Presentation Preview

In this seminar session we received feedback on our draft presentations to prepare us for our assessment.

At this point my presentation had very brief information on what I wanted to say in each slide with the subject I want to look into and the research question I will be answering.

Feedback: Get rid of "3D Modelling" in the subject title.

My subject title in my presentation was "3D Modelling: Motion Capture in the Video Game Industry". 3D modelling in the video game industry was my original subject but I decided that it was too vague of a topic to research into so I chose something more specific like motion capture, now I should delete 3D modelling from my subject title to prevent confusion.

Feedback: Add images to your presentation.

At this point in time I hadn't got round to adding images to my presentation but I got told that I should have images because they are vital in a presentation to keep the interest of viewers.

Feedback: In the research question delete "video games" and "the success of".

My research question was "How has motion capture affected the success of video games in the video game industry in the last 10 years?". First of all I repeat myself in the question by mentioning video games and then the video game industry so I deleted the first mention of video games. Secondly I say "the success of" which can lead me to fall in to the trap of not answering my question because the question asked me to only research in the positive things motion capture does for video games and not the negative which I probably would talk about on default. After acting on the feedback my research question now says "How has motion capture affected the video game industry in the last 10 years?". 

Lip Sync

This process and production session focused on how we can apply speech to an animated character. Learning how to go about this skill will be very helpful as most animations will have some kind of dialogue to give. The tasks involved filling in a x sheet, creating a character sheet and finally using these resources to put the animation together.

X Sheet

This sheet is used for breaking down dialogue into separate syllables and sounds so it is easy to apply the sound of the words to the characters mouth shape frame by frame. On the sheet there is frame numbers and next to that is space to write down the word, the sound of the word and then the mouth shape the character will make when making these sounds.

At first sight of these sheets my first thought was that this task was going to be complicated and confusing but like anything else when you start the task and get in to it, it is quite easy. The dialogue I chose was of a man saying "And now for something completely different." To fill the sheet in I had to listen to the dialogue over and over again frame by frame to accurately extract the different sounds from the track.

Character Sheet

The character sheet is used for creating a visual of the characters mouth shape and facial expressions when they make a specific sound for a word or letter. Because the dialogue I chose sounds like a well spoken victorian man in London I decided to make my character a man in a top hat with a monocle. On the left there is a space to draw the head of the character without his eyes and mouth and then on the right there are spaces to draw the mouth an eyes separately each one different depending on the sound that will be made. After the character sheet is finished I scanned it on to the computer and opened it with Photoshop ready to animate.

Final Output




Using the character sheet I opened in Photoshop I cut and pasted the drawings in a photoshop timeline while following my x sheet so I knew where exactly to put each mouth shape in each frame to match up the dialogue track that played in the background.

What Did I Learn?

Unfortunately I didn't have time to finish the animation adding the eyes and reaching the end of the dialogue but I certainly know how to visually add dialogue to a character now. Before this session I had an idea how to attempt applying dialogue to a character but without learning the use of an x sheet or character sheet it probably would have taken me much longer to do.   

My Subject Decision

In this seminar I chose the subject I want to research into for my presentation. The idea was to break down my chosen subject so I would have a specific topic and not have something that could distract me from answering the overall question. My chosen subject was 3D modelling in video games but the topic 3D modelling was too broad so I chose a technique that game developers use for 3D modelling which is motion capture. 

Feedback - Originally I chose 3D Modelling as my subject but after speaking with my tutor I was told that 3D Modelling was too broad of a topic to look into, so I suggested motion capture a technique game developers use for 3D modelling. 

Next I had to come up with some research questions because they are seen as tasks or reminders to reach the overall goal and find out what it is I am interested in with my chosen topic.

Questions

• How has technology improved 3D modelling in the gaming industry in the last 10 years?

• How has motion capture improved animation in the video game industry in the last 10 years? 

• Which video game developers has had the most influence with the use of Motion capture in the video game industry in the last 10 years?

• What effect has the latest console generation had on the way motion capture is used in the video game industry?

