Donatella's 3D Computer Animation Blog

My 3D Computer Animation Progress
Categories
3.5 Week 5 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 5: Piston Modelling & Driven Keys

Introduction

This week, we enhanced our design by adding a piston to our 3D model and we also learned how to set driven keys to automate the rotation of the fingers.

Creating a Piston

Piston Modelling

First, we modelled our piston by creating some cylinders.

Locators & Constraints

Then, we used locators to enable the piston to follow the rotation of the fingers.

Aim & Parent Constraints

We used aim and parent constraints to attach the movement of the piston to both locators (base & top).

Set Driven Keys

Set Driven Keys

The second part of our class consisted of learning how to set driven keys on the fingers.

This enabled us to automate the rotations of all the finger parts (tip and phalanges).

Finger Curl

For each finger, we set up a curl value from a scale from 1 to 10.

Instead of rotating each part of the finger individually, we now have one main controller that affects the entire movement of the finger.

Further Comments

Practicing how to set up locators and driven keys was essential in that these features will save us much time in the future by automating the movement of our models.

Categories
4.5 Week 5 Collaborative Unit

Week 5: Work in Progress Discussions

Part 1: Work in Progress Presentation

Sharing our work with our classmates was essential, since it was the first time we learned about everyone elses projects. It also enabled us to learn from other workflows and methodologies. 

Team Presentation: Me, Caroline & Shizra

Public Speaking

Holding our presentations in Lecture Theatre B rather than in our usual classrooms was challenging, yet a great opportunity to train our public speaking skills.

Presentation

I structured the presentation as if we were to sell our idea to an investor.

For this reason, it was essential to not only discuss the concept and the visual aesthetics, but also how we were going to achieve our project and in which timeframe.

Part 2: Work in Progress Meeting

Team Meeting: Shizra, Caroline, Neeti, Ria & Me

Presentation Design

In order to deliver our presentation, we held a team meeting to share our individual progress and discuss further aims for the following weeks.

Then, I gathered everyone’s progress and combined it into a presentation.

Environment Prototype

Apart from designing the presentation, it was also the first time testing our environment with the headsets.

Part 3: Visiting Tate Modern

Scanning Artworks

We visited the permanent exhibition of the Tate Modern in order to scan some sculptures and artworks and I am looking forward to using those videos for our photogrammetry lesson next week. In addition, I genuinely enjoyed visiting Tate Modern as a group since everyone shared some insights they knew. 

Me, Shizra, Gloria, Serra & Caroline
Scanning Artworks at Tate Modern

Part 4: Getting Started with Unity

Herman Ho Session

In this lesson, we learned how to create looping animations in Unity, which will come in handy for our creature animations. Moreover, we also got an overview on the animation interface, equivalent to the graph editor in Maya.

Looping Animations

In order to learn how to use the animation interface, we created a simple platform with animated obstacles.

I found this lesson particularly useful, as it gave me a general overview on Unity’s interface and helped me understand how to prepare my assets (models and animations) in Maya in order to share them with the students from the VR course.

Categories
5.5 Week 5 Thesis Proposal

Week 5: Developing an investigation

Introduction 

This week, we focused on how to develop our investigation and which techniques can help us to elaborate our literature review.  

Tips on Elaborating our Literature Review 

Evaluating Information Resources 

In order to evaluate the validity of our information resources, such as books or websites, we should first analyze if the content is up to date and make sure if the authors and publishers are trustworthy.  

When it comes to my research topic, Tim Burton is one of the main referents within the horror genre and for this reason I would like to explore his animated films to draw my conclusions.  

Literature searching and locating information sources  

In order to gather information for our investigation, we should consult in library catalogues, search engines and databases.  

As regards my investigation, I will use reference books from the UAL library and JSTOR, a digital library with peer reviewed papers.  

Conceptual frameworks and mind mapping 

We were advised to create conceptual frameworks and mind maps to structure and understand the relationship between our concepts.  

Once I define better my research topic, I will surely create some mind maps to help me structure the chapters of my thesis.  

