Moggy Blog

2012-02-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

Today I've been working some more into the Angel. Taking parts of the model into Mudbox and sculpting some more detail in them, though I spent many hours today trying to figure out normal maps. But, after several tries and re-sculpting a couple of times, I managed to get the map working in max... sort of. Here it is in Mudbox (Top) and then later in Max (Bottom) after I'd put on a little shiny material to give it a little something extra.

2012-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Made a series of little changes (wing size, belt addition, armour modification and shawl) to the angel. Let's hope this one passes the judgement of the director as I don't really want to change it any more... time to get on to another project as I'm already a few weeks behind...

2012-02-06T00:39:00.000-08:00

Had a little break from work to practice my Photoshop skills. Tried a new way of drawing with this one by drawing directly with colour rather than my traditional way of doing it in B&W and colouring over it. I'll have to do some more this way as I'm quite happy with how this turned out.

2012-02-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

Just quickly put an opacity map on the feathers and they look so much better, amazing how something that quick can make it look so different. Even if the render time has been upped x10 haha

2012-02-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

Playing with cloth modifiers for the hood and scarfy thingy, and I added some planes to fill out the shape of the wings and give it a more feathery look as well as adding his shoulder and leg armour. He's starting to look a lot better now that he's all in one piece and all I have to do now is his skirt, cape and rosaries. So if all goes to plan he should be finito by tonight. Hallelujah.

2012-01-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

2012-01-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

Updated the head some more. Trying to make it look a little younger, though it's proving difficult. Other than that I think I've pretty much got this part sorted, now I just have to have the body, wings, armour and cape done by next week... Easy. *sigh*

2012-01-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

Working on the head for the angel character. This one looks a little old for what I wanted so I'll mess around with it some more and keep working on the textures, and of course, give him some eyes.

2012-01-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

After having to start again, I'm pretty much caught up with the body. I've added hands now and still need to do his feet in better detail. His head will be made as a seperate mesh as to get the best detail without pushing the body mesh up too high. After I've done that I can finally start on his attire/wings/accesories. So yeah, a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks...

2012-01-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Just messing around the other morning, playing in mudbox to see what I could come up with for the Angel model. His legs are a little short here, I've improved that since, but not taken a render. I've also stretched his arms a little more and given him hands. Only took a couple of hours so I think with some more work I can get this angel looking top notch.

2012-01-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update to show what I'm doing tonight, this is a business card I'm designing. I wanted something modern and simplistic, so rather than have it full of words I thought I'd just put in a QR code with the information in it. This way people can just scan the card, and my info is already in their phone, no faffing around with inputting the info etc. Though it would pose a problem I guess if they didn't have a phone with a QR scanner in it. I guess I could make 2 sets, one with the QR code and the other with the actual printed info. I still think it looks cool though, and the character on the back of the card I'll probably end up replacing with a more recent model when I build one of my Major project characters. But for now, this will do.

2012-01-07T12:11:00.001-08:00

Working on the Mace and Flail for BMS' project. Just a couple of turnarounds, nothing special.

2012-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Finally got round to doing the front facing turnaround for the Angel character. This is hopefully the final design and won't need drafting. We've added a little bit of armour on the right shoulder and some little detailing on the hood just to keep it from looking a bit too plain.

2011-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update to show what I've been working on, so I've had a few projects cut lately which means I had to think up a couple of personal projects which I guess is a good thing though it left me with a bit of a gap that i need to fill in the pre-production folder. So far I've been thinking of making a sort of Orcish woman for my personal character and then maybe my other personal could be an environment to put her in, make them both compliment each other then I've got something nice to put in a show reel.

Anywho, beyond that. There's Joe's project which is well under way now as we have almost everything sorted as far as design is considered, though he is essentially an Assassins creed cosplayer. Hopefully the details and trinkets i give him can set him apart from that and bring him into his own persona, if all goes well I think this could look brill as long as I put the work in.

Other than those I have a few props to make for Sam, Ben and Matt's piece which is a sort of skyrim-esque medieval battle with barbarians and a dragon. So that's pretty cool, i'm supposed to be making an Axe, a Mace and a Flail. Pretty basic stuff that won't take too long so i think i'll probably get a couple more things just to fill out the production side. I'm also supposed to be making a few props for Chris' film although I haven't a clue WHAT I'm going to be making just yet, so yeah. That's it i think...

2011-12-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

Got a commission to do a portrait of someone's daughter (it was the client's daughter, not some random girl. That would have been weird) and i decided to draw her with a bit of the phantom in there. Took nearly 9 hours of solid work but I'm pretty happy with the result. Obviously there are a few things I could improve on but after 9 hours I'm pretty tired. So there you have it.

2011-12-05T04:28:00.000-08:00

So I arrived at uni this morning and realised after opening the .max file that i'd saved the UVW maps onto the desktop of the uni PC i was using yesterday, which is cleared when we log off. so this morning i had to go back into mudbox and paint the whole thing again. Luckily this time since i knew what i was doing it only took 2 hours and i managed to set it up for rendering before 12 today. I also made this nifty pre-vis image of him flying Iron-man style.

