Silhouette city with different weather

A series of final concepts were created using the silhouettes from the first part of the project. This was done to show how the architecture may look once combined in a scene.

Emphasis was placed in creating a picture with a number of different weather and lighting conditions. Therefore three levels of buildings had their own layer, which could be manipulated individually. this process was a direct learning outcome of the tree in a tube final concepts, and the trouble found when creating the different weather conditions in them.

time was spent on ensuring only 1 visual style was produced in the piece, not combining software packages ensured this.

The piece could benefit from more fine detail and depth to the buildings, to make them look more run down. this could also be done by adding vents or tubes or more wires.

The series of pictures only took a few hours to produce; it was a great improvement on turn around time in comparison to the tree in tubes concept pieces.

The settled snow on the buildings was created with only 1 stroke of a soft chalk brush on Corel Painter, this greatly increased productivity time.

The rain affect was achieved by using the colour dodge tool on an overlay layer, enabling the raindrops to take on the colour of the windows (another direct improvement from the tree in a tube pieces).

Tree Tube scene with mist

Below is a misty version of the tree tube scene.

To make the scene appear misty, an environmental fog render from Maya was used; this was then used as a layer in Photoshop that was placed on top of the finished tree tube scene.

Greyscale was then used to determine how much of the scene was in fog. This was difficult as some of the scene was painted in Photoshop and so did not come through in the same way as the rest of the scene.

If this piece was to be created again, foreground, midground and background layers would be created which would have their own individual opacity, to give the impression of mist or fog.

Creating different weather conditions of the same scene was defiantly a learning experience, in future I will insure the necessary parts and correct layers are created in Photoshop, ready for manipulation.

Tree Tube scene with rain

Below is the rainy version of the tree tube scene.

The rain was created by importing a rain texture, drops and white detail were then added with Corel Painter. A white reflection of the rain was also added on the people, the tree tubes and buildings.

The rainy version of the tree tube scene is more effective than the previous piece; this is because the white reflectivity of the rain blends the detail with the abstract to give a more “watered down” look to the scene. it appears more like it was created with 1 visual style in mind, it brings the 2D and 3D together.

A texture of rain was used because of time constraints, adding the drops individually on a overlay layer would have been more effective, this would have picked up the colour detail behind the drop, this would have looked more affective around the tubes, if the drops were reflecting the light, however due to time restraints, this was the next most effective way of achieving the look of rain.

Tree Tube Scene

Below is a fully realised concept depicting trees in tubes so as to pipe oxygen to where it is need the most in the dystrophic world.

It was made with a mixture of 3D modelling in Maya (tubes, foreground buildings, tree stumps and gangway) and 2D software in Photoshop and Corel Painter (background buildings, people, hover car and sky).

Textures were imported in Photoshop for some of the key features, (fan, tree tops, detailed windows and rust affects).

I am pleased with the overall look of the scene; it depicts the futuristic world fairly well. However, if the process were to be repeated again, some key changes would be made. The buildings either side of the street would be more closed in, making the scene feel more claustrophobic.

The scene is a mix of fine detail from the imported pictures and modelled content with more abstract and suggestive buildings painted in Corel painter. The image needs to appear as it was made in one way with only 1 visual style, not several, to give one overall look to the piece.

Being Critical

The picture below of the futuristic buildings was one of the fist pictures that was done for this project. At first, the different architecture and rust detail looked good. In reflection, this picture is not a good representation of a dystopia, the building looks like they ares only a decade or so old, the rust is affective however, the amount does not suggest an aging building, merely a little neglect.

The architecture itself is effective. However, it looks like they were build over a short period of time, with a clear understanding of what the buildings would look like. To make a building look futuristic, aged and that it has been built over some time, it would need to look as though it was built with parts added by necessity, rather than aesthetics.

Deciding what to model

I have decided to model a Tree in a tube. It will be progressed from one of the silhouettes that started the project. the next step will be to create some similar visuals around the silhouettes to finalise the design.

