Location, Location Complete

Welcome into the dark and eerie cottage of the witch, now you know what it looks like on the inside of the sweetie cake covered house from Hansel and Gretel.



In Just a few days we have This

So this just shows how my Location, Location project is coming along. I've taken the roof off so its possible to see the layout more cleary inside. I'm hopefully going to have finished the modelling by tonight, so tomorrow can be based on lighting. Hopefully Roma will be around to help a little. Then render the finished thing on wednesday and had it in, well maybe leave it to render over tuesday night so I can just hand it in sooner or sort out any problems that may occur. Really really wish I had more time, just to develop the models more and have a bit more of a play around, not quite sure why all the deadlines are sooo close together especially as we have a month left with only a small side project to do, but oh well, it is just the way it is. I havent done too bad considering I've only seriously begun modelling and building for a few days now.

Quick test Renders

Just some quick renders I thought I'd share with, just showing my progress, I'm planning to change the wooden beams to a darker wood, and the table should be finished by tomorrow morning, along with the chairs and then onto the fireplace. The fire place is going to be the hardest thing, might have to rethink that one, make it more oven like rather then so natural.

Quick Update

Update 2 the basics:

I've just been playing round with materials, finding the best effect for my palm trees, thought I'd share. Anyway back to the more heavey stuff like trying to make nParticles into a shore line. Might be a bit a head of myself.

FINALLY

Well Hagatha is finally back in 3ds Max, taken weeks to figure out what was happening with the seams, anyway, after a lot of trial and plenty of error, this is officially the best outcome of all my hard work. There are elements of course I'd like to improve but for animation and progression purposes I am happy with this. It does do something weird when rendered though, but I think that is mainly to do with materials. I can sort that later. I no longer have the patience to faff around. I just want to move forward!

Morning Play

Just been playing around with a tutorial by Andrew Kramer, it taught me about subtle ligthing and shadows.Still in the playing stage of the producion logo. Mini projects keep me learning new things. Especially the shadows I can use within a scene. Anyway I might do another. Will keep you updated

A helpful bit of Visualization of Hagatha

Just did a quick video of Hagatha, just to help me visualise her better. There are some flaws, but I'm going to leave her alone this week, before I start over workign her and lose interest. Bad I know, but I have to move and progress otherwise it gets stale quick. Anyway I'm currently working on a mini project for myself using 3ds Max. Its going to be my production logo, Kvasir Productions. Anyway its going ok modelling wise I'm about to start animating.

here is the title....

LIGHTING!!!

Ok found something I need to really practice on, I've never experienced such frustration from one element; lighting. It is driving me mad, anyway getting closer to cracking it, I've now finally got shadowing around the chopping board which I didnt have before as the work surface and back wall were all one piece, which drastically affected the lighting setup. So I've made the back wall seperate and it has helped things between the work surface and chopping board. I think I'm getting there, I also got rid of the lid as it just didnt need to be there and felt out of place for some reason. So instead I've added a butter dish and knife along with some butter, I've again kept it simple like the plates and Knives as I don't want it to distract from the bread. I'm so relieved to have the chopping boards shadowing just about done. I have been at the lighting set up for over a week now, its an important factor otherwise the board has no weirght, its just floating. Half asleep I took some photos before breakfast of the new loaf we got:

 There is a shadowing that goes all the way round the board, something I previously could not get, until now I've re evaluated the light source too. It is a mixture of daylight and an above indoor light from above, a ceiling light. I've been staring at this image so long, I'm slowly losing the plot. Everytime I change something, something else goes wrong. Anyway I prefer having the butter dish there rather than the lid, it fits with the idea and scene.

I'm glad all the objects have base lighting, but the chopping board is now too light, so the next update will hopefully have that fixed. Then finally i can begin with my four shots and maybe add some crumbs in there if things work out.

latest Updates on Still Life

So sorted out the glass thank goodness!! And kinda sorted the Knife blade and spoon. Just have the handle also going to re-do the lid I think, as I copped out and was lazy with that too. I'm gonna finish this right I've decided, I'm so close why be lazy now?!! Anyway here is the latest:

Also tweaked the background again too. It is getting there, just everytime I redo something another element needs tweaking. Anyway I've got a lovely cold so think I'm going to have a lie down and get on with some sketches.

Still lifes background

Here is just a quick update, I've sorted out the background, looks a better already now that I've spent sometime on it. I was being lazy and Roma picked up on it straight away and made sure I worked on it, I should have done it in the 1st place rather all slap and dash. Still need to sort out the reflection on the Knife and of course the glass Jar. I'm not sure how to go about the jar, and I should have finished the background properly before showing Roma as she would have been able to see what needs tweaking etc. Oh well onwards...

Still Life update

So this the latest, I think today I will also begin on the background aswell as the jar and the two slices of bread, they need some more seeds ontop I think (also a little too light).

OOOHHH and I'm gonna start the jam, i'm just not sure where to begin with it, but the jar needs sorting 1st. Also ignore the lighting it will all change for the final images.

