Gate

So things happened and I was unable to maintain my pace and produce a model a day model a day. In fact it's been about a week since I started this model and only just finished getting the normals off it.

I'm still learning Zbrush and as such my understanding of different tools remains limited. As such where I have attempted to model the joints in the wood I've created some irregular shapes. I think next time I attempt to create such a shape I will invest a little more time into the base mesh in Maya to get the shape I want, using Zbrush more for surface details then structural shapes.

Still such an issue is and was fixable in Photoshop.

I need to pick up the pace more if I want that job.





Next texturing.

Quick sculpt.

my next model excitingly shall be a garden fence. Why all the seemingly boring stuff? Because as great as I think I am there are tons of people in industry who have been doing this a lot longer then I have and have put a lot more work in to get where they are.

A couple of years a go whilst suffering from first year fever I felt I was just plain badass at CG and would waltz into a job as a character modeller. Well three years of wisdom later I know now I have to put as much work as all these other people have to get where I want to be.

So here I am going back to my roots. I started modelling props when I was about 14 and that's where I will be starting in the industry.

Besides which I actually find doing to "everyday" stuff quite fun. It's a challenge to put character into an inanimate object.

Environment Modelling

So I finished putting together this little prop. It's mostly been difficult learning a new work-flow, modelling in Zbrush exporting to Maya etc etc but I'm pretty happy with what I have here but It was just a test piece really. Now I have to really get into something meaty.

For the texturing phase I decided to go with something less photo realistic maybe more in the style of TF2. I think such stylisation was hampered by the highly detailed normal map but I still got some nice results. Now to churn out a ton more models and get me a job.

Modelling.

Getting back to modelling. It's my strength and if I want a job I should play to it.

I put off learning Zbrush for a long time. It's a confusing program but an astoundingly powerful one.

So I've just whipped up a quick model. A stone arch. the normal map needs some tweaking and I am yet to texture it but I have seriously enjoyed the Zbrush process and look forward to improving my technique.




High polygon model, Sculpted in Zbrush imported to Maya.



Low polygon model, built around the Zbrush sculpt in Maya.



the low polygon model with normals applied. Some warping in areas but this can be fixed in photoshop. Next I intend to create a diffuse map and I may attempt porting it into Unreal 3.

Now i've gotten a basic grasp on this workflow I intend to create a lot more in the way of models over the next couple of months.

WIP Animation

So after a talk with the nice man from Lionhead. I've decided to pretty much redo my entire lift animation. This is a WIP of the opening section. mostly just needs tweaking and adding some finer movement but mostly I like how it's come on.

In the next scene i intend to built the pace up a little until the third scene where there is a dramatic ending.

watch this space.

Texturing!

So my main areas of expertise are certainly modelling and animation. I try to keep my skills practiced with as many aspects of the CG pipeline as i can, I enjoy getting outside my comfort zone and it's an empowering feeling to be able to produce every aspect of something yourself.

Normally though I confine this to my own work so I don't feel bad in the event of my output being sub-standard. So imagine my apprehension when Marc (the director of the grad film I'm working on) asked me to do some texturing for him.

The conversation went something like this:



In reality I was worried. If my abilities fell short in this instance I would be letting down Marc and the whole film rather than just myself, added to this pressure was the fact that Marc (who, I think it is fair to say, is a damn good painter) had already texture one of the assets and my work would have to match his standard.

My first reaction was the blub like a child but instead I soldiered on, I actually had quite a bit of fun painting the textures and they came out well. It took me back to my days of creating models for half life 2.

I think I shall do more texturing in the future:












The textures were created using a combination of photo manipulation and digital painting. We wanted aspects of realism in the materials we used on the machines but still maintaining the textured element of a hand painted texture.

I decided to use a grey scale bump map rather than an RGB normal map because of time constraints, besides nobody will ever see the ship close enough to tell the difference anyway.


-Ash

Jobs.

Job's don't just happen to you. But it'd be nice if they did.

Good morning

Lying on an unsuitable single bed. Last night's weather report on playback in my head. Brought to bare on reality by my brothers shout, "Mum's stuck. I get dressed run outside and say "fuck." The beauty of the fall fills my eyes but the stench of burnt rubber repulses me. I dig for too long, dismissing maternal help with claims of "i'm strong." Until eventually she escapes. The snow fills my hardwork, renderding it as useful as video tapes. I hope i can get home on friday because this snow may outlast the day.

2010

The first foray into 2010 was magnificent. A naked moon illuminated the frozen night, whilst the sky was populated by floating light. Morning came an beauty remained, the Earth was clothed in frost again.

'Splosion and Corridors

'Splosions and Corridors

Of all the formative moments of my years,
For every lesson real or fake.
There was always one constant.
That constant was Quake.

My passion was never easy.
I was accused of geek or nerd.
and these days the accusations are different.
"To like that old school shit is absurd."

But you can keep your recharging health bar.
Your modern warfare too.
Because I can bunny hop and rocket jump.
and quick save before do.

I have no need for reloads
And my armoury allows more then a pair
I don't want realistic AI squadmates.
for on my space marine's chest there is hair.

I'm a one man army, UNSTOPPABLE!
This is my personal fight.
and when i finally find the Makron
I'll crush him with my lone might.

But This victory here is special to me.
though i've completed many more games by now.
it was before gaming was popular.
When a game was personal and not just a cash cow.

So remember my friends as I do.
though i'm glad gaming became so big.
That once we only needed 'splosions and corridors
and that was enough for us to Dig.


-Ash