Hello again

Just got internet up and running in my new house unfortunately. So i guess i should do my first post for the term. This particular post is going to be on the simulated project.

For the simulated client project i will be doing a short animation 20-40secs long to quickly show the audience that ntu alumni do good work and help people who are in need. "How am i going to do this?" I hear you ask. Well i will be using an animated student, looking in distress, walking into a completed white room and finding a big button saying ntu-alumni hear he will press the button and colour will burst up around him or the walls and furniture. He will become happy at this point and then facts will appear on the screen. These facts will be more like headlines rather than anything more as if people are interested the website address will pop up and the can go to it to find out more.

For the research project I am planning to look at the imperfections in peoples movements that cause personality and how to achieve this in 3d animation. I am studying the way people sit, stand, jesture as well as posture and fiddling with their fingers at the moment but will define my focus soon.

2nd Year Animation

Rational

Rational for Virtual Environments, Design Practise 3, Assignment 2

This project is to do a take on a three minute script and animate your own interpretation. My chosen idea was to take the eternal struggle between ‘The Tortoise and The Hare’ and put it into the DOJO Scene from ‘The Matrix’.

The idea was to make Torpheus and Hareo (humanoid versions of their counterparts). Torpheus would be a big strong looking tortoise with his shell like armour with slow looking heavy limbs and Hareo was to look weaker and more like a slob who doesn’t have to try hard in life. Both characters actually came out much too how I wished them to look if not better. The only problems I found during the modelling process came when I had to ‘unwrap’ the hare’s ears and tortoise’s shell. But after that process was complete I created two very good looking textures for them as I had envisioned.

The project started on a very positive note, I got a lot of work done very quickly and began to become ahead of what was being taught so I slowed my efforts. Unfortunately this caused me to lose most my drive and I did not do much work on the project for several weeks. Until finally I got my act in gear and designs, new ideas, and animating started to flow.

The original idea for the scene was to use near enough the exact scripting from the film but in a different arena and with different characters. Due to the way I designed both these things I ended up instead using partial elements from the original, using parts of the sound wave, certain movements the actors had used in the film and visual effects I found exciting.

Around halfway through the project the idea of making a crowd to watch the end of the hare/tortoise race was considered. Designs were drawn up for these characters which would take the roles of the people on the ship, in the film version. However, due to time constraints I decided it would be like ‘digging my own grave’ if I was to partake down this road as rendering times and time to create, model and rig these characters would risk the whole project.

During the project I found out much about my abilities, I am good at lip syncing for one. As well as I am relatively good and fast at poly-modelling. Unfortunately I found, as with the previous project, I am not a great environmental designer as I lack the excitement for it that I have with animating and designing characters.
I found during this project I began to become much more confident with my skills and my knowledge of the programs.

I believe my final outcome is a good representation of my skills, at the moment, as an animator although I just couldn’t get certain parts of the scene to flow correctly. I was however pleased with AfterEffects work at the end where I blended a flat Photoshop background into the scene creating the mood I wanted.




FINAL ANIMATIC AND ANIMATION TO FOLLOW

LIP SYNCING HELL YEAH

Torpheus lip sync starter

this is the beginnings of my first torpheus speech!

Started to get on a roll

with doing all my animation. i am about 01:09 through the 03:00 animation and so far all is going well the lipsyncing went really welll and soo far fighting is the hardest thing to animate due to the amount of factors you need to think about. although i seem to be able to do this equally as well. below is an image of rendering the first fight scene about 01:03 - 01:08.



i am really enjoying doing this work now and i wake up really excited to do more, which i guess is a bit weird but good in the same way. my plan is to have the animating done by wednesday and the after effects done by sunday. :)

Hare Stance

Much Much More to come!

mouse morphers

i've now made my mouse but as he isnt going to do much motion decided i would just use morphers for the movement as it is easier and less time consuming than making a whole new bone set

mouse morpher test from Alex mousley on Vimeo.

mouse mouth from Alex mousley on Vimeo.

