Previs and Texturing
This week I decided to work on a previs for my section of the animation. This was the first time that I had tried importing my character into the tavern setting, so it gave me a good idea on how well my characters works in the environment.
Since the previs is only supposed to be a very basic version of the animation, I only made the keyframes for my character, basing them on the storyboard I had previously made. I also referred to my animatic as I worked on the previs, so I could get the timings right.
While working on the previs, I found this video which talked about the maya sequencer. After setting up all the cameras, I was then able to put all of the camera shots into one sequence, making it easier for me to create the playblast.
Previs:
As you can see, the animation here is very limited, especially in the running sequence as she just glides across the screen instead of actually running across. Another problem is due to the rigging of the character. I haven’t rigged my character yet, and I only used a basic parent constraint system for this animation. This means that her arms and legs move around and I had to keep putting them back in place myself, so the positioning of them isn’t consistent. However, this won’t be a problem once I’ve rigged the character.
While working on the previs I also came across some problems. One of the main issues is that I wasn’t sure where my character should be. After I started working on my previs, I soon realised that my group had never discussed the placement of our characters throughout the room. I wasn’t sure if I should place my character at the front of the tavern or the back of the tavern. My character is supposed to run towards the others so she can join in on the fight, so I’ll need to figure out where the other members of the group plan to place their characters.
Although the previs is very basic, it gives me a good idea for how the final animation should look. It’s also brought some issues to my attention and I’ll be able to bring them up during our next group discussion so that they can be fixed before we work on the final animation.
I also worked on uv mapping and texturing all of my models this week. I started working on the props first, as they would be easy to do.
For all the wine bottles, I used the planar mapping option. I cut out the circle at the bottom and then cut along the sides of the bottle. I then selected the uv shells and unfolded them.
The pitcher and the mug followed a similar process. The only difference was that I had to uv map the extra details such as the handles, but I was still able to uv map these after making cuts into the shapes and unfolding them.
The puddle was easy to do as I just had to cut around the edge to create the different UV shells.
Next was the dagger. The dagger was also very simple as once again it just required me to make multiple cuts and unfold all the uv shells.
The final model I needed to work on was my character model. I initially thought that this would be difficult to do due to the number of parts that made up my model, however the uv mapping process was very similar to the process that I had used on the props. I used the planar mapping option and made cuts into the different shapes so that they could then be unfolded. I then used the layout tool and got the following uv map for my character model.
The next stage was texturing all my models, now that the uv maps were finished. I started working on my props first, since I knew they would be quick to texture. For the wine bottles I used the same glass texture but in different colours and I used a steel texture for the pitcher. For the mug I used a wood texture for the handle and the mug itself and for the rings and screws I used another steel material.
However these were not the final textures as I ended up sending the tavern props to Harry. He had already worked on all the textures for the tavern so it made sense for him to texture these props as well, since he knew which materials would look best in the tavern setting that he’s created.
I then started working on texturing the props I will need to use for my own scene.
The puddle was easy to texture as it only required one material. I ended up using a plastic texture and increased the roughness.
The dagger was also easy to texture as I already knew what materials I wanted to use. This meant that it was very easy when picking out the materials that I needed.
For the blade I went with a steel material that had scratches on it. I like this texture as the scratches on the dagger connote that this dagger has been used in a fight many times in the past. For the hilt of the dagger I used a simple gold texture. The gem uses a glass material. I’ve also lowered the opacity slightly so that the gem is slightly see through, instead of being a perfect reflection of the surrounding environment.
For my character model I knew that it would be easy to texture as many parts of the model would used the same textures, such as her cloak and her hat. I also had a rough idea for the types of materials that I wanted to use such as fabric, however I knew that it would require some experimentation due to the number of fabric textures that are available in Substance Painter.
Since our models are supposed to represent figures that are used in a Dungeons & Dragons game, I decided to go for a plastic texture for the face and hands. I also tried using the texture for the hair and I ended up liking it, so I’ve used it for the hair as well. For the cloak and hat I ended up using a very basic fabric material, as I knew that a very detailed texture wouldn’t work for the ‘cartoony’ look we wanted to have. For the boots I went with a leather texture, however the details for it didn’t match the appearance with the rest of the model. I turned off the surface details and dirt layers so that I was left with a very basic version of the material.
I also worked on the different expressions that my character will need.
Overall I’m very happy with the overall appearance of the character and I think the textures that I’ve picked work well together and suit our ‘cartoony’ theme.