Today I met with my BFA adviser and discussed the interactivity of my project and how I can go about making it function properly. This was highly beneficial as it helped me iron out a lot of the details for how I could code the remaining aspects of The End Is Near. We discussed how I might use different coding strategies to achieve different outcomes with my project. After this conversation I feel more confident in the interactive portion of my project.

When presenting my work to the class I received some feedback that I will take into account while constructing my project. Some of my peers inquired about what kind of sound I would consider using for my project. One suggested using a ticking time bomb to go along with the nuclear fallout theme. I may implement this idea, although I have an idea for some soft music that might work for what I am envisioning. At this point I have established how the experience will begin and end. The End Is Near will begin by showing the nuclear explosion that will end the civilization/character being depicted. The camera will then zoom out and reveal the reflection of the character’s eye lens to their mask. The viewer will then receive full control over the project. When they are finished with their observations of the character they can end the experience by “unfreezing time” and letting the nuclear explosion destroy the character. This way the project has a beginning and end that viewers can experience.

Another point of feedback that I received included my camera angles. Specifically, where my camera angles were pointing. I was told that where they were currently pointing was not an effective composition or interesting in the least. The camera angles I chose were actually just test spots just to make sure my interactivity was functioning. That said, this dialogue affirmed that I must be careful about the camera angles I do end up choosing for the final piece.

Over Thanksgiving break I produced the beginnings of the models that would become the first 3 objects  of interest on the character’s person. I am currently not happy with their designs as they seem lack personality. I used reference images of wallets, cell phones, and wrist watches to sculpt my models, but I believe the references I chose were not very inspired. To remedy this problem I plan on using new reference images that will aid in giving the culture and character depicted to be more visually interesting to view. I also want to use stylized objects to add to the fantasy element of the piece and spark the curiosity of the viewer. The stylization I wish to employ includes visuals from steam-punk fiction and Industrial Revolution-era technology. I feel that these visuals will blend nicely with the design that is already in place for the character. I am excited to begin work on spicing up these assets to make them more interesting.

I also got a little done with the interactivity of my project over break. I can now smoothly transition between two different sample camera points, which is the first step to making the interactivity of my project work.

On the week of 11/12 – 11/15 I realized I would need to remodel some of my character in order to achieve higher quality texture maps. While this did add time to my project, it payed off by producing clean texture maps that allowed me to better organize my workflow. At this point I have decided for sure that I will focus on one character and go for quality over quantity with my project. I wish to ensure that every asset I develop for this project meets a high standard of texture realism.

I have decided on the objects that will begin to define my character and their culture. The few that I will begin to model include a wallet with family photographs, a communication device (like a cell phone or pager), and a wrist watch. I feel that these objects will give the viewer an idea of what kinds of items the citizens of this society found important enough to carry around their person. These objects will also inform the audience about the kind of technology this culture was capable of producing. Finally, the family photographs will make the viewer aware of some of the specifics behind the character’s day to day life.

After discussing my concept and progress with my small group I am a bit more confident about completing my project on time. I received some good advice about how I can improve my texturing workflow to expedite it without sacrificing quality. Additionally I received reassurance that if I focus all my efforts into one character my concept can still be strong. Because of this meeting I have a more clear idea of where I want to go with my project for these final weeks of wrapping things up. I’m still slightly concerned about how much time the interactivity might take me to complete, however I am more confident and motivated to do my best to complete my given tasks within the time that I have.

Week of 11/5: (Interactivity – Camera moving around points of interest on character, Rotating 3D Objects)(Character Rigging/Posing)

Week of 11/12: (Model, UV, Texture Objects on character – belt, pockets, wallet, etc.) (Intractability – Make interactive points selectable, bring up rotatable objects)

Week of 11/19:  (UI) (Model Surrounding Environment)

Week of 11/26 onward: (Revise textures and models/add more detail)

In attempting to flesh out the interactivity of my project I have come across a few flaws with the way the piece is currently projected to become. One thing I have an issue with is that the concept’s strength relies on the written word I choose for the piece. As a visual artist I would rather it be the case that the visuals communicate the message I am trying to get across. I also have a problem with the message itself as it seems to be convoluted to a lot of people and I am struggling to make it more clear. I proposed that I change the concept to resolve these issues to one of my professors and they agreed that it would be a strong move forward. My new concept retains all of the assets that have yet been created, but “re-brands” them to be used for a different purpose.

My new concept is now centered on the idea of viewing a 3D character the moment before they meet their apocalyptic demise. The viewer will have the chance to dissect key points of interest on the character including their posture, clothes and the way they wear them, and items on their person. Each will be revealing of their personal identity in addition to revealing of their role in society. The concept is largely inspired by the eruption of mount Vesuvius in Pompeii and how the magma froze citizens in their final moments. Archaeologists study these characters to find out more about the society and day to day life of citizens at the time. My proposed project will offer viewers the opportunity to learn about a fictional character, their fictional society and their role in it, all based on their appearance and personal belongings. The viewer is meant to ask themselves: If the world were to end right now what would my appearance say about me and my role in today’s society?

The entire model has now been textured using the workflow I discussed with my adviser. The base color for the mask has been revised to be more detailed. I plan to achieve the same level of detail with the remainder of the textures, but for now I plan to move on to rigging and coding interactive elements as the texturing has reached a reasonable level of detail to continue.

I had some problems getting my textures to work properly. Before the mask looked too dark, and too much like metal. After I discussed the problem with my adviser, I had a better understanding of how to approach the problem I performed some experimentation with the materials and arrived at a satisfying result that should make the remainder of my texturing workflow a quick and mostly painless process.