This is the same process used in the industry, they take a key idea and come up with lots of different versions of it to see which one looks the best, or more visually striking. it would be interesting to see if the fact it will be modelled in 3D will affect the design process. it will certainly need to be taken into consideration, as a very detailed model may take longer and still look as effective as a simpler vision.

The context

This fits in the context of the game, as it is a good example of how urban and industrial the futuristic city has become. The concept is that the oxygen can be transported to where it needs to be as it is in short supply. Even the trees are manipulated and maintained through technology.

Deciding what to do

If focus was placed on modelling one environment feature in Maya, and then creating the background city in 2d using Photoshop and Corel Painter, then it would be an effective way to combine the two practices, it would also ensure that nothing would end up, unfinished, as anything unfinished would form research.

Choosing to work in this manner will expand knowledge and experience with both 2d and 3D software packages, whilst also utilising the short time in which to complete the project.

Only doing 1 model will be quicker then modelling a whole city environment. my personal strengths lie within 3D, therefore 2D images will be suitable for a background at this stage in the course.

Primary Reference Material Continued

These are some texture photos which were taken in Milton Keynes and Norwich, the worn concrete could be a useful texture in a final piece, they would give a building the impression of age and decay, despite any futuristic architecture.

Primary Reference Material Continued

These are some texture photos which were taken in Milton Keynes and Norwich, the worn concrete could be a useful texture in a final piece, they would give a building the impression of age and decay, despite any futuristic architecture.

Primary Reference Material

In this blog post, I will upload some inspirational photos taken with the BA5 project in mind. I will highlight the points of interest and comment on how they may affect the project.

The light shining through the metal bars in this photo below creates progressively diffuse shadows on the path.

The light in the corner of the photo creates a good balance of shadow and light; there is roughly an equal amount of light and dark as this photo was taken at night.

Up lighting to be included in the final piece has been suggested, these two photos below are a good example of this. The worn, irregular stone catches more light than a flat surface would, this dynamic will be taken into consideration.

These Photos below were taken at my place of work. I used a stepladder to capture the three perspective views. Thee shoe boxes could resemble the extruded faces of different building.

composition 3

Amir Salehi created 1acitymatte3, which is an example of the “L”.

The L is made up from the close up building on the left and the horizon line on the lower 3^rd of the picture.

The L allows the picture to include a close up of a buildings windows to show fine detail, as well as buildings in their entirety to show the scale and architecture.

It is also separated in to 3 separate sections. Two of the buildings in the mid-ground separate the picture vertically.

Composition 2

Cyro_Chambers by Daryl Mandryk

This picture by Daryl Mandryk is a good example of divine proportions.

The focal point, the door is located in a place that makes the rest of the picture easy to observe, the door draws in your eye. This enables the chambers to be easily observed afterwards.

There are several lines, on the floor and ceiling, pointing towards the door, emphasizing the focal point. Floor tiles also run horizontally from the focal point.

The edge of the cryo-chambers marks the edge of the 1st division of divine proportions. The horizontal line on the floor at the foot of the cryo-chambers marks the 2nd line of the divine proportions.

Composition

Hanger by Stephan Martiniere

This picture by Stephan Martiniere is an example of Iconic composition.

The beams and wires follow the diamond shapes of an Iconic picture, heading toward the middle of the picture.

This creates the sense of depth and width in the picture.

The Rule of 3rds is also used in this piece. Horizontally the picture can be broken up into 3 sections, the edge of shadow and light along with the corner of a beam creating the partition.

Most of the light is also in the middle 3^rd on the vertical axis.

The visible walkways running toward the middle of the piece, draw your eye closer to the centre of the image, while simultaneously, the dark shadows round the edge of the piece make you feel hemmed in, adding to the sense of depth.

New Direction

The picture below shows 3 separate silhouette thumbnails.

It was an experiment in perspective, the impression of very tall buildings and height was desired. To achieve this, the towers were drawn closer at the top, and further away at the bottom, creating the illusion of depth.