2011-12-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

So after a day's work and a lot of painting in mudbox. I have a character. His name is Gene and he is a builder, as you can tell by the hard hat and shovel... He would be more detailed, but mudbox was frazzling out on me whenever i tried to up the polys and put in some more detail. Oh well, guess he'll just have to live with his big smooth face.

2011-11-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

Finished the drawing of Mary Elizabeth Winstead this morning so thought i'd share, also a goblin a did the other day...

2011-11-29T02:36:00.000-08:00

Lately i've been trying to up my photoshop skills, i need to get to professional level before i leave uni so i'm opening photoshop every chance i get. here are a couple of pictures i've done in the past week, i'm not quite up to realism yet but i think i'm progressing, im certainly a lot better than i was this time last year. ONWARDS!

2011-11-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Managed to bash out another concept art, took this from one of the storyboard pictures i thought looked cool and basically photoshopped it to death. Took me all day so im pooped now and all out of effort. But anyway, in this scene the angel (still cloaked) is raising his hand to move the giant building in the middle towards him, which he will then turn and spin to shoot towards the damn and bust a cap in that mother f'er.

2011-10-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Righty-o. Today I've been working on some more concept art for Joe's project which is now known as "The Izmarians and the Forge of Light". For now i think Joe wants to keep the content of the film a surprise so i dont think i could show the storyboard we worked on today but i can show you this. The picture above is depicting an angel, pretty standard. He has two wings (for now) and a hooded cape for that extra dose of mystery, he also holds various rosaries which i think he draws strength from, and behind him, the most kick ass halo I've ever seen an angel flaunting.

2011-10-23T18:26:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to show a photoshop drawing i've just finished for that film im working on.

2011-10-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well now, since the environment project is sort-of over with i can start posting some pre-production for the major project. This one in particular is a concept for a character in a film that i'll be working on this year. (i do have some more concept work but it's less developed than this piece and i wanted to jump right in on this one). Anyway, I'm rather excited about this film. if we can pull it off it's going to look epic, and i mean that in the true sense of the word.

2011-10-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Right. It's the night before hand in and I have to say im pretty happy with how it's looking at the moment. The conference room has got some new light fittings (purely for decoration, they dont actually emit light at the moment) and I've also added an area light to make it look like the projector is up and running. I do love the shadows cast out by it and i think that room is pretty set, though it could use a couple little items to fill out the table if i have time. The kitchen is looking pretty standard, I've added some plain plastic style chairs for the table and a kettle and toaster to the counter-top. Making it look a bit more realistic with some cluttered plates and cups on the sideboard, and a backlight for the counter-top just for that added visibility. The reception area is looking pretty polished as well at the moment. with a nice art-deco style lamp in the corner to brighten the room and add some extra shadows for definition. Overall im pretty happy with how this is looking. Anything extra at this point would either go unnoticed or be purely decorational which i dont think i have time for. But if i find an extra hour or so towards the end of the deadline tomorrow i will add some bits in and hope for the best.

2011-10-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Today, I've been working through the lighting as well as adding some more little bits and bobs about the place. I've added some clipboards and pictures in the cubicles, and a toaster and a kettle in the kitchen. I will be adding more in the next few days but it'll only be cosmetic details as everything i want "set in stone" is in the scene. With the lighting i've decided to turn all the PC's on, to give the room that bit more localised lighting and make it look a little eerier. I've also gotten rid of the daylight systemy thing and have put in various square ceiling lights with a slight yellow tinge to add a grimey tone to the scene. Over the whole scene i am looking to create a feel of "I've just pulled an all nighter in the office and now i think there may be an axe weilding maniac round the corner."

2011-10-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I've been working today. i built a conference room which has filled that empty space in my office i was worried about. Which is good. Also i put a couple of props in there, some chairs, I changed the cubicle chairs a bit, made them taller and gave them armrests to signify that they are a little more expensive which suits the room and the "fat cats" aould be meeting in there. I've put a projector screen (lacking the projector at the moment) and an easel for presentation purposes. I've also put a little white carpet in the corridor, just to make it look a little less empty and finally I've added a corkboard to one of the cubicle walls, with a child's drawing (aquired through google but i may change it to a creation of my own soon) and a photo or two... so far so good. Had a tutorial this morning before making these changes and it all seemed to go well. He liked it. When/If i finish this week it'll hopefully have a lot more clutter....

2011-10-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

It's coming together now, i've added some detail to the ceiling although it looks a little distracting so i might make it a little less noticable or just redo it altogether. I've added a few little details just to tie the room together like a pen holder on the desk and some magazines on the table, as well as a few little planty things about the waiting room. it's looking pretty smart now so all i have to do is fix the ceiling and i can move on to start doing the conference room. Really have to get that desk and chairs build so i can look at the build as a whole and see where everything is going. Anyway thats enough of an update for now. i'll post again when i've done some more later.

