Cube world project

 

Initial research

I have started my project by using websites such as art station and Pinterest to research some possible concepts that I might consider taking on board for my cube world project. When I began looking through I was really inspired by the final fantasy xv type environments as this type of thing is not something that I usually draw, therefore I thought this would be a good starting point in order to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I began collecting images onto a photoshop document which reflected a sort of light imperialistic atmosphere. My idea then progressed onto artists use of turrets and levels as I thought his would be something that I could apply to the cube world element as layering is something that I think would lend itself well to the highly 3D perspectives. I also loved the religious look to a lot of these refence image, it has inspired me to add an aspect of religion to my cube world in some way. Lots of these pieces of architecture reminded me a lot of Venice or Greek buildings and colour pallets, this is something I would like to incorporate into my own work.

Research developments

I have then gone on to picking out a few of my favourite reference images from my initial research and briefly annotated them to give me an idea of some of the qualities that these pieces have that I might want to incorporate into my own ideas and concepts. From doing this I have further refined my ideas to a more specific concept and colour pallet. I really liked the idea of having 2 contrasting environments therefore I have included some images of doom like scenes covered in lava. I find the idea of water vs lava to be something that I could possibly include as the clashing colour pallets do create a sense of chaos and destruction in the atmosphere. As I previously mentioned the environments from Final Fantasy XV have been something that have very much inspired me and would be a totally new style of working for me to be able to push myself with. I liked the level of 3 dimension that I could create with archways and bridges, therefore I will try and draw some concepts with this in mind as a focal point. As for the colour pallet I liked the cooler tones of blue for bodies of water mixed with harsh tones of orange to be something I might bring forward into my concepts. 

-For this project I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and make something which combined elements which I found interesting personally and those which I am not so familiar with.-

-To progress I would like to further refine my ideas and possibly analyse an environment to really focus down on the elements I like and why I like them so I can go about drawing some of my own concepts.

Analysis

I decided that in order for me to grasp a real understanding of the ideas that I wanted to take forward that It would be a good step in my development to briefly annotate this digital piece from Final Fantasy XV. I have picked out some of the main features of the image that really drew me in. From this I have refined my ideas further and chosen some key elements that I would like to play around with in my next steps of creating some brief ideas.

Refining my ideas

From my research and analysis I took some of my favourite elements and made them into my own little concepts for my cube world. These are just some brief thumbnail drawings only showing basic tones to highlight the 3D aspect of them. I decided that I wanted to include multiple 'islands' instead of just having one block as I felt this embodied the idea of 'cube world' more. I also wanted my project to tell a little story through the flow of the water and the different layers progressing on from each other. As I really liked the arches, bridges and waterfalls these were a focal point that I took into each design. I also decided that I wanted my cube world to have a priest and temple like element, this can be noted through the crosses and temple like turrets and pillars. 

Evaluation- My previous research really helped me construct 5 different ideas but ideally I would have liked to have done more, however I was careful about my time management as I wanted to have enough time to fully render my final piece.

Colour pallets 

I decided to bring forward idea 2 into the next part of my development stages as I liked how the composition fitted together, with the 2 waterfalls and archway bridge. I wanted it to being in all elements which I liked from my previous research. 

On this development page I experiment with gradient maps in order to get a better idea of what kind of atmosphere I was going to create. From research I had already found that I liked the lighter plastery neutral shades for this project as they are something I don't usually go for when doing art. I chose to take forward the 1st colour pallet but incorporate elements of both the 3rd and 4th as part of my corrupted idea. In some ways I would like to create an ethereal atmosphere but I may try and progress with an open mindset of possibly adding in an almost eerie twilight like one lit with a few lights.

Final concept refinement 

The page showcases a more refined set of blocked out colour ways as I wanted to see how my ideas about adding corruption and lava would fit in with the composition. I really liked the 3rd idea where the lava was starting to flow into the water and the priests temple was slowly falling apart and being consumed by the lava. I also liked the ay the the lava and water flow seemed to be infinite and both waterfalls didn't have a source, this added an element of magic to it. 