UVW UNWRAPPING is

the bane of my life. just got into doing some more animation and realised i need to create 4 or 5 more characters hence im back to unwrapping ARRRGH :)

new test shots

test shot from Alex mousley on Vimeo.

hare stance from Alex mousley on Vimeo.

Finally onto the actual animation part

I have done a few test shots just to see if dimensions of characters and the scene will work well enough for the project and i believe they will. i hav e also played with lighting and textures more to create a better realisation of the scene.

The Art of Seeing

this is my texture database...

FLICKR

cool beans

Website Complete

www.alexmousleyonlinepresence.weebly.com

SHOWREEL

Hi my new website

Right recently i have been setting up my own Website which is going to act as a portfolio give you links to all my online presence. I have also been making a show reel which has not been completed yet but will be on the first page

Torpheus UVW Unwrap complete

TORPHEUS



TEXTURE MAP



STANCE VIDEO

Torpheus taking pose from sketch mousley on Vimeo.

Torpheus bones and skin complete

below are a few pose examples...

the envelopes on the hands were one of the most annoying things i have ever done... ah well all i have to do now is the face morph and unwrapping.

FLYING POSE



TALKING POSE

Test of Walking Cycle and Mouth Morphers

Right i have got back into a flow with my work recently which is good but i keep making stupid mistakes during it. thus beyond doing the walking test i changed a few things unwrapped the hare and then gave it morphers... i realised that doing it in this order just made it hard for myself but i had gone to far. below is the walking test which due to the way i rendered it came out as 4:3 rather than the 2:1 how i had wanted it.

WALKING TEST

Walking test from sketch mousley on Vimeo.

next i have done a mouth test in which i switch between angry, smile, smerk and 'O' and do some variations on the way. obviously i need to do more morphs but at the moment i thoguht ild check these were working.

MOUTH TEST

Mouth Test from sketch mousley on Vimeo.

Texturing is quite cool but also confusing

you have to think about all the seems and things and i think i might have just about got it below is my texture sheet and textured posed HARE

TEMPLATE



TEXTURED POSE

UVW UnWrapping -hare

is makes me very UNhappy... i almost did all of it once and autodesk decided not to save so i had to do all of it again... this is my net


NET

Bones - Hare

All Bones are now done and the movement is good except i need to do some more work with the ears.

here are two poses



MATRIX LEAN BACK POSE




THE WALKING STYLE STRUT>>>

Found this shot run through

from watching the scene in this manner i have realised i can easily add the crowd from the race track to this scene as the crew on the ship. i feel this could bring more the the animation. also looking at the animating in this way could mean it will be easier to do seperate shots.

it will not let me embed so i shall just leave the link

matrix shots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM0pQd0XyIU

What i have been working on this morning

I started by working on my hares hair, im still not sure if i like what i've done here so anyone reading this feel free to add some constructive critism

HARE WITH HARE - FRONT



HARE WITH HAIR - SIDE



Also today i have been trying out some stuff with bones, im not sure if i completely understand what im doing yet but i am starting to understand how the movement of torpheus will be hindered by his size

TORPHEUS STARTING BONES

Torpheus with Glasses

DOES WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN

Right back to work,

I've been doing a few things today including working on my enviroment which has been a bit hit or miss with my approaches. and trying to make sunglasses and eyes. heres some pictures
New Centre stone



Boulders been added



Stonehenge has been elevated and a race track is to be added



The Hare got shades :)

Test shot of stonehenge shadows and working with how to make warm sunlight

Test of sunlight on stonehenge from sketch mousley on Vimeo.

Right i've started to work more with stonehenge

as i can now fill my time with this until monday when i will be learning how to do the bones. i have worked a bit more with the design and have also started to think about light effects

STONEHENGE NIGHT TIME



STONEHENGE MORNING



STONEHENGE TRANSITION VIDEO TO COME

Test of my basic henge to see if the size

works for panning shots

Stonehenge test shot from sketch mousley on Vimeo.

i think it works alright but im going to add alot of outside scenery

Ok i was going to stop doing work today but i have kinda got on a role

and it seems stupid to stop now.
as i am without the know how as to how to rig or do proper eyes on my characters as of yet i have decided to move onto the henge and racetrack which will be my scene. as far this is where i have got to.

