PlantationHouse - Evolved

Plantation House

Heres my Plantation House; this took me probably 3-4 hours to model in Maya. I chose this style of house because I wanted a flexible, yet somehow iconic building design which could be adapted to fit into several different areas.

Below are some badly taken photographs from my phone (I apologise I am getting used to the new camera!) of the finished product! The square walls, balcony, pillars, roofing and porch are all extruded out from one shape. The doors and windows are separate objects because I wanted them to be able to be used on other buildings, or moved in position for this building. I am really pleased with how it has turned out, but my next step would be to get a lecturer to check its polys and to then texture it efficiently. Another little idea I had was to experiment with normal mapping to create little details such as slats in the wood, or panes of glass in the windows/doors or even tiling on the roof!

How I achieved the UNACHIEVEABLE!?!?!!

I have been challenging myself with the task of modelling a nice building to fit into the Plains or perhaps the Rain-forest area. It is based on an American plantation house, and I would love it to be able to fit in several areas. Re-Texturing can be applied to it for it to be more options such as jungle-decay, desert-decay, or it could have bomb damage etc.

Here are a couple of initial screenshots;

I decided after I got to this point ^^^ I decided I wanted to somehow extrude out the pillars from the 'holders' at the top, so that it could be one complete shape. Below are the stages I finally went through to successfully do this. Though prior to that I did go through several unsuccessful exploits.

Where I have highlighted, is where I put in 3 subdivisions to the square face; I then deleted the edges from the centre; 

The red square I have drawn is where the vertices were before I moved them to form a circle.  

This is where the vertices lie now;

I then extruded the highlighted face out and then moved/dragged it down in order to create my column. As far as I am aware this has worked quite successfully and I have not created any tri's in the process.

Tee Island Praject

As part of our Directed Study Project, we have been tasked with as a year group making an island in CryEngine, and attempting to populate it with 3D assets of our own. Below are som images I am using in my mood board





Links to images used;
http://www.gameschasm.com/gameschasm/far-cry-12.jpg

http://www.google.co.uk/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.officialpsds.com/images/thumbs/Wooden-Crate-psd42799.png&sa=X&ei=jOK3UIqrI6bO0QXlloCQBQ&ved=0CAkQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNF48ar4_o7K28mlMrgFONGc3iyAFA

http://www.thedogandwardrobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ceylon-Wooden-Tea-Shipping-Crate-%C2%A3185-2-380x254.jpg

http://kaufmann-mercantile.com/images/vintage-wooden-crate.jpg

http://www.google.co.uk/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.waltons.co.uk/Images/Dynamic/Cache/Products/2610-634526508544175000_cm-scaleaddwhite_w-185_h-185_q-80.jpg&sa=X&ei=W-O3UJzfNsq90QX7jIDIAg&ved=0CAkQ8wc4DA&usg=AFQjCNEFiwjFj8WcSKZ4-a5Eoa3KSBJlZw

http://www.google.co.uk/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.fencewi.com/3.jpg&sa=X&ei=guO3ULrpB-fB0QXO0IG4CQ&ved=0CAoQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNEksZ_wyeEhxPtK76eazpqkCGDM_g

http://www.americanfenceofbrevard.com/_images//shadow1.jpg

http://www.jppallets.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/wooden-pallet-3736911.jpg

http://www.wt-environmental.co.uk/var/ak/21962/406987-Wood-Hero.jpg

http://www.kitepackaging.co.uk/images/wood-pallets-l1.jpg

http://eichlervision.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mini-100219_29-wood-cutoffs.jpg

http://preview.turbosquid.com/Preview/2012/03/08__10_14_33/04.jpgb7e74316-4147-483f-99ee-e3617013c5a9Large.jpg

http://commercialwallcovering.com/DesignCenter/images/brown-wood-grain-wallpaper-(99WS1099).gif

WIGIJ Panel Advice

Below are some points on how to start up a business, and how to make a name for it;

• Use sites like Digital Doughnut/Donut for meet ups which will help with networking
• TIGA can help you
• Be commercial and sell-able - you're making games for your clients or consumers - never for just you!
• Make your financials clear and straight forward - show people exactly why they should invest in you.
• London Indies - monthly meetups (meetups.com)

And now for some advice on CV's/Jobs and the like;

• If your course is skillset accredited - this is a clear message to a potential employer that your course is validated by the industry.
• More specific courses to the industry provides employers better info on what you have studied.
• Masters level qualifications can show a level of maturity and knowledge of your chosen subject,
• Work placements/Internships/Experience is INVALUABLE as it shows an employer you know how a studio/office works, how to behave, how to work with other professionally. Also, it shows your worth as you have already succeeded in a rigorous selection process in order to land that placement.
• Internships are often the result of specific relationships built between university institutions and companies - though individuals can also apply (though some positions may not be openly advertised)
• Use networks/Forums to get feedback on your CV/Portfolio before you submit it to companies. These critiques are an excellent way to get impartial feedback on your work.
• Keep a blog and keep it current - show your interests through your blog.
• Understand your own talents and exactly what you can offer a company BEFORE applying.
• Be passionate and connected with your chosen subject.
• Game Jams are an excellent way to find out how you work in a team, how games are really made, how you work under pressure with people you may not know. They are also great for networking!
• A good way to get your foot on the wrung is by being a QA tester for games.
• Below are two great videos on Games Testing Jobs from www.youtube,com

Below is a snippet from EA's very informative website;

https://jobs.ea.com/students/faqs/

Q: What kind of educational background would I need to be a Computer Graphic Artist at EA?

A: We don't recommend specific schools, but we definitely believe it's critical to have a good foundation in traditional art skills. Having good fundamental skills provides you with a solid base to draw upon throughout your entire career.

