FMP Week 1 - 1st October - Initial Project Idea & Planning

 FMP Week 1 - 1st October

Initial Project Ideas & Planning - The M37 Pegasus!

William Marshall

Intro

The Final Major Project at the University of Northampton is a completely self-managed project, meaning that I am allowed to designate my own time, ideas, designs and demonstrate that I have effective skills in project management, planning and documenting. This blog will serve as a gradual update as to how this project is proceeding, with my own thoughts and feelings explaining the process as it proceeds over time.

My Project Idea

For my Final Major Project, I have decided to create a Heavy Mech akin to Titanfall 2 and MechWarrior. It will be designed, modelled, rigged and animated - ending up being professionally presented via renders through ArtStation and Sketchfab (as these are my preferred platforms).

Whenever you see a military vehicle, weapon or piece of hardware, they are always given a model number and some sort of appropriate codename. The working name for this project is the 'M37 Pegasus'. It was selected due to the Mech being capable of flight, and the Model 37 being a number I produced from a random number generator - as I couldn't decide on a singular number!

My personal goals and interests in terms of Video Game Art involve the creation of vehicles and hard-surface models, both of which are utilised very heavily during this project. I also realise that this is quite ambitious, meaning that I am giving myself a good challenge.

Mood Boards

During the Summer, I used the online mood-board service Milanote to gather references and annotate each one with my thoughts. This provides me with research material and ideas for my own designs.

Concept Art Examples: https://app.milanote.com/1JYmxp17wpED4f?p=ndHO7veznk3

This board comprises multiple examples of concept art so that I can experiment with different conceptual styles, as well as considering shape, form and proportions for the Mech I will be designing. These examples are excellent reference for mechanical objects that I can kitbash together or use when sketching in my sketchbook. 

The variation in style is also useful here, as it helps me understand what level of detail I should be using to develop these concepts.

General Board 1: https://app.milanote.com/1JXXAT1P2De4an?p=emvPwIpa7kX

My General Mood Boards are - as the name suggests - quite general and verstile, focusing on different aspects of each Mech. Normally, this is the feature that sticks out to me the most and makes the design unique. Having a good range of varied proportions and designs has been very effective in helping me consider what my own design will look at, as I can weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of each frame that I see when I collect it into a Mood Board. Some of my favourite examples from this board are ones with unique weapons - such as the large riot shield -, or underslung chainguns, as well as:

• Humanoid Design with Spring-Like Feet for Mobility
• Balance and Weight Distribution to Support Armaments
• Large Riot Shield for Intimidation & Protection
• Bulky Frame with Wide Shoulder Guards
• Missile Pods
• Spider-Like Design and Quadrupedal Legs

General Board 2: https://app.milanote.com/1JYmmr17wpED47?p=O6FkZtJtmqb

My second general mood board has the same purpose as the first one. I use this board to identify unique features and annotate them so that I can keep track of which features I'd want to incorporate into my Mech. Some of my favourite features from this board include:

• Bright Colour Scheme + War Mask
• Bulky Frame to Support Artillery/Pods
• Squat & Flat Design to Minimize Weak Points/Damage Taken
• Imposing & Intimidating Weaponry, commonly dual-wielded
• Claw-Like Feet to Assist Movement/Terrain Grip
• Thin, Sharp Profile to Demonstrate Insectoid Inspiration
• Knee-Joint Protection & Shields

Camouflage & Armour: https://app.milanote.com/1JYmbc17wpED3R?p=jJvXJXBv6Ib

I felt specialized mood boards were needed for more specific insight into certain aspects of the design for this project. This one has completely focused on camouflage and armour that different configurations offer, as this will vary greatly depending on the purpose and location that the Mech serves in. When I annotated the examples, I decided to note down the colours and the themes that those colours produce, so that when my Concept Art is produced, I have some guidance on what sort of colours I should apply to my Mech, based on what themes I'd like my Mech to represent.

My favourite colour schemes from this example are:

• Bone White & Black, embodying death, stealth and shadows.
• Black & Yellow, with technology, vibrance, visibility and sports
• Traditional Camouflage (Desert, Forest, Snow), military, stealth and nostalgia
• Grey, Orange & Brown, industrial, steampunk and old-fashioned
• White & Purple, research, space, laboratory, medical

This mood board has taught me that these Mechs are generally comprised of a primary colour which is quite monochrome (white, grey, black, etc) and 1-2 secondary colours that are more saturated and combine well with the primary colour (red, blue, green, yellow, etc)

Mech Weapons: https://app.milanote.com/1JYmoa17wpED49?p=KMQWadCe6pK

Additional specialized Mood Boards came in the form of deciding what sort of weaponry and armaments I'd like to mount on my Mech. When designing one, I believe it is important to consider the role and purpose that the Mech serves - as this will directly impact what sort of weapons are going to be placed on it. A lightweight 'scout' design would feature smaller caliber weapons and be optimized for speed and stealthiness, preventing it from carrying large artillery pieces.

I gathered a wide range of weapons to give me a broader selection of ideas and concepts for me to experiment with. Some of my favourites are:

• Ballistic Shield (unique)
• Missile Pods (efficient way of carrying high-yield weaponry)
• Chainguns (intimidating, powerful weapon)
• Heavy Shotgun ('brawler', suggests power and strength)
• LMG w/Exposed Clip/Belt (unique and damaging)

'Spider' Mechs: https://app.milanote.com/1K7h6y1qPT293C?p=hOZQZ6BEJvn

Finally, I created a Mood Board to explore the unique concept of a 'Spider' Mech, which features quadrupedal and hexapod designs that are heavily influenced by insects. This style of Mech is very eye-catching, as the overall silhouette of the vehicle is vastly different to what people would expect when they think of Mechs. Due to the larger surface area, more weapons can also be mounted on the chassis for improved combat effectiveness. 

Project Planning - Trello

This project will be organized and managed using Trello (which I have used for previous projects). The aim of this Trello Board will be to provide a clear timeline of events and breakdown of tasks that were completed each month, as well as being used to manage my own time. The work that I completed during Summer Break is listed here in the largest column, with 13 timestamped entries of the work I completed each day. 

Next Blog Post - 14th October

Next time, I will be moving on to Concepts and Kitbashes, taking me straight into the design phase. These Kitbashes and concepts will be traditionally-drawn and also completed in Photoshop. The Kitbashes will be made by taking pieces of reference with the lasso tool and combining them together into new designs and variations. Then, I will decide on some of my favourite designs and begin to break down their individual components - such as arms, legs, weapons, cockpits, chassis, joints, etc.

Additionally, I will be designing a specification document that gives more background on my Mech, as well as the technical specifications such as height, width, speed, weapons and history. 

• Kitbashes & Concepts
• Component Breakdown
• Kitbash Concept Voting (Google Forms)
• Project Specification
• Project Changes & Updates