Project Summary

During this project I have improved on many things and also tried out different ways to do bits. Firstly I practiced my pipeline. I was able to jump back and forth into Zbrush then back into maya. I also learnt out to texture using Zbrush and even worked out how to texture in 3D in photoshop as well as doing the old technique of psd networks.

I have tried and tested render passes and render layers, I didn't go as far into it as much as I might of wanted to but it gave me a good base knowledge into how get started with using them.

The 3D printing as opened loads of new chances for me to explore and take my models and start to make really cool poses and get them printed out. My next step is to get one of my sculpts print which will cost a lot more but I really feel its worth it, then I really can see some areas in my models that I can work on. 

I think my final product was strong, I feel it fits the brief well and above all I think the concept behind it is that its a unique concept. I played on the fact the character was old by making him an "old goat", the fact he was scottish I based around a famous scottish comedian (spade shape) and he has a bald spot! he backside. My strong areas were the modeling and the speed in which I can get models out, but my weakness is sometimes I am too critical but thats not always a bad thing but sometimes slows me down. My texturing and Uv layout has improved loads and I am really happy with some of the final renders I was able to achieve. 

I am very happy with the outcomes and progress I have made during this project. I feel I have met the brief well and to a high standard. If there was an area I wanted to improve on it would be I could on body texture, I got it to look like clay but I think with abit more time I could of gone a step further with it. Also getting the client to let me put fur on the character as that would of brought it more to life!

3D Final Print

Here are some images of the final print out of Mcglone! Looks great compared to the other 4 tries as this one he came intact! Really happy with it. The only problem was that he was falling over all the time so I had to put him on his own bit of wood to stop this but other that that I am really and proud to see something I have made printed in 3D!

Final pose to round the project up!

Here it is! Gave him a more angry scotsmen pose! I am very happy with this pose I feel it shows good emotion and shows a different side to the character that I have been showing in the other two poses. Pose was completely in Zbrush and edited in Maya. My final model rounded off at 8300 polys so loads left to spare.

Mcglone Turntable

Here is the youtube uploaded version of mcglones turntable. The quality had to be lowered but images I have posted show the level I got with the render. I am very happy with the outcome. I feel I have made a very unique claymation character the grand total of polygons was 65000 and none of them were smoothed, I had made all the polygons so I had complete control of the mesh.

Here is the link to the turntable also as blogspot lowers the video even more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuhObj6F3dg

Compositing Time

These images show the compositing and colour grading process. The one on the left is what I started with and the one on the right is what I had once I finished with it. 

On the left show the filter I used to improve on the final image. Levels was used because then I can play with the individual aspects to the lights of the scene so I can darken the shadows, highlights and base lighting as well as brightten them. 

Also on the left you can see the image has less colour, I wanted to bring this out so I used the hue/saturation to do this. I could bring out my colours and also adjusting the levels more keeping my shadows and contrast so things don't look unbalanced.

I am very please with the outcome and the image on the right is the quality of the video, youtube lowers the quality unfortunately but atleast here you can see what was made.

 Here is the Ambient Occlusion for the base with grass also. This will add some nice basic shadows to the model which always gives a nice effect.

Same again with Mcglone model himself. I didn't go for many render passes and layers due to render times were already abit long so I was planning to do more work in aftereffects.

Here is the master layer which contain all my lights, colour and textures.

Render and Lighting Development!

Here are 2 renders from my Turntable Development. I have textured and made the mound he is standing on. I have put grass on it and textured more grass and stone in 2D in photoshop. I had to develop the grass 3D texture, where I made it randomize more so it was not so uniformed. Also I had to play with baldness where I painting in areas I didn't want there to be grass, like the rocks. Finally the colour I had to make sure it matched up with my 2D textures. I am pleased with the outcome, I feel it adds to the turntable and gives abit more character.

3D texturing with Photoshop

For texturing I normally use just photoshop with zbrush to do block colours. But for this last part of the project I have worked out how to do 3D painting in photoshop using obj. files.

What I was able to do was touch of the model and make sure that there was no seems or anything that showed up on the mesh that was not wanted.

Above the two images showing the change to create different render maps so you can composite them to test what they do. Above is a depth map and colour map.

Here is the texture I did completely in this 3D tool. I can jump between the two and it updates between 3D and 2D, sometimes the resolution varies and makes it hard but if you play around and do most in 2D up date it into 3D and clean up the seems it works nicely.

Bump maps instead of Displacement maps!

Here is abit more development into sorting between displacement maps and Bump Maps. Also why I changed between displacement to bump.

I have used Displacement maps a few times but due to this project being short and I want to spend time on other things I have decided to change to bump maps, this would give me so much more time rendering and playing with lighting and other things rather than making sure I leave alot of time to render displacement. Also above shows some of the problems I had trying to render. I had it working but after the redesign no matter what I tried the displacements were causing to many problems and I thought he isn't moving and its not like they are muscles so Bump was called in and below shows my playing with the alpha gain and alpha offset which I learnt that lowing offset and making the gain higher makes the normal maps deeper or lighting so below shows the images of how I developed this.

Above shows what I started with. Its there trust me but not clearly so I went into Colour Balance and started to work with the settings.

Here is the Gain and offset push to far! Way to much depth and making the model look strange and ruining the nice smooth finish I would like with nice detailed textures.

Here is the final bump map where I am going to keep it, It gives nice depth and shows the detail I was trying to get across.

Here is a more zoomed out shot showing the bump maps with the full body. I am happy with the result, next step is to start adding the colour and finalizing the base. Which you can see I have texture but next post more development images for the whole base.

Body touch up!

Here is a quick image to show the changes I made to the model to add more realistic shape for the bones and arms. I have reshaped his form up around the medial and lateral epicondyles so give that shape of an arm as well as give him abit more of a bicep. Also reshaped his shoulders and wrists on both arms also.

New Clothes!

Here is a some images showing the new clothes as well as new pose, a prop and the mound is back but I have a plan with the mound. Also to start with I will explain the strange blurry picture behind the model in the first image. What I have made is an IBR (image based lighting) Which takes a 2d image and takes the light from the image and creates 3D lighting so its a lazy, easy to give you a base lighting as well as having my own lights creating shadows and contrast in the shot. 

 So here is the redesign, Will post the textures later on as I am rendering some nice pictures to show. But Will explain what I have added. Firstly I re did the cloth as I wanted abit more shape and ruggedness but keeping to clay style of course. I have given him a belt and strap, simply modeled but does the job. Yes they are socks! I again not crazy polys but texturing will add enough for what I want, I have added some kilt material as a label on the sock!

 Here is a good image of the spade! Its in style and shape I designed earlier during the project and after showing people, I have got very good feedback and comments about it!

Here is a distant shot showing everything as a whole. The sporran is in now which as clips and straps to keep that hanging in place.