Animating

Animating has never been my strength, I always enjoyed it but it can be very tedious and a lengthy process, especially with the amount of animating I had to do and as much of an amateur as I am at the process. So I decided that I could and would use a combination of mixamo animation with my own, and blend them together to create the animations I needed. I wont be able to use mixamo for the entire process but it’ll certainly save me time in the long run, I just have to hope that I can blend the animations together without any hiccups on Cinema 4D (which I’m totally unfamiliar with).

Cinema 4D

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So I had to get a little familiar with Cinema 4D first but thankfully it didn’t take me that long, it is quite similar to all the other computer graphics softwares so I had a fair idea of what I was doing.

When importing the separate animations into Cinema 4D I learned that it was important first of all to begin with a TPose, Unfortunately I learned that the hard way when I didn’t think it would be necessary but instead my animation would glitch out uncontrollably. It important as well that I chose animations that I thought would run together quite seamlessly, sometimes when legs and arms and posture are in different positions the the model can jolt about and look quite robotic, and the characters limbs would slide about. It was also important for me to keep this in mind when I was Animating my own parts, I would regularly use the pose from the last frame of the animation to blend in to my own. I’d simply export it as a game exporter file and import it into C4D.

After importing each animation separately and grouping them together, you simply add them to the timeline as you can see above and drag them on in the right order. Afterwards using the 3D viewport you sync the animations up as seamlessly as you can, it can be tricky at times and tedious but overall it saved me a lot of time. I was able to complete all my animations in about 2 and half weeks, which I believe is at least a 3rd of the time it would have taken me to animate key every frame myself in maya.

I’m currently still on track and can continue on now to modelling the environments in Unreal Engine, it gives me a bit of extra time to familiarise myself with Unreal as well.

Below is some of the animations as examples, I just included a few, rather than all of them.

After Feedback

Thankfully there wasn’t much improvements or corrections I had to do at all, Henry and Gerard only had 2. During the fight scene Henry suggested that I have the boy taunt the soldier and throw something at him so I added that in. Gerard suggested that at the end when the soldier is walking out onto the porch that he lean on the frame so I included that as well.

Showreel Research

As I’ve learned it important to tailor your showreel to the job that you are applying for, but as an aspiring 3D Artist and someone who will be looking to 3D Artist/Sculpting/Modelling jobs as much as I can I thought it would be best to, in the mean time, tailor my showreel quite specifically to 3D Models. Evidently the showreels I looked at were 3D Modellers, CGBros and CGMeetUp had great and professional showreels that not only presented beautiful and impressive work but also creative, interesting and frankly better ways to show off their work. Turntables are good, they’re traditional and theres nothing wrong with them but there’s also nothing wrong with having interesting and original methods of exhibiting your work. Your showreel is incredibly important and its and I thought that I could be creative with mine, you certainly want to show off your work as best as possible so I think I’ll apply some of the techniques I’ve seen in my research to my own showreel.

Online Portfolio

ArtStation

For my online portfolio I chose to use Art Station. Its a popular choice for most artists, its a good way to stay connected to other artists and people in the industry as well as a being an accessible and uncomplicated way to upload your art and view other artists work. It seemed like the best choice and its also been mentioned and recommended by most of the guest lecturers who have came in to speak to the class. The majority of people in the industry have an ArtStation account and its a convenient way for them to see your work or for an opportunity for me to show them.

As an aspiring 3D artist its important that I keep my portfolio specific to that. Its clear and uncomplicated, and potential employers, companies and other artists can see what I specialise and am interested in.

Portfolio Research

I did some research of how some of my favourite 3D Artists organise their online portfolios. An insight into how the more professional do it and what they include in their posts, the breakdowns, what videos might they include, and how they overall structure their posts.

Some of the artists I looked at were:

https://www.artstation.com/julienkaspar

https://www.artstation.com/gabrielsoaresz

https://www.artstation.com/brandonlawless

https://www.artstation.com/jamie-leelloyd

I looked at a mixture of stylised and realistic digital artists, as well as artists who sculpt people, environments and props, just to see how they displayed their models and how I could adopt some of the same techniques and at least keep in mind what the finish render would and should look like for my next processes after I graduate and continue to expand my portfolio.

SketchFab

I also created a sketchfab account as a more interactive portfolio, so one could get a better look at my models, the wire frame, etc. Its a better way especially for potential employers to get a good look at my models, its means I can present them my best work and its easier to keep a clean and accessible online portfolio of my work. Rather than staring at a picture or scrubbing through a showreel they can look in greater detail at my work.

The only downside if that I can only upload one model a month, so I’ll have to upgrade to a monthly subscription, it could be a good investment or I could ultimately find a better, cheaper, perhaps free, alternative.

Animation Planning

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I created a scene by scene breakdown of what needs animated, the camera, the length of the scene and how many frames each is. Just like before I’ll simply keep track and mark off what it completed, a WIP and what is pending. Its been a good way for me to keep track of my progress and so I’m sure it’ll be convenient for animating as well.

Modelling & Texturing Props

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I modelled some props that I wanted to have on the porch of the cabin and around it in the environment, just to make it a little more interesting and give the environment and the cabin more of a personality and “lived-in-ness”. Just simple, rather low poly models that I could add more detail to in substance.

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With Substance I’m always able to get some really nice results. I just baked the meshes, applied a simple wooden smart material, some layers of dirt etc and using the paint layers I attentively painted in some personality to the props, dirt and scuff marks where there would be. I also used some Alphas and playing about with the height was able to create some chips, scratches and carvings into the wood. Also using the Alphas I marked some graffiti and doodles onto the chair and stool, to give it a little something extra. It reminded me of the chairs in school, I just thought it added more realism to it.

