Mother Character Production

The next scene of the animation involves the mother character. I have been searching for a couple of hours now to try and find a character rig or model that would be appropriate, however, I have had a lot of issues. Firstly it is important that the character looks appropriate for the role, a lot of the models are half dressed which I don't think is.. Also most of the models are available for 3dsMax, which I do not have because I am using a Mac and it is not available.

I find I constantly encounter issues such as this when I am producing work, I don't think Maya is used as much as the other 3D software available which creates problems gaining accessibility to information and tools.

I have finally found a character which I think would be acceptable to use, now I just have to rig it which I was trying to avoid as my skills are not strong in that area.

I have been attempting to rig the character however as her arms are down by her side this has created some deformation when I move the skeleton therefore I am having to use paint weights. This is taking me a little while as I find paint weights difficult to use, I understand the concept but I don't think the tools are very clear.

I was going to use this character however as you can see in the pictures her hands are touching her body and I have tried to use paint weights for a good hour to fix it and I managed to fix a majority of it but it was too noticeable to use.

So I am going to have to try and find another model to try and rig..

Next I found a good quality model but it was a 3dsMax file, I researched as to whether it was able to convert the file into a file that Maya could read, it is possible however I am using an iMac which does not support 3dsMax..

I am getting increasingly frustrated with all the obstacles that I keep facing however, someone did point out to me that I am overcoming these obstacles by using my knowledge. I am also getting concerned about the amount of time that I have to finish my project before the deadline, the mother character is taking a lot longer than I anticipated and I need to ensure that I have enough time to render and edit.


I had to gain access to 3dsMax to export the file as an fbx., I then loaded it in Maya and rigged the character. I thought I had finally found a character that I could use however when I attempted the render the character in Mental Ray, initially Maya just kept crashing and when it did render, the entire scene was black so I gave up on this model too.

I have attempted to rig four models now and have not had any luck, it has taken me two days to find a character that I am able to use. I did think that I had previously found a character that I would be able to use earlier on in the production stages however that had failed.

I found a rigged female character which I am going to use as I am running out of time. The quality of this character isn't as high as I would have hoped however I need to move on to the next stage as soon as possible.

Animating and rendering the first scene

As this animation is taking a long time to render, it is now taking 5 minutes per frame, I am going to animate and render in stages so that i am able to do both simultaneously. I decided to animate the opening scene and whilst that is rendering I will animate the next scene.

Initially, I viewed some reference on YouTube of babies crying in their crib. I noticed that their movement is random, more of a flailing motion therefore that was how I was going to animate the baby and I would have the camera zooming in from outside.

The animating was a lot easier than I anticipated. I think it may be because the rig is simple, before, I have attempted to animate with complex rigs and found it too difficult. I slowly animated a limb at a time until I had a movement that I was happy with. I then had a few issues with the cameras as I haven't animated a camera in a while and when I created a camera, the settings where different so it came out looking like this:

Clearly this is not good so I had to render using the perspective camera but I feel like you have less control of the movement, or I find it easier to use one I have created.

As always in the rendering stages, I encounter problems, after rendering for several hours, I assembled the jpg's into a video in After Effects and here is the video:

As you can see, something weird happens. I am pretty certain that it is the glass material that I placed on the window that the camera is moving through. I was experimenting with different glass shaders and had forgotten to change that window. I had checked before I rendered however the change was so drastic it happened between two frames.

I then changed the glass and rendered it again, however, the glass material affected the mirror material and caused it to be non reflective. The mirror jumps straight from a dull to a reflective material which obviously is not good. I altered the glass again, double checked by rendering particular frames and produced an opening scene that I am pleased with.

Baby Character Production

As I have previously mentioned, I will not be modelling the baby character. I was unable to find a baby rig that I was able to use therefore I had to download a model of a baby. I then applied a simple rig to the character so that I was able to animate it. The model did not come with textures and I have not previously textured a character. As I wanted the characters to look as realistic as possible, texturing was important. I searched for skin shaders and information concerning them, I discovered that Mental Ray has a skin preset that is of a good enough quality in my opinion. I did discover other methods however these appeared extremely complex and I do not think I have the time to explore this particular avenue. I applied the texture and then followed this tutorial as you have to play around with the attributes until you achieve the texture you want.

http://youtu.be/VIYopSeGnoI

I am happy with this texture and am now ready to start animating.