 Sketch and Rendering

This was my final sketch of my developed idea using the isometric grid. There were however some inaccuracies with my sketch which I had to correct during the rendering process. Next time I will be more accurate with my initial sketch so I wont experience these issues later on.

Here is an example of my rendering process and how I firstly blocked out the basic tones and used clipping masks in order to start building up value and texture of the element. This particular part was going to be coated in a worn away plaster which has signs of previous paint marks on. To create this texture I used a range of experimental brushes along with harsh bold shows combined with softer shadows to create a 3D rounded effect. I wanted the different textures of my piece to be very clear, crisp and easily identifiable. Through out my process I was constantly thinking of how the material would behave under the circumstances, adding cracks and heat to the materials pushed me to think about this. I also really struggled to get the steps to look like they were curving around the turret and when I did get it right I did like how the piece has lots of curved edges, I then opted to change the staircase to straight to add in that sense of stiffness and structure as variation because I included a lot of arches.

I found the water block particularly difficult to render as I wanted to achieve that slice like look but also make it look translucent and like light was shining through. I had never tried painting water before this task but it was a valuable learning experience for me. I think looking back I would have liked to have rendered this further and created a more jelly like look to it using harsher highlights. I also thought carefully about where the light would be coming from and how it would behave on each side of the cuboid.

Here is the finished greyscale render with no gradient maps. I wanted to ensure that my render was as sharp as possible so that when I did apply my gradient maps the textures would look as crisp and easily identifiable as possible. For each different material I looked at a range of reference images so that I could get a better idea of how the substance behaved. 

Backgrounds

After adding a range of gradient maps onto each aspect of my greyscale render I started creating some gradient backgrounds to use. I originally wanted to make a more detailed background, however when I started I noticed that my details were getting lost and it was becoming to distracting. I really wanted my cube world to stand out and really pop out to be as 3D as possible. Here are some of the different passes. On some of them I also added cloud rings around the strictures as this was an idea I took from my previous mood boards . However again I didn't really like how cluttered it made the piece look, I felt like they took away from the crisp 3D cube like look I was trying to achieve. For idea number 3 I tried some black smoke at the bottom but again I felt like the scene became too busy, I had taken this idea from some of my doom like illustrations but I felt for this concept It didn't fit as well as I initially had thought. 

Final Piece and my thoughts

Here is my final finished cube world piece, I am pleased with my colour pallets of the gradient maps and I think doing the analysis on the FFXV piece really helped my choose colours that would fit nicely with the priestly ethereal like theme. Another thing to note is that I added some small statues of women holding water jugs. I wanted to add some water features into my piece as I was inspired by those that I saw amongst my mood board images. I also wanted to add more of a sense of flow, also I wanted to create more of a big contrast between either side of the cube world, from very blue cool tones to very warm harsh tones. Adding these extra water features helped me create this clashing and chaotic atmosphere. I wanted to try and imagine my cube world as a preview to a level in a game to I tried to add several points of interest and layers to it, to create that sense of progression. As I wanted to step out my comfort zone and render forms textures that I would not usually pick I feel like some elements could have been more dynamic such as the water. Overall I tried to challenge myself into a concept that is completely new to me, there are elements that I would like to refine my skills on with some more practise, however I really enjoyed this brief and creating my finished piece.

Shopfront project- Bubble tea shop

 

For my first set brief as part of my 3D module I had to make, hand paint and light a shopfront design in a concept of my choice, along with incorporating wooden beams into its structure. This was to be done with 3 tiling texture sheets and up to 2 texture trim sheets along with a building/prop combined tri count of 14,000. 

