Motion graphics is the art of graphic
design to life through animation, which creates the illusion of movement and
can be combined with audio, the term motion graphics dates back to the as early
as the 1800’s. I found that animation is more
expression based and you have to choose whether you want natural/ exaggerated
expression and refer to the animation key principles. Whereas, in motion
graphics they have a combination of principles, which are graphic design,
cinematography and animation.
Interactive media design
Interactive media is the integration of digital media including combinations of electronic text, graphics, moving images, and sound, this that allows people to interact with the data/ navigation and application and will usually give reaction or a service to the user. The digital environments where this can be used are:
Internet- Where you are constantly clicking/ browsing through different web pages and videos
Phone apps- Where users can using certain applications for social media purposes, shopping to mobile games.
Self Checkout- Where customers scan there products they want to buy (This has recently been very popular for big supermarket chains)
For my AOP I have chosen interactive media and motion graphics, however I also want to go into to all aspects of graphic design:
Print
Branding
User interface design
Packaging
To me I feel like they all go underneath the same pathway from designing the logo to then putting the logo on on the appropriate package to then using print to advertising it and also online advertising to then designing the application etc. Also if any need for video advertising I will be able to do so because of my motion graphics skills.
I also have made the decision in the holidays to not to be focused on 3D and be more focused for 2D so it can help me on my career path. Plus I find that they are going to be many short cuts for 3D so 3D modelling will less needed because of things likes 3D scanners that I found you can have for the ipad also I know that you can use the xbox 360's kinect to do this plus because of the proof of concept video f the software that's makes 3D images out of pictures e.g. 3Defy, 123D catch (Autodesk).
Even with all this I still feel that 3D modelling is a skill that is an necessity for most of the 3D applications and will be needed regardless of what short cuts are made. however I will also have that knowledge on 3D and especially in the modelling I will always be of a assistance to any company if I have some knowledge is this area, also in the future I can always go back and improve my skills to be more of a asset when applying for a company or for my own company.
From my Pre-production to special study 1 I had a clear view for what I wanted to do for those projects and for that AOP however now that I've changed my AOP I have found new projects that I can do, to relate to my new AOP .
The sort of projects that I'm considering to do for my SS1 (specialist study 1) are maybe a motion graphic ident where I will use a existing logo and make a ident for them or I will use a old brief from the dandad or from any other website and start from there.
Another idea I am considering is to make a augmented reality (is a type of virtual reality that aims to duplicate the world's environment in a computer) this can be used for business cards and not only can it be still it can be animated as well. the reason why I am swaying towards this is because fairly new technology and that it can be used alot will mobiles and it can involve a variety of things that can be accessed all mobile and a is a definite step up to qr, but this made be something I should do for my final project.
My other idea was going to make a hologram animation, however this can be only possible if the kickstarter project is ready for next year even so I will male a animation for this device.
The predicted software that will be used are:
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premier Pro
Adobe InDesign
Autodesk Maya
Audacity
The start of the model that had to be created for one of the level 6's it was tricky at the start without the reference because I had to judge how big the models will have to be.
Now this is where I used the proper reference image that was given to me to help make the model.
At first I didn't know what to do of the individual objects because I only had a top view, however after having talks with the level 6's I was told that it only had to resemble the object on top of the roof and not look exactly like them.
Now I've added the texture so that the level 6 has given me the model is starting to look better than the basic grey mesh.
In this picture I have have added lighting to the scene to see what it will look like and also adjusted the camera angle so its the same it the picture. The reason why this was so troublesome for me is that I had to get the shadows correctly to match the image which was very frustrating however after changing up the lighting to the correct I was able to match the shadows with the picture.
Here is the bump map I used from the texture given so I can give the building a more lively texture
Here is the model at a angle
here is the the real picture compared to version which I modelled. I had good feed back from the level 6 which I modelled for however I feel that my rendering for the project doesn't quite look how I wanted it to because I feel the lighting isn't right
Produce a animation with my own rigged character.
