Caity's Blog – Page 9 – Animation Student *u*

Animated Strategies: Adding a little more lighting and building some light maps.

Posted on December 9, 2022December 12, 2022 by Caity Kerr

I decided to add a second light source in my main lab room, so that I could subtly light the server and shelving assets with a light source that makes sense. I added another spotlight under the lamp I was already using as the asset for the light above the op table:

It made the room a little more visable, which I think was needed – I added a little green tinge to the lighting to match the other lights, as I think it adds a lot to the ominous feeling. This also lightened the server and shelf views more, making some of the features more visable:

I like how this looks, I think it’s still subtle and I did want some stark contrast in my shots, but you can still see more of the details of the buttons etc.

I then decided to play around a little with the light maps in the scene, and I made the tesla poles, the ground and the server higher res as the camera was quite close to these areas and I thought that upping the res of these assets would be useful as the audience will see them:

I’m really happy with how my scene is looking at the moment:

I’m glad I decided to go for quite bright, white, lights — when I was imagining these scenes, I wanted something that was very exposed and reminiscent of the types of lights that are installed in boots pharmacy. IDK if that will make sense to anyone else, but as boots in Belfast City Centre is such a large store with few windows, the lighting feels incredibly artificial and I think I’ve managed to achieve this through this scene.

I’m going to work on my camera, and my camera animations over the next couple of days.

Animation Strategies – More lighting work, post process added and cameras placed.

Posted on December 7, 2022December 12, 2022 by Caity Kerr

After some tweeking above, I downloaded 2 light models from the Quixel store and placed them, as I wanted to make sure that there weren’t any areas of light that it wasn’t obvious where the light was coming from:

I placed lights in all of the downloaded lights which are in the main corridor and above the operation table. I also added flashing lights to the light above the op table and in the server asset. I added a post-process to effect the bloom and the temperature of the atmosphere in my rooms. This is currently infinite, and effecting all of the scene. These are some of the cameras I have placed, and I plan on animating them in the next few days:

Some of these screenshots are a little too dark, I plan on trying to lighten the view of the server, and from behind the operation table on the shelves. I also might add some sparks to the open cables in the room, I’m not 100% sure yet – but Henry gave me a couple of good references for the Niagara system that I might utilize.

References this week:

Animated Strategies – More layout and some lighting actions.

Posted on December 6, 2022December 12, 2022 by Caity Kerr

Started with some basic fog which added an ominous feel to the scene, and pulled all of the other lighting way down so that the scene was dark:

Added an emissive to my GIF files:

Added some emission to my splatter:

Added in some more emmission with the doors of the life pods. Unsure about whether or not this might be a bit too much?

Added a simple point light above, as it’s a lab setting I thought I should add some ‘dull’ hanging light vibes:

Added a purple tinge to light as contrast to green:

I used a tutorial when making the lighting up for my TV screens, which was really helpful:

Professional Practice – Cover Letter and research.

Posted on December 2, 2022December 12, 2022 by Caity Kerr

When composing my cover letter, I decided to base it on a role that I managed to find through NIScreen:

Quality Assurance Coordinator.

I have been a long time follower of Bellular Games’ youtube videos, in which one of the founders talks about one of my favourite games, World of Warcraft. The studio is currently working on their first game, ‘The Pale Beyond’, which I have also been following the development of.

Bellular Gaming

Bellular Website

Before I wrote my cover letter, I took note of the core and desirable skills that the advertisement is looking for:

Essential Criteria:

Good attention to detail
Comfortable working within a team environment
Good written/verbal communication
Interest in video game development

Desirable Criteria:

Experience of using Unity Game Engine (or similar)

I wanted to ensure that I demonstrated that I posses all of these skills through my CV:

Dear Hiring Manager,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing regarding the advertised internship role “Quality Assurance Coordinator”, which I discovered through the NI Screen website.

I am currently a second-year animation student, with a particular interest in the gaming industry; I spend much of my spare time playing video games. I have been a huge fan of Bellular Studios’ YouTube channel – ‘Bellular Gaming’ – over the years, as I have great interest in the game World of Warcraft. Furthermore, I have been keeping up to date with the development of Bellular Studios’ upcoming game ‘The Pale Beyond’.

I am equipped with skills in both 2D and 3D software and am well acquainted with Unreal Engine 5. I spent the first semester of my second year working, with my team, to set up an environment within Unreal Engine; I created several of the scene’s major assets, established the scene’s lighting and filmed a cinematic within it. In addition to this, I have previously worked within a Quality Assurance role, during which I was required to demonstrate accuracy and great attention to detail.

Please find attached my CV, Portfolio and Showreel.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind Regards,

Caity Kerr

I believe through outlining my interest in Bellular Games’ youtube channel, and my interest in World of Warcraft, I am demonstrating some research and knowledge of the studio and aligning my values with the company. By listing my knowledge of their upcoming game, ‘The Pale Beyond’, I am showing interest in video game development whilst further demonstrating knowledge of the Studio’s productions.

Talking about my assignment in Unreal Engine in first semester of second year, highlighting my group work in this, I am showing my proficiency in the desired criteria as well as my ability to work as part of a team. By citing my previous job in a similar role of Quality Assurance, I am showing my experience and a good level of attention to detail.

I believe the communication in my cover email reflects my good written and verbal communication skills.