Modelling - Nursery Complete

I have now finished my Nursery scene:

Modelling - Day 11

My scene is pretty much finished now, I just have to add a radiator and a door and then I think it will be ready for the characters. I gathered some reference for the radiator and began modelling which was fairly simple for me, I used a polygon cube which I formed into a rectangle and again used the edge loop tool and extruded the faces in to acheive the characteristics of a radiator.

I then repeated this process for the door and placed it in the scene.

I think that is everything that I want to include in my environment, I will add any finished touches such as the window frames then my scene is ready for my characters.

I am going to find character rigs to use in my animation as my character modelling, rigging and skinning skills are not strong at all and I am restricted to a deadline.

Modelling - Day 10

Now it is time I finally address what I have been avoiding, creating a texture for the fabrics in my scene. Not only that, I was unsure of how to get a realistic looking material shape, with the same characteristics as cloth.

The obvious answer to this is Ncloth, I have used Ncloth a little but I am not confident. I think it has a lot of potential of which I am yet to explore, it slightly intimidates me for some reason. I decided to turn to Google to find out how to make a bed sheet. There were several tutorials on YouTube so I decided to absorb the different methods and experiment with creating some cloth objects.

I was quite surprised by my initiative as I had an idea and it actually worked exactly as I had anticipated and produced exactly the visual I was hoping to achieve. I created an Ncloth from a polygon plane and used the mattress as a passive collider. This resulted in the plane acting like a cloth and falling onto the mattress, eventually as you continue to play the animation, the object is dragged down. As I want a still object, I decided to pause the animation that had been put in place by the Ncloth when the cloth was behaving how I wanted it to - with the appropriate shape, creases and folds. I duplicated the Ncloth which produced a polygonal shape identical to the Ncloth but without the Ncloth attributes therefore the shape was still.

This worked well so I decided to use this method to place a blanket inside the moses basket. I finished modelling and texturing the moses basket which was simple and used the moses basket as a constraint. I placed a polygon plane above the basket and the plane fell into place, again I stopped on the most appropriate frame and duplicated the shape that I was looking for.

Now I have the models done, I need to create some textures, I have gathered a few different fabric textures and am going to experiment with them. 

I experimented with these textures and using bump maps and eventually ended up with a shader that I was happy with. 

Getting close to finishing my scene now. 

Modelling - Day 9

Next, I am going to focus on the mirror frame, again this is another object that I am unsure about modelling. I have an image of a frame that I am going to attempt to replicate, i'm thinking something similar to this:

I like the style and again it is an opportunity to test my skills. I initially thought about creating a polygon plane with a high amount of sub divisions and moving the vertexes but it didn't really seem to be working for me. 

I have created a few objects using the EP Curve tool and seeing as this object is very curvy, I thought that this may be the best option, although I wasn't entirely sure how to do it. I projected my reference onto an image plane and began tracing the mirror frame with the curve tool, this took quite a long time and initially, I had traced half of the mirror but had stopped at stages which seemed to produce issues so I realised I would have to trace the intricate object with one line. 

So I traced the whole mirror and then I wasn't really sure what to do.. I realised I wouldn't be able to fill the gaps however I decided to carry on and see what the result would be. I wanted the curve to be a polygon so that I could manipulate it and I wasn't sure how. 

I discovered that you can turn curves into polygons by converting them to paint effects first, I'm not really sure why but it worked. I then made the frame thicker and this is what it looked like. 

I then placed it in my scene and textured it, then attached it to the mirror plan. This is the final result of which I am quite pleased with seeing as I improvised. 

Reflection of the project so far..

I feel as though the project is going well, I am spending roughly a couple of hours a day on this project as I want to take my time to absorb the methods I am taking and the mistakes I may be making. With each object I am creating, I am taking my time to research extensively regarding the form and in particular the textures and how to achieve the best quality I can using Maya and Mental Ray.

I am particularly enjoying this project as it is enabling me to focus on a particular area that I wish to explore further. Ultimately I would like to pursue a career as a 3D environment artist therefore this project is helping me towards reaching that goal as it is developing my skills within that area.

I have particularly improved my knowledge regarding shaders and textures and have genuinely surprised myself with what I have achieved so far which is a really positive and encouraging feeling. I am becoming increasingly passionate about this project and am looking forward to the final product.

I am however not looking forward to the animation aspect of this project but I have surprised myself so far so I am going to be positive and push myself as I don't want to bring the overall aesthetic of the animation down.

                                                                         From this

To this

To this

In this space of a few weeks.