Produce an animation from my own interest/ influences and this can be reflected through my work
Learning outcomes
To become more of a generalist approach in Maya
To be able to rig at a level where me/ people are comfortable to animate the character
To use understand normal mapping and be able to use mudbox with maya
Interest
One of my interests is mma (mixed martial arts) and have found it entertaining to watch and to train in.For one its cause there are so many martial arts that people can use and can combine together types of martial arts used are judo, wrestling, brazilian ju jitsu, karate, thai boxing etc.
Gaming is also part of my interest and probably the one I spend most on, also ironically the fighting game genre to be my most favourited reasons for this is that all the fights usually have different fighting styles which make them unique.
Influences
Mechanical objects that look interesting to me which can influence what I might make for my micro project or my final project. The reason why I like these mechanical pictures is because I like how it makes the model more detailed.
Steam Punk is also very mechanical looking so I thought to add it in my visual influences
This is animation below I picked because of how simple the idea was, how good the animation looked and how it was executed really well to advertise the drink.
Watching cartoons/ anime is a big part of my pass time which can range from comedy to adventure. when I 1st watched anime I only ever watch ones that had constant fighting and/ or action in there,but now I appreciate how story development can make it more entertaining to watch.
Box modelling is when you use a primitive geometric shape like a cube, cylinder, sphere etc, and from that you can start adjusting the vertices, edges and faces, from this you will eventually make a object that you wanted which could be from a human to a animal. Also to do add detail you just need to add more divisions in the model and also with edge loops etc.
Hard surface modelling is also similar but as stated in the name its usually hard surface models like engines, cars etc
low poly and high poly
Depending on what I will model and what idea I choose will determine if I will need to go low poly or high poly, however I most likely will show both types and attempt to normal map the high poly model onto the low poly model.
1st idea
For my 1st idea I wanted to make a character from scratch, undergoing the drawing, the modelling, texturing, rigging and animating. With me doing this I am able to improve my skills in all areas becoming more generalised in Maya, also I get to understand the whole process from start to finish as it is in industry. At first I will ideally have to make a orthographic )which is number of images form different angles, front, back, side perspective etc), they are also called turnarounds, model sheets and blueprints. underneath are examples of character orthographic
For my 2nd idea I wanted to base my audio around the objects making the sound which eventually make music. With the different 3D objects making the sound and the sort of music that will played will be a instrumental but depending on how the instrumental will change the way the 3d models will look Underneath are a few examples my idea that has been made.
In this first video I like the way the music was travelling straight down a path with different objects making sound, I also like the style he has used for the whole project giving it a cartoony look.
After researching the the people who made the first video above (Beeple, which is one person) I found another interesting but this time it is more mechanical looking. Also the use of cuts to objects to highlight what sound they are packing is very good. I also like the way he used camera cuts and quick pans to also sync in with the music.
This video was my favourite so far because of they robots were animated to the different drops of the music and whilst the one part of the music drops the light darkens which for the other robots and the light flashes on the robot that is making the noise. In this video as well I
For my 3rd idea I decided to combine the first and second idea together so that character can sync with the music. This could lead on the character to start dancing to music or some sort of sound.
With my fourth idea I want to involve some sort of hitting/ fighting and this could be from two characters fighting from a 2D/ perspective or could be a character hitting a punching bag or another object. Or maybe I can animate a boxing, mma/ knockout scene from a fight with either my own characters.
Character Design
The reason why I chose to research caricature is that they make the characters very weird and exaggerated and this will help me when I start designing my character for my final project.
A caricature is a an exaggerated portrait of a person or group in either a visual or literal form. One thing that you will notice in caricature is that it usually overemphasize well known/ distinctive features. Examples of this is that if someone well known like Owen Wilson who is know for his long nose bent nose, another is Sylvester Stallone is know for his slanted mouth.
In my opinion I feel that making anything exaggerated will be better to do in Mudbox rather than Maya. this is probably because sculpting software is easier to add higher level of detail.
