unit10-nk-aidanjones

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Rocket:

I set up two cameras for this rocket in Cinema 4D, one where the camera zooms out to get a better overall look at the rocket and another one where the camera zooms in to get some close-up shots. I decided to merge these two bits of footage together using Adobe Premiere Pro. I then added a rocket blast sound effect. This was over 40 seconds long so I had to cut it down using the razor tool. Once I’d cut together the best of the 40 second sound effect into 10 seconds I exported the audio and then imported it again so I could use it on the second part of the video (rocket zoom in) I added a video transition, cube spin to break up the different renders. So that the sound didn’t end abruptly I also added an audio transition, exponential fade. This ensured that before the end of each scene the sound effect faded out over the duration of 1 second.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Submarine:

Accurate drawings were done in Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool, these were then saved as an Illustrator 8 file and imported over to Cinema 4D. I used the extrude tool in Cinema 4D to make the drawings three-dimensional. The propeller is made up of a cylinder and cube, the cube was put inside a cloner to duplicate the cube around the cylinder at different angles. The taper functionality was used on the submarine's body (capsule) to make it slightly wider at the front and narrower at the back. Once I’d got all the individual parts of the submarine created it was the simple task of putting them into one scene and placing them in their correct positions. The only things I added was an extra capsule for the cockpit and a cone at the back to surround the propeller. I then added the submarine into a scene with water and a platform. I was also able to add a person from the Cinema 4D content browser. To finish off I placed a light to the left of the platform which reflects nicely off the water's surface.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Submarine Room (Part 2):

This part was primarily based on using the Hypershade to texture my models. I would start by creating a Blinn if I wanted a shiny colour or a Lambert if I wanted a colour that wasn’t shiny. Some textures were more complex than others, for example, some were just basic colours and in this case, it was just the case of picking a colour that suited my requirements.

Some textures like on the giant Earth were more complex as a glow effect and bump map were added. The glow effect makes it look like the Earth has got an atmosphere and the bump maps add ridges and height to the planet which can represent mountains and the different elevations of the Earth.

The textures for the wall, flooring, planets and projector control panel were all downloaded and put into the source images folder of my Maya Projects. From there I was able to import them into my scene from the Hypershade window.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Submarine Room (Part 1):

This is the design process of one of the submarine rooms which is located at the bottom of the sub. Here leaders and generals outline their most dangerous plans and prepare for their next missions. A futuristic projector outlines plans and locations across Earth and the planets beyond.

The room started off as a basic cube shape, artefacts were added such as crates (which are just a series of differently shaped cubes) this taught me about duplicating items in Maya. A pillar was then added to the side wall, I then used the ‘duplicate special’ option to duplicate the pillar a set number of times over an equal distance. The projector started off as a cone shape I then used some 3D modelling tools such as extrude to create a panel on the front. I used point selection mode and the move tool to bring the top of the cone down to the bottom of the cone which is what makes it hollow. The planets are just a series of differently shaped spheres, Saturn has a torus around it to create the ring. Earth has a smaller sphere placed next to it which is supposed to represent the moon.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Apollo Program:

The Apollo program was the USA’s third human spaceflight program carried out by NASA. It is most famous for landing humans on the moon and then bringing them safely back to Earth. The program lasted between 1961 and 1975 with its first flight on October 27th 1961 and it’s last on December 7th 1972. The Apollo program consisted of various different missions each with different spacecraft's and objectives.

The Saturn V Rocket which is shown in the video and pictures above is the largest and most powerful rocket ever launched. It is 111 meters in height, weighs 2.8 million kilogrammes and produces 34.5 million newtons of thrust at launch. The Saturn V that launched for the Apollo missions had 3 stages. Each stage would burn it’s engines until the fuel ran out and then it would separate from the other part of the rocket, the engines on the next part of the rocket would then start up enabling the rocket to continue into space. The first engines were the most powerful as they had the difficult job of getting the fully fueled rocket off the ground. The first stage lifted the rocket to an altitude of about 42 miles, the second stage would then take it almost to orbit and the third stage would push the rocket into the Earth’s orbit and towards the moon. The first two stages, when separated, would fall into the ocean and the third stage would float around in space or crash into the moon.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Papers Please:

