Group blog - Week 9 - 11

Week 9:

The Deadline was changed because the Cat Box containing peoples projects got deleted and the time to render the scenes out of group storyboards, In my option this would not be an issue because people should have there files backed up, I don't think we need to have the project extended to the 27th of January because it is right on top of our next term starting, so now the group realized that they have an extension, David seems happy to let our team focus more time on the models more and make them more detailed with textures, so i feel that the final file that will be given to the group members will be put back further, to animate the scenes, it would be better to get it done now as we were ready and i feel it is getting delayed getting the finishing touches done and the group are not thinking if there were any problems then we will not get the project in on time i would rather get it done now.  

Alex:

is making his Japanese plane more detailed

David: is working to improve the textures and detail more dirt on Curtis's buildings

Curtis: as David is taking longer to finish the file for the rest of the members to animate the scenes, i can create another model for the file to add difference, a different type of plane or a sea plane.

week 11 -

David delivered the project file to the rest of the group, by a online download

{  link to project file - https://www.copy.com/s/jpOr4YRWGI02/Project.zip }

Downloading a file with the island, buildings and ship all in on place, with the correct lighting and render settings, so when we all do our own scene, the quality and lighting should match.

Overall the project zip file download works well with no problems, so with David's 3ds max skills the video will look really detailed and smart.

Further plans after Christmas:

The group have discussed that during week 11 and 12 - the scenes will begin to be animated and as planned the timeline for scene completion should be no more than the 7th - 10th of January 2014.

This way it gives us time to render, complete and hand the scenes over to Alex, who will edited the scenes together, add finishing touches and complete the video before the 22nd of January for the hand in.

Update - 22/12/13 -

Doing Alex editing stage for the pearl harbour video, Alex has decided to keep the video to a certain time frame of 2 minutes allowing to keep the video from dragging on, which has resulted in some scenes being cut as they are not needed.

Most of the scenes cut are my scenes I have been creating.

Creating My Pearl Harbor Video Scenes

Creating the storyboard scenes for our pearl harbor video, my scenes I am creating and animating is Scene 11 – which is a static shot of the back of the u.s.s. Arizona as a plane flies over.

Scene 12 – is a moving shot, where the camera rotates around the back of the u.s.s. Arizona following beside a Japanese plane.

Scene 13 – is a high angled static shot, at the front of the u.s.s. Arizona as Japanese plane fly around it.

Scene 15/16 – is a shot of the back of the u.s.s. Arizona looking out to sea as a bomb near misses the deck.

Scene 23 – added plane model, this scene is being done by David, but I am animating a plane to merged into his scene.

Scene 11

After exacting the complete file from a zip file, the file was opened up.

This screen shot is showing that I am adding in a camera and using the move tool I am moving the cameras targeting square and camera into the correct position to shoot scene 11.

The camera targeting square is positioned at the end of the u.s.s. Arizona to allow the camera when positioned correctly to pick up a passing Japanese plane when its animated.

This screen below is showing an alternative view of the cameras targeting square placement on to the
 u.s.s Arizona.

A screen shot showing the cameras view of what the scene will look like.

At this stage before the plane was imported, my idea is as the plane flies over the camera will look up and follow the planes swift movement and then come down, so the camera will create a motion arc.

Problem with the planes texturing in file

A problem occurred in this file with the planes texturing, despite the fact that I re-imported the planes textures into the file to put on the plane, but this still kept the plane as shown in the screen shot, in a dark plain green colour.

Solution:

According to my members after discussing with them about it, they said try putting the plane files in the same folder as the project file and it turns out in the other scenes as I imported the plane files, the textures were fine on the plane.

This non texturing only occurs if you merge in a file that not in the project folder, because I  import merged another plane file, that was inside the folder and its fine.

After importing the plane, this screen shot is showing where I wanted the plane to start from.

Using auto key frames and setting the timeline to 200 frames I can move objects more easier, as the timeline notes down a key, every time you move the plane and setting the timeline to 200 frames is standard for my scenes because looking at Alex’s example timeline of the video, my shots are about 3- 6 seconds.