THE HENGE



CLOSE UP OF THE SIZE DIFFERENCE OF SCENE TO CHARACTER



RAISED SHOT

the tortoise and the hare

alright so iv near enough finished my characters i decided i would put them in a world together and here we are

TORPHEUS

today i have created torpheus :)

took alot of mistakes and thought but i think iv done it.

finshed the hares head- ish im not sure how we are doing eyes yet

CLEAR LOOK AT HARE



LIGHTING AND CAMERA



MAKING THE EYE

THE MAKING OF MY HARE

THE TORSO AND ARMS



THE LEGS



THE BODY WITH HEAD - HANDS



THE COMPLETE BODY - NOSE



THE HEAD



i only have a few thoughts atm mainly around whether i have made my creature correctly

The hare with head and legs and teeth and ears :)

THE HARE


The Hare by ~Twat-Sketch on deviantART

i really like the head i made it seemed to be making itself as i created it. the teeth i also like i made them using a few techniques taught to make the feet flat and the sleeves of a t-shirt

The Hare

this is the beginnings to my hare arms and torso made and smoothed taking a short break now as my eyes hurt


The Hare turboSmoothed by ~Twat-Sketch on deviantART


The Hare Smoothed by ~Twat-Sketch on deviantART

i would like to add that i really like the process of making these characters u can really make them look however u like

DOJO

ok this is my first 3d try at a jungle / stonehenge type dojo i think it is alright, obviously not finished but that is due to the fact i wish to do more options.

as i am doing the tortoise and the hare with a twist i was going to try a jungle one, a race track one... (where they fight whilst racing) and a more matrix like one. and from there i will add characters and develop my interest in one as the way my 3d versions appear and act may determine the greater solution

DOJO JUNGLE


DOJO beginning thoughts by ~Twat-Sketch on deviantART

obviously i have this on INK'n'Paint materials but i will change to a more realistic later one, i was just wishing to try out different materials whilst making this dojo

New design for the tortoise

my idea will only work if the characters look and work well with the script, thus i have made a more realistic version of the tortoise

although i have to say it isn't a great drawing or colouring, i was standing up and my house is really warm at the moment, anyway yeah this is

TORPHEUS


Torpheus by ~Twat-Sketch on deviantART

I have decided

I AM going to do the hare and the tortoise

and here are my concepts i PREFER the hare and have a few thoughts on how to make him amble sound and act

THE TORTOISE


tortoise by ~Twat-Sketch on deviantART

THE HARE


hare by ~Twat-Sketch on deviantART

you can definately tell a life style choice from this hare that could be the reason he moves slow to start off with.

Ok after much thought

and deliberation i have decided i am going to use two characters which i have nicknamed

FLY BOY (Morpheus) (seen as my background picture)

and

EVIL BUNNY (NEO) (still being charcterised)

Thoughts about E-on Proposal

TIME

work load is something that i love having more of but i am not sure of time requirements

IDEAS

the proposal was very vague... im not sure whether i could create something that actually has a point without much more information about the company.
although i think animation/ live action could be very interesting and i think i could make a better film than the one we were shown.

CONNATATIONS

i believe if i got this job and worked it well it could help my CV alot but the amount of work put toward it with the possibility of not getting it could effect my work.


FINAL THOUGHTS

i am going to try and design and script and storyboard by friday if i have not got any ideas by then i will concentrate on my actual uni work.

Initial idea

SCENE CHOICE

i will be doing the dogo scene

CHARACTER CHOICE

i have been thinking of making it a mix of the matrix slash the tortoise and the haire.

i also have been thinking maybe using mice and things they find on the floor as weapons.

other ideas include mutants and stick insects.

back to uni - new leaf

good afternoon, i have realised i am going to have to spend alot more time thinking and discussing my work on here. by friday there will be 5 idea posts on here as well as a storyboard for e-on. my plan is to improve my creative process again.