thaliabrunner4

[thaliabrunner4]

“If you were to go back to the start of this assessment to do it again, what would you do differently to complete the task?“

If I was to go back and start this assessment again I would have spent more time in the earlier drawing phase, thinking more about how it will be lit and where areas of roughness will be (referring to more real life reference). But this step was fairly rushed as I am not the quickest drawer and just wanted to get some images done to start adding and building the scene. I did have some extra time where I could have gone back into PS and cleaned it all up and added more detail. However I was pleased with how it looked and the normal maps found online really helped bring it up to a more realistic level. Creating maps was also another area that I could have spent more time on. I tried creating my own inside PS but found it wasn’t effective. Therefore I combined my maps (to isolate certain areas) and maps sourced online to create the final texture.

I would have also liked to experiment more with the overall composition as I think it could be strengthened. This was another design decision that I wanted to make quickly as to not fall behind. After finding and adjusting the water material, it looked so good I wanted to make that more of a focal point however my originals drawings didn’t translate to other potential compositions.

If I had more time to research I would have liked to experiment with adding more subtle elements to bring the scene to life such as birds flying in the sky, ice falling from glacier or ice floating past the camera in the water.

I have learnt a lot from this whole process and I was glad I challenged myself in an unfamiliar area. Although there are small adjustments that I think need to be made I am happy with the final outcome after setting myself a somewhat adventurous goal.

[thaliabrunner4]

Final composition

Overall I am really happy with the final composition and the steps I took to get there. Initially this assignment was very daunting as I had never attempted or even fully understood the pipeline of digital matte painting and using 2D planes to create an immersive environment. However, that is why I chose the VFX stream, this area of my knowledge was limited and I wanted to learn/explore it further while I had the opportunity and guidance at university.

I didn’t get a chance to experiment with fog in AE like I had planned, due to time constraints and unusual z depth/base colour passes. But I tried to utilise the exponential fog inside UE4 as best I could. To further create an immersive environment I added some sound effects (from FreeSoundProject) of moving water, falling snow and cracking ice glaciers. I adjusted the levels to try and create the illusion of the environment. I also tried to create a subtle “bobbing” effect with the camera to give the appearance that the viewer is floating/paddling through.

Time spent

Final adjustments (lighting/repositioning/camera) - 3hrs

Creating video - 1hr

Video SFX references:

Glacier break – humanoide7000, January 30th, 2017 - https://freesound.org/people/humanoide7000/sounds/378555/

Falling snow - mitchellsounds, December 22nd, 2015 - https://freesound.org/people/mitchellsounds/sounds/331539/

Water paddle - hazure, October 13th, 2006 - https://freesound.org/people/hazure/sounds/23705/

[thaliabrunner4]

Week 11/12

Rebalance colour

I adjusted the colours using the post processing volumes. Creating a more balanced images by adding warmer tones through the sky.

Lighting

Included a skylight to fill shadows and added some fake bounce lighting using point lights (shadows off). 

Iceberg material refinement

I found some normal and roughness maps online that I thought would work well for an ice material. I then combined these with the maps I had created in PS to create areas of more roughness. Doing this really increased the look of the icebergs, they were now not so flat. 

I also duplicated and added some planes beneath the water where the iceberg would continue, thus creating lighter colours toward the bottom.

Feedback

Depth fade/scene gradient (less harsh transition between iceberg and water) https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/Materials/ExpressionReference/Utility/index.html

Copy and reposition icebergs (modularity) to create more depth and visual interest

Volumetric lighting from the lights on the structure – cast light across

Move fog along z effects how fog falloff, when the fog starts

Time spent

Colour rebalance - 1hr

Lighting - 2hrs

Icebergs - 3hrs

[thaliabrunner4]

Online Progress Update 3

This week I focused on trying to achieve a cohesive stylised environment, therefore lighting and materials were aspects of particular focus. However I got a little distracted with the water materials. Therefore I still need to resolve the issue of the black line on the horizon (created by the exponential height fog) and finalise the materials. I’m still not completely happy with how it’s looking, but hopefully after fixing the issues and creating an effective lighting setup I will start to see what I had initially envisioned. 

