Another seminar job..Learnt how to create and animate a simple mechanical arm using hierarchies and the schematic view.

Can see this method being helpful in the near future...hopefully il get the time to have a play around with it.

Bouncy Ball

2008-11-22T09:25:00.001-08:00

In the first seminar with andy this year we learnt how to make a bouncing ball look more realistic with the use of the curve editor in 3ds max.

Added some simple textures,just to bring it to life a little.

2nd Year

2008-11-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

Right, welcome to the 2nd year! Its been a while since Ive posted but thought id update everyone and post up some of the work I've been doing so far this year.

Firstly thought id stick up a few images of bits i did over the summer, not much but helped me keep in touch with 3ds max.

NFL Quiz

2008-05-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Just thought id upload my NFL quiz in case anyone wanted a little play.
It can be found at:
http://bdanb.deviantart.com/art/NFL-Interactive-Quiz-86771539

Final Box

2008-05-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

Took a little while to upload, my apologies.

Overall i am happy with my box, i feel that unlike my last project it has more direct links to me. Because i found using flash very hard i had to keep the codes and actions relatively simple, however i believe the box is simple yet effective.
You can see the box here:
http://bdanb.deviantart.com/art/Interative-box-86768852

change is good...

2008-05-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

The original background to my interactive box was a simple edited jpg...

...after user questionnaires, i created a 3d background to improve to overall look of my interactive box. I tried to keep the layout as close as possible to keep the authenticity of the map. Although a simple change i feel that it will appeal to the user a little more.

Flash interactive research

2008-05-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

With the outcome of my last identity project - the second self, i felt that my research for the interactive box needed to be more personal to me. To do this i thought about things directly linked to me, items and places that have an obvious connection; items such as family, friends, my home, hobbies etc...

Obviously all of these items could not be included within the flash so i tried to think a way around it, including as many obvious items as i could within the flash box. Items such as the background being an underground map, being from London this map obviously relates to me and i feel that by having a background like this the user could make good assumptions about me and my background without me telling them directly.
With the use of user questionnaires i was able to add and evolve elements to make the box more user friendly and also more aesthetically pleasing.

The Interactive Box/showcase

2008-04-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

"The aim of this project is to explore how interactive design can be used to reflect yourself and professional identity. You will be required to design and create an online box/showcase that contains 5 different interactive “objects” that collectively tells a story about who you are. The flash site must be published on an HTML page."

My initial ideas on this are a little sketchy, im not quite sure what to do for the best and what exactly is required, a few surgery session will be needed me thinks. My initial ideas include making a timeline interactive where as the timeline moves the animations and visual elements evolve and grow into more complicated exciting features. So as the timeline shows me growing as a person the interactivity and complexity of it grows too. I think that for this i will have to think about the best way to show the 'growing' of my box.
I will try and sketch some initial frames out first to help me imagine how it will play out.

will keep you posted!

Flash websites..

2008-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

We were asked to go on the internet and find some nice, fun, easy to use etc..websites that were built in flash, or included flash in some way.

http://www.walkmankomiks.pl

Although this website isn't in english i still think that the interactivity in it is great. It has good intro pages and also little animations when the pages are loading. this helps them to keep your attention throughout, even when you are having to wait for pages to load. There is also interactity when you click on the different options, with a little animation appearing when you hover the mouse over the option.

http://dev.rambofilm.com/site.html

You may not like the film, but you gotta love this website! With nice atmospheric adding animations and as the same as above nice animations when waiting for pages to laod. Not sure if its just my connection but the pages did seem to take a while to load.
It is nice to see that the creators have put a small sentence on how to use the website, if you visit you can see how users may become confused. One thing i really like is when you scroll along with the mouse, the faster you go - the faster the screen goes.

http://www.kungfupanda.com/

another film website. This one however tool less to load than the rambo site. Really great intro to the site. Again like the rambo site you scroll along, although with this one there are a lot more options to click on, all in various places around the site, which i think adds perspective to the site. Nice....

