Adaptation: Crit Presentation

Crit Presentation

Adaptation Crit Presenation

Adaptation: 'Making Plans for Nigel' Editing Update

'Making Plans for Nigel' Editing Update

Back by semi-popular demand are the repetitious visual motifs (currently comprised of my Pre-Vis placeholders, but soon to be updated) and the snippets of advertisements from the past, as seen in the Pre-Vis. I've also added Barbara Kruger/They Live-inspired still text elements, which I had considered using early on in the project. The particular set in this update uses the slogan of a popular online auction site (Hint: it rhymes with 'leeway').

I'm fairly pleased with how it is coming along so far, but I felt I ought to upload the first minute or so of footage to see if this is feeling was unanimous.

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated, and the final edit should be complete this evening (although the final visual motifs will be added tomorrow, along with the final clips currently rendering at uni).

Adaptation: 'Making Plans for Nigel' Rough Cut

 'Making Plans for Nigel' Rough Cut

This is a rough cut of the final video for Making Plans for Nigel. The rhythm is pretty much there, although it needs tidying up.

Originally, I was going to intersplice two-dimensional animated footage, created in After Effects, between the rendered footage (as seen in my Pre-Vis). Although, I feel as though the repetition of the rendered footage provides the same experience that the After Effects segments had provided before, without forcing the viewer to adjust to shifting visual styles. There is a chance I may still include them, as well as the advertising video footage, but at the moment, I am satisfied with the result so far. I think the video may end up coming off as cluttered and a bit slapdash if I continue to lump elements on, even though they were planned to be included initially.

As well as the changes above, I have also shortened the song by about a minute, as the 3:30 limit was proving to be a bit of a struggle to reach, without the footage outstaying its welcome. Also, the title in the footage is currently a placeholder, and will be changed for the final video.

Any critique and feedback would be greatly appreciated whilst I tidy up and apply the finishing touches to the video. Thanks!

Adaptation: Rendered Footage Preview

Rendered Footage Preview

After a while of no posts, I finally have some progress to display. This is a low quality preview of the rendered animation so far. 

I have a bit more left to animate, as well as a lot of footage that is currently rendering as I create this post. The total length of the footage will likely be around 1:30-2:00. Whilst this doesn't fit the approx. 3:00 length of the track, this will be extended by cutting in samples of found video footage and still images, as displayed in my Pre-Vis. As for the repetitive After Effects segments, I plan to construct these once the bulk of the footage is compiled. I'm fairly comfortable working with After Effects, so this is fairly achievable as long as things go smoothly. I am cutting things incredibly close at this point, but I suppose its better to push things to the extreme instead of slowing down to a stop. 

All in all, I'm fairly confident (touch wood) that I will get the rendered animation finished, if nothing else, by the crit.

Adaptation: Housewife Walk Cycle

Housewife Walk Cycle

This is the basic walk cycle for the Housewife character. In each of the scenes, the Housewife walks in from outside the frame, so getting this right was pretty vital. I've saved the key poses using PoseLib, so I can transfer the basic walk cycle structure between scenes and save myself a bit of time animating what is probably the longest shot in each of the scenes. It needs a bit of polish here and there, but overall, I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Housewife Walk Cycle Front

Housewife Walk Cycle Side

As for the rest of the animation, I plan to do several passes of animation, blocking it all in initially and then refining it once everything is in place. I'm cutting it fairly close to the deadline, so at least if I animate this way, I can make sure I have everything basically animated by the crit, even if it isn't perfect in places. 

Adaptation: Housewife Blendshapes Complete

Housewife Blendshapes Complete

I've spent the day giving my Housewife character the desperately needed ability to express herself (in the words of NWA), constructing blendshapes making overall making her a lot less corpse-like. Other than some minor tweaks here and there (her buttons are misbehaving, for example) she's pretty much done. The Puppet still needs controls added and the strings properly figured out, but I'll sort that once I've got the main Housewife scenes animated, as the Puppet is only on screen for a short period. Below are the Housewife's blendshapes (Note, she has all the phonemes and visemes, but she doesn't speak, so they're sort of superfluous, but I've added them for a little more flexibility with her facial animation regardless).

Adaptation: Prop Modelling- Bottles

Prop Modelling- Bottles

The props are as simple as the rest of the environment, but detailed enough to distinguish them from the general environment. I've attempted to design them so that they are in keeping with the simple graphic style of the rest of the animation. I've got a series of boxes and jars that are yet to be textured, but they should be sorted and uploaded tomorrow.

High Street Environment Progress 13/4/13

High Street Environment Progress 13/4/13

Getting closer to finalising the environment now, just some refinements around reflectivity of surfaces and set dressing left to sort.

Adaptation: High Street Environment Progress 12/4/13

High Street Environment Progress 12/4/13

The texturing is almost finished now. All thats left is to dress the windows and liven up some of the smaller areas, such as the glass in the doors and the pavement area (most likely using a tessellated texture, as I did in the Kitchen environment). The circular texture used here may possibly be changed to something simpler, as I don't want it to be perceived as a graphic but more of a textured surface.