Animatic and Storyboard

This process and production session was about how to get the important basic structures of an idea down on a storyboard and then how to use the drawings on the storyboard to create a basic animatic. The session was to help us get into the habit of getting ideas into the physical world in a format that is easy to animate from.

Storyboard

This is my storyboard for the animation for my cybernetic self project. Before starting the storyboard I made a list of keyframes that would tell the story of our animation if it was just still images. The list will now be the drawings of each scene with a description under each frame describing the movement in the scene. Finally in the storyboard I wrote down details for the camera angles and transitioning between scenes. When creating a storyboard it is best to keep in mind that it needs to be presented so a animator who has never seen the storyboard before can create a animation from it.

Feedback  - After finishing my storyboard I was told I shouldn't put information horizontally on the sides because of the simple fact of saving time for people having to turn the page to read it. Also instead of describing camera actions in text it is best to draw them within the frame as a diagram because it tells the reader more about what you would like to happen within the animation.  

Animatic

To create a animatic I scanned in the storyboard and then used Photoshop to cut and crop each drawing to then import them into After Effects as a folder. I dragged each image into the After Effects timeline and then organised them to show for so many frames and put them in chronological order. Now I have a idea that I can watch and review so I can make any changes if need be, also when I come to animate my idea I can use this animatic to animated in-between the key frames like filling in the blanks.

What Did I Learn?

This task has been really helpful to me because now I know what I can do with an idea I come up with that will be a big benefit when it comes to making the animation and reviewing the idea as a whole. I will be sure to use and get in the habit of using this method to present my ideas. Overall I learnt how to professionally create a storyboard with directions for camera actions that will happen in the animation, I also learnt how to create a animatic using my storyboard and I learnt how to use a feature within after effects that quickly sorts out layers into a order on the timeline that then can be played without the layers overlapping each other. 

Market Data and Research

Primary and Secondary Data

Market research consists of primary data and secondary data.

Primary Quantitative 

Primary consists of people walking around the streets with clip boards asking questions.

3 types of questions are asked: 

• Geographic - These questions are about where the person lives and how different factors change in that area.

• Psychographic - These questions are about how the person thinks and their interests to determine what they will buy.

• Socio-economic - These questions are about finding out the amount of people in a certain class and where they are finically.

The advantage with this method is it acquires a lot of reliable data. However the disadvantages are that it is a very expensive and time consuming plan. 

Primary Qualitative

A way to get data and information through hosting interviews and focus groups with people who are targeted consumers.

The advantage of using this is it is cheap and easily done. The disadvantage to using this is no statistical validation and it can be subjective.

Secondary Data/Desk Research

Data thats has already been discovered it is just the case of finding it. There will be a huge amount of data so it will need breaking down into groups that can help your market.

• Age - Information that shows the age range who are interested in a specific product.

• Sex - Information that shows which gender is interested in a specific product.

• Social Class - Information that shows the rich, middle class and the poor who are interested in a specific product.

• Geography - Information that shows where in the world a specific product is more popular. 

• Hobby/interest - Information that shows which people depending on what they like to do and are interested in who want a specific product.

Market for books (example)

Split it into two groups: Fiction and non fiction

then into more groups: Genres etc. Keep breaking the groups down until every possible aspects on why a consumer would buy the product to have a more clearer insight.

To successfully segment ate (break the market down into groups)

• Measurable/Identifiable - The group is a reasonable size to collect data.

• Accessible - The data for the group is easy and cheap to access.

• Substantial - The group is important or large enough to include. 

• Meaningful - The group has something to do with the market that a product is been produced for.

Important note

• Define what the product has to offer very clearly.

• Only compare the product with other products that are similar. 

• Don’t try and analyse different products.

Data Sources

Use data sources to find out how a company or a product is doing in the market. Don’t look for profit but the turnover.

Mintel - Compares products. (Uni library source)

FAME - Reports for company performance. (Uni library source)

Finding information

Magazines and newspapers - Try WH Smiths.

Company websites - Many products and prices.

