Josh Morgan Next Gen Blog

This week we have been learning how to sculpt a head from a sphere in mudbox, starting with just the basic head shape then moving onto sculpting out the eyes, nose mouth and ears. We then would sculpt out the neck from the head keeping it all one object. We also had a look at a presentation by Blizzard Entertainment showing how they did their modeling using Zbrush. Video from Pixologic

So this is the second week of our 9 week modeling challenge in which I have started modeling my collection of vases and managed to get one finished modeling and ready to be UV unwrapped.  The vase I have modeled so far is based a lot on an already existing vase in which I have used the shape of the vase for my model but for the actual texture I want to be different from the actual vases but I want to add an imprint on each of my vases as like a company logo sort of thing. So far I think I am keeping up with the task and keeping on time with the task considering I have time at home I can continue on with these vases. I do think that I need to get a bit faster when I am modeling but I am enjoying it and I believe I should be able to get it done on time.

So today we learnt to do some image stabilization with a video as well as some motion tracking using the effects part of after effects. I believe it came out pretty good we also had an image of a fish imported onto the video that we use as the as the main point of the motion tracking. The next composition we did was to add a fish image onto the side of the college and do some two point motion tracking.

Today I we were given a task of creating one of the best models we can make, we have a total of 9 in college weeks to finish these models. So our first lesson we have spent on research and planning and for the rest of the first week I am looking to get some concept sketches and planning of how I am going to go through the process of creating these models. So my idea for this is do recreate some modern surface vases which have a very angular look to them and for this I want an engraving put onto it of a logo however as of this moment I don't exactly have the logo set out yet as I don't know if I am creating my own logo yet or not. I would like to do multiple vases as part of an environment so I am looking t make a nice glass tabletop and have these vases put on top with some lighting pointing at an angle for them to cast a shadow of the back of the table. Programs I will be using for this will be Maya/3DS Max, Photoshop & Mudbox Examples of the Vases:

So today I have been using Mudbox to sculpt a character. The character itself is a turtle with its shell on. So to start off I decided to work on his skin first and within this I was using two main tools the first being the imprint tool and the second being the smooth tool. I started off with a stamp that comes with Mudbox and I would just stamp the area I needed to give it a bumpy area on the skin. I would then smooth off the more harsh areas so it doesn't have any major jagged lines on it. After doing this for a while I started to notice that it was giving off quite a stone texture to the skin which I started to like after a while. However when it came to the feet I changed it up a little as I smoothed the toes a lot more than the other parts of the body which makes them stand out more and when it comes to texturing this guy I can add more detail to it by changing some of the colours around. Next I started on sculpting on the shell which I made look very unique as I made some v...

Bump Maps A Bump map is an older type of map that create fake detail by giving an illusion of depth on the surface of a model using a very simple lighting trick. You don't get any additional resolution added to a model as a result of bump mapping. Bump maps are typically greyscale images that are limited to 8-bits of colour information. This tells the 3D software whether it is up or down. Bump maps are great for creating tiny details on a model such as wrinkles on skin and because the detail they create is fake the silhouette of the geometry that the bump map is applied to will always be unaffected by the map. Normal Maps Normal maps can be referred to as a newer better type of bump map, as with bump maps what you need to know is that the detail they create is fake and there is no additional resolution added to the geometry. A normal map creates the illusion of depth detail on the surface like a bump map however it does it differently. A normal map uses RGB information that ...

So today I did my first attempt at UV unwrapping a character model in Maya. Usually before today I hate UV unwrapping anything I could never get the hang of it at all however now it seems I quite enjoy it the ways that Matt has shown us to UV unwrap has made a lot more sense to me and allowed me to have some sort of fun in UV unwrapping and to be honest its kind of brought my confidence up in UV unwrapping and texturing as when I was learning to UV unwrap in 3DS Max I found it way too confusing and complicated where as when I have learnt to UV unwrap in Maya today it has stuck in my head a lot more and it feels a lot simpler compared to 3ds Max. I am happy to say that I think I might move over to Maya rather than 3ds Max as a lot of the tools and just general use of Maya is simpler and stuck to my head more than 3ds Max.