Categories
4.4 Week 4 Collaborative Unit

Week 4: Avatars

Part 1: Challenges of our Collaboration Work

We had to share in class some of the challenges we are facing in our group work. It was useful to upload our ideas on Padlet as it turned out that many groups were struggling with the same issue.

Collaborative Unit – Challenges Padlet

What challenges are we facing in our group work?

Sometimes it can be challenging to arrange meetings with people from other courses since our timetables are not the same. 

However, we managed to find other ways of communication, such as Whatsapp groups.

Online Meeting

Online Meetings

Even though we do not always share the same timetable, we are making an enormous effort to meeting online.

Part 2: The Importance of Avatars

Furthermore, this week, we had a guest lecturer who gave us a presentation on avatars.

Miro Board – What are Avatars?

What are Avatars?

Avatars can be perceived as a visual representation of ourselves on the Internet.

Therefore, they can be understood as our digital identity.

Miro Board – What Role do Avatars play in Digital Spaces?

What Role do Avatars play in Digital Spaces?

From my personal perspective, avatars synthesize our personality and/or appearance into one compelling character or picture.

Creating our own 3D Avatar

In order to create our 3D avatar, we had to use as a reference the characters we created during our exquisite corpse game. To create our new avatar, we combined different 3D presets (head, body, legs).

Reference Character (Exquisite Corpse)
Avatar (3D Model Adaptation)
  • My presets were downloaded from the website Sketchfab.
  • Reference List
  • Animated3d.us (2022). Chicken- Free. Available at: https://skfb.ly/ox8WK (Accessed 2 February 2023).
  • LordSamueliSolo (2021). Lady Sammy FREE. Available at: https://skfb.ly/onKEW (Accessed 2 February 2023).
  • LasquetiSpice (2023). Animated 3D Tyrannosaurus Rex Dinosaur Loop. Available at: https://skfb.ly/o9oJ8 (Accessed 2 February 2023).

Part 3: Getting Started with Unity

Herman Ho

Furthermore, we had our first lesson with Herman Ho, who gave us an overview on the video game industry and also Unity’s interface. This session was particularly useful as it helped us understand how 3D modelers and animators develop their assets and deliver them to the game developers.

Importing Props & Assets in Unity

Importing Props & Assets

Herman provided us with some models he designed and explained to us how to import props and assets into our scenes.

Then, we created the environment using those resources.

Credit: Japan Building Set & Street Props by Herman Ho.

Experimenting with Lights & Effects

After creating our environment, we had some time to experiment with the different types of visual effects and lighting. In view of getting familiar with the new tools, I edited the setting having in mind the look and feel of a psychedelic dream. I added some fog, a chromatic aberration to distort the colors and edited the lights into a pink-purple color palette.

Experimenting with Lights & Effects in Unity
Categories
3.4 Week 4 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 4: Arm Finishing, Shading & Texturing

Introduction

This week, we finished our arm modelling and started adding some textures to our mechanical arm. Even though I was unable to attend lessons in person, I managed to watch the recording.

3D Modelling Process

Creating the Wrist

First, we started modelling the wrist, so I used the wireframe display mode to get a better overview on the pivot point and center the elements.

Learning how to Circularize Components

Since we wanted to add some some screws into our model, we learned how to circularize the mesh. In other words, we created circles within square meshes.

Modelling the Wrist

After creating the holes, I filled them up with the screws.

3D Renders

Mechanical Arm (Palm View)

Mechanical Arm

In order to render my mechanical arm, I added some textures and lights into the scene.

When it comes to the environment light, I wanted to maintain the purple color palette of the arm.

Mechanical Hand ( View)

Hand Bones

After modelling the structure of the arm, we started adding more details into our designs.

The picture on the left shows the bone plates we added into our hand. You can appreciate them because the palm of the hand is hidden.

Mechanical Arm Grip

Mechanical Arm Grip

After working on the design of the mechanical arm, we started posing the hand and how it would look if it interacted with an object.

For this purpose, we created a ball and placed the fingers surrounding the item.