Papers Please is an interesting concept whereby you are in charge of controlling the flow of people trying to enter the Arstotzkan side of Grestin. It was not the idea or aim of the game I was interested in but more the style and look of the game. The art style is quite cold and depressive so fits the 1980s Cold War theme. There’s a strong use of dark colours throughout the game such as the use of silhouettes for the people waiting in the queue. The game makes you think of a country that is difficult to enter or has strict border controls because of the use of soldiers and barriers.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Making of Rocket:

This rocket is North Korea’s highest powered rocket and weapon. Powered by space shuttle boosters it can reach great distances and altitudes. It is designed to explode on impact but can also be remotely controlled to explode before hitting the target which relies on shrapnel to bring down the enemy.

The rocket was designed to be ‘innocent and child looking’ but it’s rounded shape actually allows it to carry more explosives and fuel. The colours and design have also been used to trick the enemy into thinking that the rocket is some sort of elaborate prank. It can also be used for manned space missions by simply removing the explosives and adding the expandable flooring which includes seats, controls and a living area.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Submarine Prototype:

This submarine was mainly me testing out various different shapes and designs and trying to get a look that felt right. This model ended up looking more like a plane than a submarine due to its wings and tail. A normal submarine wouldn’t have wings as this would only slow it down. Submarines should be as streamlined and aerodynamic as possible. I used a Subdivision Surface to make everything look smooth although I think I prefer it without as I like the sharp edges. I used the Matrix Extrude tool to create the bumps on the top of the submarine.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Nautilus (Captain Nemo):

The Nautilus is featured in Jules Verne’s novels ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea’ (1870) and ‘The Mysterious Island’ (1874) The name is inspired after the real submarine Nautilus made by Robert Fulton (1800)

The ship was designed and built by Captain Nemo, the story goes into great detail about the ship’s specifications. It is powered by electricity which comes from the sodium/mercury batteries (the sodium is extracted from the sea water) It is double-hulled and separated into watertight compartments, the top speed is 50 knots. The Nautilus uses flooded tanks to control its depth and buoyancy. When the vessel emerges rapidly from the ocean large jets of water will appear making it look like a whale. Another similarity to that and a whale is that it has to return to the surface to refresh its air supply.  To dive quickly The Nautilus uses something called hydroplaning which just means it points its nose towards the seabed. The inside of the ship is considered luxurious with libraries, several collections of jewels, expensive paintings and a dining room.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Nebuchadnezzar (Matrix):

The Nebuchadnezzar is the main hovercraft featured in The Matrix. It is captained by Morpheus and has a total of 6 crew members: Dozer, Apoc, Cypher, Mouse, Switch and Neo. Trinity is the first mate of the ship and its operators are Tank and Link.

Nebuchadnezzar (builder and king of Babylon) was a biblical figure mentioned in the bible, the relation to this and The Matrix is that Morpheus and his crew are building the future of mankind, which perceives them to be kings. Hence the reason the ship is called The Nebuchadnezzar.

I like the design of the ship it looks like it could change shape at any given time, like a transformer. I like the different light pads and weaponry that come out of the ship, it makes the whole design look more interesting and appealing. I would imagine the inside of the ship to have a modern simplistic design featuring lots of technology and controls.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Ken Adams:

Ken Adams is a production designer who was most famous for his work on seven James Bond films. Some of his sets included The Pentagon War Room in Dr Strangelove and the villain’s headquarters in the first Bond film Dr No. Other notable work included the design of the original car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He also worked on all the credits for the Bond films up until Moonraker in 1979.