Water 

I found that the water tutorial I found last week didn’t really achieve the look I wanted. Therefore after conducting some further research I found a tutorial from the UE4 live training that utilised the “Water Planes” collection from the learn tab.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ1M0Ejd_ts

This was a really powerful collection with 2 main materials (ocean and lake) able to be customised through many different parameter values.

Ocean default

Lake default

I experimented with both to see which would give me the best result. I wanted to create a more calm environment so I used the lake material which had larger/smoother waves. I then changed the colour to more blue after looking at some real world references online. I also reduced the amount/speed of smaller wavelets and therefore the roughness of the water to try and create a smoother look. 

Real world inspiration

Adjusted water material instance

I am really happy with how the water material looks, it really brings the environment to life. The challenge now it to make the rest of the environment match the water and lift it up to a more realistic standard. This was a little difficult as my initial drawings were more toward the hand painted style. However I adjusted the colours to try and create a more stylised form of realism.

Adjust fog and sky/lighting 

After looking at some research and colour palettes I found that an orange/pink sky contrasted well with the icy scene. However I found the exponential fog hid most of the colour and I had to change the colour of the actual fog. Therefore the fog might be something I add in post in After Effects using a depth map.

One thing I am struggling with is lighting, as the image planes are fairly spread out to create depth, this is making it difficult to evenly light and create accurate shadows/reflections. This area will be of particular focus for the rest of this week as it is a crucial part of any composition.

I also experimented with a new composition, using the rule of thirds and balancing the image differently to incorporate more water. However I found the camera movement might not work for the 2D planes, potentially ruining the illusion. This will be something that I will experiment with more and further research digital matte painting cinematic techniques. 

Time spent

Water  - 2.5hrs

Adjusting lighting/fog - 2hrs

Adjusting materials - 2hrs

Composition experimentation - 1hr

Reflection - 1hr

Revised weekly objectives

Week 11 - adjust SSS for iceberg materials/lighting/experiment with composition

Week 12 – finalise environment/cinematics/post pro in AE

Week 13 - final feedback/final adjustments/submit

[thaliabrunner4]

Online Progress Update 2

I didn’t get to do as much as I would have liked over the mid semester break due to other assignment deadlines. However I have since caught up with my weekly schedule and have even progressed ahead. This week was more about quantity than quality. I wanted to get as many elements into the environment so I had a strong foundation to start building my VFX. Once I have all the VFX and lighting perfected I will start to add more detail to my materials. I'm not too happy with how it’s all looking at the moment. It still feels very static and not like a cohesive/immersive environment. But hopefully by perfecting the lighting and adding water and post processing effects it should create some more atmosphere. 

Structure (Modelling/UV unwrap/Materials)

I wanted to keep it clean and simple so I modelled a couple different designs. One more slim/futuristic and another more bulky, using a shiny material to give it more character and futuristic look. I chose a simple design to also help with processing as a lot of particle systems/large shaders will be used to achieve the ice environment look, particularly if I can achieve an effective water simulation. This is still a work in progress, I really want to spend some time on the materials and maybe changing the shape to better fit the scene.

VFX: Snow

I started to add some fog and falling snow. It still needs adjusting but will be sufficient for now as I am planning to use the last couple weeks to perfect and finalise all elements when I can see it all together.  

Tutorial reference - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw1HAmAnYFQ

VFX: Water

I have done some initial research and experimentation with adding water, by editing the starter content water material. No significant results yet but I have found a few tutorials that I will follow this week and hopefully produce some nice looking icy water that will further enhance the environment.

https://wiki.unrealengine.com/Water_Shader_Tutorial

https://answers.unrealengine.com/questions/19456/how-can-i-make-a-water-volumelake.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQnkuQYNNKc&index=5&list=PLd2rY36Ym3b8Iqc8Ji7indM4oaLv_l2UT

Time spent:

Repositioning planes and adjusting materials - 1hr

Modelling/implementing structure - 2.5hrs

Adding fog and snow - 1hr

Exploring/experimenting with water shaders - 1hr

Revised weekly objectives

Although I am a week ahead, having already started the water there is still a lot of refinement left to do. 

