For this next project, we were told that we were going to have to construct a piece of High poly art using Maya and other various programs. This was so that we could learn valuable skills on our way to becoming a 3-D artist. This piece of 3-D Art could be absolutely anything that we choose, from a character, to a weapon to an Environment.
I was really interested in constructing an environment, something that I could have people walk around and feel immersed in this room. This has been done before, Architects, more recently have used Maya as a way as foreseeing a room before it has been constructed, to see if the proportions are right. Although, I liked the idea of creating this room, one of my design, I felt that I needed to add a twist onto it, something that would make the room not only truly creative but also hadn't been done before.
I decided that I wanted to create a room that had played a part in a zombie attack. The main objective that I have set myself is that the story needs to tell a story, it needs to clearly show a group/individual looking over the city from a penthouse, which should be in flames. A group of zombies have managed to make their way into the complex and have smashed down the door. The group caught by surprise, tried to set up a quick, makeshift barricade. This didn't work, with the barricade being knocked down and rounds from a shotgun that they had being fired. After the survivor/survivor's were caught in a struggle, almost wrestling with the infected. It was a battle that they were never going to win. Entering the room, all the furniture will be trashed, rounds can be located and blood will be smeared all over the walls.
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| A Zombie City Mood-Board. |
I started the project by constructing several mood-boards that help give me an idea of what to look out for when constructing the room. As I had researched the idea, to see if there were any previous attempts, but unfortunately, no one had tried it, so I was literally working straight from my head, using the mood-boards as scattered source material.
The first mood-board that I constructed featured many different references to what a zombie-infested city actually looked like. After a certain period of time, the city starts to decay and fall apart, so in the same mood-board, I also decided that I needed to look what an abandoned city looked like. By doing this, it helps me create atmosphere for the walking simulator. It also gave me great inspiration as to what the city outside should look like.
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| Telling a Story in a Room Mood-Board. |
As the main point of the walking sim is to tell a story, I decided the best course of action, was to construct a mood board that featured images of games/T.V shows that told a story well. It was great to see how each game told an event, like the last of us, who have a children's play room that was covered in blood, it makes the player question what events took place there, how it got to be in that state and would anyone want to live there ever again. This is something that needs to be present within my environment.
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| Minimalist Living Room Mood-Board. |
As the room is going to be a penthouse, a fairly rich person lived here, it needs to have all the materials and assets that you would usually find. I also liked the idea of having a minimalist apartment. By doing this its means that I can put more much more attention on the models and get them up to a much higher standard. It also means that I can tell the story of the scene, without there being too much in the viewers eye, obstructing their view. A common occurrence in the images is that not only are filled with plenty of creams, but they all seem to have window views. This means that I can continue with my plan of having the city in view of the person playing the walking simulator.
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| Concept Number 1. |
The next stage that I thought was appropriate, was to start to construct a scene in which the attack takes place. We had recently learned a technique in a session which would help us construct a scene together, using a mixture of photos and paint in Photoshop. This technique is called photo bashing. I found this extremely useful, as it meant that I could really capture the image that I had in my head and get a realization of the model before the modelling process.
In the first concept I decided to use the resources I had at my disposal and search the internet. To my surprise, I came across an empty white room. This was perfect, as it was completely untouched, ready for me to add whatever I wanted to the scene. The first thing that I wanted to do was to add a window into the scene. This would help me scope what angle I am looking at for the cityscape. I again used a photo of a city and adjusted it, so not only did it look like it was dusk, but it creates a fearsome atmosphere. In the city, I decided that I would add, smoke and flames, again, showing a catastrophic event has taken place, not only restricted to the room. The next thing that I decided to do was to add pieces of furniture, scattered around the scene, to emphasis a struggle, with the addition of blood. A weapon is also present in the scene, this tells the viewers that the people that were in the room were slightly prepared, but still fell to the infection. The last thing that I wanted to do was to add shadow onto the objects, this gave the scene a bit more realism and a better feel. One tool that came extremely helpful was the warp tool. This meant that I could change the size of an image at one side, but keep the other its original size. It also created a sense of feel to the objects, instead of them being on a flat, 2D plane.
I like the design, though I do understand that there are a few problems with it. One is that it looks too plain, there is nothing that really stands out, especially with all the tones being the same. One way that I can fix this is mixing the, so having a black sofa. Another thing that I could do to the room is add wooden floor boards and change the color of certain walls. This would bring a certain edge to the scene which be a positive effect to it. I also want to add much more to the scene, certainly more objects as I feel that its too quiet and doesn't tell a story well enough. I will be sure to keep this in mind when I construct my next concept.
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| Image that was Modified. |
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| Concept Number 2. |
In the second concept, I really started to warm to the perspective angles. As you can see in this scene compared to the previous concept, you really do get a sense of a narrative being told. I really did want to emphasis the fact that this was previously a family home, before this catastrophic event came along.
Again, online, I managed to search the internet and find a fantastic picture of an empty room. This was brilliant, I could modify it, not only to create a dark atmosphere, but to get a sense of what the scene will look like. The first thing that I decided to do was modify the picture to a night time scene. This was easy to achieve, all I had to do is modify the hue and saturation and then adjust the brightness settings. This made the light that shone through the windows seem like either moonlight, or a neighboring building that shone into the room. Now that I had the basic room, I needed to fill it. Again, I wanted to emphasis the idea that this used to be a family home, so I decided that if I created a table with family photos, I can really display it to the viewer. I made sure that they would be the main focus of the picture and placed it directly in the middle of the scene. I needed shrink the picture, so that it would work well with the perspective. I used the warp tools to alter the family photos and decided that I should place some plants on top, to give it a homely feel. To help tell the story, I felt that by tipping over a plant point, it shows a struggle. I managed to find a perfect picture frame, which spells out "Family" with photos and placed it in the middle of the scene, so it had full attention form the viewer. Other things that I placed in the scene which helps present this idea to the viewer, is the use toy rabbit, which shows that a child was present at the home, either before of after the event took place. A portrait is also present in the scene, torn down from the wall. This is two different pictures, one being a portrait, the other a frame. Once combing them, I used the warp tool tool as well to create realism. Along with the addition of a T.V, I added a book case lamps and books. The books all references of my favorite horror stories. I created the pieces of paper on the floor by using the polygon lasso tool, then creating a new layer and coloring it white and adding different tones to create shadows. I also gave every object a shadow, to make the image seem more realistic. One theme that was a common occurrence in the picture is the dark tone. This was achieved by gathering the images off of the internet, then changing the brightness of them. This is something that I should have done in the last piece. I decided that I should add a whole in the window, adding to the mystery of the story. One thing that I felt would add to it is making the light coming through the hole more intense, so it will fell as if it enters into the outside world.
This is a much better design than the first and it really does help set the scene that I aim to create. I will use this a template and later on continue with the conception. When I need more in detail items, but now I feel that I am ready to start modelling.
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| One Sheet Design. |
The last thing that I decided to do, from the research point of view, was create a One Sheet. This is a clear document which I can follow and make sure I am on the right path and objective that I set myself at the start of the project. I gathered the research that I had and started to put it together. Then on the One Sheet I analysed my targets and set out how I am going to achieve the room.
It will be a hard project, but if I can continue to work at a certain pace, I should be able to achieve it before the deadline passes.
