Orthographic Projection- Traditional Art Practice Week 6

 

This week I worked on orthographic projection, using objects around me and depicting them from common perspectives. While searching for reference, I found an abundant amount of symmetrical objects, but very few asymmetical. 

I started with a symmetrical object first, since it was easier and would ease me into the concept more efficiently. I sketched different parts of the object first to understand how it was constructed. I also experimented with the top and three quarters perspectives here. Doing this may not have been required for the assignment, but it allowed me to gain a better understanding of what I was attempting to represent.

I worked a little more on the front and side perspectives of the object. Since the object is symmetrical, these perspectives should be enough to create a 3D model of the object.

For my asymmetrical object, I chose a conch shell. This object was markedly more difficult to define in 3D space, and I understand why it requires more camera angles than the symmetrical object.

Repeatable Forms- 3D Game Proction Blog Task 1

 

For my first blog task, I went out to town to find buildings with repeatable forms. I was specifically looking for large planes that could be reused multiple times instead of having to model every single one individually. 

I found this building to be a good subject for my first try. I took pictures from different angles before starting on the highlighting.

The two sides of the building are made of different kinds of planes, but I found that by re-using other parts of the building I could build the new sections quite simply. 

I ended up with a number of unique parts that didn't really repeat a lot, and would have to be modelled individually. But overall, I managed to condense the entire structure only into only seven individual planes. These parts could later be used like lego pieces to create more buildings of the same style to form a city or whatever I desire.

Measured Constructive Drawing - Traditional Art Practice Week 5

 This week I worked on measured constructive drawing using still life. 

These were my preliminary sketches I used to figure out the best composition. Drawing in orthographic was challenging at first, but it only made more sense as I worked on the construction. The abscense of perspective made the measuring very straightforward.  I finally settled on the far left sketch as my finished drawing.

In the other sketches, the position of the objects made it very difficult to draw a box around them in a meaningful way. 

My first try failed as I didn't measure properly and went into details and shading too soon. I decided to learn from my mistakes and improve my next drawing based on the feedback I received.

After completing a second drawing, I realised that the bottle on the left wasn't serving any purpose, so I turned it a little to emphasize the bounding box around it.

Before starting with my final drawing, I drew a thumbnail, and added notes from the feedback I had received before so as to not forget them while drawing. I placed the objects into an orthographic view, and put them into boxes to measure their centers as well as proportions. I took some creative liberty with the bottle on the left, but it was necessary to show the construction.

After completing this exercise, I can say that I now better understand the way objects are constructed and put into 3D space. This way of drawing removes perpective and allows for a more straightforward drawing. I can see myself using this kind of drawing to generate ideas for vehicles or even buildings in the future.

Interior Drawing - Traditional Art Practice Week 4

This week I worked on an interior drawing using three-point perspective. After taking reference photos, I made a number of preliminary sketches to come up with proper framing and perspective. This was the first time I had worked on an interior on location, and so I really struggled with my line quality.

 

My first sketch had wrong perspective and the proportions were wrong. I also didn't like the framing.

I fixed the proportions in this sketch, as well as the positions of individual elements.

I decided to go for the design below, with the pillar acting as the left edge of the frame.

To figure out the perspective, I implemented a basic perspective grid. This helped me to place my lines into proper perspective.

For my finished drawing, I implemented all the elements from my sketches, measured the perspective and added some simple shading and line weights. 

In order to further my techniques, I made a second drawing in three point perspective later on. 

Finishing Up Chest Texture - Digital Art Practice Week 5

This week I focused on finishing up my chest texture. 

I first began by creating a more detailed sketch, consulting my reference frequently. 

I went through the same process with other wood surfaces.

I added color on top to test out how the model looked. 

I exported the model to Unreal Engine.

After completing this project, I feel more ready for what's to come in the next one. I feel confident regarding the basics of texture painting.

 

Unreal Engine Intro - 3D Game Production Week 5

 

This week I worked mostly on my texture painting to finish the treasure chest. I also learned the basics of using Unreal Engine 4. Specifically I learned about importing meshes and textures, navigation in the engine and the UI, as well as lighting my objects. With this new software, I will be able to properly light and render my models, as well as use them to create larger scenes.

Texture Painting - Week 4 Digital Art and 3D Game Production

This week I focused on fixing my UV Map. My previous map had many problems, such as empty space everywhere, and repeating islands even though the texture would be the same. 

I exported a separate PNG from Max to make the process of picking individual islands easier. This also saved me time as I didn't have to lasso every island myself. 

I first started from painting only the textures. I made the background color green, as that is close to what my chest will look like at the end. I also created separate layers and layer groups for each individual step of the process and named them accordingly. 

At this point I had a look at the textured model in Max.

I added a basic sketch and painted in some values. I made sure to think of ambient occlusion when placing my darkest values.

I added more implied lighting and some highlights to further enchance the values.

I added some simple colors to the values.

This week taught me the importance of values and organizing my project files.