Week 10 - Continue creating water shader

Week 11 - Water and lighting in UE4/ Finalise UE4 environment

Week 12 - Cinematics - camera/sound effects/post pro in AE

Week 13 - Further development/Final edits/Submit

[thaliabrunner4]

Milestone 2A - Progression

This is the current UE4 composition. I have completed all the digital environment drawings required, if time allows I will try and add some more detail. The materials and positioning still need to be refined in the next week and there is also a line that appears on the horizon (probably due to the sky box) that needs to be fixed. Also the camera/environment may need to be centred more. The camera motion will probably change to a lower angle to really show height and depth. However it proved difficult to do at this stage with just a plane to represent the water.

Despite these small fixes I think this is a strong base to start adding lighting and VFX to create more atmosphere and immersion.

[thaliabrunner4]

Milestone 2A - Week 9

During the tutorial consultation I received some helpful feedback about my new concept and techniques to enhance the visual style of the 2D elements in UE4.

Feedback from tutor for new concept

Have structure be main focus (angle shelves down more – to a V – too much ground surface shown compared to structure/not weighted correctly

Using advanced material techniques in UE4 (height/roughness/SSS maps) to achieve a more realistic ice look (refer to VFX tutorial on BB)

Using post pro volume to disable auto exposure/use for colour correction

Exponential fog start point wasn’t working due to volumetric lighting being enabled

Really extend planes/structure to increase parallax effect and add more depth to scene

Add spot lights to create highlights

Add other structures in the distance to increase parallax effect

Digital painting - Iceberg

Now I had a more clear and strong concept I started to digitally paint the elements. Using a hand painted style meant more time, however it also allowed for more creative freedom over the style and placement of my environment. This meant I didn’t have to waste time trying to find the perfect image that would fit the space.

I first focused on the front icebergs as these require the most time and detail due to the close proximity to the camera. This is still a relatively rough drawing as I plan to add more detail later if time allows.

Advanced materials

After watching the advanced materials tutorial on Blackboard I was inspired to try the techniques on my drawings.

I decided to proceed to this stage in UE4 with just the foreground iceberg as I was keen to see how effective this would be and if there were any changes I would have to make to my drawing approach/pipeline.

I first experimented with making some quick maps in PS. I found it wasn’t difficult to create the height and roughness maps just by desaturating and adjusting levels as most of this information was already conveyed through the shading of the ice in the original drawing. The SSS is something that still needs some work though. I need to do a bit more research on how to create an effective SSS map as I found it difficult with this particular subject and was hard to adjust in PS. For the other elements I will better separate the information into layers to allow for more control. This is why I chose to explore this technique at an early stage so I can continue my digital drawings while keeping certain maps in mind.

Even with these basic maps I began to see a noticeable difference in UE4. The iceberg now had more depth and glossiness. I could also see the SSS working in some spots where more light was passing through creating a brighter blue colour. With further adjustments and refinement in the coming weeks I will hopefully create an even more believable material.

Digital painting - Drawing/fixing ice shelves

I re drew the ice shelves to better fit the style and perspective. I started with a rough drawing to ensure the proportions and perspective were correct in UE4. Once I found a size and style that fit I went back into PS and added more detail. I duplicated it and made some visual changes for the left ice shelf to better create more visual variety, better depicting real life.

Digital painting - Ice shoreline and distance mountain scape

These were done relatively quickly as they are further away from the camera and will be shrouded with fog (particularly the background mountains). Therefore I didn’t include a lot of detail at the moment. After I add the VFX and see how it is all looking together I might come back and add some more detail.

Time spent

Tutorial consultation - 1hr

Digital painting iceberg  - 2hrs

Advanced materials - 4hrs

Digital painting/adjusting ice shelves (including creating and adjusting maps) - 3hrs

Digital painting shoreline/mountains (including creating and adjusting maps)  - 2hrs

Revised weekly objectives

At the moment I am on track with my weekly objectives. However adjusting the advanced materials settings have been added to be completed over the break. I have also added an extra week to experiment more with water effects in UE4 just in case I am not able to achieve it and have to go back to painting it in PS.

Mid sem break - Finalise advanced materials - Model structure - add to UE4 scene

Week 10 - Lighting and VFX in UE4 (fog/snow)

Week 11 - Water in UE4 or PS

Week 12 - Final edits - camera animation - composite in AE

Week 13 - Further development 

[thaliabrunner4]

Milestone 2A - Week 8

After putting my rough composition together in PS I didn’t really like it, it felt too cluttered with no key focal point.

Feedback from tutor

Focus more on getting the composition right

Start with greyscale and map it out – bring it into UE4 and play with depth

Conceptartworld for inspiration

Therefore, I went back to some inspiration to try and create something more from fantasy and hand paint it, rather than an environment that’s looks more like the real world. This means I will not struggle trying to find the right image to fit the scene.  

The aspects I still wanted to include were the icebergs, monolith and water. So, I refocused my composition around just these 3 features to avoid overcomplicating it and if needed will further develop the environment with more features.

Focused inspiration

Ideas

Front view of structure

Broken ice shelf leading toward it (falling ice/water) – work well for depth so camera can move through if plane angled.

Water running beneath

Half under/above water

Completely flat/barren ice landscape except for tall structure

Tilted camera

Tried to better the composition by having the ice shelves lead the eye toward the main focus of the structure/monolith. Planning to have the camera zoom in pass the fog/snow to reveal the full size of the buildings. 

Concept development

After taking the slices into UE4 I found I had to split some up into left and right pieces to allow for better manipulation and placement.

The water slice was also not aligning correctly however I planned to experiment with water effects in UE4 so I didn’t focus too much on correcting it at the moment.

Time spent

Concept art – 1hr

Putting together in UE4 –3hrs

Revised weekly objectives

I had fallen a bit behind my original weekly projection due to struggles developing a strong concept. However I now think I have a clear concept that I can work towards achieving.

Week 9 - Finish matte painting in PS - test in UE4 - make appropriate adjustments

Mid sem break - Model structure -  add to UE4 scene

Week 10 - VFX in UE4 (fog/snow/water)

Week 11 - Compositing in AE

Week 12 - Final edits on environment - further develop

Week 13 - Further development 

[thaliabrunner4]

Progress Update 1

I have chosen to still focus on the stream of VFX however I will focus on compositing a shot using digi matte painting and VFX. I decided to change from my last proposed concept as I think this is a more clear concept that can be well executed in the time frame. I will put most of my focus into matte painting to create a high quality overall outcome rather than trying to accomplish a lot of tasks/ideas within the allocated time. This means once I have produced a result I am happy with and have extra time I can add elements of animation and use more advanced VFX techniques.

This is some inspiration for my digi matte painting to meet the brief. I will combine image and painted elements through the environment produced in PS then add VFX such as snow/fog/water in UE4 and combine all the elements in AE to bring the environment to life and advance my VFX knowledge.

Real world references/inspiration

I want to create a snowy landscape as this is VFX feature I have yet to experiment with. To further my knowledge, I would also like to add a 3D structure like a monolith/fortress constructed on the side of the mountain/iceberg and clear/icy water. I would like it to have depth so I can later animate a figure or camera to fly into the environment, creating the illusion of depth.

Monolith inspiration

Weekly plan based on time estimates from assignment 1.

I have never done digi matte painting before, however I have painted in PS before, used UE4 visual effects and composited in AE so I used this to roughly estimate my time frame.

Week 7 – Research pipeline/inspiration - roughly put together environment in PS using combination of photographs and drawings

Week 8 – Further develop environment - import test layers into UE4 to ensure pipeline is working - block out structure

Week 9 – Finish environment in PS - model structure and incorporate into scene

Week 10 – VFX in UE4 (fog/snow/water) - Cinematography in sequencer

Week 11 – Composite in AE - add animated character if time permits

Week 12 – Final edits on environment

Week 13 – I usually try and aim to have assignments completed about a week early to allow for any technical/conceptual issues that I may encounter. Therefore, this week will either be used to catch up or further develop my environment.