The Sketches

So here are the basic sketches I begun with before I started modelling, sorry both the camscanner and camera didnt give the best quality, but it will do for now. Also keeping with my New Year's resolution still practicing my drawing skills, I'm going to start my graphic novel initial sketches soon, its called P.O.D.S its futuristic and creepy. Anyway back to my Still Life sketches, here they are;

 And Bread is surprisingly hard to draw, out of all of it, that was definitely the most challenging.

 I now can say I practice drawing anything, chopping boards! Never ever have I drawn different styles of chopping boards. I can see myself in the future needing to be able to draw different styles of knives, maybe even jars, but chopping boards is new one.

Never realised how many different types of spoons there are out there, like there shapes and styles of handles. Anyway the Bread might have been hardest to draw, the spoon was definitely hardest to model.
I think after this I will upload my latest bit of work on this project, I've re done the knife handle and chopping board.

The Base Model

Well the basic models are just about complete, the hardest thing to do was the spoon, such an odd shape. All the models may change when I start putting on materials. I may also seperate the knife blade and handle so it'll be easier to control the material. My mum bought some bread for me today so i've got pictures now of its texture and everything. Hopefully it will work.

I think I need to re check the measurements of the chopping board to as its gotten smaller, everything else seems to be the right size, 20x18x10cm bread, 30cmx1mm knif, jar 11x5x6.5cm jar, 6cm lid, 13cm teaspoon, and the board should be longer than the knife by 5cm, so it should be 35x24x1.5cm. Will double check everything later, too tired now been modelling that little spoon for over an hour.

Also took pictures of the kitchen side, its kinda rustic because its from the old cottage in france. I've taken close up images of each section. Only problem is we're leaving fance tomorrow so tonights my last chance to get all the photos I need. Little bit worried I'll forget something.

I do think my models will fit in this kind of evnvironment though, homemade bread and jam, old chipped chopping board, worn knife, yes!

Perfect

Found this online whilst thinking about composition and the style of my piece. It has all the elements that I wanted to include in my still life, although this one is very crisp and clean and I want my to feel more realistic, then a set up. This is still a good reference, and something i will keep referring back too, especially the strawberry jam. I will change the chopping board though, add a few crumbs, a tile bakground and granit surface. Perfect, just texturing the loaf now, here is the basic model I have done in 3ds max:

Getting there bit by bit, just need to find the right texture for it, might have to wait and make a loaf myself once I get back to the uk and take pictures of it. Will keep searching.

Decided to just stick to modelling for the time being and collect my materials all at once, the search was fruitless online so going to compile my own. It will be done, hopefully i'll figure out the uwv unwrapping thing too.

i think i need to re-do the knife still 50/50 on its actual basic model, but so far so good

Peppers to Carrots

Keeping up the practice, i'm getting there bit by bit, I've found that modelling fruit and veg is a good way to practice just gettign used to the program. Today I made a carrot as you can see, not figured out yet how to sort the lighting out to not make it sooo shiny, but I like its shape and its stump of greenery. I think I could of added some more stringey bits at the bottom, but it didnt work out so well when I tried. I think I'm gonna make a snake or something next, build up from fruit and veg to legless creatures, then onto creatures with legs, leading to humanoids. I'm trying to think of what to make next but all I can see is a candle in front of me and that is my only inspiration at the min so that might be up next, unless I get the courage to skip my initial steps and create Ratchet from the Rachet and Clank games, maybe. I don't know I should really begin the still life project, I've finally decided to go with my grandma's kitchen idea, I think visually it'll be nicer if not harder.
Always like a Challenge

The Arena

 So here is a quick little arena I made in 3ds max, not sure how to replicate this in After effects. It won't be as glossy or reflective, it will have move of a cartoonish feel. Although I might have the 3d balls from this scene, and add points on them, so the audience knows that each equals points, though not sure how in going to show that these weighted. We'll see!

Above From the start line, below a close up of the 50 point ball.

After Effects for the Chess player

Above: Good evening. Middle: ...White Please. Below: Black

So here is a the next section, the switching on of the Unbeatable computer, and the computer deciding which side to be. I did one for each as at the time I decided to that the evil computer will prefer black, it will also allow the robot hands to start first... This is where the frustrations begin!
I did it in After effects, which I'm very glad I've started using more as i can now use it as practice for my final olympics piece, which is after this project. I like the glow of the letters, and it again helps set the scene. Sorry not uploaded my sketches yet, completely forgot.

Update on Materials

So here is a quick render of my scene, I've applied a deep blue raytrace onto the black squares, and now have a wooden table rather than it all be black, which I'm still 50/50 on. It lifts the image a lot, but I'm not sure if it distracts away from it or not, or even takes away the futuristic feel. I might tweek the white pieces, and white checkers too.

Here is the same shot as the one above but the computer has buttons and speakers, also there is shadowing from the hands, making the lighting more realisttic from above. I changed the above omni light to a target light playing with the effects.

progress report: