In Class Work:
Last week we had to cut the lesson short a bit, so this week we finished off looking at sequencers, particularly with their uses and how to organise them.
We then moved onto materials, looking at how to make them, and how to make material instances. With materials, it is easy to make changes but can get a bit annoying when you might want to see those changes happening live in the viewport. With material instances, as long as the material it is created from is set up correctly, you can change the parameters live and it also doesn’t change the base material, making it easy to undo/reset parameters.
Serra also showed us how normal maps work, and how they can add depth and detail to objects without changing the geometry or needing to use high resolution assets.
Finally, we learnt how to blend materials together. I realised this will be very useful to achieve the aesthetic look I was hoping for (as shown on my Pinterest board screenshots from Week 2), because combining and laying different materials will probably be more successful to achieve the mixed media, textile look of the references I was inspired by.
Project Progression:
Finding rigs:
I didn’t get a response from Hernan Ares regarding his ‘Zio’ rig, so I started looking for alternative rigs. I’m considering buying the Artemis and Apollo rigs created by Ramon Arango, who has a strong background and experience in rigging and animation. While I really like the more unique facial features on these rigs and the level of technical detail, the tracksuit outfits that come with the rigs (and need to be deform wrapped to the skin geo) are a bit too plain for my taste. I’m planning on having a detailed environment with interesting materials, so without modification the tracksuits would stand out against the louder backdrop.
Because the rigs are more on the premium side, I want to wait another week or so before buying in case I find something else. While I would be happy to spend the money for them since they will come in useful a lot in future projects also, I don’t want to buy rigs I don’t need and that could be far more complex/detailed than is necessary for this project if there are better options.
Storyboard/animatic:
I began by quickly sketching a storyboard to visualise my ideas. To maintain momentum, I prioritised speed over detail, knowing I could refine the sketches later. I’m planning to make an animatic later by photographing the storyboard, saving time on digital redrawing.
Some shots were difficult to sketch, so I imported the subway train level from UE5 to Maya, and used the ‘Body Mechanics Rigs’ (created by Joe Daniels) as placeholder characters. This let me experiment with different camera angles and character positioning a bit before adding a shot to my sketches.
I realised early on that my project’s initial scope was too much to complete in the time we have, so I decided to sketch out all my desired shots, then selected the minimum number of shots needed to convey my idea and aesthetic to move forward with. This approach allows me to prioritise the essential elements, complete the project efficiently, and potentially add back more complex shots later if I have the time to do so.
Organisation method:
To help me track all of this and to keep myself as organised as possible, I made a Google Sheet for the project that I’m planning to have several pages for, each with their own purpose to help my workflow.