His work has won him lots of recognition including an Oscar nomination for his work in Around the World in 80 Days, The Spy Who Loved Me and Adams Family Values. In an interview with the BBC, he said that his Bond drawings had to be improvised as the locations that he was asked to draw didn’t exist. He also created a lot of backdrops and props including Blofeld’s volcano in You Only Live Twice which reportedly cost twice as much as the entire production budget of Dr No.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Making Choices:

I’ve always been interested in games that require decisions to be made throughout the story. I wanted to include decisions that would actually impact the way the story develops and the way the agent completes his missions. Creating this kind of game requires a lot of extra work as you’re effectively making different cutscenes and dialogue for all the different choices the user makes. In some games, you’ll be able to make decisions on what your character says but this does not always influence the story.

The Walking Dead by Telltale Games is one of those games where your choices really matter. What you say and do can affect who lives and dies and can have a serious impact later on in the story.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

The Interview (2014):

The Interview is an American comedy film directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The idea was originally created back in 2000 when Kim Jong-il was still in power but the movie never got further than that. When Kim Jong-il died in 2011 and Kim Jong-un took over the script was redeveloped.

In June 2014 North Korea threatened to take action if the film was released. As a result, Columbia Pictures delayed the release from October to December editing certain scenes (like Kim Jong-un’s death scene) to make it more acceptable for North Korea.

There are several reasons why North Korea didn’t want this movie to be shown, firstly the movie mocks North Korea and Kim Jong-un. Secondly, there was the worry that the movie would make its way to North Korea and cause a rebellion amongst its people.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Thunderbird 4:

Thunderbird 4 is carried inside a pod in Thunderbird 2. It is measured at 9 meters long and 3 meters wide, this means it is the smallest of the Thunderbird vehicles. It has a few tools which allow it to complete its task at search and rescue such as an adjustable flashlight, lasers, electromagnets, demolition rockets and a battering ram.

Thunderbird 4 was upgraded for the ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ series it now includes a pair of grappling arms which are deployed when needed as well as two dry tube evacuation pods. It is also controllable via Gordon’s wrist watch.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

James Bond:

In the film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ James Bond (Roger Moore) drove a modified Lotus Esprit named Wet Nellie into the sea while being chased by a helicopter. The sub was made specifically for the film by Perry Oceanographic Inc. The wedge shape of the car allowed downforce so the sub could dive and the wheels were replaced by fins. The sub required two people to operate and only allowed forward motion. The inside of the car does not resemble the inside of a real Lotus Esprit S1, with only simple controls for power and driving.

During filming the car was driven by ex-U.S. Navy SEAL Don Griffin, in the film the car was developed by Q-Branch. In 2013 the car was bought by Elon Musk for £555,000 after going on auction in the South West of London.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Masks:

Masks are important to protect and disguise a person. Firstly by covering up your identity masks can ensure you remain hidden and blend into your environment, for example, a white mask for snow environments and a green mask for grassland or jungle. A black mask can ensure you remain hidden in the shadows. As an undercover agent, it’s especially important your identity is not revealed as doing so would certainly jeopardise the mission and potentially put your organisation, family and country at risk.

Masks can also potentially protect you from many different things such as a blast from an explosion, heat from a fire, shrapnel from bullets or weaponry, toxic gases and so on. They can also do simple things like help filter out sand and dirt that might get lifted in the air by the wind, especially useful for desert based missions.

My agent will wear a mask that will cover most of his face (down to his mouth) it features a 3 goggle design which enables night and thermal vision as well as a built-in flashlight.

[unit10-nk-aidanjones]

Submarines:

Many of North Korea’s submarines are ex-soviet or Chinese vessels dating back from the 1950s, some have been modified however with more modern equipment. Submarines have the advantage of stealth, endurance and flexibility and can carry out tasks silently. They are also tasked with holding weaponry for both defence and attack such as the UK’s nuclear deterrent, Trident.

There are several different classes of Submarine that the Royal Navy use these include the Ballistic, Astute and Trafalgar Classes. The four Ballistic submarines have the role of protecting the nation by holding our nuclear deterrents, each submarine is armed with a D5 nuclear missile capable of hitting targets over 7000 miles away. There are three active Submarines from the Astute class and four active Submarines from the Trafalgar Class. These submarines are fast, deep diving and capable of a wide variety of roles.