Work toward project

I primarily used Pinterest as a source for inspiration/concept development and tutorials/visual breakdowns. I found this was a great place to search and save helpful resources.  

https://au.pinterest.com/thaliabrunner4/

After watching the tutorial on Blackboard I felt more familiar with the concept and pipeline, as I’ve done something similar last year with a cosmic environment. Creating different star layers in PS then staggering them in AE for the camera to fly through.

I have roughed out an initial basic idea in PS to try and better develop my concept, trying to keep in mind how I will go about exporting and ‘slicing’ the image up to create the illusion of depth. I have focused on an iceberg environment with a structure built into the ice on the right and a bridge going across the water. I have also incorporated a mountain scape in the background. Some potential challenges could include: 

drawing/finding Creative Commons iceberg images and ensuring the correct perspective

slicing up the icebergs and positioning them at the correct angle

deciding whether to draw or create the water in UE4 - what will be the most effective and efficient

adding ice/snow effects that will fit in with the environment

This is a rough concept composition using Creative Commons images. Perspective and colouring still needs attention, however I really like the way the building is built into the iceberg and might move this to become more of a key feature. Most of the mood and aesthetic will be added through VFX’s such as fog/snow in UE4. I think this is a good start for me to further develop and add extra details.

Time spent:

Research/inspiration - 2hrs

Sketch - 30mins

Rough PS composition - 1.5hrs

[thaliabrunner4]

Final Reflection

I am happy with what I have achieved over the three milestones, attempting to learn as much as I can and experimented with as many aspects of UE4. With each milestone I tried to do more than was expected for my own personal benefit, I always liked to broaden my knowledge and create something I couldn’t have done before starting the milestone. I look forward to learning even more and focusing on VFX in the next assignment.

1. Reflection of what you have achieved in Milestone 1A through to 1C

Milestone 1A

I was confident in my basic understanding of UE4 from the past semester however render passes were relatively new knowledge for me, therefore this was an area of research. I had some issues with compositing in AE, knowing what passes to use and for what purpose. After completing this milestone I was confident in my understanding of the depth pass and examples of implementation, achieving a dusty effect in the background. However I still need to research and gain an understanding of other render passes and their uses.

Milestone 1B

This milestone was the most frustrating of the three with almost every aspect of the pipeline causing an issue that took a considerable amount of time to resolve. I found most of these were due to using a Mac but luckily I also had a PC that I used for the MAYA animations. I really enjoyed using the ART plugin and found it very powerful for quickly creating and animating customised proxy characters. I would have liked to further explore the joint modules, however I was glad I could achieve the ponytail in UE4, realistically reacting to the movement of the character. After resolving the issues I found the whole pipeline pretty quick as I am quite confident with animating and using sequencer/camera in UE4.

Milestone 1C

I really learnt a lot about using UE4 cascade particle system during this milestone and was impressed at how easy it was to achieve visually interesting VFX. Finding I had some more time due to fixing the issues in my pipeline in the previous milestone I was able to experiment with sparks, dust particles, dust clouds and mesh emitters. This new basic knowledge of particles will help me for the assessment 2 where I plan on focusing on VFX.  I was also pleased with the style of animation created, ‘breaking’ the rig and creating smear frames in order to create a snappy animation.

2. Examination of what new knowledge you have developed, and what knowledge you need to further develop in the pipeline of an animated shot

Starting the semester I had a strong basic knowledge of UE4 and a some extra knowledge about blueprints, but had never worked with animation, sequencer, render passes or cascade. The render passes were relatively knew knowledge, I never knew all the possibilities and how to effectively use the passes in post production (After Effects). This is an area I need to further develop my knowledge, both in the understanding of render passes and compositing in AE. I found the animation and sequencer easy to use as it was similar to other programs I was familiar with. I am glad that I took some extra time to learn and experiment with particles and cascade in UE4 and I feel confident in advancing this knowledge. VFX is an area I am interested in developing further and using this time as an opportunity to experiment will be beneficial when starting the next assignment.