This screen shot is showing I am using the auto key frame to move the plane, using the move tool and the rotate tool, The rotate tool was used to rotate the plane at an angle, this is to make the plane bank as it turns because this what a real plane would do.

To add to the scene, this screen shot is showing that I am animating the u.s.s.  Arizona's turrets.

So as the plane flies over, the turrets will be animated so the turret turn to shoot at the plane.

In the editing process, gun shots can be added to finish off the scene.

Here is a screen shot of the turret I am animating is at its new location.

As shown in the screen shot the timeline shows how big the key frames are from each other to turn this turret realistic and slowly.

Another screen shot showing the camera targeting square being key framed to follow the arc motion of following the plane as it shots past the ship.

The camera will now move in a swift action to follow the plane.

Lastly a screen shot of scene 11 being completed.

I also have a note to point out, why the plane was key framed manually and not on a spine line like you would normally do, this is explained more further down.

Scene 12

After completing scene 11, I have moved onto scene 12, starting with a fresh file and moving the camera and targeting square into their new positions, placing the targeting square near the middle of the u.s.s.Arizona and placing the camera up high beside the radio tower.

Here is a screen shot from the camera view of what the scene will look like.

Next I am grouping parts of the front turrets which has to be done every time I start in a fresh file.

By grouping the all four separate turrets is better to animate and wont causes any pieces of the turret to glitch

 I have decided to create a spline circle to place the Japanese plane on and another one for the camera, but I will soon find out that with the camera and the plane it is a complete time wasting and awkward to make them do what you want.

The Japanese plane was then imported in this file, because the plane was never placed in the file, so I have to keep import merging it every time I start a new file.

, but notice in the screen shot, after placing the plane files and textures in the project folder, all of its textures are correct, So this explains why it went wrong before in the first file, but why it went wrong when it’s a folder file not in a zip file I don’t know.

A screen shot showing the how you place a object model on a spline line, using the animation path constraints in the top menu.

A screen showing that another path constraint for the camera was done so as noted in the storyboard the camera can follow behind a swooping plane around the u.s.s Arizona.

Also shown on the right I have cloned another plane, as this plane will fly straight by the u.s.s. Arizona as this plane circles around it, the other plane does not get scene much in this shot, but was added to give the scene more life.

To note according to my storyboard there were meant to be three Japanese plane, but I decided to have two because I could not find a suitable action for the third one.

Then Problems started to occur with the path constraint method, to a degree that it got on my nerves, to scrap the method and stick to manually moving the planes and camera.

The problem is that the path constraint's become fussy to where it wanted the plane or camera to go and taking them a degree out so that i could not put them where I wanted them, the path constraint would then put them back where it wanted them to be and not where i wanted them.

As shown in the screen shot, the plane is trying to be animated and rotated, but it came out as shown with the panel being at a funny angle, so the spline method was taken away.

Key framing everything myself is better

Here is screen shot from the cameras view and as shown was manually done, so now the plane and camera are exactly where I wanted them.

Manually moving them is much better for me as less frustrating.

Lastly the final things I finished up before the scene 12 was completed was animating one of the back turrets and moving the other plane discussed above.

Here is an overview shot of the scene.

Having both planes animated, one of the back turrets rotating to follow the circling plane to try and shoot it down and the camera animated to follow behind the circling plane.

Scene 13

Setting up scene 13, by keeping the cameras targeting square in the same place as scene 12.

The camera was moved up at angled to look down upon the u.s.s Arizona.

A screen shot showing the cameras perceptive of the u.s.s Arizona.

The idea is to have keyed Japanese plane fly in to the camera view and the over u.s.s.Arizona and then leave the scene, because the camera in this shot is static, the Japanese's planes have to be key framed and checked frequently in the camera view to see if you can see the planes more without them leaving the scene to soon or not being seen at all.

A screen shot of the turret guns being grouped, so I can select them to rotate them up at an angle, so it looks like the turrets are pointing up at the high flying planes.

A screen shot showing one of the Japanese plane being imported and being grouped with a imported bomb model.

In this scene, all the planes need a bomb placed under them.