Modelling - Day 8

I have made two cushions, one for the chair and one for the crib and have put them in place. I did this as I said I would, by using the soft select tool. Next I need to texture them. I am still unable to find any help regarding producing a realistic fabric texture or shader, I think I will have to use the knowledge I have recently developed to experiment with creating one.

I decided that I was going to give myself a challenge by attempting to make a 'lace' cushion. I decided the get a lace texture which I was going to use as the bump map for the overall texture. I used a white blinn and altered the reflectivity and this was the result. 

I am really pleased with the result as it is exactly what I was aiming for. I have proved to myself that I am able to produce good quality textures from my own knowledge without having to find guidance or tutorials, not that there is anything wrong with that but I feel that this shows I am truly learning and developing my skills. 

Modelling - Day 7

I decided to attempt to make a wall for the outside of the nursery as some of the shots will be from an outside view. I have attempted a brick wall before but haven't achieved results that I was pleased with however I have learnt a lot about texturing and bump maps already during this project so I decided to apply the skills that I have learnt. I built a wall shape and found a wall texture. I photoshopped the wall texture to use as a bump map to add depth to the texture.

 I created a lambert and inserted the brick wall texture in the colour section. I then created a layered texture where I placed the black and white bump under the 'alpha' section. I then attached the layered texture as a bump map for the brick wall lambert and this was my result.

I am pleased with this result, the wall will unfortunately not be in direct sunlight so the detail won't be entirely visible but I would definitely say this is my best 'brick wall' to date. This has proved that I am developing my skills and am able to use my initiative more often concerning the method.

Next, I decided to think about placing a chair into my scene. I have previously modelled a chair of which I have not used. I spent a while on this particular chair so I decided to include it, obviously I made some adjustments such as the texture.

I followed a tutorial around a year ago that inspired me to produce realistic environments, the tutorial was lengthy and complex however it showed me that I was able to achieve realistic results as I was surprised by the final product.

The tutorial can be found here: http://cg.tutsplus.com/tutorials/autodesk-maya/model-and-texture-a-posh-living-room-scene-in-maya/

I decided to make the chair Lilac to tie within the colour theme of my nursery and here is the result:

I think the chair fits in well within the scene. Next, I am going to model a cushion for the chair as it looks a bit bare. I am going to create a square polygon and use the soft select tool to manipulate it into a cushion shape.

Modelling - Day 6

Next, I will be focussing on the baby mobile for the crib. I think this is important as it is a small detail that will at to the reality of the scene. Obviously, I had to gather reference for this. 

I have not been looking forward to modelling this as I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to do it however I manipulated polygon cylinders and applied a white blinn to give the mobile a white plastic appearance as most mobiles are plastic. I then created a moon and a star and applied a similar texture to the towels. 

I would say that my project is coming along well and I am about half way in the process of the production of my nursery scene. Here are some shots of how it is looking so far:

Obviously there are still some things that needs to be done but I have also added trees into the 'garden'. I inserted trees using Maya's PaintEffects as oppose to projecting an image onto a flat plane as I feel it gives depth and adds to the realism. I have also created a simple garden fence to ensure that the background is believable. 

This took three minutes to render! This is why I am not a fan of paint effects.. But because it is in the background it doesn't effect the nursery too much and it definitely adds depth to the scene.

Modelling - Day 5

I have added more towels and modelled some decorative storage boxes. I have also downloaded and used a model of a bear and a model of Pikachu, these will be the only downloaded models, as well as my characters that I will be using in the production of my animation. The reason for this is that I do not think that my character modelling skills are strong enough and would jeopardise the quality of the final production and would fall short of the quality that I am aiming for. Ultimately, my goal is to pursue a career within 3D environments and am using this project as an opportunity to showcase these particular skills and not my character modelling skills.

This is a shot of the drawers, towels, storage boxes and toys. I have also added a skirting board which was incredibly simple.

I am really pleased with my progress and am constantly getting feedback from my peers and others for my work which has all been positive so far. I am feel like I am gaining a lot from this project, I am developing my skills and abilities as well as my confidence in my work of which is encouraging me to aim higher. 

I think that the small details are important when attempting to create a realistic environment. I have been closely studying rooms in my own house for example for the small details such as the skirting board, light switches and plug sockets. 

Next, I decided to model a bookcase and some books, the room looks slightly empty and it is a typical object that people have in their home. I created the bookcase from a polygon cube again using the edge loop tool and extruding the faces. I then created the book by using a polygon cube that I moulded into a rectangle and placed inside the cover which I made by using the polygon torus tool and manipulating it. I then created a shader by applying a texture and a bump map. I also created some letter blocks as an ornament to contribute to the ambience. 