My research and plans

I started my project off by doing some in depth research on interesting types of shopfronts and buildings both from real life buildings and low poly models found on Artstation and Pinterest. This part of my project was important as I knew I wanted to create something that I was passionate about but would also push me out of my comfort zone in terms of modelling and creating textures. When doing my research I was very inspired by a lot of the East Asian concepts as Asian culture is something that I have a big interest in personally. Furthermore I was interested in pushing myself to try and recreate some of the beautiful and unusual textures that I was seeing on these buildings. After collecting a range of research based images of Japanese style buildings, shops and temples and considering some other ideas such as a gothic style tavern, I settled on a traditional style Japanese shop, like those which I had seen on my trip to Kyoto. I was inspired by some of my own photos from my holiday and thought this would be an excellent opportunity to bring these into some of my own work. The type of shop it was to be took me some more deliberation and research to decide. I chose to add a cute modern twist onto the traditional Japanese style by making a bubble tea shop, as bubble tea is my favourite kind of drink. I also thought this would be a great opportunity for me to have a go at modelling and drawing elements that I have not tried to before in order to push myself.

Visual aids, references and quick brainstorming

When planning for projects I like working in a way which is loose, fast and bold so that I can get all my ideas down efficiently and clearly. This mood board showcases some of my reference images, that I thought would be most relevant and inspired me the most. 

I was particularly interested in this image and it really showcased what I wanted my 'traditional style Japanese bubble tea shop' to look like. I wanted to incorporate aspects that I saw used within this building and other traditional shops and take them into 3DS to model for my own project.

This is a very typical style of bubble tea shop sign commonly seen on shops selling bubble tea in Japan and Korea. I really loved the boldness of the colours and thought this type of design would be a fun and challenging asset to add to my trim sheet and a unusual contrast to the earthy traditional colour pallet of the building itself, as I chose to add a slight modern twist.

I wanted my shopfront to have a clear and interesting build and silhouette to it, therefore I did some quick 5 minute concept sketches so that I wouldn't be going into 3DS blind and with no set plan as this would make for an inefficient project. Here are my 4 different ideas for the build of my shopfront. I didn't want to spend too much time on these as I wanted to have the maximum amount of time I could in order to refine my texture and model as best I could. This brainstorm sheet also included some reference images I took for how I wanted render my tiling roof texture. The red arrows show the design I chose to take forward and some aspects I ended up changing.

Texture sheets

For my texture sheets I chose to paint;

1 tiling plaster

1 tiling Japanese style roof 

1 tiling stone wall 

1 trim sheet

1 lantern texture

My trim sheet included textures for both my assets and for aspects of the house such as windows and doors. I noticed that on a lot of traditional style Japanese shops big bold fabric banners are used, this is something I wanted to emphasise as part of my build. I also painted some little posters and a menu to clearly present what the shop was selling. This was a challenge as I am relatively new to digital art so painting unusual textures and images such as these pushed me out of my comfort zone. I also made emissive maps for the shoji screen windows and doors.

This is my Japanese style roof tiling texture, I had to overcome some issues with how this was tiling when painting as I found it very difficult to get it to match up, I managed to get it right after a lot of trial and error. I also opted for this deep green colour pallet as another burst of fun colour to add to my shop. I wanted the roof to stand out and be a bold and eye-catching asset. The colour pallet was a recurring theme amongst my research and reference images and really represented the temple like concepts.

My stone tile took a lot of refinement before I was happy with the finished result. I wanted the stones to look as 3D as possible.

This was my first attempt as the stone texture, however it looks very flat and does not represent how I wanted the texture of the stones to look like. I went back in and added some more refinement to really make the tile sheet pop out. I used a range of experimental brushes to achieve my finished texture.

My plaster tile sheet is simplistic but I ensured to pick tones which looked aged and yellowed over time to highlight the old traditional look that I wanted.

My last texture was made during the second improvements to the model itself as a custom texture for some Japanese lanterns I was modelling as part of feedback I received on the bottom half of the model not having enough to it. I later added an emissive to this texture with its own emissive mask. 

Modelling my shop

I originally blocked out the basic shapes of the shop to get an idea of sizes and how the pieces from my trim sheet would fit together. After some feedback I decided to change the silhouette of the actual shop part because it looked too blocky and boring. I used the ffd modifier to do this along with some added geometry. A lot of Japanese style shops have this simplistic box like shape combined with textured roof however for this stylised funky project it wasn't suitable.

