Week 2
Lecture : Modelling
This weeks first task was to build a Castle in Autodesk Maya, followed by modelling a ballon, and just getting familiar again the interface of Autodesk Maya, currently using Autodesk Maya 2024. I started my research on potential test scenes to create, and also checked out the library on site.
Week 3
Lecture : Concept Art
This week was more focused on how to create and utilise concept art. In the the workshop we watched videos and discussed about different approaches and techniques used, a few good links artstation.com, https://www.deviantart.com/, pintrest.
Week 4
Workshop: Organic Modelling
We learned a bit about organic modelling in Zbrush. Quite new to Zbrush so getting to grips with the interface and brushes, seems to be quite easy and quick to pick up, think I will look on linkedin Learning for a course in Zbrush modelling.
Week 5
Lecture : Organic modelling pt2 and retopology
This week continued with Zbrush dynamics and retopolgy, also thought about the project, I’d like to create, and ended up taking some pictures for reference and created a mood board. When I was younger, use to always pass through Elephant & castle and see a very familiar Pink Elephant, for my Project I’d like to recreate and animate this famous Elephant.
Week 6
Workshop: Texturing UV
For this week began modelling the base of the elephant in Maya & Zbrush. we also learned about texturing UV in the class mainly for Maya. Visited the library and found a resource on ZBRUSH by 3dtotal
Week 7
Workshop: Texturing with Substance Painter
Finishing up the modelling in Zbrush so i’ll be able to create a rig. Tested out texturing in Substance Painter, a fairly simple to use program so far
Week 8
Workshop: Maya rigging & IK
During the workshop on Maya rigging and IK, I actively engaged in practical exercises to enhance my proficiency in rigging within the Maya software. The hands-on experience provided valuable insights into the complexities of character rigging, focusing on the implementation of Inverse Kinematics (IK) for more sophisticated and lifelike animation control. This practical exploration hopefully will equipped me with practical skills that are essential in the field of animation and visual effects.
Week 9
Animation
The recent lecture in Maya Animation centred around the intricate art of creating realistic animations. This specialised session aimed to provide insights and techniques specific to animating the unique movement. The session seamlessly integrated knowledge with practical application within the Maya animation environment. we were guided through the effective use of Maya’s animation tools, learning about key frames, the dope sheet . What I took from this was an understanding to try and replicate, the observed animal walk cycles with precision. I began conducting research on how Elephants walk and move, via videos on YouTube
Week 10
Rendering
The lecture/workshop on rendering in Maya provided a comprehensive exploration of rendering techniques, with a specific emphasis on seamless integration with Unreal Engine. The session aimed to equip us with insights into optimising workflows through effective exports
Participants learned techniques for ensuring consistency between the rendering in Maya and the final visualisation in Unreal. insights into adapting lighting setups to enhance the visual fidelity of assets when transferred to Unreal and nuke
The knowledge I gained to seamlessly integrate rendering workflows between Maya and Unreal Engine and Nuke.The utilisation of FBX and USD and later alembic exports, helped timing of renders to be more efficient in this important part of the project. It. came with many pitfalls, but patients and a persistent trial and error process, helped in the test created.