The rendering time is at 38 seconds per frame at the moment. I would say that this isn't too bad at this stage considering the animation will only be a minute long however the scene is still not complete so I will have to be aware of this. 

Modelling - Day 4

Today I began with experimenting with how to construct the moses basket as I felt that the texture and bump maps would be difficult and important in order to get the moses basket looking realistic. Initially, I gathered some reference of what I was hoping to create.

This is a good example of the style I am hoping to produce. I constructed the initial shape from a polygon sphere and altered the shape and deleted some faces. I also found a wicker texture and applied it to a Blinn material as wicker can have a slightly 'shiny' quality. I also applied a bump map that I produced in Photoshop by editing the wicker original texture. This worked surprisingly well and this is result: 

I like to try and get the aspects that I am most concerned about addressed first otherwise I tend to spend my time worrying about how I am going to overcome these obstacles therefore I feel that this was a positive result. Obviously I need to continue to model the basket but the initial stages are there. I have also added some shelves too.

Next I am going to address the ornaments in the room such as towels, cuddly toys and other miscellaneous items. I want to create some towels to put on the shelf and have no idea how I am going to do it! Time to search for a tutorial again! 

I found this tutorial:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h4XWER9rJE 

It is perfect for what I want to create and I feel that it will produce better results than if I was to attempt to model the towels. 

I followed the steps of the tutorial and it worked well, I now need to produce a shader to use for the towels. I want to continue with the same level of realism therefore it is important that I ensure all aspects of the scene are of the highest quality I am able to achieve. 

I have learnt in particular from this project that when creating a shader, it is important to have good reference and good quality textures as well as being aware of the material you are attempting to produce. It is essential that you reproduce the qualities of the material with as much similarity as you can for example the reflectivity of an object. In this instance, a towel has thousands of tiny fibres that I need to replicate. 

Again, I searched for guidance on this as I was not sure how I would achieve this, I experimented with bump maps but was not achieving a good result. I came across this tutorial: 

http://www.neilblevins.com/cg_education/towels_carpet_grass/towels_carpet_grass.htm

This was extremely helpful and after testing and experimenting with the different suggestions, I decided that I was pleased with the result. I used noise for a bump map and altered the diffuse. I produced a white version and a lilac version as I wanted different colour towels, this is the result: 

As you can see I have also put some grass outside, this was simple as I applied a realistic seamless grass texture to a polygon plane and increased the texture to simulate thousands of blades of grass, I think this method has worked well as the only previous experience I have had with creating grass has involved paint effects which results in a high poly count which slows down rendering time.

Modelling - Day 3

I am pleased with my progress so far and have already surprised myself with my abilities which has given me a boost. I particularly enjoy the process of creating a 3D environment as a concept can be produced to such a standard where sometimes i'm not even sure if they are produced using a 3D program. I decided to research 'photo-realistic 3d rooms' and came across some astounding results which inspired me to push myself to their level. 

These images were produced with the 3D software 3dsMax and the renderer V-Ray which has made me realise that perhaps using these softwares would have allowed me to achieve an even higher level of photo-realism and I do feel that I wish I had decided to use them. However, I do feel that at this time it would be a mistake for me to attempt to learn how to use 3dsMax and V-Ray to their full potential as well as produce my animation to my highest standard before the deadline. I find this disappointing but I will learn from this and in future in my spare time, I will learn how to use 3dsMax and V-Ray to discover what I am able to produce. 

Despite this, I am not going to let this effect the quality that I am aiming for. I decided to search for the best way to make curtains using ncloth and found many useful tutorials that showed me how to model curtains and how to use the cloth to make the curtains blow in the wind. Here is the tutorial I used: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hydJxYm4zJc

Once I had made the curtain I had to repeat the steps for each curtain as when I duplicated the curtain the ncloth attributes did not follow however by repeating the process I am confident about creating moving curtains with constraints. 

I am experimenting with shaders and textures for the curtains. I have made a shader that is slightly translucent however, I think that this would be more appropriate for perhaps a blind or netting. 

I have been thinking about how to produce a realistic wall shader and what better reference than the wall right next to me which is a matte magnolia colour therefore I decided to attempt to achieve this. I used the mia_material and altered the colour to magnolia and adjusted the settings such as the reflectivity to achieve a realistic wall. The bumps on the wall aren't visible from a distance, I did experiment with using a bump map but the results weren't great and felt that this was good enough.