Examples of high level detail in mudbox
In the video below is a tutorial for how to blend shapes in Maya. I came across blend shapes trying to look for morph targets which is 3Ds Max.
Even though this video is old I found it really easy to follow even though haven't yet started it. I will use this tutorial so can make an expressions for my character whilst it will be animated.
After doing a bit of research on character design I found 20 useful tips that can help improve when creating my own character:
1.Research and evaluate: With this tip they want you to look at other successful character designs and this can be from cereal boxes, games, animations from film or TV etc to what makes they successful and if there is anything you like about them in particular. For other cases deconstruct why some characters don't work.
2. Design and plan: In this tip it says that know what platform you are going to showcase your character. the example that was used here is that if the character is for a mobile phone there is no point in having a high level of detail where you won't really see them. Also it says that start from paper and sketch, write ideas etc.
3.Who is it aimed at?: This tip wants you to think of the audience you want to aim at, The example used here was if aimed a children you would use bright colours and basic shapes. This same goes for yourself if you are making something that you want and is appealing to you, you should explain what you want and when completed see if it has reached you as a audience also other people with the same trends as you to get feed back.
4. Visual impact: This tip explains that what ever you create there will always be something like it and this could be from a ninja to a monster. So you need to have be interesting so it can grabs peoples attention. In this ip it also explains that the creator of the Simpsons 'Matt Groening' that if viewers flicked through the channel and saw bright yellow skin colour it would grab their attention.
5. Line qualities and styles: This tip explains how the edge of the character can describe it e.g. soft, even and round lines can suggest an approachable, cute character, where as a sharp, scratchy and uneven lines may be a uneasy and erratic character.
6. Exaggerated characteristics: This tip explains that defining certain features of your character can help it stand out and show the key qualities e.g. for carcitures if the person has a distinctive chin then make their chin bigger.
7. Colour me bad: This tip explains that colours can help with the characters personality e.g. red can show passion, love and aggression where black can show sadness, evil and anonymity.
8. Adding accessories: This tip explains that accessories can emphasise character traits and where their backgrounds could be from e.g. a character with a eye patch and a parrot will be for a pirate and ripped or worn out clothes will be for a poor character.
9. The third dimension: This tip explains that if in the 3D world you need to work out its height, weight and it its physical shape
10. Conveying personality: This tip explains that an interesting look of the character doesn't necessarily make it a good character As through animation you would need to show how it will react in certain situations i.e storyboards and comic strips. Personality can also be expressed through how it is drawn.
11. Express yourself: This tip explains that showing off the characters emotions in certain events and this could be though its ups or through its downs, can further explain your character.
12. Goals and dreams: This tip explains that having something your character wants/ needs to achieve create a big push behind the stories and adventures your character gets up to, this could be from wanting to win a competition, to getting a home.
13. Building back stories: This tip explains that if your character is going to exist in animation it needs to have a back story, where it comes from and any life changing events that may character may have experienced.
14. Quick on the draw: This tip explains that don't be afraid to experiment and ignore the rules when crafting the look of your character. So going against what is supposed to be correct way can create unexpected and surprising results.
15. Hone, plan and polish: This tip explains that how that don't spend too much time just doodling that you should finish your rough sketches and then expand beyond your artwork e.g. what will you character will do in a specific world, and how it speaks and acts.
16. Drawn in mud: This tip explains that regardless on what material you draw on the character should still work as years ago a lot of amazing characters were design on paper as Photoshop wasn't around.
17. Real-world drawing: This tip explains that you should try and generate some ideas outside of your computer and allow outside elements to influence your work.
18. Release the beast: This tip explains that you should show your work and ask them what they think but don't just ask whether they like it ask ask they about the character and if they can pick up on its personality .
19. Beyond the character: This tip explains that in the same way you create a history for the character you should create an environment to help with the believability of your creation and making them
20. Fine-tuning figure: This tip explains that you should question every element in your creation to see if it was the right choice for your character.
