First Attempts at Modeling a Turtle

 I liked the stance on one of the sketches I drew so i thought i would try and model it in 3ds max, Here are the results:

 


So, it didn't work out perfectly but I think I got the stance pretty accurate. The things i need to work on most I think are making the shapes smoother and less blocky and working more on the details in the skin and shell, so that it looks more realistic and less simplistic. i also need to model more of the body from one block, instead f from separate pieces  otherwise, when smoothed, it pulls the planes apart as you can see, leaving gaps in the skin.

(Edit, I have since learned that I was supposed to model the characters in a 'T' position or it makes it very difficult to animate, so I will have to start over anyway)

Animation Choices and Some Art

So I decided to chose the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which I will be rebooting in the style of The Lost Thing.

My reasons for choosing the Ninja Turtles are that it is the option I was best acquainted with, having grown up watching it, whereas I wasn't as knowledgeable on Paddington Bear or Rhubarb and Custard. I also felt that there was more versatility as they were more humanoid characters and so would be easier to model and animate, as well as being better at gesturing or expressing emotion, which is a direction I wanted to go in.

My reasons for choosing the lost thing were that the textures were closer to the sort of textures I would be likely to use anyway, and I also liked the whole look and feel of the piece. I liked the fact that on the surface it could appear as just a sweet simple story, but it also had a deeper meaning about growing up and losing your imagination and creativity as you get older, and about how things change over time. This was a feel I defiantly wanted to use in my animation.

Here are a couple of sketches I've Been Working on.

VE Project 2

We started a new project, to reboot a children's TV series using inspiration from an existing animation. this was the brief:

Title:

In the style of

Task:

Re launch a children’s TV programme

Pick from: Paddington bear, Roobarb and Custard or the teenage mutant ninja turtles.

And re-boot them in one of the following visual styles:

Lost and found from studio AKA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaGTYl0hZQw

The Lost Thing from Passion Pictures Australia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kikA9pUAnWs

Varmints from Studio AKA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJQ4RTo6hRg

Produce a 1 minute promotional trailer for this rebooted franchise.

Objectives:
Understanding and interpreting visual style is massively important as is character and scenic design. Autodesk’s 3ds max and Maya are merely tools, understanding how to push them in specific visual directions allows you to produce added value in your creative enterprises.

This project encourages you to develop a broader understating of the 3d development pipeline and how to use it creatively.

My Final Animation

After 6 weeks of hard work, I've finally finished my animation, Steampunk Chess Robot.
P.S. When watching the video, don't forget to change the quality settings using the 'cog' button, or it looks terrible, being automatically at lowest quality.

Some Rendered Images

These may not be my final rendered .PNGs , I haven't decided yet, and may change them as I animate.

Yes, there are five and there are meant to be four, I couldn't decide which to get rid of.
Yes, some of them are .jpg's, Blogger had an issue with some of the .png files and refused to upload them.

 

Furnace Guy and Interior Environments

 Some images of my other character 'Furnace Guy' a stationary furnace, in his room in the factory, including the chess board and pieces  all fully textured and bump mapped.

These images are of the entrance room in the factory, rows of dusty bookshelves creating a darkened corridor leading into the building. lit from the front by the outside moonlight shining through the windows and from behind by a single yellowed light bulb.

Bonus image of the outside again, as I decided to change it slightly since the last post, I placed a statue in the village square and added a sky box  for more dynamic shots of the surroundings and a better sense of scale for the character. The only thing missing in this shot is the rain, but as I have said previously, I plan to add that in After Effects, for quicker rendering.

Texture Model and First Images of Environment

So I finished texturing and adding final touches to my Robot Birdie, including glowing eyes and steam effects. His fingers are now also fully rigged along with his arms and legs, so he's all but ready to animate.

I've also finished the environment for my first couple of scenes, fully texture, bump mapped and lit, the only thing left to add is the rain, but most of that sort of thing will be done in After Effects.

I have one more environment and another character to create after these, then I will be able to start animating.

Robot Birdie Model

Almost finished modeling Robot Birdie, just need to rig the fingers and toes, and texture him up, then onto the environment.

I did make a few changes from the original design, for example, I changed the position of the arm, so that he could more effectively manipulate the chess peices. I also made his body more boxy to create a more mechanical feel and added a furnace in his chest for extra lighting and interest.

Environment Artwork

An idea I had for my external environment.
A deserted, cobblestone, Victorian street on a stormy night.
Light sources: cold blueish light from the moon/sky, Yellowed flickering light from the streetlamps.
Occasionally the whole scene is lit by a flash of lightening.

Steampunk Robot Artwork

Painting I did of how my chess playing robot should hopefully turn out :)
May upload more developmental work at a later date