A screen shot of three Japanese planes positioned in there starting positions to enter the scene and then fly out again,

Deciding where I wanted to position the three planes the idea is that the three planes will come on in sequence, and not on the scene at one time.

A simple screen shot of the rotate tool being used to animate the movements of the first plane, so it looks like its banking around the u.s.s Arizona ship.

A camera view screen shot showing a test run positions of the three animated planes to see if they are in the cameras perceptive and as shown they are on screen to help grab the audiences attention.

The finishing touches to the scene as the planes are now animated, the turrets are grouped and animated.

But this time in this scene the front turret is the only one that moves.

I decided the 2nd turret would not need to move to shoot at a plane, because most of the time its position it perfect as it is too shoot at a plane because the plane it is shooting at does not come in the scene to about 110 frames, so moving it afterwards is not needed because the rest of the 200 frames makes it move very fast compared to the first front turret and it makes it look unrealistic.

Scene 15/16 placement

A screen shot showing a new scene being set up with the positioning of the camera and targeting square.

Scene 15/16 has the same camera placement as scene 11.

The idea behind this scene is start off with a static shot and end on a swift camera turn to the left as the camera reacts to seeing a bomb fall beside the ship.

A camera view screen shot showing the scene 15/16 shot.

After the camera was positioned into place, the bomb model was import merged into the file.

Shown with no texture, the texture will be added later when the animation of the bomb is done.

A screen shot of the bomb model being animated and scaled correctly in perceptive to the u.s.s. Arizona.

The animation of the bomb takes up the last ¾ of the animation scene.

A plane model was added and animated above the camera, this was done so you can see a plane coming with seeing the plane model

It was added to the mix, to give more movement in a static, first half of the scene.

Lastly the turrets were grouped and animated to finish off the scene to track and shoot down the plane.

Scene 23

Lastly we have our final scene, where my contribution to this scene that will be created by David is the plane flying over a burning u.s.s Arizona.

This scene consists of a low level angled shot.

Cameras perceptive screen shot.

This screen shot was done in file because I wanted to use the u.s.s. Arizona ship model to know how high the Japanese plane has to be positioned when it flies over, knowing this I can start in a new file, replicate the angle the plane is animated in the camera perceptive as the screen shot below shows.

The bomb texture used in scene 15:

http://www.thespecialistsltd.com/50lb-free-fall-bomb

Three new buildings - two landmark buildings and a water tower

After creating the mid ship area of the Arizona to finish it off, I then went back to create three more buildings for David for the ford island scene to add more different buildings , I decided after looking through the available pictures of the ford island, from the website.

I decided to create to surviving landmark buildings and a little model to add difference , a water tower. In this screen shot I have drawn out a box preset ready to create the building and by adding the parameter points to the width, height and length of the preset allows me to craft the basic shape of the first building.

Next I selected certain vertex points and positioned them with the move tool ready to exude them out to form the shape of the building.

In this screen shot, the exude tool is being used to pull out certain parts of the model to form the base shape of the model.

In this screen shot, I am adding in more box presets, which are scaled small, these presets are to soon to be pro Boolean out to create the base form of the windows.

Here is a screen shot of the cloned small box pre-set, positioned in place ready to be pro Boolean , the number of box preset positioned related to the number of windows to the real counterpart building,

A screen shot of the small box presets being placed all around the building ready to be boolean to create the windows.

This method of cloning multiple square presets may be a bit time consuming, but once pro boolean, the model receives windows without gaining a bigger file size.

A screen shot of the new building being marked by the editable poly options to create an raised roof edge, using the exude tool to extend the roof, then to make the roof edge have a curved finish, the move tool was used to drag the top vertex points of the roof in, this created the curved effect.

A screen shot of the curved roof and the front parts of the roof have also been edited to have a sloped edge, this was done not because it matches the real counterpart, because it gives the building more shape instead of  being too square.

Next I focused on creating the roof detail, instead of leaving the roof hollow, I used the exude tool to select certain areas of the inner roof to drag and pull out parts of the roof, this was made to add more detail to the model, not portraying to real building its representing.