Project 2...The quiz

2008-04-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Right, all focus is now on part 2 of the brief, creating an interactive flash movie./quiz.

The first task in this was to create a simple flash quiz with 3 questions, then a score at the end.

I found this task pretty hard to begin with, this was due to errors with the scripts. It seemed that whenever i had one frame done, another would screw up.
after a while of playing, adding and experiemting i finally cracked it. I found that it was alot easier when i knew what i was doing with the codes...funny that.

Because of this i was able to add a video entrance, with a button to skip it, and also an option to restart the quiz.

Project 1: The Second Self Evaluation

2008-03-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

Research, design and produce a personal identity package

The idea of this part of the project was to create an avatar which represented me. An environment to stage the animation was also required.
To begin this project we began with seminars introducing us to 3ds max, although at the start I found the program very complicated and confusing I found that the more that I played around the better and more confident I became. I did however miss a couple of the seminars, although I was able to catch up by communication with friends and also the worksheets on the vlp. I feel I managed to keep up with the progress of the teaching however contact with a tutor while I was learning would have helped greatly and possibly made making my avatar a lot quicker.

To start this project I began to research what identity was, what it meant to people and how it was perceived by different people. I believe that this research helped me start this project with good basic ground knowledge of identity and alter ego’s.
Another helpful bit of research was the worksheets on character design on the vlp. Reading these helped when I began to sketch out character ideas.

When drawing I tried to vary my characters as much as possible to give me a wider spectrum to choose from when generating my final character. I am happy with my sketches as I feel they gave me a good starting base, however more sketches could have made designing the character even better. This however would have taken more time and left me with less for the actual animation.

I chose the robot, purely because I like mechanics and sci-fi type character design. To link it to me, its personality would be similar to mine, such as its fears, reactions etc…
Overall I am very happy with how my avatar looks, I added the chrome material and other reflective metal look to add reflectiveness to the character. I am especially pleased with the wheel of my character. This was meant to look like a motorbike wheel, a passion of mine, I believe I was able to create the look that I wanted to achieve.
I feel though that with a little more time I could have made more features on my robot (mobot – motorbikerobot). This however would have increased rendering time further, and 10 minuets per frame is a little to much!

The environment was created to be similar looking to that of a game, such as CO4, GTA etc… The background relates to me due to the fact it is a city, like where I am from (london). Also in the map there is a dark room, in which hides on of my fears – spiders – although not always scared of them, while at uni I have woken up on countless times to find one walking on my face or pillow – very disturbing at 4 in the morning!
I feel that with the lighting in place I was able to create the right atmospheric mood I wanted.

All in all I am very happy with how my avatar turned out, although I spend a near 15 hours building the character alone, I feel that it was worth it in the end. This also applies to the ridiculous rendering time. In future I would like to plan my time out better, and perhaps use more than one computer when rendering.
I feel that my character represents me, although not in a immediately obvious way, I think that I would have to expand and add things to my avatar / environment so as it reflects more of me.
I am very pleased with how I feel when working in Autodesk 3ds max, and also the results it is possible to achieve. Can’t wait till I can get back on it again!

Character Images Final

2008-03-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

Final Character Images.

Final Animation

2008-03-11T07:12:00.001-07:00

My complete final animation, uploaded to youtube.

The Fear
Starring Mobot

one problem i had was the rendering times, each camera seemed to take over an hour for a few seconds of footage. I like the overall look, however in parts i could have taken a little more time.

Draft Animation

2008-03-11T07:11:00.001-07:00

a draft animation, with final character in final enviroment, i made this to check wether the animations and links all worked. They did thankfully, after a little tweaking ;)

Final Enviroment image

2008-03-11T07:09:00.002-07:00

This is a screen taken from a view from my final enviroment, with my final character imported into it.

more enviroment work

2008-03-11T07:08:00.001-07:00

more enviroment work...