Day 1 - Maya Character Modeling  So today I had my first attempts at modeling a character from reference images alone which for my reference images they are from an artist known as Josh Addessi and the image is his Golem Keeper. I chose this reference as it seemed like an interesting way to start off modeling characters as a lot of the shapes are still quite cube like with the golem being made of rock and it having a lot of sharp edges on it. I believe I did okay just starting I seemed to start off strong and got a hang of until I came up to the shoulders however the tutorials that Matt gave us helped a lot in that respective area as he showed us a nice and easy way to do it by using an edge loop. I made some mistakes in my character as there was a point when I went to mirror one side of the golem it had six faces on top of each other which I did fix just by deleting any extra faces that were on there. The only part I have to do next is to model the basic shape for the head as Ma...

My first day using Maya for 3d modeling and learning the new tools. My first honest opinion was I didn't like how it is set out at first but after time it turns out Maya is set out more simpler than 3DS Max and when it comes to modeling in Maya its actually quite nice once I got the hang of it as I do like the layout as all the tools are not really thrown in all one place they are quite nicely set out. It did take me until the last 40 minutes of lesson to get used to using Maya in the most simplest of modeling but in the end I do like it but I have a lot more experience with 3DS Max so I am more swayed to one rather than the other however with time I will learn to use it to make models with the best of my ability. This was my first proper model in Maya as I did mess around with some stuff but the models I started was just to get used to the software. This is a pretty basic spaceship I haven't finished it just yet the photos included are just a front and back view of the space...

Modeling Challenge We had a modeling challenge set by our new lecture which was to just model something to see our skills and how he can help develop our skills in modeling. I set out thinking of something to create and a fire axe is just what came to my head so opened 3ds Max which to be fair I was a bit out of touch on but I still got the hang of it after about ten minutes and this is what I ended up with. I am still not very good at UV unwrapping which is why I have not textured the fire axe at all unfortunately I did forget to take screenshots of the axe during the modeling phase.

Project Titan Concept Art NexGen Year 2 For my Year 2 I am wanting to focus a lot onto character concept design and concept art for characters. To do this I will need to improve as well as learn some new ways of drawing in different styles. I really like the cartoonist style that Overwatch has in its game as well as Blizzards Project Titan(which was rumored to be remade into what Overwatch is today). I will need to adapt my skills to become more comfortable with the cartoon design and look as I am used to drawing semi-realistic. By the end of the second year I would like to get very strong at doing character concept art and I would like to dabble a bit into character modeling. Doing this NextGen course is one of the best parts as it helps me develop further into the job field that I want to be in.

Specialist skills Team work - Being good at teamwork in either the Games, Animation & VFX industry will help a lot for group projects within the companies as depending on the job that you are, if you were to be lead designing a project then you will need to be reliant on your work and the work of your colleagues. Creativity and Efficiency - Being creative and efficient is needed in these industries as being able to be efficient at getting your work done on time and being able to out your future projects is key to these industries. Being creative will get you far as it means you will have a lot of ideas for e.g. characters in games, visual effects on a movie and some animation sequences for a TV show these are key to these industries to keep you coming up with new ideas. The ability to think about the big picture - This will be useful as this skill means you will always keep in mind how the overall project should be like if it is a horror movie the overall movie should be dark and s...

Regulatory, Legal & Ethical Issues in Gaming Regulatory Ever since the beginning of video games, there has had to be restrictions on who can play what. These are now known as age restrictions. In the majority, these are well used and fair. However, there are problems. There are different policies all around the world depending on which country you live in, and difference policies for all states in the USA (The ESA). Legal Ratings of Games PEGI 3+ games won’t have a violence descriptor but may contain “Tom and Jerry” slapstick violence if it is not considered disturbing. PEGI 7+ games flagged with a violence descriptor may include “non-realistic violence towards fantasy characters” or “implied violence”. PEGI 12+ will have the Violence descriptor to signpost “violence towards human like characters” but this must be non-realistic so that bodies don’t remain when killed. This may also include violent sports like boxing providing there is no blood. PEGI 16+ games are flagged for...

SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is used to identify peoples Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths: Knowledge of Industry software (3DS Max, Maya) I have a very creative mind for creating new things I am very punctual in my timekeeping Weaknesses: Can be distracted I never really seem to push myself when it is necessary I take way too planning than doing the work Opportunities: I am part of the NextGen course which helps me learn the ways of the industry that I am wanting to be a part of We often get people from the industry coming into our class to talk to us about our work and how we can improve it and giving us information about how to get started in the industry. My work can be looked at by people from the industry which in the end are looking for people to give jobs to. I have access to numerous industry programs such as 3DS Max, Unreal Engine and Unity allowing me to get a taste of what there is in the industry. Threats:  ...