It's good to have experience with 2D and/or 3D graphic software packages. We find that people can get this experience in a variety of ways. Some people focus their entire education in this area, while others just take a single course to get a basic understanding. Some learn via tutorials provided with popular animation/modeling software. In any event, we recommend taking the time to research the avenue that's best for you.

Also, keep in mind that computer design is a big field. There are many opportunities for specialization. At EA, for example, we have Character Animators, Environment Modelers, Texture Artists, User Interface Artists, Lighters, Visual Effects Artists, and many other types of artist. It's important for artists to identify the area they enjoy most and focus on it. Specializing in one or two specific areas can help you establish yourself as an artist in our industry and get the most out of your career.

And finally an EA Jobs website :)

https://performancemanager4.successfactors.com/career?_s.crb=GqxiUfUq4THNaTsb06D1nXpwBZ0%253d


And Edge Jobs website;

http://jobs.edge-online.com/

WIGIJ Conference Keynote Speakers

First Keynote Speaker at WIGIJ London;

"HTML5 Fad or Future"

Remode Studios - Ella Romanos - CEO

Remode work on all platforms and use unity/action script. They have a workforce of 18 employees. They broke into the industry as a company by creating and publishing their own game on steam in 2008 titled 'Mole Control'. By releasing their own game, they were able to showcase the skillet their company could offer potential clients, and build that all important trust within the industry.
To put it bluntly; they had evidence of their skills. This meant that clients could trust that the end product they were paying for would be one of a high standard.
Remode also work a lot with trans-media development. Often making games which further evolve a brand from TV for example. They have worked on Research and Educational projects alongside others.

Spoke about how Html5 if backed properly by companies could revolutionise the next generation of creative interactive content on the web. Now honestly a lot of her talk went over my head, and that is not meant by way of criticism- as a self-confessed artist I knew a lot of it would. Below are some summary notes taken which I hope make sense.

- 'Local Storage' is to replace cookies

- 'Web Workers' allows multi-threading in Java.
~I am no programmer but luckily it was put into layman's terms for me; content can be active and interacted with whilst data/content is still loading in the background. To me this immediately makes me think about how this could eliminate loading screens in online games, or further improve gameplay on such large games as WoW or Runescape.~

- it is supported on iOS meaning that it could cut into the industry where Flash falls.

- Two reasons why there is a delay in pickup of html5 is due to the need to retrain staff and a current lack of flexibility.

- Another element to it is how Adobe Edge Tools have dropped support to Flash in Browsers

- 'Turbulenz' Game Network uses high graphics in a browser due to use of html5

- A big perk for developers is that hmtl5 is free to use, unlike its competitors currently in the industry.

- Remode believe that hmtl5 is one step further to 'reducing the friction between player and game'  ie no more tutorials, loading screens...  This will in turn lead to a more varied demographic of consumers playing games.

- I will finish with an apt question posed by Romanos; "Do people still have time for playing console games?"

Second Keynote Speaker at WIGIJ London;

"Drugs, bugs and neuroscience: a formula for successful learning games?"

The Wellcome Trust - Martha Henson - Multimedia Producer

- Henson opened her talk by explaining a little of the history of the Wellcome Trust and its work. Henry Wellcome was the man who patented the method of creating pressed-powder tablets as a medicinal practice. So as you can imagine he amassed quite the fortune. Lucky for us he set up a trust which was to further the relationship between science and culture. One of the most notably funded projects was the Human Genome Project!(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Genome_Project)

- The Wellcome trust worked with a development company called Preloaded on some of its games (hosted on their website primarily, but made the game openly available by allowing users to 'post' the game on their website) The two games mentioned in her talk are linked below;
'High Tea' : http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/high-society/high-tea.aspx
'Axon' : http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/brains/axon.aspx

- Using this open method of distribution online, it allowed the trust to reach a far greater audience than if it was merely on their own site alone. The trust collected data from each game played and invited players to complete a quick survey on how playing the games affected their attitude towards the content featured. In several of their findings they saw that people were actively and independently seeking out more information on the subject after initially playing the game.

- They found that with 'High Tea' players were debating and discussing the ethical implications of the actions taken by the British in the 'Opium Wars'. Whereas with 'Axon' players were clicking the link provided to learn more about their neuron level (as a way of score ranking - I loved this idea). Below is a screenshot of my first attempt at the game, and my Wikipedia link;

- In both cases it was found that players really engaged with the factual basis and grounding to the games and that it was a 'turn-on not a turn-off'! However the games do have to be really fun in order for them to compete with non-educational games. It is always important to follow up on the creation of your game to get constructive feedback / research statistics.

- Henson summarised the flow of ideas in the following list;

WIGI Conference Panel Speakers / Roundtables

This is Wonderbook! Charu Desodt a Producer on the Sony London Studios team brought Wonderbook with her for her Roundtable talk; "How augmented reality opens up a new way of storytelling" This hardware for Sony's Playstation Move opens up new educational gaming possibilities. The first title to be released with the book is JK Rowlings 'Book of Spells'

http://www.forevergeek.com/wp-content/media/2012/06/wonderbook.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7339666454_4c8d8cd27d_z.jpg

After speaking to Charu, it made me think about how 'the bedtime story' will change in the years to come. Already parents are using their iPads to spice up the bedtime narratives for their children. 

CGHUB - 2D Drawing Jam

*A grumpy grizzled mountain goat - he is the leader of his herd, rarely smiles and has been known to head butt climbers off his mountain.































 Reference Images;

 

http://www.leadenhalluk.com/files/1984566/uploaded/Catalog/Brook%20Taverner/corporatewear/Sophisticated/Man/Waistcoats/Busso-Men-Waistcoat-1074.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll92/Para_Bellum/dolomiten017.jpg