Adding more to the roof detail, so the roof was not completely flat, after I mapped certain parts of the roof, I then added more detail by exuding shapes on top of other exuded shapes, this gives the roof a uneven surface.

This screen shot is showing something I wanted to add to the bottom of the building to make it stylish, using the exude tool to pull out a segment of the building to create an angled base.

This was done on the sides only, because being tried on the front and back ruined it, so they were left.

A screen shot of the finalized model, before texturing, adding modifications like the roofs rim, which was exuded out, so it over hanged the building.

The pro Boolean stage to the windows, which came out as planned, giving the model indented squares to represent windows, which can be selected to apply a glass texture.

The glass texture used was the dirty glass texture from previous models.

The model then was selected for the first texture, a roof felt texture, used on many of my previous models, using the material editor settings e.g. tiling, so the material did not stretch or distort.

A screen shot of the texture being applied, which came out as shown in the screen shot, giving the building that bit of realistic touch.

http://scarystock.deviantart.com/art/dirty-concrete-106818040

This texture was gathered from the web to texture the main building, the idea is that this texture will give the building an old, rundown look.

A final screen shot of all the textures placed on the model and as an overall result, the textures really help the model look realistic and in my option the stone texture chosen really makes the building stand out.

Moving onto the other building that stands in conjunction with the building discussed above, using the same segments from before, I drew out another box preset next to the previous building.

Then converting the model to an editable poly, moving the editable points on the model to the edges to create the roof rim or exude the roof inside, the model is already at the half way stage as this building is not as detailed as other example.

Then as shown in the screen shot the base of the model was selected leaving the roof to exude out to create the curved roof shape like the previous building.

As these two building are styled the same, this was done so the two building matched.

Next to give the model more detail, so that its not a simple plain box, box pre-sets were drawn out on the grid and positioned in the model, this was done to give the model its shape to match the design of its real life counterpart.

Then additional smaller box pre-sets were created and positioned in placed in the model, to create the windows, cloning the right number of box pre-sets and positioning them in place, they are ready to be pro Boolean out like the other building.

A close up on the pro Boolean windows, showing how much depth they give to the model.

For this building, instead of exuding parts of the roof like the last building, I decided I wanted to create a separate shape to place on the roof, because using the exude on the roof would not create this shape I wanted.

Using a box preset I created a sloped shape, using the box presets vertex points, I selected the bottom points and using the scale tool, I created this unusual shape as shown in the screen shot.

A final screen shot, showing the weathered stone texture being applied to the model, which was modified by the material editor to sit correctly on the model.

In addition another three small box pre-set were created and placed on the top of the model with a added cylinder for a chimney to finish off the model.

As shown in the screen shot the yellow pre-set are not textured, but beyond this screen shot the yellow pre-set were textured in the roof felt texture used on the other model.

Water Tower

This image was gathered to create my next model, a 1930s water tower, although its not a model that would not be a type of object to create for the ford island, but I decided to create it because its different than creating a similar styled building that matches with the other similar styled buildings I have created.

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/c86m3551/

Overall creating this model was the simplest, using a capsule preset and a cone preset and positioning them together, half the model is already constructed. 

Next to add to the model, a tube preset was created, making the tube very low in width, The tube was then simply scaled and placed over the capsule preset to create the water tower platform rim.

Next after adding a cylinder preset and cloning it three more times to rotate them beside the capsule to give the water tower its supports, a box preset was added to be placed in-between the cylinder and the supports.

Using the same technique as the other buildings I have created above, adding a certain amount of segments and converting the pre-set to an editable poly, the vertex points were moved to the edge of the box pre-set ready to remove the middle, and as shown below, the screen shot shows the results of the box pre-set.

Lastly with all the components in place, the model was textured in the same material as the other two buildings shown above, but an interesting result with this model is that, as the counterparts are all separated, the material came out on this model much more dirtier and weathered because of the material editor tiling option, allowing me to tile separate shapes gives me better results on how the texture looks to certain pieces, giving areas more weathering on a pre set and other areas less weathering.

http://www.dbshawaii.com/commercial

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/c86m3551