Texturing AK_47

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Similarly with the AK I added the appropriate textures to the gun, the aged steel and wood and then on-top of that added some wear and tear to the edges and a little but of rust at the top and bottom where I believed some rust would accumulate. I added some bloody finger prints and dirt as well just to make it look more like it belonged to somebody, like it had been used and definitely has some stories. It simply makes it more interesting to the audience. I figured the rebel militias wouldn’t be getting brand spanking new weapons sent to them from anywhere really, so they would all be old and a little damaged.

Texturing Cabin

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Again for the Cabin I just did the same thing, adding scratches and carvings on the posts and the door frames, adding blood on the porch and dirt, muddy footprints and wear and tear on the edges of the wood. It just gives it more of a realistic, authentic look to the model and again adds depth to it, a story to it, a past that the audience didn’t witness, wear did the blood come from? How longs the cabin been there? Who lives in it etc. Like I said before, textures can evoke a depth and provocation to a model, an extra bit of information, history and narrative.

Texturing The Boy

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Similar to the other characters I textured I wanted to keep in theme with the old donated, hand me down clothes prevailing in the Congo, especially amongst the displaced and vagabond child soldiers abducted into these militias. Although its all very sombre, I can still have creative freedom and expression in my Art and so decided to continue with the theme of the 90s clothing, really not as unbelievable as one might think anyway. So I continued my 90s aesthetic sports attire research and came across a few t shirts I thought could work well and were still rather appropriate, which is something I’m always mindful of; “Is this choice appropriate?”.

I wasn’t able to find the Adidas team logo or conveniently trace over any image of it on a t shirt because it was usually folded and distorted so I sketched out the logo on Photoshop as an Alpha for Substance. I did the same with the blue Adidas logo. I also stamped the moderately well known “Punk is not ded” from Persepolis, one of my favourite “mature themed animations” as a homage to an inspiration of mine and another example of an animation that tackles more serious themes.

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Still from ‘Persepolis (2007)’

Business Card Designs

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I tried some redesigns of the business cards, I looked at some examples of 3D artist business cards online to get an idea of what the most appropriate direction to go in would be. A lot of the cards I saw were quite simplistic. I thought it important to include my initials and I quite like the simplicity of the the designs I’m going for, I think its less obnoxious as a card and a little more curious which could prompt a potential employer to look at the card.

I considered using a 3D model on the card but I’ve recognised that thats perhaps a little too over done and I’ve no models in my portfolio just yet that I would be decided on putting on my card. A consideration for the future however.

I’m going to continue after graduation to work on the business cards and see if there’s a better design I can come up with, something more interesting, unique and particular to me.

Texturing Main Character

With the main character I knew exactly how I wanted him to look. Although the clothes aren’t considerably interesting, it keeps to the authenticity of the realistic aesthetic I’m going for. Using references from Rebel Militia leaders, Sgt. and Commandments I combined the realism and the reoccurring motifs of the uniforms with the concepts I had in my head and had already sketched out.

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  Texture_Maps

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Because of the lack of close ups of the main character and and the obscuring shadows I wasn’t concerned with the smaller more, particular details. I did however add in some personality to the clothes, like dirt, small blood stains, splashes of dirt and dirty water etc. It gives the character more personality, makes the audience wonder what the character has been doing, who he is, where he’s been and what has happened to him, it adds more authenticity and it makes it just that little more real for the audience. Seems strange that dirt on the bottom of his green cargo’s and the blood on his boots would evoke such thought provocation, but it helps add layers to the characters, and shows that as an artist and a texture artist have considered who my character is and what he might have done, it shows I’m invested in my characters. How can I expect my audience to be invested in my characters and my world if I’m not?

Particularity with the cargo trousers I played around with different layers of detail, like the intensity of the folds and creases in particular and the fibres of the material. I’ve 2 separate files so that I can do lighting tests and see what one works better in the lit environment in unreal engine.

Texturing Background Character

Reference Images

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Above are some references images of Rebel Militia Soldiers in Africa. As you can see the children particularly aren’t wearing a full uniform, the full camo and the jackets etc are reserved for leaders and Commandments. So usually the children and the newly kidnapped or inducted members of the Militia wear hand-me-down t shirts, vests, shirts etc, or clothes that they have stolen from villages or dead bodies.

Substance Painter

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As usual the first one textured is the background character. I wanted the commandment character in my animation to stand out as more powerful than the background characters as I’ve stated time again and clothes are another good way in this case to establish rank or prestige. So for the background characters I dressed them in casual retro sports attire with camo cargo’s. There was no particular reason for the choice of torso attire, I just liked the design and thought after looking at a lot retro and old school athletic apparel online, I thought the design looked well and was interesting but not too obnoxious.

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Because they’re background characters I didn’t worry about having to model another character. The plan was to give one a bandanna and then have each wear different clothes. I can remove the bandanna on the other in Maya before I animate. For the second character because it was quite common in the footage, documentaries and photographs I saw, I decided to have the soldier clothed in a football jersey. I made it an Henry jersey to keep in theme with the old clothes even though you almost certainly won’t see the back of the character, I can use it for online portfolios or show-reels. I made it an Arsenal jersey just a homage to my late grandfather.

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I also tried some variation of colours etc and wrestling with the idea to just keep it simple but I thought most of the colours like the blues, turquoises, purples, greens etc clashed with the colours of the skies and environments. This is also the reason I avoided the use of Oranges, Pinks and Yellows as well.