Retailer websites - Prices and reviews.

Summary and What Did I Learn?

This lecture was about how to successfully do research on the market within design industry to prepare promoting a product in development. The lecture has taught me where I should look for information about a competing company and product and what information I should be looking for. I also learnt how I should conduct my own research effectively. In the future when I become apart of the design industry I feel I would know where to start and have brief knowledge on what I would need to do. 

  

The Difference Between 3D Modelling in Movies and Video Games

The polygon budget - in movies the only thing that matters is meeting the deadline and making the model the best it looks with time and money that is given. In video games the number of polygons is limited because of the limit of the game engine and the platform it is played on. Movies are pre rendered while video games don’t get to be pre rendered which means the console has to render everything in real time (there and then the game is played) which uses a lot of processing power. If the limit is pushed every time a frame is rendered on the game there would be a delay if its an hour, minutes or even seconds and even seconds of lag can ruin a game.

Every time a new generation of console comes out e.g. ps3 and ps4. the graphics look better because the technology has advanced resulting in a better processor so the number of polygons on a model can be increased because the processor can render more in real time, why the graphics look better. Playstation 1 had 1200 polygons on its in game models while the playstation 3 has 11,600 polygons because the processor get better in time.

           

                 

  

The evolution of the character Lara Croft from Playstation 1 to the Playstation 4.

The amount of detail and polygons that goes into a 3D movie is really large e.g. monsters university if was rendered in realtime would take 29 hours just for one frame as technology at the moment is not capable. Consoles still have a massive limitation when is compared to movies.

Techniques to maintain detail with the polygon limit

A technique for 3D modellers to avoid the polygon limit is to use UV mapping to texture models, textures on models comes a long way to improve the realism of a character or object.

Another good use to get around the polygon limit is to apply less polygons to objects and backgrounds to the player that is far away as they won’t see the detail from a long distance anyway. A barrel up close will could have 360 polygons up close but then it could get reduced down to 230 polygons at medium range and then 10 polygons at long range. This will keep processing power to focus more on models that need to stand out for the player.

James Bond Golden Eye on the Playstation 1. The silent pistol in the players hand has significant more detail then the sniper rifle on the floor.

(http://blog.digitaltutors.com/whats-the-difference-a-comparison-of-modeling-for-games-and-modeling-for-movies/ - Reference to Modelling in video games compared to movies) 

Images Reference

http://micro-64.com/features/genrefps.shtml 

https://jamiehickmanvi.wordpress.com/unit-66-2/constraints-of-3d/

                                      

Problems in Design Industry

Problems in industry

In a company there a 5 departments: Finance, marketing, Creative (YOU), Production, Technical.

Production Process

Idea generation - Sitting around a table throwing ideas at each other with peers.

Concepts - The ideas themselves.

Design Concept - Exploring the idea and building it up.

Development - Evolving the idea into something suitable for the market.

Embodiment - Reviewing the idea in visible form.

Detail design - Polishing the idea and adding finishing touches.

Final Article - Presenting the idea as a final product.

Your ideas and concepts affect other parts of the company like finance for instance because money is being spent. Puts pressure on you as a designer because you have to adjust to make everyone in the different departments happy. 

Any product can come across two errors, human errors and design errors.

• Human error - people who do things to a purchased product causing problems.

• Design error - Something physically wrong with the product’s design itself. 

Meeting the Client’s Demands

• Understand that he might not be giving you all the information you need. this is quite common so ask questions and assess the situation. 

• The client is the boss… or at least… let him think that. If you let them lead the design with their ideas it will make it hard for them to say they don’t like it and abandon the idea and you. After this they will gain your trust and then slowly change things you think needs changing.

Finding out where a product sits in the market

PEST Analysis

• Political - Anything that will help the development of a country and affect who is in power.

• Economic

• Social - Something that affects socialism e.g. Phone, Laptop

• Technological - Anything electrical that helps improve lifestyles.

If a product doesn’t have any of these things it can’t go on the market. With each category say what it will be like now… 5 years… 10 years…. to predict its financial growth. 