Adaptation: High Street Modelling Progress 11/4/13

High Street Modelling Progress 11/4/13

This is the current state of the High Street environment. The scene will consist of the same building duplicated along a length, spaced out and resized in slight ways to differentiate them to a degree. The repetition should be too much of an issue, as the buildings will be set a fair distance from the camera and out of focus. The modelling is pretty much finished now, but a bit of set dressing needs to be added. Tomorrow, I aim to finish the modelling and get the bulk of the texturing out of the way.

Adaptation: Kitchen Environment Ambient Occlusion Update

Kitchen Environment Ambient Occlusion Update

In response to Tom's suggestion, I've applied a quick Ambient Occlusion pass, just to see how it affects the scene. Its using the default settings in Mental Ray, with no adjustments to shadows or much else at this point (yes, I'm very, very lazy). Its very washed out at this stage, but when I refine it, tone down the shadows and harsh lighting, I can finally see the potential of the final outcome (which gives me one less thing to worry about. Well, half a thing. More a third of a thing. But still! Less worrying!)

Adaptation: Kitchen Environment Complete

Kitchen Environment Complete

The Kitchen environment is now complete, with only a bit of set dressing to be added (the props for this will be used in all three environments, so I'll add those in once they're complete). The environment is now fit to be animated in, so I should have the few shots that don't require any facial animation sorted  over the next few days. Whilst animating these shots, I shall refine the Supermarket and construct the High Street, multitasking to the best of my abilities. 

Adaptation: Kitchen Modelling Progress 7/4/13

Kitchen Modelling Progress 7/4/13

The Kitchen environment is practically finished now, just need to rescale some elements to make them fit in a little better, as well as completing the texturing and modelling some odd bits here and there. 

I've still got a lot left to sort (another environment, for instance), but once this is finished and the props are added, I should finally be able to get some animating done. I'm having quite a lot of trouble sorting the eye-blinking mechanics and the blendshapes out at the moment, but luckily, the Kitchen and Supermarket scenes don't involve that many shots that are directly face on, so I can animate the majority of these shots and get those rendered whilst I figure out those issues. 

Adaptation: Kitchen Modelling Progress 5/4/13

Kitchen Modelling Progress 5/4/13

I've made a bit more progress on the Kitchen environment, adding smaller details here and there, as well as progressively UV mapping and texturing elements to give myself an idea of the final appearance of the area. Below is a render of the Kitchen's current state, as well as a simple ambient occlusion pass that I rendered simply out of curiosity. The result is pretty satisfying, as I hadn't really pictured it as a monochromatic environment until now. It looks as if it would be at home in an episode of The Honeymooners. 

The Kitchen's Current State (Looking very Deee-Lite).

A Simple Ambient Occlusion Pass

Adaptation: Kitchen Modelling Progress 4/4/13

Kitchen Modelling Progress 4/4/13

I've began modelling the Kitchen environment, UV mapping elements as I go. Its more or less the same as it was in the pre-vis, with some minor adjustments to the design of certain elements, such as the table and chairs, added curtains and space for a sink area on the worktop. I've made fairly good progress on this, and if all goes well, it should be modelled and textured by the end of tomorrow, so even if I don't manage to get the High Street environment completed by the end of the week, at least I'll have two environments I can begin to animate in next week. Below is quick render of the Kitchen environment at the moment. The final textures will be in same vein as those in the Supermarket environment, although dominant colours will be adjusted to suit the character's design (Note, the Housewife in the shot is simply there so that I can gauge the scale of the various elements, and will not be the final character used in this environment).

Adaptation: Supermarket Modelling Progress 2/4/13

Supermarket Modelling Progress 2/4/13

This is the current state of the Supermarket environment. The environments are specifically simplified, with a colour scheme that is designed to directly reflect the design of the character within it. I've taken influence from cel animation background paintings, keeping the environment simple to keep the focus on the characters. I'm pretty happy with the state of things at the moment, but as always, I'm open to any feedback.

Adaptation: Puppet Outfit Variants

Puppet Outfit Variants

Much like the Housewife character, these are the outfit variants for the Puppet character. More or less the same process as with the Housewife, just a bit more fiddly to sort out.

As well as putting these together, I've also been working on the Supermarket environment today, which should be in a semi-finished form by the end of tomorrow.

Adaptation: Housewife Outfit Variants

Housewife Outfit Variants

These are the variant outfit designs for the alternative Housewife characters. They each consist of the same colour scheme, just revolved around different elements. I will upload the Puppet outfit variants tomorrow.

Adaptation: Puppet Texturing Progress 31/3/13

Puppet Texturing Progress 31/3/13

I've began to texture the Puppet character, making sure that there is a distinct contrast between this and the Housewife. I'm pretty happy with where its going, with the design bearing enough similarity to the Housewife to dictate a metamorphosis from one to the other. It needs a few tweaks in regards to the accuracy of the shaders, but other than that, this is pretty much the final outcome.

Adaptation: Housewife Texturing Progress 29/3/13

Housewife Texturing Progress 29/3/13

After spending the week rigging, I decided to take a break and move onto something that wasn't literally breaking my mind. Texturing seemed to be a safe option. I've almost completed texturing the Housewife character, although its patchy in places, so I'm going to need to refine it before it can be used. The hair is acting as a placeholder for the time being, as hopefully I'm going to create this using paint effects. Once I've tidied up this character, I'll create the alternate outfits for the other Housewives.