Week 8: Texturing & Creating Scenery

England

The texture I used for England was a high resolution image of the United Kingdom. A bump map was also added to make the image look more realistic.



Baker Rifle

The Baker Rifle texture was made by adding a UVW Map modifier to each object. The gizmos were then changed to either box or cylinder.
A number of different wood, metal and brass texture were then used to make the rifle look as real as possible.



Spitfire

The Spitfire texture was made using a UVW Unwrap modifier. I added a chequer texture to the Spitfire to see where the stretching was.


I Then started to stitch the Spitfire together in the Unwrap modifier.



I then rendered the UVW Unwrap as a template and used it in Adobe Photoshop to create a seamless Spitfire texture.


I then created a fast moving propeller texture which I added to the circular plane.


I then used a light blue colour for the Spitfire nosecone and a transparent grey material for the cockpit glass.
Finally, I added the UVW Unwrap template as a bump map to make it look like the Spitfire is made of metal plates.
This completed the texturing for my Spitfire.



Roller Coaster

The Roller Coaster texture was made by adding a UVW Map modifier to each object. The gizmos were then changed to either box or cylinder.
I used High resolution metallic pink and yellow images for the track and car.



Elephant

The Elephant texture was made using a UVW Unwrap modifier. I added a chequer texture to the elephant to see where the stretching was.


I Then started to stitch the elephant together in the Unwrap modifier.



I then rendered the UVW Unwrap as a template and used it in Adobe Photoshop to create a seamless elephant texture.


I then Found a Tusk texture which I added to the tusks with a cylindrical UVW Map.


I then added an ivory texture with a UVW Map modifier to the elephant nails.
This completed the texturing for my Elephant.



Train

The train texture was made by adding a UVW Map modifier to each object. The gizmos were then changed to either box or cylinder.
I used a red, gold and a number of different black metallic textures to make the train look realistic.



Colchester Castle

The Colchester Castle texture was made by adding a UVW Map modifier to each object. The gizmos were then changed to either box or cylinder.
I used a seamless sand brick texture for the walls and a seamless terracotta tile texture for the rood. I then used a number of different wood texture for the windows, door and bridge. Finishing the model with a transparent grey texture for the window glass.



Signs

The sign textures were made by adding a UVW Map modifier to each object. The gizmos were then changed to boxes.
I used a number of wood textures for the frame and legs then an individual logo for the sign.



Billboards

The billboard textures were made by adding a UVW Map modifier to each object. The gizmos were then changed to boxes.
I used a number of wood textures for the frame and legs then an individual image for the billboard.



3D Essex

I added the Visit Essex logo to the box with a UVW Map modifier.


I then used a material colour that was the same purple and added it to the 3D Essex model.



Scenery Creation

To created the scene where the animation would happen I made a huge plane with lots of width and length sections


I then added a seamless grass texture to the plane and with a UVW map set the texture at 30 by 30. After turning the plane to an editable poly I used soft selection to create hills. I then used a noise modifier to make the plane uneven and natural.


I then created a box, turned it to an editable poly and extruded and rotated the box to form the road. I then added a UVW Map modifier with a seamless tarmac texture. I created a box which was textured white and duplicated it numerous times to form the road lines.
The road was then lowered into the ground.


For the sky I added a light blue to darker blue gradient to the render background.

Week 9: Animation

Scene One

Scene One was very simple to animate. All that was needed was for the camera to dolly inwards towards to plane. The effects and clouds would be added later to make the scene look as though it was moving towards and through clouds.



Scene Two

Scene two was very complicated to rig and animate due to the face that nearly all the animation would take place here. In order to make it easier on myself I decided to build the scene up in layers, starting with the camera movement and ending with individual animations.

Camera

The camera movement of this scene started in the air. This was to blend in with the end of scene one emerging from the clouds.
The camera then moves towards the ground and the levels out on the road. The camera then follows the winding road until the road goes straight and the camera slows to a stop. The scene transition would happen before the camera stops in the final render.



