FMP Week 9 - 24th November

  FMP Week 9 - 24th November

Rotary V2, V3 & Unity Setup

William Marshall

Intro

9th week of my FMP - which has produced some large improvements to my Rotary Mech and seen me develop the base of my Unity scene, which is where I intend to present the final product. I have been upgrading the Rotary to begin visually representing the 'Heavy' classification that it has, as well as the frontline battlefield role that it should be serving in. This has involved; bulking up the armour, implementing modern tank designs into the Mech and adding additional parts that add to the versatility and utility of the vehicle.

Additionally, I have been setting up the Unity scene. This consists of a Main Menu, Animation Room and Environment - which are simply different scenes in Unity that my Player will be able to scroll through to observe different parts of my project. This has helped me gain a sense of scale for my workshop scene, as well as helping me realise that I have a good quantity of work to get the grade I desire.

Unity Setup

My main menu is simplistic and schematic, with buttons that lead to the different scenes in the project. This is done with a simple 5-line script that changes scene depending on which button is pressed. For now, it will remain in this basic state - but I aim to include a background which will scroll through various views/angles of the Mech in a style that is inspired by Titanfall 2 and Gran Turismo - which adds to the production quality.

This view represents the Animation Room for this project - which allows the Player to click buttons to activate certain animations that the Mech would likely perform if it were a Game Asset. This demonstrates my ability to create varied animations that suit the requirements, as well as activating them at specific times - much like a character animation. 

All of the animation involve movement, shooting, turning and idles. These will be very robotic-looking animations, rather than organic looking ones. This is quite self-explanatory, due to the fact that this is a vehicle.  

Finally, we have the basic example and scale of how my interactable environment will look. This follows on from the floor plan that I created a while ago, 

Rotary MK2

These are renders of the Rotary MK2, which builds upon all the feedback that I've received so far, as well as what I was developing last week. It is intended to fit the 'Heavy' classification of this Mech much more visually than the first version, with thicker, square shapes being used to portray the strength, endurance and sturdiness that a Mech should be representing. 

Following on from what I created last week, I have implemented these features:

• Shoulder Pads - providing reinforcement to vulnerable points
• Bulkier Weapons - implementing square shape theory and looking more imposing
• Hydraulic Aids/Wires - these wires will be rigged/animated to jiggle and bend with the movement of the Mech
• Shoulder 'Joints' - provides the basis for the entire arm structure, as well as adding more circular shapes to quite a boxy model. 

Rotary MK3

The Rotary Mk3 builds on from what went successfully for the Mk2, which introduces more modern tank design features, as well as additional utility and military usage. Such as:

• Square 'Mesh' guard on the exterior - able to be used as ablative armour, as well as a carrying rack
• Asymmetrical Shoulder Pads - adding some design features that are not necessarily the same. This gives a sense of uniqueness, rather than just using symmetry to copy features across.
• Reinforced 'Spine' Section - a clear vulnerable point for the vehicle. This has been reinforced with guards and additional bulk to support the weight of the top half. 
• Shovel/Fire Axe added to the rear of the Rotary, which is inspired by modern tanks that attach emergency tools to the vehicles.

Project Management Update

Video Breakdown

Next Blog Post - 8th December

For the next Blog Post on the 8th of December, I aim to move on to some of the environmental assets, as that has been a neglected part of this project until now. These will be unwrapped and textured, in order to give insight into how my art style will appear. 

I also aim to create a 'final' version of the Rotary, which will be the Mk4.

• Mk4 Rotary
• Environmental Assets
• Environmental Asset Texturing/Examples

FMP Week 7 - 10th November - Presentation and Further Work

 FMP Week 7 - 10th October

Presentation, Additional Art, Rotary MKII & Harpoon

William Marshall

Intro

The last two weeks have been very varied and quite hectic. It began with a marked presentation of my project so far, which was done virtually with my fellow students and project supervisor. This went incredibly well, with plenty of useful feedback received - as well as being congratulated for the professionalism I've displayed in it. During the presentation, I broke my project down into seven individual parts, which allowed people to get an in-depth look into the inner workings of my project and why I was doing it.

Secondly, I've created some additional artwork to serve as supporting pieces for the project. The first is a concept view of my Mech in a field, where the Mech is travelling through a barren plane in a greyscale environment in order to demonstrate the scale of the Mech itself. The second piece is a turnaround sheet that doubles as an immersive piece due to the blueprint nature of it.

Thirdly, I've been adapting the Rotary Mech and taking on board the feedback that I've received during the project so far. Using this feedback, I have developed the Rotary MkII - which features heavier armour, reinforced vulnerable areas, more asymmetrical detailing and more varied geometry. 

Project Presentation

A few examples of the slides in my presentation

This week was the first of several presentations that are going to be completed over the course of this year. 10 minutes was given for this piece, with it being presented to roughly 10 people (mix of students and tutors). A breakdown of my presentation was as follows:

• Project Proposal - what I'm making, why I'm making it and what I will publish at the very end
• Inspirations & References - games, series, media, artists
• Mood Boards
• Asset List
• Project Management - Trello
• Project Schedule - Gantt Chart
• Current Work - 2D & 3D

A lot of the feedback I got for my presentation was positive, with people praising it for being well-presented and thought out. However, the feedback that I need to work on and employ to improve my project was:

• On the Asset List, predictions for when the asset is completed need to be written down, as well as their intended tricount
• Mech needs to be more heavily armoured and the vulnerable points are too exposed. 
• The Mech is too clearly symmetrical and needs to be broken up with asymmetrical details and pieces
• Searchlights, Hidden Compartments, Storage Containers and Tools affixed to the hull of the Mech can be used to add some more 'life' to the design

When I create the next version of the Rotary Mech, I will be incorporating these features. 

Additional Concept Artwork

Mech Turnaround

This turnaround was created as modelling reference for the Mech itself - but also as an immersive piece due to the blueprints. To create the linework, I took pictures of the Mech from various angles - and then applied a linework filter with some editing of contrast/brightness to produce the black/white lines. 

I made sure to include a frontal, side and top reference - as these are the most important areas to use as reference. Additionally, I added the weapons and measurements so that there was reference for them as well.

Mech Concept #2

The second piece of concept artwork demonstrates the scale of the Mech as it travels across the landscape.

I completed it by using a similar method that I learned in Visual Studies this week, which was using greyscale paintings and textured brushes to make the scene seem more realistic! However, this piece could be improved by adding some more varied geometry, rather than just hills and grass.

Rotary MkII

Using the feedback that I received on the Mech so far, I decided to upgrade my design and bulk up the Rotary so that the weaker areas were less exposed.

Here's a list of what I improved:

• Ablative Armour was added to the lower and upper legs to protect those vulnerable areas from damage
• Spine joint in the center was reinforced with shields and thickened to add more geometry - which supports the upper cockpit easier
• Searchlights were added to the side of the Mech to make it more usable in dark scenarios, with the missile launcher being placed on the opposite side - to add asymmetrical detailing.
• Legs and Feet were thickened to support more weight and seem more protective
• Circular Arm Sockets were added to serve as stronger positions for the arms to connect to
• A rear hatch was added at the very back of the Mech to serve as a reactor/battery area

Project Management Update

Video Breakdown

Next Blog Post - 24th November

In the next blog post in two weeks time, I will attempt to have completed the rest of the MkII Rotary, including the arms and final details. Once that is completed, I'll begin the high-poly version of the Mech!

• Finish MkII Version & Arms
• Begin High-Poly Version
• Create High-Poly Environmental Assets