Creating Functional Articulations

Besides from making our mechanical arm visually appealing, we also had to design functional articulations. In this sense, we had to create hierarchies to connect the three finger bones to our hand.

Hand Fist & Hand Grip

What follows next are two animations that showcase from different perspectives how the hand makes a fist and then grabs a ball. Whereas in the first case the finger rotations are wider, in the second one the fingers surround the shape of the ball.

Hand First & Grip (Top View)
Hand First & Grip (Bottom View)

Further Comments

Now that we have the structure of our mechanical arm, I am looking forward to rigging my model next week. Furthermore, I will also work on adding some details into my model.

Categories
5.4 Week 4 Thesis Proposal

Week 4: Developing a Literature review.

Introduction 

This week, apart from sharing our research topics, we also went over the assessment criteria for the literature review. Furthermore, we also analyzed some literature reviews from former students, which clarified some of our questions.  

Assessment Criteria for the Literature Review 

  • Establishment of research potentials and objectives 
  • Relevance of Literature and referencing 
  • Writing style and communication 
  • Use of citation and referencing conventions 

Further Comments  

Even though I still have not decided on a specific topic of interest, I started researching which bibliography I will be using for my thesis if I want to explore the horror genre and Tim Burton’s animations.  

Bibliography on Tim Burton:  

  • Kempf, H. C., Gallo, L. Burton, T. (2009) The Art of Tim Burton. China: Steeles Publishing.    

Bibliography on the Horror Genre: 

  • Sipos, T. M. (2010) Horror Film Aesthetics. Creating the Visual Language of Fear. Jefferson, North Carolina and London: McFarland & Company, Inc.   
Categories
4.3 Week 3 Collaborative Unit

Week 3: Project Discussion

Part 1: 22/23 MA Collaborative Unit: Projects Board

MA Collaborative Unit: Projects Board Padlet

This week we had our first deadline, in which we had to submit our project (title, description and team members) to the Padlet Board.

PROJECT GROUP 12

1) Title: Lost World

2) Description: We want to create a sublime immersive experience of a dystopian post-apocalyptic environment with fantastical evolved creatures.

3) Team Members: On the right, you can see the list of our team members and also roles.

MA 3D COMPUTER ANIMATION

Shizra Manzar
MA 3D Computer Animation
s.manzar0320221@arts.ac.uk
Role: Art Director, Concept Designer

Caroline James
MA 3D Computer Animation
c.james0520221@arts.ac.uk
Role: 3D Modeller

Donatella Mikulasch
MA 3D Computer Animation
d.mikulasch0320221@arts.ac.uk
Role: Project Manager &
3D Animator

MA VIRTUAL REALITY

Neeti Kumar
MA Virtual Reality (VR)
n.kumar0320191@arts.ac.uk
Role: Unity Developer

Yazhe (Ria) Li
MA Virtual Reality (VR)
r.li0920182@arts.ac.uk
Role: Unity Developer

Part 2: Project Management

As the project manager of my team, I also worked this week on organizing our tasks, assigning specific roles and also establishing our own workflow.

Naming Activity

Fulfilling Deadlines

In order to fulfill our deadlines, I created a Miro Board where all team members can collaborate together, elaborate our concept and share our ideas.

The first activity I proposed was:

  1. Come up with three keywords that represent our concept.
  2. Try to think of a title using some of our keywords.

In this way, we could brainstorm keywords and come up with a description for the padlet board on time.

Assigning Responsibilities

Meet our Team

Our team is divided into two areas: 3D Animation and Virtual Reality. At this stage, it was essential to discuss our roles and assign specific responsibilities.

Understanding the Workflow

Workflow

Another important aspect of our collaboration project, is to understand our workflow.

So I divided our work into four parts:

  1. Concept
  2. Modelling
  3. Animation
  4. VR Environment

Keep the Team on Track

Homework Reminder

To keep the team on track and focused on their tasks, I will send weekly homework reminders.

In this way, everyone will know when their deadline is and also which tasks they have to fulfill.