3. Identification of your selected specialist stream for Assignment 2, including your areas of priority, chosen task and personal objectives

VFX is an area I would like to further expand my knowledge. However I would like to also combine some animation as this is the field I want to enter in the industry. But I chose not to focus on this as I feel like I have done a lot of animation over the past year and would like to use this opportunity to broaden my skills. As I would also like to include animation my personal objective is to have an animated character interact with a real world environment/people and including some VFX like dust/water in the scene. 

4. Identification of one industry job/role OR one inspirational artist/studio relevant to your chosen stream and explanation of why

Compositor and Layout artists are examples of industry job roles relevant to the VFX stream. A compositor is responsible for combining all elements (background plates, special effects etc) and creating the final image. Compositors work at the very end of a production pipeline whereas Layout artists work a lot earlier in the process, responsible for interpreting 2D and 3D storyboards to block out the scenes and stage every shot. This particular role interested me as I have had a lot of previous experience with 3D modelling and animation and this VFX role would utilise this prior knowledge and interest.

I am inspired by the work of Iloura, an Australian based animation and visual effects studio. Particularly their work on one of my favourite films, Mad Max: Fury Road. This is what inspired me to choose and further explore the VFX stream. Research of the process showed areas of modelling and animation, combining my previous knowledge and confidence of modelling and animating and adding a new step/skill of VFX.

http://iloura.com.au

5. Identification of the knowledge and skills required for your selected stream, and a written understanding of these skills / responsibilities in your own words

VFX artists are responsible for interpreting and recreating effects like explosion, fire, smoke, debris etc often working at the very end of the production process. It also involves combining and constructing all the 2D and 3D elements seamlessly into the final shot as a compositor to complement the project style and maintain continuity. Thus an understanding of the process of 3D animation and ability to create well composed shots is important in this role.

It is imperative that VFX artist work and communicate well within a team environment, often working closely with render wranglers and lighters. Therefore, a technical understanding of physics (light, gravity and how objects interact with each other) is another important area of knowledge for VFX artist, in order to achieve realistic results. It is also important that one has a level of self-motivation and responsibility, able to independently complete projects and problem solve within strict time frames.

6. Identification of your current knowledge and skills in this stream as per #4, and what will need to be developed throughout the semester

My current knowledge of VFX is very limited, this is why I chose to focus on this stream for assignment 2. I believe I have a basic-intermediate knowledge of other areas (modelling, animation) as they were more of a focus for other units. However, VFX is never something I got a chance to focus on and it has always been an area of interest. That’s why I am using the opportunity of assignment 2 to explore and expand my knowledge to broaden my career perspectives. Throughout the semester I will need to develop my understanding of compositing in AE and render passes. Also looking at that physics of VFX and how to realistically create them in UE4 then composite into a scene in AE. 

Starting resources:

My knowledge of VFX and compositing in After Effects is fairly limited, therefore this Lynda tutorial will provide an understanding of the process and how they are implemented

After Effects CC 2017: VFX Essential Training: https://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-tutorials/After-Effects-CC-2017-VFX-Essential-Training/504061-2.html?srchtrk=index%3a20%0alinktypeid%3a2%0aq%3aVFX%0apage%3a1%0as%3arelevance%0asa%3atrue%0aproducttypeid%3a2

This Youtube playlist focuses on aspects of UE4 cascade particle systems and the different effects that can be created. I have only watch a couple during the last milestone that gave me a basic understanding of the system.

Introduction to Cascade: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZlv_N0_O1gYDLyB3LVfjYIcbBe8NqR8t

It’s important to know the aspects of the VFX pipeline and the order in which certain steps are done to ensure my own own pipeline is correct and efficient. This is particularly important when working with a team. 

VFX pipeline: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/how-an-average-vfx-pipeline-works/

As discovered in research of industry roles and knowledge, an understanding of cinematography and lighting is important for VFX artists when compositing scenes.