These buildings appear to have been built over a long period, with different parts bolted on, it looks designed for necessity rather then purpose. They are far removed from some of the clean lined buildings in some of the silhouettes.

In the real world, older buildings are renovated or extensions are added after building a house. In the artistic industry, a lot of material is modelled on what happens in the real world, and is exaggerated in a fantasy world.

To create suspension of disbelief, I think it is best to create a city with these types of building, old, rusty, refurbished, large extensions added on, non paralleled lines, shape edges, cables, vents and antenna. These types of buildings are grittier and more in fitting with a crowded dystopia that I am designing.

The pictures below are the silhouettes with added detail. The picture on the right shows the towers as segmented, showing further that the buildings were made over a long period of time, far removed from the original design. This also enables up lighting to be cast from the segments, helping with the impression of height.

Primary Photos

These primary source photos show concrete pillars over windows. Despite the fact the building is dated the pillars look futuristic, in-fact they add to the dystopian city look that is desired. These pillars inspired part of the tree tube pictured below.

Light projecting from behind the pillars creates dynamic stripped shadows. This in turn gives the impression of depth.

The industry often uses primary photography for reference when modelling something.

Using the tools

While creating the environment silhouettes, experimentation took place with the curvature of the pen brush to create curved tops to buildings.

These two silhouettes illustrate a concept idea of tall thin

round-topped buildings, possibly with a reflection on the bottom.

As well as using the curve of the brush as a tool to create a design, the rounded eraser was used to create dynamic silhouettes of buildings. It’s useful for breaking up straight lines with a curve and sharp point.

These 3 sets of towers show the iterative design process specifically using the eraser to create different shapes, and a progressively an industrial look.

This process is used within concept art as it is a quick way to produce detailed images. a lot of concept work is only an impression or feel of a finished product. This is because of time and money restraints. It is in the best interest of the studio to get the most amount of work out of an employee for the littlest amount of money, and therefore time.

Silhouettes

The fist part of the project was to create 100 silhouettes of either environments or vehicles.
This was to empty all the creative thoughts on the project and get all the pre-thought ideas onto paper in a quick and easy way. It also enabled interpretation of abstract shapes into potential cityscapes and environments.

The thumbnails that were created could then be sought through and the best pieces selected to begin the iterative design process.
The reason for this process was to end up with an end product that is far removed from the first conceptual ideas.

At first, it appeared that creating silhouettes of environments would be challenging. This is because in the previous project, there were mostly interior or tunnel pictures. Silhouettes can only be used to outline and object, person or scene. None of the interior detail could be shown.

This restriction created a diverse number of results within the thumbnails. Experimentation took place with the idea of either the black or white parts of the thumbnail being the physical environment and the void. The idea of not being able to tell which was the environment and which was the void aided the visual ideas of a busy futuristic dystopia, creating a sense of confusion and uncertainty.

The silhouettes also helped refine any pre-thought ideas into more striking visual concepts, buildings, walkways and tunnels were iteratively designed by reworking them and changing parts to create a different look than the original concept. The buildings that were originally designed became more jaggedly with acute angels. Ropes and cranes were added to give the buildings a more industrial and sinister feel.

I understand that It is industry practise to create several thumbnails of characters, objects, assets, and environments as a starting point on a project. Chris Goodswen advised this in his lecture at the University last year.

Choosing environments or Vehicles

For BA5: Focus 2 I chose to create environments of a futuristic dystopian city because:
I was pleased with the environmental concepts in the previous project and wanted to continue to create more.

I enjoyed making concepts by combining modelling in 3D and texturing and adding weathering affects in 2D afterward. I want to develop this method of visual and see where in the creative industry it could fit.

My previous project didn’t have a distinctive visual style; I want to create a distinctive look for the futuristic dystopia.

I feel that environments have a greater opportunity to look original in comparison to vehicles.

In the previous project, modelling and texturing vehicles took longer to do than the environments, it would be more productive to develop what I am currently quicker at doing, especially as iterative design is a large focus in this project.