The work is organized by numbers to prioritize tasks and keep everyone goal oriented.

Categories
3.3 Week 3 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 3: Moodboards

Introduction

This week we had to share our moodboards and ideas with George in class. Even though I was not able to attend the lesson in person, I was able to get some online feedback.

Moodboard 1: Skullchaser

For my first project, I would like to create a short animation with a running, jumping and shooting sequence as my aim is to develop a short animation for my portfolio reel.

I explored the websites George shared with us and bought the Skullchaser rig, which inspired me to think of a halloween environment for my moodboard.

Moodboard: Skullchaser

Storyboard 1: Skullchaser

The following animation tells the story of how Halloween town is in great peril as the Golden Pumpkin has been stolen. In order to restore peace in town, Skullchaser has to face some enemies and obstacles to return the pumpkin safely to the citizens.

Skullchaser: Storyboard 1/2
Skullchaser: Storyboard 2/2

Moodboard 2: Anxiety

For my second animation, I want to portray the sensations and feelings a person experiences when they are having an anxiety attack.

Moodboard: Anxiety

Storyboard 2: Anxiety

I can picture this project as an experimental animation, with a non-linear narrative and symbolic elements flashing through the screen. I will also explore the nature of the black and white dualism, as a way to portray and contrast a clear from an anxious mind.

Anxiety: Storyboard 1/2
Anxiety: Storyboard 2/2

Moodboard 3: Technological Singularity

For my third animation, I would like to work on a short film that focuses on the concept of ‘technological singularity’ that refers to the hypothetical future in which artificial intelligence radically influences human civilization.

Moodboard: Technological Singularity

Storyboard 3: Technological Singularity

Even though I have a concept I would like to communicate, I was not able to develop a full storyboard yet. I will need more time in the following weeks in order to think of a compelling story.

Technological Singularity: Storyboard 1/1

Reference List:

  • Toumey, C. (2016). singularity. Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/singularity-technology (Accessed 31 January 2023).
Categories
3.3 Week 3 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 3: Hand Setup & Naming

Introduction

This week, we started naming our layers properly in order to finish our hand setup, as it was crucial to keep them organized to make the modelling process easier.

Naming Layers

Naming Layers

The picture on the left shows the naming conventions I used for my mechanical arm.

It was essential to quickly identify each part of our 3D model in order to divide the arm and hand into different sectors and groups.

Hand Setup

Modeling the Dorsal Side

To get the rough shape of the hand, we created a cube and started editing the vertices.

We also changed the mesh preview to make the edges of the hand smoother.

I used a different color for the palm as it helps me to set the different parts of the hand apart.

Working on the Palm

We divided the hand into two parts in order to animate the hand smoothly.

Creating the Forearm Bone

We modeled a cylinder to create the structure for the forearm. In the following week, I am going to model the rest part of the arm.

Work in Progress

Further Comments

Now that I have modeled the hand and created the structure for the forearm, I am looking forward to creating the rest of the wrist and arm next week.

Categories
5.3 Week 3 Thesis Proposal

Week 3: Establishing A Research Topic 

Introduction 

This week, Nigel sent us a document to help us establish our research topic and understand the steps of the research process.  

Establishing A Research Topic  

Even though I still have not decided yet which topic I would like to explore, I am starting to ask myself some questions that were given to us in class:  

  • Have you chosen a topic which will hold your interest for a sustained period? 

The general topic that interests me the most is the horror and gothic genre as it resonates with my own personal artistic style. I would like to develop my own visual language within that genre, so I would like to explore that field in depth. In the following weeks I will need to narrow down my focal point of investigation, as the topic is still extremely broad.  

  • Have you found out who the leading experts / key writers are in this field and what reviews of the topic already exist? 

One of the most emblematic directors that inspires me within the horror genre is Tim Burton. If I were to explore the horror and gothic genre, I would probably use his animations to analyze his visual language and characters.  

Further Comments  

My task for the following weeks is to not only narrow down a specific topic of interest, but also come up with a new perspective on Tim Burton’s movies which has not been analyzed yet.