What I learnt

The lecture was all about where creative people fit within a company and what kind of problems and processes they would have to go through. I understand that in a company an idea has satisfy all departments or it will cause complications and slow down industries production. Also when thinking and developing ideas it is not enough just to think about how it will affect the consumers but how it will affect the market and the company itself. Its always best to think long term about the life cycle of a product as well as short term because no company wants to lose overall profit because it falls in the market over time.

Ball Bounce and Walk Cycle

This process and production session was about learning how to make basic animations and to focus on basic motion to make objects move naturally. Our tasks involved creating 2 rough animations, one being a ball bouncing across the screen  and the other being a walk cycle of a simple character. During the tasks, we needed to think about the principles of animation especially squash and stretch for the bouncy ball.

Bouncy Ball



My bouncy ball animation was roughly drawn because we focused on just the motion so the drawing didn't have to be great. I created the animation on Photoshop using the timeline feature that allows drawings to be continually drawn frame after frame thanks to the onion skin feature, which creates a faint drawing of the last frame so the next drawing can be positioned accurately. During the drawing I focused on squash and stretch so when I drew the ball travelling between surfaces it would be a slight oval because it creates the illusion its travelling at a high speed and then when it hits a surface I would make the ball a really flat oval because the momentum pushes the object with massive force against the surface before bouncing away. The final result of the animation creates the illusion that the ball could move in reality because with the principle applied the motion looks realistic.

I really enjoyed this exercise because it is fun to work towards a completed outcome that you can be proud of.

Walk Cycle



My walk cycle didn't go to plan and this was because this was my first time using Photoshop for animation. I understood where to draw and how to use onion skin but I got confused with my timing and spacing when it came to the time line which is why the walk cycle is really fast. However I am happy to say that I now know how to overcome this the next time I use Photoshop for animation. Another problem I had was I didn't have enough paper to continually draw my sequence from left to right and then Photoshop refused to move the drawings so that is why the animation all happens on one spot. Next time I need to overlap my drawings so I have room on the page.

Apart from the difficulties I really enjoyed animating like this and I am really eager to use it in future projects to see what the out come will be.

What Did I Learn?

• Animating on Photoshop.
• Using the Onion skin feature. 
• Using the principle squash and stretch in an animation.
• How to effectively use timing and spacing on a timeline.

Histories of Animation

Tim Hope’s Wolfman (1999) 

Computer graphic animation that uses 3D mapping for its drawings. Advertisement for PlayStation with the campaign slogan "be whoever, whatever you want to be". Shows the animalistic thoughts of a man turning into a werewolf. The creators went on to work with The Mighty Boosh where they made similar animations. I found the animation style really interesting because of the combination between 2D and 3D, the props were flat 2D cut outs but when the camera pans and rotates the environment appears to be 3D.

Emile Cohl’s Fantasmagorie (1908)

Emile was a french cartoonist and animator and he is known for the first hand drawn animation. The animation was drawn on paper but from the film it looks like it was made on a blackboard, this effect comes from shooting the 700 drawings on to negative film. Cohl was a member of avant-garde arts group which was a community that celebrated laughter and ridiculousness.

Bruce Bickford’s Prometheus Garden (1988)

A claymation about people and creatures growing and shaping in a garden until war breaks out between them leading to scenes where they torture each other. The way people and shapes are formed is really interesting and satisfying to watch because the motion is very smooth. Bruce Bickford's animations are known for his disturbing and shocking scenes because he sees his self disconnected from the world around him. 
  

Stuart Blackton’s Humourous Phases of Funny Faces (1906)

A stop motion animation of a artist hand drawing people what appears to be in chalk on a blackboard, it is in fact drawn on paper using negative film making it appear to be chalk on a blackboard. The lighting changes almost every second which shows that it is just a series of images.The animation is a series of people being drawn followed by the people performing different actions. Stuart Blackton was born in England and went to America where he was one of the first film makers to use stop motion techniques and hand drawn animation, he went on to be known as the father of American animation.