Lighting the Environment (UE4): https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/LightingAndShadows/

Cinematography techniques: https://www.oma.on.ca/en/contestpages/resources/free-report-cinematography.pdf

Time spent

Reflection - 1hr

[thaliabrunner4]

Milestone 1C

I am happy with the final animation and it came together like I had envisioned. Being inspired by the Overwatch animations I tried to ‘break’ the rig during certain frames to give it a quick/snappy yet fluid feel. After watching some more Overwatch character intros I found they interacted with the camera a lot which added believability and appeal. Therefore this is also an aspect I implemented into my own video.

Materials

I quickly painted a UV map to give the character more life. I think it is effective however I would have liked to spend more time on painting and adding more detail. Also looking into animating textures like a flip book (did some quick research and found this was possible in UE4). This would allow for changing facial expressions and give the character more life.

Lighting

I experimented with a simple 3 point lighting setup but didn’t feel like it suited the character and lost the dust particles and therefore the atmosphere of the environment. I found volumetric lighting worked the best (that I had learnt earlier), also including a rim light and a camera light for more even lighting. 

During this milestone I learnt about migrating content, this meant I didn't have to re-make the dust particle system I had created in the last test scene. This saved me time and made for a more faster pipeline by simply migrating the ‘Dust’ folder containing all the content needed for the particle system.

Compositing 

After watching the tutorial I found I was using the passes incorrectly in the last milestones. I now have a better understanding of how to mask and choosing which pass is best to use. I tried using both a base colour pass (combined with keylight) and a depth pass to see which would create the best results. I used the depth pass for my final image (see below) as they both resulted in a similar effect with some flickering around the head. I also find the depth pass to be more versatile and want to get used to using it for AE compositing.

Before starting this task I felt confident in my ability to combine the knowledge gained from the past milestones as I had already done something similar for 1B. Therefore for this milestone I spent most of my time expanding my UE4 VFX knowledge by learning and implementing particle systems. As VFX is my stream of interest for the second assignment this basic knowledge will be beneficial to implement and advance in the coming weeks. 

I found it difficult to have the arm believably reach out and reposition the camera. If I had more time I would animate the character standing up and walking over to adjust the camera then go back to the pose. But to solve this quickly I just had to zoom the camera in. This does fit the theme and style I was trying to achieve and the movements still feel natural, however I think the zoom is a bit too jarring and extreme.

Time spent

Sequencer/setting up shot/animating camera – 2hrs

Texturing/Lighting experimentation – 2hrs

Compositing in AE – 1hr

Reflection - 30mins

[thaliabrunner4]

Dust particles

I didn’t like the direction the last video was heading in but was happy I experimented with particles. I decided to go for more of a character intro inspired by the Overwatch animations to create an exaggerated yet smooth/expressive animation.

I know I wanted to still incorporate particles so I was inspired by the style of a ‘superhero landing’ and would have the character land into frame, creating dust and rock particles on the ground as he lands.

Inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp8z1Vu-J5E

I first created 2 dust particle emitters with help from this tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apPH38f7eoo

Each had a different radius and lifetime, one for the initial impact with a smaller diameter, more smoke and short lifetime. Then a second larger cloud with less smoke but longer lifetime to create more of a shockwave effect to better show the impact.

I then created some random rocks shapes in Blender that I then imported into UE4 to use as a mesh emitter to create shards of rock. 

Tutorial reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psoTTXS7844

I am pretty happy with the final result and believe it fits the style and will add to the final animation.

Time spent

Dust bloom effect/rocks(research/experimentation/implementation) - 2.5hrs

[thaliabrunner4]

UE4 particle test/experimentation

After watching the tutorial videos and the videos on VFX I was inspired to create an indoor corridor scene. I haven’t had the chance to light an indoor environment yet and doing a dark metal passageway will also give me the opportunity to experiment with lighting and other VFX (smoke/haze, sparks, steam).

With a clear idea I began the animation process. I didn’t think a character intro would fit the scene and animation style. Therefore I have made it into a level type introduction and maybe have the game/level symbol rotating on the right.

Based on the style I wanted to achieve I went with a more human like character with larger arms, legs and chest to communicate some sort of armour. I plan to spend some time texturing to better convey the metal feel of the character.

I found this process a lot quicker having resolved all the issues in the last milestone, creating a smoother and therefore faster pipeline into UE4.

