Look Development: Initial Work with Maya

Initial work: Maya

November

I have begun production of the concept piece using the concept art as reference. From the concept art I am considering: composition, space, lighting, shapes etc. To ensure the final piece resembles the concept art as closely as possible.

As we are within a group, we have allocated tasks to each other to ensure progress is organised and every member contributes to the production. My tasks include: modelling, animation and texturing. We have assigned these tasks based upon our skills and interests to create the best work possible. Through regular reviews and constant communication we are tracking our progress through the production.

Using the concept art as reference; produced by Siobhan Gilmore, I have created an initial set of the composition. I have used models which are free to use in an educational project such as this. This way we can quickly understand how to make the final piece and identify potential problems sooner rather than later. Searching the web for both free and suitable models was a challenge, once I had gathered them I imported them together to create the initial set. With a camera set up and a few lights to represent fire flies I test rendered a few shots.

I have used multiple renders including Mental Ray and Render man etc. This way I can compare the advantages and disadvantages of each renderer to find the most appropriate one for use to use for our final piece. In addition I have experimented with a number of the camera settings to see the different results we can use in our final piece including the manipulation of: focal length, translation within the space and aperture. Each of these features provided a different result and I will continue to experiment with these tools to acquire the result we intend.

I will continue work with the set by further research by attending events such as ‘Manchester Animation Festival’ and ‘Manimation’ for artist reference and inspiration. Live action video reference of trees and water for the animation, as well as modelling reference of trees.