Intern-ships: An internship is a temporary job position with an emphasis with on the job training rather than just employment, it can be both paid and unpaid employment. In some cases when applying for a job you may be required to take an internship before the employers deem you qualified for the job, this is more common with Publishers than Developers. How are they paid? Interns are paid by their employers if they’re getting paid, those who do according to NACE’s intern compensation report average wage for an intern with a masters degree is 35% more than those with a bachelors degree. Benefits When you have an internship you’re getting real work experience that’s invaluable when it comes to looking for a full-time job and shouldn’t be overlooked, also when you work an internship for the company they may consider taking you on for a full-time job or if and when they need a man to fill a position for a couple of months you could be on their list. Disadvantages Interns are usually paid l...

My Dream Job would to be a Character Sketch Artist at CD Projekt RED. This reason why I would love this dream job is because I love to draw characters of all different genres as well as sketching already existing characters into an alternate genre. The responsibility's of a character artist is to make some concept art for a creature or character and then build on that concept art using a wide variety of different programs and then texture that character or creature to get the final product to go into the game. [Source - https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/984?source=Indeed.com] Skills and Experience Required: Excellent fine art skills (sketch work and/or 3D concept work). Excellent modeling and texturing skills. Experience with Zbrush, 3D Studio Max and Photoshop. Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts, Graphic Arts, or 3D Design a plus. Knowledge of Role Playing games and The Elder Scrolls or Fallout a plus. Game industry experience a plus.   Example Job Advert: [...

Publishers: A Publisher is the company with the financial risk, so if a game flops they are the ones that lose a lot of the money. When a Development team want to make a game to release, the ask a Publisher for the funds to fund their production, if a Publisher agrees, the Publisher will give the Development team a budget to work on the game, while the game is nearing completion the Publishers deal with the commercial side of the game, which includes advertising to help sell the game which is why the Publishers are helping the developers, to make money. Another thing a Publisher does is pays game shops to clear out a section of the shop and fill it with merchandise of the game is the Publishers want to as it could cost them quite a lot of money to do this. So in turn a Publisher deals with the financial side of the game making process whereas the developers deal with the development side of game making. Early Access: Early access is a funding model used in the games industry in...

1. Sole traders are people who are self employed. Sole traders run their businesses as an individual, this means that they keep all the businesses profits after the taxes have been paid on them. Sole traders can employ staff and don't have to work alone but the sole trader is personally responsible for any losses the business makes. 2. Private limited company limited by shares look after everything to do with their business, its finances are separated from your personal finance. Directors often own shared but they don't have to own any at all. Shareholders cannot sell or transfer their shares without offering them first to other shareholders for purchase. Shareholders cannot offer their shares to the general public over a stock exchange. 3.  A private limited company limited by guarantee, (LBG)  is an alternative type of corporation used mainly by charities and other non-profit organisations. LBGs usually don’t have a share capital, nor do they have shareholders, they inst...

Compositor Compositor’s work at the end of the production process, responsible for constructing the final image by combining layers of previously created material. They creatively combine all the elements into the final image, ensuring that the established style of the project is respected and maintained. To achieve this they enhance the lighting, match blacks and other colour levels, add grain where required, add motion blur where required, and create convincing shadows. They make sure levels combine together seamlessly, keying, rotoscoping and creating mattes where necessary. They also work closely with ‘lighters’ and need to have a technical knowledge of how 3D lighting works in order to understand the ‘multi passes’ that the lighters create. Concept Artist Concept Artists work at the beginning of the pre-production process up to six months before the filming is due to begin, responsible for producing illustrations that are striking, accurate and clear. They work...

Creative Director - A creative director, takes part in the major decisions of the games aesthetics making sure the game looks and feels right . To be a creative director you have to be able to motivate and inspire your staff to work the best and make sure they hit their deadlines, usually you need about 5 years of experience and you must be in a senior development role to be considered to be in this position. The average wage is considered to be £48,000 – £73,000. Animators - An animators job is to create the movement of the characters in game, this includes the way they walk and their facial movements. On average an animator ears around £30,000 a year. One example of  an Animator is Walt Disney. Producers - Producers handle the communication between the Developers and Publishers, they’re also in charge of negotiating contracts, acting as a liaison between the development staff and the upper stakeholders, the annual salary of a producer is dependent on the experience of the pro...