Attractions Appearing

The next stage of animation was to add all the models to the scene. All the models, apart from the welcome sign start under the ground. Each individual attraction component then jumps up just before the camera turns on to it. The attraction then drops back below the ground after the camera has passed.
This is done at different points for each attraction model on the timeline.



Baker Rifle Animation

The animation for the baker rifle starts with the hammer rotating around the joint backwards. The trigger is then rotated backwards to make it look as if it has been pulled.


The hammer then rotates fast forwards. When it comes into contact with the flint pan, the flint pan then rotates forward to make it look as though the flint is pushing it as it is struck. The final stage is then to rotate the whole gun backwards and forwards to simulate kickback.


To make the gun shot look more realistic I added a ‘Super Spray’ with a smoke material added. This flows from the barrel and the flint at different points to make it look as though the gunpowder has ignited.



Spitfire

The Spitfire animation starts as the model angled down flying towards the ground. The Spitfire then banks sharply and flies off into the sky.
Volumetric Clouds will be added to make the Spitfire look as though it is flying through them.



Roller Coaster Car

The roller coaster car starts at the top of the track. The car is then rotated and moved down the track in sections.


This process was quite complicated because not only was the roller coaster car moved in the X, Y, Z axis. It was also rolled in those different axis. Numerous key frames were set at different point to make it look as though it was travelling down the track.



Elephant

A biped was added to the scene and positioned in the head of the elephant. A 9 piece tail was then created and placed in the trunk while the arms were placed in the ear. I then created a skin modifier and weighted the trunk to the tail and the ears to the arms. I was able to save time weighting the elephant this way because I knew the elephant would not be walking.


I then set key frames curving the trunk upwards and the ears backwards and forewords as the camera moved onto the elephant.


I finally moved the trunk and ears back to their original position as the camera started to turn the next corner.



Train

For the train I created another ‘Super Spray’ with a smoke material added. I set this producing smoke before the camera turned the corner so it looked like the train had been producing smoke for a while.



Scene Three

The final scene saw the Spitfire flying in from the left and leaving the right. While this happend the Spitfire does some barrel roles.

Week 10: Finishing Touches

Lighting

I created a target spotlight high up above the scene and had it only illuminating the ground. This was so the edges of the ground were not in shadow.


I then created an Omni light lower down and turned on the shadows. This would be the main source of lighting for the models in my scene.


Finally, wherever a model was in shadow when the camera went by, I added an Omni light and tweaked the illumination strength. This ensured all of the models looked their best in the camera.



Scene Dressing

In order to make the scene look more natural I decided to add elements that you do not overtly notice. However, if they were not there the scene would look bare.

I added trees at specific points around the scene, re-seeding and scaling each new oak tree to make them look different. I put some scaled down oaks on the edges of the scene to give the scene some depth of field.


I also added some volumetric clouds at different points around scene 1 and scene 2. This was done by creating sphere gizmos and adding a for effect.
I took some extra time positioning the clouds where the camera dollies down to the ground and there the Spitfire flies off into the distance.
These extra effects really help make the scene.




Scene Completion

After I added these finishing touched to the scene I was ready to render my scenes.
I rendered my scene in 1280 x 720 resolution at 30fps. I rendered as an uncompressed AVI.


Edit & Final Render

Once the three scenes were rendered I imported them into Adobe Premiere Pro. I then pieced the scenes together with some dissolve to white effects.
The dissolve to white effects were perfect for my animation transitions. This was because for the scene 1 to scene 2 transition, it made the animation look like it was going through thick cloud. As the background in scene 3 was white, the transition made it look like scene 2 disappeared and the components in scene 3 took their place.

Once the video was edited together I then added the sound.
I wrote a commentary to be played along with the scene and added the files to the timeline, editing the length and position until it was in time.
I then added the sound effects, cropping and editing the sound where it was needed.
Finally, I added the music I had chosen to the background.


I was happy with the final edit so now it was time for my final render.
Using the information on Richards blog. I chose to render my video in F4V HD 720p. I found this created a good quality video with a reasonably file size.