 

After the feedback this is what my model looked like with some added geometry on the roof as this was an element I wanted to make bold and stand out. I used the texture to add geometry and in the UV I unwrapped parts of this to make it more aesthetically pleasing and clean. I then received feedback on this version of the build and it was brought to my attention that the bottom of the house didn't have enough interest to it so that where the player would actually see It wouldn't look bold enough. I then went on to make some changes to my build to add some more player interest.

After feedback- I added an extra little tea house section along with a roof top shrine and some little stone shrines and lanterns. This will add some extra dimension and interest for the player. Here are some images of the finished model in 3Ds before I import into unreal for lighting.

Putting it into Unreal

Next I imported it into unreal engine in order to light it up and present it nicely in a setting that would be more realistic to the game and the player. For my lighting I decided that I really wanted to have a look at some scenes from the Ghibli film 'Spirited away' as I loved the scenes in the earlier parts of the film when Chihiro runs through the spirits towns once all the lights start to go off and it becomes evening. This whole scene is so beautifully lit it presents an eerie yet warming and comforting atmosphere amidst all the chaos of the movie.

Here are the reference images I used from Spirited away and also a real life scene which really inspired me. I love the warmth of the scenes and the atmosphere they create. I emulated this in my work by adding emissive to both the windows doors and a red emissive to my lanterns along with some additional elements of lighting to accentuate this atmosphere. If I have time I would like to add some particle effects such as fireflies to also add to the spirity atmosphere. Below are some images from my finished lighting scene. The only thing I would like to do is add some particle effects and maybe some extra bits if I get time. I also added roughness maps to the trim sheet and stone texture and made the roof tiles shiny.

 Update

I added the particle system to my unreal work in order to create this atmospheric firefly effect.

Measured constructive drawing

 For this piece I chose to draw a small jug. This was also something new to me as I had never constructed a piece in this way. After a few attempts, I understood how to accurately use circles and squares in order to construct the jug using precise measurements of the circumference and heights. This piece is not shaded so as to show how I was able to draw this using line and weight and the measured constructive technique. I also did a series of drawings and thumbnail sketches to back up my work before I was finally able to grasp the technique. I really enjoyed using this method as it made the jug look a lot more 3D, even with just the use of line.

Here are a series of small thumbnail sketches I constructed so that I could get an idea of how this jug would need to be accurately put together using this method.

Here is one of my earlier thumbnail sketches which wasn't so successful.

This is another measured constructive piece I did after I had attempted the jug. This mouse was challenging at first because it had some unusual shapes and curves to it. 

These were some of the thumbnail sketches I used to work out how to draw the mouse using the constructive method.

Overall, from this weeks task, I was able to accomplish some new types of skills using this method. My drawings aren't perfect and I think this will help me develop my accuracy going forward as I have had a go at using this useful method. This was a skill I had not done before and I enjoyed the new challenge. 

Orthographic drawing

 

I really enjoyed this task as it was a new way of working and thinking for me. For this week, I opted to draw a nutcracker as I did this task during December so I thought it would be an interesting object to create in this way. I made sure that I was very accurate when measuring and drawing each angle of this in order to not make into any of the mistakes I had made in previous work. The above image shows the front projection of the object. Each part has been accurately measured and constructed using grids. I also added some shading to represent slight changes of tone just to add a bit of differentiation. 

Here are the other 2 projections of the object; the side and the back, which are also fully measured and accurately drawn. I have once again added some shading to represent slight changes in tone. I spent a long time on this in order to get it as accurate as I could so that the item would be clear to someone possibly needing to model it.

This is a quick photo of part way through the drawing process where I was sketching the basic grid.

This a much smaller and simpler orthographic drawing I did before attempting the nutcracker as I wanted to practise with more simplistic projections. I decided to draw a nail varnish as it featured a cylinder and and a cuboid type shape. As you can see with this piece, there is an inaccuracy with the tube on the back projection. When drawing the nutcracker, I made sure that all lines were perfectly straight.