Sketches and Planning

I'm actually having a lot of trouble hand designing my robot. So far I have found it a lot more interesting and productive creating the bot in 3ds max...as I think i find it easier to conceptualise my ideas on screen than on paper.

Regardless...I Have been sketching...and trying to formulate some kind of storyline for the poor little guy. He is going to be a librarian by the looks of things...although building a library is not something i am looking forward to. Perhaps an office or 'home library' maybe a little easier.

Either way, here are some screens of some of my sketching, storyboarding and modelling:
(Will be adding more over time)

(A storyboarding page from my sketchbook)

(3DS Max Modelling Practise)

Mood Boards

So Ive started to manifest a collection of images that will relate to my storyline. Images that inspire me, textures and camera shots. The first is a moodboard of robots I like, and perhaps with some features that I will "steal", and personalise. The second is based on the environment I would like to create...in this case, an old fashioned library.

The Game Design Competition

My Entry: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/215198

Edit: I got a little bored with this so finished it up and submitted it to the website. Hopefully I will get an email soon to confirm entry and we can view it on the BBC site! =)

So I got an email yesterday about a game design competition for Doctor Who. I was pretty shocked as we only have until Monday to send in a complete design so knew I had to get straight to work. One of my main goals this year is to enter as many competitions and go to as many events as possible ( As i missed a lot last year)... so not taking part was never an option. Last night I got to work and made the spaceship for 'Mission 2'. Some basic modelled renders can be seen below:

Craft Me A Bot!

So after an entire summer of me and my macbook, I had no access to 3ds Max. This morning I thought I would mess around firstly to see if i could still model...and secondly as a little test of some robot designs I had in my head:
















They're not very well made, but you can at least see the concept that i was going for. Now these designs are very simplistic, but certainly something I can build upon to craft something that I really love. I plan to model the environment from the character, so further development is necessary.

Bots and Bananas

So we need to start developing and creating some ideas for the 'Bots and Bananas' animation brief.
Ive drawn up a few concept sketches (im still fine tuning the drawings), so have some basics ideas, but still nothing solid.



My research into slap stick comedy...if im honest was pretty boring, as i dont find it comical at all..however i did find some reoccuring themes that may be useful within my own piece. Chaotic music, simplistic environments and 'black and white' may help give the final animatic the effect I am after.

Maya, Maya, Maya

So this is what happens when I have no Internet to distract me. It's just me and the programs already installed on my macbook. Why not get some practice in for Maya?

One of the tutorials to mesh model a helmet. =)














Plenty of mistakes, but first time using the program and I learnt the basic Interface as it is slightly different to 3ds Max. Job Done. Next.

Status:

VISUAL ESSAY
17/05/2010 - 100% "YAY!!! Finally finished this badboy!"

16/05/2010 - 90% "Had a very productive day!, Almost there..."

14/05/2010 - 85% "Getting Bored of this now..."
The Essay is now at a stage where it COULD be submitted...There is a flash Intro, Flash Swfs for each Practioner and Pages made in Dreamweaver. ( Minus the referencing as I'm doing something a little different for this)




















This is now literally the core of the work as from now on I will be adding additional features...both functional and aesthetic to create a complete piece.

Hopefully it should turn out pretty nice as I still have good time!!! =)

FLASH QUIZ - 100%
14/05/2010
I completed this back when we were doing online environments. If I get time I will go back and add some extra stuff into it.

SHORT FILM - 100%
14/05/2010
The short film was recently fully edited by the editor..^^
Done.

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS -
20/05/2010 - 100% "Its been rendering for almost 7 hours, about 33% done...see you in the morn'n cowboy"

18/05/2010 - 95% "Modelling is complete!, Lighting is In, Cameras are set, Just Materials to Finish!"

14/05/2010 - 70% "Seems to be going well"

Im still pounding away on this one. 3 of the 4 rooms are modelled, but im yet to start the 4th...and I will still need to add materials, lighting and cameras.

PRESENTATION - 100%
14/05/2010 - "Yeah..."
28/05/2010 - "One year down, two to go!"