This completed the process for the created of my animation. All that is left it to present it to the other groups and Elli.

Week 11: Presentation

On December 8th 2010 I presented my Visit Essex animation to the other groups, Richard Barnes, Jo Bowman and Ellie Constantatou. After all the animations were shown, each group received feedback from Richard Barnes, Jo Bowman and Elli Constantatou.

Before I played my animation I informed everyone on how I wanted to create a more traditional advertisement that was fast paced and flowed smoothly, featuring the best all year round family activities to be found in Essex.

I am really happy with how my presentation and animation went. I was even more pleased with the feedback i received. There were no negative criticisms and Elli was very happy with the animation I had produced.

Thoughts, Opinions & Conclusions

Realisation

I am happy with the art style I opted for. I believe that having realistic models with a slightly embellished 'cartoony' colour palate created a warm, friendly look to the scene. I was happy to try this art style as, until this assignment, all my previous assignments have been as photorealistic as I could possibly make them.
I feel that the camera following the road to reveal a new attraction after each corner worked well. I believe this made the animation flow well and kept the pacing at a good speed.
I am very happy with how the camera looked as if it was zooming through the clouds into Essex. By using a 'fade to white' in Premiere Pro, I was able to create an
almost seamless transaction between scene 1 and scene 2.
I feel the sound effects really lends itself to the animation and the voice-over create the feeling of an informative television advert. The music suited the animation and worked well as background music, not taking focus from the sound effects or voice-over.

Difficulties

Some areas of the modelling and animation I had difficulties with were creating a smooth, consistent movement path for the camera as it wound its way around the road.
I also had problems with making a long road texture. To solve this problem I used a seamless tarmac texture and separately modelled the road line which were added to the road at the end.

What I Would Change

There are a number of things I would have changed in the animation given the time.
I would change how the road sits on the ground. I modelled the road from a box but it could not sit level with the ground because the noise modifier on the ground would stick up through the road. I would have taken the vertices on the ground that poked through the road and moved it down but I did not have the time.
I would have liked to change the smoothness of the camera movement around the road to a consistent speed, slowing down on corners. I couldn't do this because it was the first thing I animated and all the other models were animated around this. Changing the camera animation would mean I would have to edit all the other animations and I did not have time for this.
For the ground I used a seamless grass texture. Given the time I would have liked to make a big ground texture myself that was less obviously tiled.
Finally, I would have liked to change the music. Although I feel the music suits the animation, I think that there are more appropriate pieces of music that could have accompanied the scene.

New Skills & Techniques

For two models in the animation I used a very common technique which I call 'selective modelling'. This entails only modelling and texturing parts of the model that will be seen by the camera. I first became aware of this technique when watching the Director's Commentary on Disney Pixar's Up. There is a seen where you see a crowd of people with hats on from behind that laugh. In this scene, only the hats were modelled and animated because you did not see any part of a human.
I found this technique invaluable as It saved me a few hours which were needed as I did this assignment on my own.
I learnt how to make smoke which will come in use for animations I do in the future. Adding realistic smoke is an easy way to make an animation scene seem that much more plausible/realistic.
I also learnt how to make realistic volumetric clouds. This again is an easy way to make an animation scene seem that much more plausible/realistic.
Finally, I learnt how to effectively time manage. Because I created this animation on my own, my work load was a lot more than other peoples. This means I had to schedule and plan each part of my animation.

Conclusion

In conclusion I am very happy with the final animation I have produced. I believe it is engaging and a suitable length to keep the viewers attention.
The family activity theme I had in mind has been realised with help from the voice-over and the animation showcases a good number of the best family attractions Essex has to offer.
I am also pleased with the reaction and opinions received from other students, my lecturers and Ms Ellie Constantatou. This makes me feel that the vision I had in my head was realised appropriately.

I feel that working on my own, although limiting on objective opinions and other ideas, was the best course of action I could have taken. From the beginning of the assignment I had a vision and was able to work to make my ideas come to fruition.