Resources

I used these video tutorials to create the sparks and dust. This also gave me a better understanding of the cascade particle system as I find I learn best by doing and experimenting. 

Creating sparks : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRckSWT4uHY

Creating dust particles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFi-lGYJA3M

Time spent

Character setup/Animation in Maya – 1hr

Setting up scene/animation/textures/lighting – 2hrs

Learning about cascade and setting up particles - 2hrs

[thaliabrunner4]

Research and inspiration

I wanted to use this last milestone as a chance to experiment more with lighting and VFX within UE4, as it is the area I am interested in for the next assignment. After watching the tutorials and going through the content on blackboard I did some of my own initial research to see the possibilities and what I could achieve in the time frame.

These are some links I found particularly helpful for gaining an understanding of the VFX capabilities in UE4:

Cascade Particle System: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/ParticleSystems/

Particle Effects: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Resources/Showcases/Effects/

Post Process Materials: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/PostProcessEffects/PostProcessMaterials/

Inside Unreal - Visual Effects series (a professional look/approach to VFX in UE4): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP4FrN7JeW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_y55MO2YI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaV0BaUcEyA

Time spent

Research and inspiration - 1hr

[thaliabrunner4]

Milestone 1B

I decided to combine my knowledge/learning from the first milestone into the animation by creating a character intro, like you might see in a game. It was only after I had finished most of it that I saw on blackboard that this was an example for the next milestone. However, I chose to continue and finish it and use the next milestone to further research and explore my stream of interest, VFX.

I used the same render passes as last time (depth, base colour, final) and took it into AE to add the graphics.

While doing this I realised the mistake I made in the last milestone with the background becoming extremely dark when the graphic was brought to the foreground. This was because I was masking the depth over the final layer rather than the base colour. I switched this around and was able to move the graphic further forward without losing any light in the background.

I was pretty confident in my animation ability before starting this milestone and the knowledge of the sequencer gained from the last milestone. Even though I found these aspects fairly easy it was getting there that I found most difficult. I came across a lot of issues (most likely due to using a Mac) that I spent a lot of time researching and trying to solve. It became very frustrating especially when I couldn't find any clear resolution online. 

If I hadn't spent so much time on resolving those issues I would have liked to experiment more with Alembic and see its potential compared to ART. I would have also like to try different rig settings particularly the rig modules (leaf joints, jiggle joints and dynamic chains). I attempted to add jiggle joints to the first rig, on the arms. But I didn’t see any effect, I didn't get time to properly research how to apply them so I was most likely doing it incorrectly. 

I had a quick look at the AnimMontage but would like to look into it further for the next milestone. 

Overall I was really happy with the final video, it came together like I had imagined. I added some texture to the background but only a simple material to the characters. I tried to make the camera movements dynamic and give it a more ‘hand held’ feel to match the game character intro style. To further improve this I would have liked to add more interesting textures to the characters and experiment more with lighting.

Time spent

Compositing in AE - 1hr

Reflection - 1hr

[thaliabrunner4]

UE4 sequencer

I added each of the animation into the sequencer and physically blended them together, with help from this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s2YDgbk5qg

I had some issues with the jumping animation as I wanted to add a simulated ponytail. I found a tutorial that showed how this was done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq0pB2Um_pA

However I had a few issued trying to get it working in sequencer but this was solved by creating a BP.

Time spent

Animation sequencer blending -1hr

Adding ponytail- 3hrs

[thaliabrunner4]

Animation

I customised a couple different rigs as I wanted to create a character intro style animation. I made a large, more aggressive type character then a small, more feminine ninja.

It seemed like as soon as I solved one issue another one would appear. This time with importing into UE4. First I “exported all”, it imported into UE4 but the animation wasn't imported. So I then tried exporting the mesh and animation separately. However I would get the following errors.

I finally realised that you can export using the ART settings. I used this method to export the animation then assigned it to the previous fbx import (without animation). This resolved the problem and I could finally start experimenting with UE4 sequencer and blending animations.

Time spent

Animation - 2.5hrs

Research/trying to resolve importing into UE4 – 2hrs 

Exporting/importing – 1hr