2011-10-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd do a little birds-eye view render so you can get an idea of what I'm actually building, you can see all the rooms previously mentioned plus and extra empty room (the conference room) which will contain a long table and multiple leather chairs, this is where the "big wigs" have their meetings and such. there will be a projector on the table with a screen on the right end of the room covering the glass wall which looks into the kitchen. there's also a little area between the cubicles and the waiting room. I'm thinking of blocking this off with a closed bathroom door, save me modelling a bathroom and then i wont have this random block of empty space. Also im thinking just so i can put a little extra unwrapping in there i'll put a fax machine in the bottom right corner near the cubicles. as what office would be complete without an outdated massive piece of obsolete machinery, also im thinking i'll put a water cooler between the top cubicle and the kitchen.

2011-10-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Working on the new environment project, im liking the progress so far, although there's still a lot more to do. So far I've made a small cubicle, a reception/waiting room, and a small kitchenette. At the moment I'm just putting materials on the props as i make them, seeing what i can get away with and what i'll have to unwrap. A lot of things in my environment i can get away with leaving flat textures on, although there are a few things i'll need to look into. I'm going to have to research more into opacity mapping as quite a few things in my environment need it; leaves, frosted glass designs on the walls and maybe some other things i haven't thought of yet, but other than the obvious lack of unwrapping and bump maps at the moment im feeling pretty confident on the matter. I'm hoping to finish the modelling this weekend so i can spend next week solely looking at improving the materials and adding extra effects, as well as rendering and lighting, although the basic mental ray lighting does look immensely capable and fits exactly the look i wanted to portray so i may just keep it like it is. Anyway, im starting to ramble so i'll just leave this be for now. back to work i go.

I'm Back!

2011-10-04T03:12:00.000-07:00

hello people,

looks like it's time to start 3rd year. prepare for updates and whatnot.

Update:

2011-05-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

and so it's all over. showreel coming soon.

Update: Everything.

2011-05-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

ok so just to fill in gaps, here's what i've done so far...

Old Man: Update on the material kinda grimey looking..

Lizardy Man: Update on EVERYTHING. modelled and textured (texture not in the picture as i havent rendered it out yet..

Post apocalyptic motor bike thingy: modelled in an afternoon. basically making it up as i went along and perhaps one of my favourite things i've done. isn't that always the way.

Mustang: no real changes on the mustang front as...i havent changed it...

Long time...

2011-04-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

ok so i've kind of neglected this blog lately, work is kicking into gear so i'll post a few pics of what i've been doing...

1. the mustang is pretty much finished, interior and all...

2. GORM is going well, even though im not technically doing it for uni im still working on his texture so here's the latest.

3. building an old man for lynn's animation. build is going ok although i still need to do work on it and do the material and stuff... no pics yet as i'm not quite happy showing it until its at least looking passable...

GORM Update & Major Project Started

2011-02-12T04:26:00.000-08:00

Ok so GORM im pretty much done with for now, still need to do work on the textures but that can wait till ive got some free time. here's the materials i've got so far:

As for the major project im pretty happy with how it's coming along, especially since ive only been working on it for 2 days. i'm building a 1968 mustang GT500KR (my all-time favourite car) so here is a render of it at the moment:

GORM Update:

2011-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Gorm is finally (almost) done modelling! hazaah! and here he is...

Gorm Update:

2011-01-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Progressing with the GORM model, just got his legs to build now and a little bit of work on his joints (as i'm not happy with the one's he's got) should be finito soon.

GORM Update:

2011-01-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

So i've started modelling GORM now... spent pretty much all afternoon on this one and so far i have to say it's looking better than i'd anticipated :D

Dragon Design (for Lynn)

2011-01-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

as another collaborative project i am designing a dragon for Lynn Feye's animation. drawn a few drafts and ideas but i think im sticking with this one as it seems the most dragon-y without going too cartoony. drawn up some variations aswell as this as im going to give it ears so it can emote more.

GORM Update:

2011-01-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

well it took all morning but i finally finished the GORM turnaround (excluding the 3/4 views, doing them later when i have time) see what you think, feedback would be appreciated :)

Character Creations;

2011-01-12T04:39:00.000-08:00

Deciding which character to follow through with on the major project... here are a few examples.

GORM Update:

2011-01-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

After showing my sideview draft to the RUST people, they showed me a few errors in my initial draft so i re-drew it and tidied it up, here's the finished product..

GORM Update:

2011-01-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

been working on the GORM turnaround. quick sketches of a side/back view. side view's not quite right yet, still working on it and awaiting feedback from the RUST guys...

RUST collaboration

2010-12-30T03:10:00.000-08:00

for one of my collaboration projects i'm going to be doing a character for the game "RUST", his name is GORM and he's basically a seeker droid, covered in cameras and has two giant tasers to attack the good guys with, he's also pretty cool in the fact that he has neon lights running throughout his body which basically show you what mood he's in. anywho i'll be doing the turnaround and modelling him so i'll post my progress here when i can.

that's basically what he looks like. (front view of the turnaround im working on)

Thunderbirds Are Go!

2010-12-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

Blog has officially started. not much to say at this point......carry on.